Anti-semitism is on the rise in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Jews are the targets. Democracy and free speech are also among the casualties. 6 people died this week in Jersey City, New Jersey, in a shootout at a kosher supermarket. The two gunmen appear to have been motivated by anti-semitism and anger against the police. Britain's Labour Party has been rocked by widespread reports of anti-semitism. Labor's second most powerful leader has apologized to the Jewish community and admits th...
Dec 11, 2019•30 min•Ep. 233
Many environmentalists believe that the world needs to use less energy, end the focus on economic growth, and return to a simpler lifestyle. The Breakthrough Institute argues the opposite. In this episode, we look at the ecomodernist movement that promotes technological solutions to environmental and human development challenges. Ted Nordhaus is a leading global thinker on energy, environment, climate, human development, and politics. He is the founder and executive director of the Breakthrough ...
Dec 06, 2019•23 min•Ep. 232
Many of us are spending much of the Thanksgiving holiday with the children we love. In this episode we consider vital role of play, and what it does to expand a child's creativity and resilience. Urban sociologist Tamara Mose is an Associate Professor at Brooklyn College, and author of " The Playdate : Parents, Children and the New Expectations of Play." She tells us about the strengths and perils of playdates, and the need for children to have unstructured play. Educational consultant and teach...
Nov 28, 2019•27 min•Ep. 231
Published: November 21st, 2019 “Tech For The Public Good” is supported by a grant from Solutions Journalism Network . Technology is a double-edged sword. Despite well-publicized threats from bots, hackers, government spooks and huge online firms with their invasive algorithms, tech is often a force for public good. In this special episode, we report on an innovative local effort to promote better healthcare for those who need it most: the residents of America's poorest Congressional District : N...
Nov 22, 2019•27 min•Ep. 230
30 years ago this month the Berlin Wall came down, and Richard was there, reporting the story for ABC News. In those heady days of November, 1989, there was tremendous hope for the future of liberal democracy. In the next few years, most of Eastern Europe would emerge from the shackles of totalitarian communism. But today, populism and nativism are on the rise in much of the world. Democratic institutions, civic norms, and a free press are all facing new challenges. We speak with public affairs ...
Nov 15, 2019•25 min•Ep. 229
With today's furious political and cultural divisions, it's easy to shake our heads in exasperation at those who disagree with us. In this episode with Australian writer and philosopher, Eleanor Gordon-Smith , we take a journey to the limits of human reason. Her compelling new book, " Stop Being Reasonable. How We Really Change Our Minds," features six high-stakes personal stories of successful persuasion that illustrate what most of us get wrong about rationality. "Hearing the story of how some...
Nov 07, 2019•31 min•Ep. 228
Confused by Brexit? This episode looks back over the last 40 months since the shocking result of the Brexit referendum , when UK voters decided to leave the EU. We sort through the mess and misconceptions. The political drama contains several acts: A December election has been called, and a new Brexit deal was reached in late October by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Union member states. But well over three years after the referendum, the UK Parliament has yet to agree to the terms of...
Oct 31, 2019•26 min•Ep. 227
American democracy is in a moment of crisis. A new Gallup poll , released in late October, says a near-record-high 34% of Americans cite the government, poor leadership or politicians as the most important problem currently facing the U.S. In this episode, we look at the work of a new online news site, The Fulcrum , which is focused exclusively on efforts to reverse the dysfunctions plaguing American democracy. "Our goal is to raise the level of awareness so people can understand what's wrong wi...
Oct 25, 2019•26 min•Ep. 226
Modern thought has been damaged by dogma and tribalistic click-bait. Social media and the fractured state of politics reward slick slogans and partisan anger while penalizing those who speak with intellectual honesty. Our guest, feminist writer and author, Meghan Daum , says instead of following the crowd we need to think for ourselves. While very supportive of the goals of the women's movement, she is also critical of the excesses of modern feminism. In this episode she makes the case for nuanc...
Oct 18, 2019•28 min•Ep. 225
American democracy is in crisis, with a coarsening of our national conversation and an erosion of public trust that threatens the guardrails of self-government. Many citizens feel dislocated, disempowered and believe that remote institutions and government don't listen to their needs and interests. One way to bridge divides is to listen to a broader range of opinions, from people not like you. Our guest is Pearce Godwin , founder and CEO of Listen First Project, which has 250 partner organizatio...
Oct 10, 2019•22 min•Ep. 224
The furore over the decision by House Democrats to launch a formal impeachment investigation into President Trump will be the subject of heated debate for many months. In this episode we take a deeper look at leadership, and why good leaders are so vital to the future of our democracy, and for all organizations-- large and small. "In times of turmoil this is even more important," says our guest, Davia Temin , a highly experienced crisis manager, and leadership and communications coach. "Leadersh...
Oct 03, 2019•25 min•Ep. 223
Dementia provokes profound moral questions about our society and the meaning of life itself. How much are we connected to one another? In what ways are we distant and separated? What does it mean to have a self? How can we offer dignity to those who suffer from Alzheimer's and other forms of this terrible disease? Worldwide around 50 million people have dementia. The US Centers for Disease Control estimates that the U.S. total is more than five million. The numbers are growing with the aging of ...
Sep 27, 2019•32 min•Ep. 222
With harsh rhetoric from President Trump, who wants strict new limits on refugees, asylum seekers and some other forms of immigration, to calls by several Democratic Presidential candidates to decriminalize all border crossings, the immigration debate is increasingly dominated by slogans rather than substance. Hopes for a comprehensive and humane overhaul of U.S. immigration law have all but disappeared for now. "The reality is illegal immigration has come to be THE conversation, says our guest,...
Sep 20, 2019•27 min•Ep. 221
Kids are smart, strong, and at least as capable as their parents were at their age. So, when the crime rate is at a 50-year-low, why does society insist on bubble-wrapping them? Why are we encouraged to protect children from minor cases of physical or mental discomfort? Why don’t we trust them to do things safely or successfully on their own? These questions about raising kids are tackled in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" We consider practical solutions for parents and schools. "Treating ki...
Sep 12, 2019•25 min•Ep. 220
From dating to switching jobs and managing retirement. We all manage risk. Want to get better at it? The best way to learn is to ask some of the real experts: Magicians, gamblers, big-wave surfers, horse breeders, and prostitutes. That's what economist, journalist and risk advisor Allison Schrager did. She's our guest in this episode. For people faced with risky decisions every day, making the right choices can be the difference between success or failure, and in some cases, life and death. Alli...
Sep 05, 2019•28 min•Ep. 219
A trade war with China is a growing threat to U.S. influence and 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 American businesses. Recently, the U.S. labeled China a “ currency manipulator. ” But Perhaps, an even larger long-term threat comes 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 ...
Aug 29, 2019•27 min•Ep. 218
Is the U.S. economy about to fall off a cliff? Declining growth, financial market jitters, and a growing rift between the U.S. and China are all fueling fears of a recession. For the first time in 12 years, since shortly before the last recession, interest rate yields on 10-year government notes are lower than for short-term loans. This inverted yield curve is highly unusual and the latest sign that a sharp slowdown could happen soon. "The inverted yield curve has accurately predicted seven out ...
Aug 22, 2019•25 min•Ep. 217
We live in a time of suspicion and mistrust. What is this costing all of us in lost productivity, creativity and shared humanity? Isn't there a better way to design our organizations and systems? A recent Pew Research poll found that a majority of Americans believe that most people just look out for themselves, and that they would take advantage of you if they got the chance. "We’ve internalized the assumption that humans can’t be trusted, and therefore, that we all need to be constrained and co...
Aug 15, 2019•27 min•Ep. 216
Most of America's deadliest mass killings have happened within the last ten years. The deaths of more than 30 people in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, have led to renewed demands for federal background checks and gun violence restraining orders, or "red flag" laws. America is also facing a growing crisis of violent extremism and white nationalist terrorism. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are under pressure to expand their investigations. In testimony before Congress, FBI Director ...
Aug 09, 2019•29 min•Ep. 215
Our democracy has become a punching bag. From Russian hacking and hate-filled tweets, to demands for impeachment and increasingly nasty political infighting, our public conversation is increasingly narrow, dispiriting and disempowering. According to Pew Research, trust in government is near historic lows . Most Americans believe that declining trust in our public institutions and in each other make it harder to solve key problems. A new poll says 75% of Americans say trust in government is shrin...
Aug 01, 2019•25 min•Ep. 214
President Trump's tweets that four minority Democratic congresswomen should “ go back ” to the countries they came from, and chants of " send her back " at his rally in North Carolina provoked outrage and disgust from his critics. American politics appear trapped in a spiral of toxic fury, and this angry mix may precisely match the pugilistic President's preference as he wades into the 2020 campaign. Our guest, opinion writer and author, Daniel Akst argues that Trump's clear, simple story on the...
Jul 26, 2019•24 min•Ep. 213
Social media is under fire for how it threatens our society, our politics, even our mental health. Facebook, Google, Twitter and other tech giants are criticized for spying on us and using secret algorithms to push us toward extreme views. Civic Hall is a key player in a growing movement to use technology to better the world-- what people are calling "civic tech". Our guest, Micah Sifry , co-founder and President of Civic Hall , is a longtime advocate for transparency, better government, and usi...
Jul 12, 2019•28 min•Ep. 212
Colleges and universities can play a virtual role in the moral, intellectual and spiritual development of a student’s life. But there is a growing mismatch between the culture of many campuses, and the challenges young people will face in their careers, politics and personal lives. Author and columnist David Brooks suggested solutions in his stirring speech, “How a University Shaped My Soul”, given at the recent annual conference of Heterodox Academy . He spoke about the life lessons he learned ...
Jul 01, 2019•29 min•Ep. 211
Will the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis ever end? Nearly 18 years since the Boston Globe's Spotlight investigation 's shocking revelations, U.S. bishops and The Vatican still struggle to hold the church fully accountable for decades of criminal wrongdoing. Last year's Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report revealed that over 1,000 children had been abused by Catholic priests across six dioceses over seven decades. A new Pew Research Survey finds that a large majority of American Catholics think a...
Jun 20, 2019•33 min•Ep. 210
A lot of politicians like to say that there are “two Americas,” but do any of them know what life is really like for the marginalized poor? We speak with journalist and photographer, Chris Arnade , about the forgotten towns and people of back row America. In 2011, Chris left a high-powered job as a bond trader on Wall Street, hit the road, and spent years documenting the lives of poor people, driving 150 thousand miles around the U.S. His new book is "Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America...
Jun 13, 2019•24 min•Ep. 209
"Twitter is like the crystal meth of social media," says our guest, University of Tennessee Law Professor, Glenn Reynolds, founder of the popular political blog, Instapundit. Twitter "is addictive and ultimately unsatisfying." In this episode we look at why social media is poisoning our politics, journalism and relationships by stoking anger, fear, hyper-partisanship and distrust of others. We ask: "how do we fix it?" "Social media is addictive by design. The companies involved put tremendous am...
Jun 06, 2019•27 min•Ep. 208
Climate change has never been a leading issue in a Presidential election campaign-- until now. A recent poll found that 82% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said it’s “very important” that their party’s nominee supports taking “aggressive action” to reduce the effects of climate change. 2020 could be the climate election. All of the leading Democratic candidates are calling for legislative action, and even many leading Republicans are changing their messaging and how they discuss pollu...
May 31, 2019•26 min•Ep. 207
Support for socialism is surprisingly strong, especially among young Americans, ages 18-29. According to recent polls , 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 forgiveness, mandatory stock ownership for employees, and guaranteed income look increasingly attractive to a large group of voters in the U.S. "Seriously debating socialis...
May 24, 2019•26 min•Ep. 206
Human rights have rarely been at greater risk. President Trump and other world leaders are conspicuously silent about torture, the suppression of press freedom and threats to democracy. For the first time in many decades, the U.S. is led by a President who routinely praises foreign dictators, and rarely speaks up for democratic institutions. From the imprisonment of journalists in Turkey and Egypt, widespread torture and killings in Syria, to probable genocide in Myanmar and the murder of Saudi ...
May 17, 2019•24 min•Ep. 205
Is modern technology a force for good or evil? In many countries, digital repression, often powered by artificial intelligence, is a direct threat to freedom and the relationship between citizen and state. China has begun using AI to weaponize social media and mass surveillance in ways that give the Communist government incredible control over what Chinese citizens say and do—and even how they think The Road to Digital Unfreedom : How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Repression" is the title...
May 09, 2019•29 min•Ep. 204
