Free speech on campus is under assault at many colleges and universities. From disinviting commencement speakers to shouting down professors and others they disagree with, some students demand "safe spaces" from controversial remarks and what they call micro-aggressions. So far, 1800 professors from the right, left, center and other political leanings have joined the effort to bridge the ideological divide. Heterodox Academy is part of a growing number of attempts to encourage greater civility a...
Jul 26, 2018•28 min•Ep. 164
President Trump has withdrawn from international agreements, criticized NATO, The European Union, and attacked the policies of Canada, Mexico, Britain, France and Germany-- all traditional allies. He praised President Putin, and continues to sow chaos in the international trading system, reportedly threatening to pull the U.S. out of the World Trade Organization-- W.T.O. This last step, above all, could have the most serious impact on the American economy, damaging businesses, destroying jobs, a...
Jul 19, 2018•29 min•Ep. 163
America's landscape of towns and cities is ever-changing. Countless Main Streets and small downtowns were eviscerated by big box stores, globalization, online commerce and poor planning. But today, many resilient communities are fighting back. Called "one of America's very best singer-songwriters " by The New Yorker, our guest, Dar Williams , tells us how towns and cities can turn themselves around. " What I Found in a Thousand Towns : A Traveling Musician's Guide to Rebuilding America's Communi...
Jul 13, 2018•31 min•Ep. 162
We discuss the American Revolution and the meaning of freedom with acclaimed historian and journalist, Russell Shorto , author of the 2018 book, " Revolution Song : A Story of American Freedom."Russell Shorto is also the writer of a fine new podcast series, " American History Tellers ." As the nation struggles with a political crisis and national discord, this episode-- released during the week of the July 4th vacation-- has special resonance. We look at fundamental ideas of democracy and foundi...
Jul 05, 2018•25 min•Ep. 161
Do a Google search of drones, and scary headlines pop up instantly. " Dangerous Drones Invade Protected Airspace Daily," says one. While others talk about "spooky, scary" drones that invade privacy ; get in the way of firefighters , or lead to new types of warfare. These concerns are real, but there are also many constructive use for drones that save lives , make cities safer and boost the economy. "Wherever there's a problem, I'm pretty sure you can find a use to overcome that problem utilizing...
Jun 28, 2018•21 min•Ep. 160
A trade war with China has dangerous implications for the global economy. What began more than a year ago with President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs has become an unpleasant economic reality for many businesses. Recently, the U.S. labeled China a “ currency manipulator. ” But an even larger long-term threat comes from China’s aggressive espionage offensive that is playing out in behind-the-scenes as of the U.S. and China struggle for global dominance. Our guest is Elizabeth Economy , a se...
Jun 21, 2018•24 min•Ep. 159
Despite bitter partisanship and political paralysis in Washington, local democracy is alive in well in many towns and cities across the country. That's the surprising finding in "Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America," by journalist James Fallows of The Atlantic magazine and his wife, writer and linguist Deborah Fallows. In this episode, part two of our conversation with James, we look at the ways many local business owners, city planners, educators and citizens have worked...
Jun 14, 2018•21 min•Ep. 158
Congress sank to a dismal 10% approval rating in a new poll . Most Americans believe the nation is heading in the wrong direction . But ask people about their own lives and local communities, and you are likely to get a very different answer. According to a Gallup poll , well over 80% of Americans are satisfied in general with the way their personal lives are going. Despite negative media coverage of "fly-over country" and the "rust belt", exciting things are happening in towns and cities across...
Jun 07, 2018•25 min•Ep. 157
"The debt will be as large as our entire economy by the end of the decade", says Maya MacGuineas , President of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget . "Every indicator that you could look for in terms of the numbers is on flashing red alert." The U.S. federal government debt is nearly $20 trillion and rising each year. Interest payments are the single fastest growing part of the federal budget, and higher interest rates in the near future will add to the enormous burden. A r...
May 31, 2018•26 min•Ep. 156
Far too often, politics and policy are portrayed as a battle between liberals and conservatives, or socialists vs. capitalists. But one of the most profound divides of modern times is between optimists and pessimists-- especially over how they view the environment. This episode looks at the debate between environmental optimists (wizards), who believe we can invent our way to a better, healthier future, and pessimists (prophets), who say we must impose limits on pollution, over-crowding other im...
May 24, 2018•33 min•Ep. 155
From the streets of Chicago and Los Angeles, to indictments this month targeting criminal networks in Savannah, Georgia and white supremacists in Grand Prairie, Texas, tens of thousands of gangs are responsible for drug crimes, brutal killings and other forms of violence. According to one recent estimate , nearly one-and-a-half million people are members of gangs in the United States. In this episode, we look at the lessons learned from the successful police and federal crackdown against Sex Mon...
May 17, 2018•27 min•Ep. 154
President Trump's rejection of the Iran nuclear agreement and Israeli military attacks on Iranian sites in Syria are among the latest signs of rising tensions in the Middle East. The threat of war is ever-present. Twenty five years after the signing of the Oslo Accords , relations between the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority are at a low point. There has been no significant peace process in many years. We speak with Israeli public opinion analyst, strategic consultant and peace resea...
May 10, 2018•34 min•Ep. 153
The growing #MeToo movement has exposed many cases of sexual harassment and retaliation in the workplace. Among the latest examples is an upheaval at Nike. Female employees, fed up with years of gender discrimination, insensitive behavior and crude comments by male colleagues, took action . Covertly, they surveyed female peers, asking about their experiences. The findings led to changes, with at least six top male executives resigning or announcing plans to leave the company . Despite widespread...
May 03, 2018•21 min•Ep. 152
When we focus on the future, we usually look at the big things: Will the current crisis with North Korea be resolved peacefully? Is President Trump likely to face a big setback in the midterm elections? When will the next recession hit? Our guest, political consultant Mark Penn , argues that the future is not shaped by broad forces, but by quiet changes-- Microtrends-- within narrow slices of the population. We hear about "Techno-Luddites", the rise of internet marriages, the huge increase in th...
Apr 26, 2018•23 min•Ep. 151
The National Week of Conversation is a bold attempt to reduce the yawning gap between Republicans and Democrats. More than 100 groups across the country are involved in online and in-person events from April 20th to April 28th. We look at how the project works and why it can make a difference. With American politics increasingly dominated by personal insults, name calling and dogma, a growing movement for greater civility is emerging. "The ever-widening gulf ..is one of the most significant tren...
Apr 19, 2018•22 min•Ep. 150
From internet giants Facebook, Amazon and Google to telecom titans AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, American capitalism is increasingly dominated by huge and politically well-connected business behemoths. We look at the case for reform, including stronger anti-trust regulations, innovative use of the Interstate Commerce Clause, better pay for government regulators, and reform of the tax code. Our guest, finance professor, Luigi Zingales of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, makes ...
Apr 12, 2018•27 min•Ep. 149
The facts are hard to deny. We live longer, infant mortality continues to fall, we are richer, less subject to violence-- and despite uneven progress, the world is more democratic than it was 50 years ago. And yet so many people are gripped by pessimism and fear. Donald Trump was elected President after repeatedly claiming "our country is going to hell." A recent poll found that just three-in-ten Americans think the country is headed in the right direction. The number of Americans who think the ...
Apr 05, 2018•28 min•Ep. 148
With turmoil and never-ending drama in the White House, and record numbers of departures from top levels of the Trump Administration, it is safe to say that America is facing a leadership crisis. According to recent polls, a solid majority of US voters disapproves of Trump's leadership. In corporate America, the once-celebrated Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is facing growing criticism over his late and insufficient response to privacy concerns and the Cambridge Analytica data hijacking scandal....
Mar 29, 2018•27 min•Ep. 147
Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, or Google; internet platforms are a huge force in our daily lives. The recent scandal over the Steven Bannon-affiliated Cambridge Analytica is the most recent example of the downside of data. This episode of "How Do We Fix It?" is about search, and how it can condemn former inmates to a life sentence without work. In their case, the internet is a "help not wanted" sign, preventing them from getting a job and putting their lives back on track. The cost to e...
Mar 22, 2018•27 min•Ep. 146
What do Mark Zuckerberg, hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and best-selling novelist Lee Child all have in common? They all worked to make luck happen for them. In this episode with award-winning author, editor and journalist, J anice Kaplan , we learn about the exciting ways you can grab opportunities and improve your life. There is a clear difference between random chance and luck. The case is made in the new book that she wrote with risk-taking expert Barnaby Marsh , " How Luck Happens : Using the ...
Mar 15, 2018•29 min•Ep. 145
The debate over gun violence is deeply polarized, but almost everyone agrees it's an urgent problem and that far too many people are being killed and injured by firearms in the United States. The toll is more than 100 deaths per day-- a much higher rate than in other wealthy nations. Unlike the appalling killings in Parkland, Florida, Newtown, Connecticut, and at other schools, most gun murders involve a single victim and don't get national media coverage. Mass shootings account for less than 2%...
Mar 09, 2018•35 min•Ep. 144
Within four days of the mass shooting at Margaret Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead, Never Again was born. In this episode, we ask whether young millennials, who grew up after 9/11 during a time of school lockdowns, will become effective advocates for lasting social and political change. Digitally savvy students-- survivors of the massacre-- turned to social media with the hashtag #NeverAgain. This activist campaign for sweeping changes in gun control laws became...
Mar 01, 2018•24 min•Ep. 142
The impressive launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket by SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the touchdown of two boosters back at Cape Canaveral minutes later, are the latest milestones in a thrilling comeback story. Space is becoming sexy again and the pace of innovation is remarkably fast. Not since the days of John Glenn,the Apollo moon launch, and the Space Shuttle program has spaceflight been so exciting. In this episode, technology journalist Joe Pappalardo, author of the new ...
Feb 21, 2018•27 min•Ep. 142
Wouldn't it be great if consumers could access all their personal medical records quickly and share them with doctors, family members and others they trust? This could lead to revolutionary changes in patient outcomes with less bureaucracy and fewer medical mistakes and unnecessary tests. In recent weeks, major announcements by Apple and Google, plus a new healthcare alliance by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase are signs of accelerated change. No one is better equipped to interpret...
Feb 14, 2018•26 min•Ep. 141
It's time to put the brakes on the hype about self-driving cars. Despite industry and media forecasts, it may be more than a decade before many fully autonomous vehicles are on the road. Lawsuits and patent disputes are among the many hurdles that face auto manufacturers and tech firms. But this doesn't mean that technology is being thrown into reverse gear. Semi-autonomous cars with vehicle assist and other features are much safer than earlier generations of automobiles. Self-driving delivery t...
Feb 07, 2018•20 min•Ep. 140
The U.S. stock market has soared about 40% since the Trump election. But is it over-valued and ready for a meltdown? Shortly before the worst one-day crash in history in November 1987, the market had been charging ahead, with a 40% rise that year. The economy was on a roll, just like today. What would happen if giant investment funds bailed out of stocks at the same time? Would there be another financial crisis, even worse than the events in 2008? "We are more vulnerable to a radical readjustmen...
Feb 01, 2018•29 min•Ep. 139
From the recent government shutdown to strict partisan votes on taxes and healthcare, official Washington lurches from one fight to the next, with no end in sight. But the American public is not as polarized as the pundits say. While elected Republicans and Democrats appeal to their base, and are more divided than ever, the electorate has not changed dramatically in recent years. According to Pew Research and other pollsters, moderate independents outnumber either liberal Democrats or conservati...
Jan 25, 2018•29 min•Ep. 138
By overwhelming majorities, human beings have faith in the afterlife. While fewer Americans believe in God, as many as 80% still believe in life after death. Surprisingly, this includes one-in-three agnostics and atheists. According to the Roper Center for Public Opinion the numbers have stayed stable in recent decades. Does this human refusal to accept that all we have is the here-and-now lead to a dangerous belief in religious fantasies and utopia? Do we chase after myths while ignoring practi...
Jan 18, 2018•22 min•Ep. 137
The fight against sexual harassment was the hot topic in Hollywood at the Golden Globes Awards, with outspoken and inspiring remarks by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and others. But allegations of bullying or inappropriate behavior by powerful men are still being made almost every day. Despite widespread outrage, little focus has been given to effective measures that can be taken by employers to reduce the number of cases and improve the workplace environment. Our guest is journalist Claire C...
Jan 10, 2018•27 min•Ep. 136
2018 is certain to bring surprises. In this episode, Jim and Richard bravely venture out onto the high diving board of ideas and plunge into the pool of predictions. We also asked listeners and "How Do We Fix It?" guests for their forecasts of the year to come. Well-known author and skeptic Michael Shermer says "2018 will be the best year in the history of humanity as measured by health, longevity, medicine, technology, science and culture." Disruptive marketer and communications designer Geoff ...
Dec 27, 2017•22 min•Ep. 135
