We’ve all canceled something. Whether it’s a subscription, a vacation, or a date, cancelling or erasing a person? It seems so brutal. So unforgiving and final. It’s no surprise that cancel culture began on social media. Supporters say they are targeting people, companies and institutions for endorsing systems of racism, inequality, and bigotry. Opponents of cancel culture argue that this form of shaming causes personal injury, stifles debate and is a chilling threat to free speech. In this episo...
Jul 17, 2020•36 min•Ep. 263
Gerrymandering, the partisan process of redrawing political maps to favor one political party over the opposition, is often used unfairly to take power away from many voters. Voters Not Politicians is a highly successful grassroots campaign against gerrymandering in Michigan that began with a simple Facebook post by its young founder, Katie Fahey. The group took on party bosses, won a ballot initiative, and changed state law. This episode discusses how this campaign could be a model for others. ...
Jul 10, 2020•26 min•Ep. 262
America's four most powerful political leaders--President Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell-- are all in their mid-to-late seventies. In this episode, we hear from four 16 to 18 year-olds about the future of American democracy, and why they're committed to working for positive change. Zoë Jenkins, Emmy Cho, Thanasi Dilos, and Noor Mryan are among the 200 inaugural fellows of the new non-partisan, youth-led movement, Civics Unp...
Jul 03, 2020•29 min•Ep. 261
The U.S. spends far more money on healthcare than any other nation, but has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases . The lax response to the coronavirus crisis exposed many weaknesses in the system , which was less prepared for a pandemic than other nations. In this episode, we look at what can be learned from other systems around the world. Our guest is the well-known oncologist, bioethicist, and healthcare expert, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel , author of the new book, " Which Country Has the World's Best He...
Jun 26, 2020•25 min•Ep. 260
"The Covid-19 pandemic reveals that far from living in an age of incessant technological change, we have been neglecting innovation in exactly the areas where we most need it." So writes our podcast guest, best-selling author Matt Ridley . We discuss the urgent concept raised in his latest book, " How Innovation Works , And Why It Flourishes in Freedom." As Viscount Ridley, Matt was elected to the UK House of Lords in 2013. His TED Talk, "When Ideas Have Sex" has been viewed more than two millio...
Jun 19, 2020•28 min•Ep. 259
The massive wave of protests in hundreds of towns and cities across America and in many other countries were sparked by outrage, pain and grief over the killing of George Floyd, and countless incidents of racism against African-Americans. We've all been surprised by the events of the past few weeks. They've forced many of us to question our core beliefs about the political system, public morality, and the distribution of power. For this episode, we looked for someone who could talk about race fr...
Jun 12, 2020•39 min•Ep. 258
The nation is again facing the deep pain of racial injustice. The recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery , and Breonna Taylor reverberated across the country, sparking widespread protests in many cities. These cases were only the latest on a very long list of attacks and murders of African-American men and women. They resulted in public outrage, some violent incidents, and many calls for police reforms. In this special episode, we share the latest podcast of " Let's Find Common Ground ,"...
Jun 05, 2020•35 min•Ep. 257
The coronavirus crisis has reminded everyone that major reforms are needed to fix the flaws of the U.S. healthcare system. Beyond the huge expense and vast amount of waste, the quality of care varies wildly, and millions of Americans can't get care when they need it. Physician and health care CEO Dr. Vivian Lee draws on her deep experience of the public and private sector to call for a pragmatic and sweeping set of reforms. They include ending the current fee-for-service model and improving pric...
May 29, 2020•31 min•Ep. 256
We look at scientists who learned to manipulate common materials such as steel, glass and silicon, and how their inventions shaped the human experience. Our guest is scientist, storyteller and science writer, Ainissa Ramirez, author of the new book, " The Alchemy of Us , How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another." We discuss the wonder of science, especially material science: What it is and why it’s a crucial part of all that is in us and around us. Ainissa shares her love of science and tel...
May 21, 2020•25 min•Ep. 255
The Coronavirus pandemic is the 21st century's biggest crisis to date: Worse than either 9/11 or the great recession. Jim and Richard discuss seven surprising things that we didn't know when the lockdowns began in March: 1. Early assessments about coronavirus turned out to be wrong. We now have a much better idea of how COVID-19 is spread and who's at greatest risk. 2. Re-opening the economy is going to be much more difficult than expected. 3. Cars and suburbs are here to stay: how the pandemic ...
May 15, 2020•24 min
How will the COVID-19 pandemic change our democracy? Will we become more less divided? We discuss the challenges and opportunities of the current crisis with four podcasters who are all our colleagues in The Democracy Group podcast network. Juleyka Lantigua-Williams , Cara Ong Whaley , Mila Atmos and Lee Drutman join Richard to talk about barriers to voting, civic engagement and equal access to the democratic system. They look at what the current crisis means for advocates of democracy reform. J...
May 08, 2020•30 min•Ep. 253
Tens of millions of Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus outbreak began. Well over one-in-four people have suffered a moderate or severe financial setback in recent weeks. Consumer confidence is plunging. In this episode we look at the best ways to cope with a sudden drop in income. Beverly Harzog , the personal finance and credit card expert at US News and World Report, is our guest. She's the author of five bestselling personal finance books. From keeping your c...
Apr 30, 2020•22 min•Ep. 252
Much of what we took for granted, including daily routines, have been upended during the coronavirus pandemic. At a time when many have new questions about our personal values, traditions and lifestyles, this could be a teachable moment. Social media may have been helpful in convincing people about the need for social distancing, wearing masks and other recent changes. "It really did allow norms to be transmitted very very quickly," says our guest, Amherst College psychology professor Catherine ...
Apr 24, 2020•25 min•Ep. 251
Everybody is asking, how did the U.S. and most other nations get the coronavirus pandemic so wrong? Taiwan was a rare exception . Health officials and the democratic government of this island state sprang into action in the final days of 2019, and tried to warn the world of COVID danger. Despite being just 80 miles from the coast of China and with a huge amount of travel back and forth to the mainland, Taiwan was remarkably well prepared. The outbreak was kept to a minimum . "Taiwan knows that i...
Apr 16, 2020•26 min•Ep. 250
The great Alaskan earthquake on Good Friday, March 27th, 1964, was surprising, and the lessons from the response are helpful in understanding how we respond to the COVID pandemic today. "The earthquake overwhelmed people the way the strongest emotions do," wrote our guest, Jon Mooallem recently in The New York Times. "It was pure sensation, coming on faster than the intellect's ability to register it." A big theme of Jon's new book, " This Is Chance! " is how the citizens of Anchorage almost ins...
Apr 10, 2020•30 min•Ep. 249
The coronavirus pandemic has lead many to fear, panic, anger, profound loneliness and isolation. Realizing that we are all in this crisis together, how can we cope in a more hopeful and creative way? "We need to make a fundamental choice that the only way we get through this is if we act and engage as a community together," says Rich Harwood , President and Founder of The Harwood Institute . His group teaches and coaches people in local communities to move forward by bridging divides and creatin...
Apr 02, 2020•27 min•Ep. 248
Why did the U.S. and most other nations around the world do such a poor job of preparing for and reacting to the global COVID-19 pandemic? After all, we had earlier outbreaks, from HIV-AIDS to SARS, MERS, H1N1 and the Ebola virus. In his widely viewed 2015 Ted Talk , Bill Gates warned that "if anything kills more than ten million people in the next few decades, it's most likely to be a highly infectious virus." We knew about the danger, but failed to act. This episode looks at why humans are so ...
Mar 27, 2020•25 min•Ep. 247
Coronavirus has changed all of our lives. We are in the middle of a massive social experiment. This show is first in a series of episodes that will attempt to make sense of the massive psychological, social, economic and political upheaval the pandemic will have on us all. We start this week with loving relationships. Social distancing will physically separate us from friends and family members who don't live in our homes, but it will bring us closer to our spouse, partner and children. How will...
Mar 20, 2020•28 min•Ep. 246
Bans on plastic bags and straws and expensive campaigns to recycle plastic waste are popular with voters . They give us a sense that the government is acting to protect the environment. Our guest, John Tierney , been a columnist for the New York Times and is a contributor to City Journal. He has been studying wastes and recycling for decades. His conclusion ? “Recycling has turned out to be ruinously expensive, while achieving little or no environmental benefit." John also tells us that “if you ...
Mar 12, 2020•28 min•Ep. 245
The rapid spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 is a reminder of the vital need for truthful information, co-operation and kindness. Rumors, hype and fear can make a growing crisis much worse than it already is. We decided to re-release an episode from 2019 on the case for trust: Why designing systems that are based on trust can improve public safety, and lead to better economic, social, psychological and educational outcomes. "We’ve internalized the assumption that humans can’t be trusted, and the...
Mar 05, 2020•25 min•Ep. 244
Bernie Sanders is the early frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. In this episode with economist Emily Chamlee-Wright, we look at why support for socialism is on the rise, and where this ideology comes from. According to recent polls of young Americans, ages 18 to 29, they are more likely to have a positive view of socialism than capitalism. Despite socialist economic failures in Venezuela, Africa and Eastern Europe, today's promises of free health care, college loan debt forgi...
Feb 27, 2020•25 min•Ep. 243
It's rare to meet someone who has re-thought some of his deepest convictions. In this episode, we go on a journey with one of America's leading public intellectuals, Jerry Taylor, President and Founder of the Niskanen Center , who describes himself today as a "radical moderate" who has moved away from the libertarianism of his earlier years. We focus on climate change. Jerry says he used to be a "lukewarmist", but now sees it as an urgent crisis. "The evidence for climate change as a significant...
Feb 20, 2020•27 min•Ep. 242
Voter turnout is much lower in the U.S. than in many other democracies around the world. In this episode, we look at an innovative initiative to use the internet to boost the number of voters in every election. "Our mission" says the non-profit group Democracy Works "is to make voting a simple, seamless experience for all Americans, so that no one misses an election." A lot of people want to vote but they forget to do it, or they don't get registered to vote. Democracy Works is a team of softwar...
Feb 14, 2020•26 min•Ep. 241
With tens of thousands of cases, hundreds of deaths, and no known cure, the new coronavirus that emerged in China has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. In this episode of “How Do We Fix It?” we look at the world’s response to the rapid spread of the 2019-nCoV virus, consider the best ways to deal with the outbreak, and hear the latest about scientific research into a new vaccine. Infectious diseases epidemiologist Kylie Carville with The Peter Doherty Inst...
Feb 06, 2020•21 min•Ep. 240
The Iowa caucuses and forthcoming Presidential primary season are another reminder that the two big parties have a stranglehold on American politics. But it doesn’t have to be this way. More voters identify as independents than as Republicans or Democrats. Our guest, Lee Drutman , senior fellow at New America and author of “ Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop ”, makes the case for a multiparty system, which, he says, would boost compromise, problem-solving, voter turnout and confidence in the poli...
Jan 30, 2020•23 min•Ep. 239
When Detroit went bust in 2013 it was the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in American history. During the Motor City's fifty years of decline, population fell from nearly 2 million people to just under 700,000. Today, Motown is on the rebound. Media reports called the restructuring of massive debt by a partnership between city and state government, business leaders and the philanthropic community a " stunning success ." In this episode we look at what still needs to be done to improve the li...
Jan 23, 2020•28 min•Ep. 238
All too often news headlines and social media are dominated by disasters, wrongdoing and fear mongering: All the stuff that’s going wrong. How can we nurture the positive side of human nature? Renewing democracy will be impossible unless we start to rebuild trust in each other. The Convergence Center for Policy Resolution uses deep knowledge and proven methodology to connect people, policymakers and political organizations from different backgrounds and beliefs, helping them work together and co...
Jan 16, 2020•24 min•Ep. 237
The U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani sparked immediate fears of war. The risks of a disastrous miscalculation are obvious, from goading Iran into speeding up its nuclear weapons program, to a forced withdrawal of American forces from Iraq and the re-emergence of ISIS. But the audacious attack against Iran's most experienced military strategist may weaken the regime and force Iranian leaders to curb their aggression. Both may viewed as significant achievements. "Iran...
Jan 09, 2020•19 min•Ep. 236
If independent podcasts are to prosper and survive in this era of growing commercialization, big media, and multi-million dollar podcast investments, we need to grow our community: Share, collaborate and promote groups, individuals and podcasters who share many of our goals. In this first "How Do We Fix It?" episode of 2020, we include recent interviews with leaders and supporters of Bridge Alliance , Civic Hall , Heterodox Academy , Solutions Journalism Network and Listen First Project . We sup...
Dec 26, 2019•25 min•Ep. 235
Liberal democracy, free speech and freedom of the press are under attack in many parts of the world. Two of the most insidious threats are from conspiracy theories and the growing global reach of China's dictatorship. In this episode we discuss two interviews from " Democracy Works ", a podcast series from The McCourtney Institute at Penn State University about what it means to live in a democracy. Larry Diamond, author of the 2019 book, " Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese A...
Dec 19, 2019•24 min•Ep. 234
