Michelle Obama's podcast will debut on Spotify on July 29
16 July 2020
Spotify announced Thursday that "The Michelle Obama Podcast," the first podcast as part of its partnership with the Obamas' production company Higher Ground, will debut on July 29 for both free and paid subscribers.
Why it matters: It's the latest big media project from the former first lady. Her stated goal, alongside former President Obama, is to use media platforms like podcasts, film and social media to help Americans achieve a greater understanding of the world and to inspire young people.
- The podcast, hosted by Obama, will focus on the relationships that shape people, like those with parents, siblings, friends, mentors and partners.
- It will feature guests that have helped shape Obama's life, including her mother and brother — Marian and Craig Robinson — and family confidant Valerie Jarrett.
- Salesforce and Procter & Gamble brands Dawn and Tide will serve as the first season's presenting sponsors.
What she's saying: "What I love about these conversations is they're topics and issues we're all dealing with no matter what's going on, whether its a global pandemic or a nationwide reckoning with race," Obama said in a video about the podcast.
The big picture: Because young consumers are spending more time on their phones with apps like Spotify and Netflix, former politicians are increasingly targeting that space to reach them — instead of eyeing more traditional paths, like cable news.
- Hillary and Chelsea Clinton were in talks last year about creating a similar production company of their own.
What's next: The podcast is only the first from the Spotify-Higher Ground partnership, so expect more to come.
Go deeper:
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.