Work In Progress with Sophia Bush

Episode: Jasmine Crockett
Air Date: October 29, 2025

Overview

In this powerful and engaging episode, Sophia Bush welcomes Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for a candid, wide-ranging conversation. They delve into the current political climate, Texas and national voting rights battles, the impact of redistricting, Crockett’s journey as a civil rights attorney, and the state of democracy in America. The episode balances real talk about serious threats to democracy with humor, personal reflections, and actionable hope, reflecting both women’s commitment to speaking truth to power while honoring the “work in progress” all of us are.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Living with Both Frustration and Purpose

• Sophia (03:11-05:31): Praises Crockett’s leadership and courage, especially regarding voting rights and redistricting fights in Texas and nationwide.
• Jasmine Crockett (05:31):
  • Expresses deep frustration at the current political environment but focuses on gratitude for her seat at the table.
  • Sees her role as an opportunity to give people hope and bring oversight to government.
  • Quote: "As much as sometimes I wake up and I'm ready to bang my head against the wall, I then have that moment of reflection. And I'm so incredibly grateful to be here in this moment and have the opportunities that I have." (06:51)

2. Roots: Crockett’s Early Leadership & Resilience

• Sophia (07:06-08:47): Asks Jasmine about childhood traits and standing up to bullies.
• Jasmine (08:47-12:42):
  • Shares childhood anecdotes demonstrating her outspokenness and sense of justice.
  • Recounts a story of standing up to her third-grade art teacher (“...I got in trouble for cursing out my art teacher. So, you know, listen!...” 09:31).
  • Reflects on the change from carefree youth to constant vigilance due to public threats as a Black woman in power.

3. The Toll of Being a Public, Outspoken Woman in Politics

• Sophia (12:42):
  • Notes the toxicity in American public discourse, especially against vocal women and women of color.
  • Shares her own experience as a target for death threats.
• Jasmine (15:47):
  • Emphasizes the importance of understanding different audiences and communicating beyond elite circles.
  • Details how her background as a business major, marketer, and civil rights attorney taught her to relate across divides.
  • Quote: "As a trained litigator, I would be doing a disservice...if I wasn’t able to understand my audience." (16:18)

4. Expertise & Strategy: Advocacy from the Courtroom to Congress

• Jasmine (15:47-21:08):
  • Articulates the usefulness of her legal training in dissecting and crafting legislation and holding hostile witnesses accountable.
  • Stresses authentic communication, reading the law, and making complex subjects accessible to the public.
  • Points to a formative experience being the victim of hate crimes as motivation to go into law.

5. Double Standards, Accountability, and the Battle for Truth

• Sophia (25:02): Discusses double standards in Congressional decorum and truth-telling.
• Jasmine (26:03-32:21):
  • Argues the left is held to a higher standard; the right exploits ignorance and is permissive of hate within its ranks.
  • Cites the lack of accountability for hateful messaging within Republican circles, contrasting it with the expected response if Democrats did the same.
  • Quote: "I am going to attribute what those young Republicans did to the entire party because they have facilitated an environment of hate and white supremacy. And they consistently fail to denounce it..." (30:13)

6. Voting Rights, Redistricting, and the Fight for Democracy

• Sophia (32:37-35:03):
  • Raises alarm about national efforts to suppress the vote, specifically the Texas map that would erase Crockett's seat and disenfranchise communities of color.
  • Asks what ordinary people can do beyond advocacy.
• Jasmine (35:03-41:32):
  • Urges listeners not to succumb to hopelessness; collective power is precisely what opponents fear.
  • Reminds listeners that foundational needs like food, jobs, and healthcare apply across the political spectrum.
  • Stresses farmers’ issues as national security concerns, urging unity over division.
  • Quote: "We need each other to survive…no matter where you live, we all got to eat, right?" (38:58)

7. Economic Inequality & Distraction Tactics

• Sophia (41:39):
  • Critiques the way GOP distracts from core disparities by making Americans argue about wedge issues instead of billionaire tax dodging.
• Jasmine (continuing, 41:41+):
  • Outlines Republican maneuvers to push policies that benefit the few and keep the many divided.

8. The Epstein Files, Obstruction, and Government Shutdown

• Sophia (45:39-48:06):
  • Asserts Republicans are shutting down the government to avoid transparency, notably on the Epstein files.
• Jasmine (48:06-53:12):
  • Explains Congressional maneuvering obstructing justice and the discharge petition effort to force a vote against Speaker Johnson’s wishes.
  • Describes the scope of the Epstein files, lack of transparency from officials like Kash Patel, and the survivors’ ongoing fight for access to their own records.
  • Quote: “He is making his own opinions. And what we received was representative of somewhere between 1 and 3% of the entirety of the file. That is it.” (53:05)
• Sophia (56:23): Clarifies the actual (non-public, non-sensationalized) oversight function of reviewing sensitive materials.

9. Fighting Fire with Integrity: California’s Prop 50 vs. Texas Tactics

• Sophia (61:52-63:16): Asks Crockett’s views on Prop 50 as a response to Republican gerrymandering.
• Jasmine (63:16-68:54):
  • Strongly supports Prop 50, emphasizing the difference in process: California’s response is transparent and grassroots, not manipulative.
  • Laments Democrats’ earlier failure to fight dirty politics aggressively.
  • Recounts her own activism breaking quorum in Texas defending voting rights
  • Details how higher turnout (see Georgia, see Texas under Beto) could fundamentally reshape power.
  • Quote: “We are a majority minority state [Texas] and all they do is silence us and take our power. …They want to have minority rule.” (68:56)

10. Personal Missions, Sacrifices & Hope

• Sophia (69:53-71:12): Shares her wish to vote for Jasmine for president and asks Crockett about her personal “work in progress.”
• Jasmine (71:12-75:27):
  • Says her current mission is to “get this country back on track so that I can get out of politics.”
  • Describes longing for a more private life, seeing friends and family, and returning to practicing law for personal fulfillment.
  • Reiterates her sense of duty: “I believe that I am necessary in this moment. I don’t want to be necessary. I just want to go out and do fun stuff…But I truly believe that I am necessary in this moment.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every day that I wake up and I think about how pissed off I am, I also think about how fortunate I am…to give people hope.” – Jasmine Crockett (05:51)
• “I’ve always had a bit of bite.” – Jasmine Crockett, reflecting on her early activism (09:31)
• “If we don’t start to pull together…it is important that we say, listen…We need each other to survive.” – Jasmine Crockett (38:58)
• “We are a majority minority state and all they do is silence us and take our power…They want to have minority rule.” – Jasmine Crockett (68:56)
• “My work in progress is getting this country back on track so that I can get out of politics.” – Jasmine Crockett (71:12)
• “I am not tied to the title. I am tied to the mission.” – Jasmine Crockett (72:52)

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction & theme setup | 03:11-05:31 | | Childhood stories & early activism | 08:47-12:42 | | Public threats, being an outspoken Black woman | 09:31-12:42 | | Applying legal experience in Congress | 15:47-21:08 | | Double standards in accountability | 26:03-32:21 | | Voting rights, redistricting threat | 32:37-41:32 | | Economic precarity & wedge issues | 41:39-45:39 | | Epstein files, obstruction, transparency | 45:39-53:12 | | Prop 50 and voting rights in CA & TX | 63:16-68:54 | | Real work-in-progress, personal mission | 71:12-75:27 | | Closing affirmations | 75:27-76:22 |

Tone & Style

• The conversation is frank, often urgent, carrying both a sense of crisis and hope.
• Jasmine Crockett is unflinchingly direct, blending righteous anger and humor.
• Sophia Bush is supportive, informed, and personal, creating space for both seriousness and connection.

For Listeners New to the Episode

This episode offers an unvarnished look at the stakes for American democracy through two women’s perspectives: one on the campaign trails, one in the halls of Congress. You’ll hear insider breakdowns of political maneuvering, personal sacrifices public officials face, and why the power of ordinary people—if mobilized and united—can still change the country’s trajectory. The episode dissects how the rules of democracy are being rewritten in real time, but also why neither guest is giving up on a more just and participatory America.