On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by Michael Shermer from Skeptic Magazine to discuss the rise of conspiracy theories in America. Make sure to check out Shermer's new book on the subject, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational . The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newsletters and podcasts are those of the individual contributors alone and not of our partner institutions. Episode...
Apr 17, 2023•41 min•Season 2023Ep. 7
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we discuss the difficult tasks of reducing extremism and radicalization in the U.S. as well as improving our political discourse. In segment one we are joined by Pasha Dashtgard, Director of Research for American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) . In segment two we are joined by friend of the show Jay Jackson to discuss his book, Decent Discourse , as well as his website of the same name. Don’t forget to s...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2023Ep. 6
Longtime Connors Newsletter subscribers and Utterly Moderate Podcast listeners know how concerned we are about post-truth America —that is, the fact that we now live in a time where objective facts are becoming less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how American conservatives are regularly lied to by Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN about a variety of issues, whether it is supposedly stolen elections or climate ch...
Mar 13, 2023•55 min•Season 2023Ep. 5
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by friend of the show, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist Varoujan Gorjian , to discuss NASA’s plans for taking humans back to the Moon, setting up a Moon base, and then going to Mars. We also discuss other exciting developments in the world of science, including breakthroughs in nuclear fusion and artificial intelligence. And of course, as always, there is the obligatory discussion of ALIENS . Subscribe to our FREE NEWSLET...
Feb 23, 2023•38 min•Season 2023Ep. 4
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , we answer your mailbag questions! Our podcast listeners and newsletter subscribers ( subscribe for free instantly! ) have been sending their questions to our website and today is the day that we answer them on the air! Visit us any time at ConnorsForum.org and subscribe to our FREE email newsletter in one click while you are there! The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our ne...
Feb 06, 2023•32 min•Season 2023Ep. 3
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are discussing women in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the U.S. According to the AAUW : "Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering." Th...
Jan 23, 2023•27 min•Season 2023Ep. 2
In the fall of 2022 the Connors Forum invited our newsletter subscribers to a free live taping of this show where we talked to conservative heavyweight Bill Kristol about a variety of topics, including the meaning of conservatism today, the state of the Republican Party and its future, the health of American democracy, and more. Because it was a live show, listeners were able to pose questions to Kristol during the show. Subscribe for free in just one click to make sure you don’t miss these oppo...
Jan 08, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 2023Ep. 1
The Connors Forum would like to extend both Christmas and holiday greetings to all our podcast listeners and newsletter subscribers . We hope you have a very meaningful celebration with family and friends! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by David Beckemeyer, host of the brand new Connors Forum podcast Outrage Overload . David joins the show to talk about all of the media commentators and politicians who make up the outrage industry, an industry wh...
Dec 22, 2022•54 min•Season 2022Ep. 36
We're back with another episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast! But first things first—if you missed it, on November 29th our Connors Newsletter subscribers got to take part in an exclusive live podcast taping with heavyweight political commentator Bill Kristol from The Bulwark . Our subscribers were able to pose their questions to Mr. Kristol live and be a part of the show! Don't miss out in the future— subscribe for free in one click to join our community! On this podcast episode we are explo...
Dec 01, 2022•40 min•Season 2022Ep. 35
Thank you for being a valued member of our wonderful Utterly Moderate community of reasonable Americans. We hope you have a joyous Thanksgiving celebration with those closest to you! Happy Thanksgiving :) The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newsletters and podcasts are those of the individual contributors alone and not of our partner institutions. Episode Music: “Draw the Sky” by Paul Keane (licensed through TakeTones ...
Nov 24, 2022•2 min•Season 2022Ep. 34
While you listen, don’t forget to subscribe to our free email newsletter ! It takes only seconds! This is our Thanksgiving episode! Here at the Connors Forum we are deeply grateful for YOU , our wonderful community of subscribers we have built over the last few years with our podcast and newsletter . We care deeply about doing our small part to bring Americans back together again, and we are overjoyed that so many people agree with this mission and have joined us in it. We hope each and every on...
Nov 18, 2022•46 min•Season 2022Ep. 33
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , Shippensburg University political scientist Lonce Bailey joins the show to discuss the midterm elections: Which party will likely control the House of Representatives? Which party will likely control the Senate? Which issues do voters say are most important in this election? Lonce is a friend of the show and works at Shippensburg University with podcast host Lawrence Eppard. As you will no doubt be able to tell by listening to Dr. Bailey in this ...
Nov 01, 2022•26 min•Season 2022Ep. 32
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by University of Texas historian Jeremi Suri to discuss his new book, Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy . In addition to helping listeners understand the failures of reconstruction, their discussion focused on topics such as: How Nazi Germany used Jim Crow as a model for their own policies The important ties between the election of 1876 and today Just how fragile American de...
Oct 20, 2022•54 min•Season 2022Ep. 31
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast . . . Segment One: The Life and Times of George Washington George Washington University historian Denver Brunsman joins the show to share his insights on the life and career of George Washington, as well as his general reflections on the study of history and its place in the modern university. Segment Two: The Importance of Teaching Kids Financial Literacy True Tamplin , who runs the digital marketing agency UpDigital and created the finance websit...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2022Ep. 30
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast . . . Segment 1: Ukraine Momentum Shift? Paul Poast , an international relations expert at the University of Chicago, joins the program to assess the current state of the war in Ukraine. Segment 2: How Do Neighborhoods Impact Children? Utterly Moderate host and Shippensburg University scholar Lawrence Eppard is interviewed on the Bold Dominion Podcast about his research concerning the powerful ways that neighborhoods influence the lives of the chil...
Sep 22, 2022•44 min•Season 2022Ep. 29
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by Garen Wintemute for a nonpartisan explanation of the research on reducing gun violence in the U.S. Wintemute is the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis. He is a renowned expert on gun violence and a pioneer in the field of injury epidemiology and prevention of firearm violence. He has testified before Congress and served as a consultant for the National Inst...
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2022Ep. 28
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , after a brief discussion of President Joe Biden's plan to forgive some student loans, host Lawrence Eppard and his guests discuss the drying up of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. You’ll remember from our previous article in our free email newsletter on the subject that satellite photos show the Great Salt Lake is much smaller than it was only a few decades ago—in fact, it has now reached its lowest point on record since measurements began in 1875. D...
Aug 31, 2022•48 min•Season 2022Ep. 27
Join the Connors Crew by subscribing to our free email newsletter TODAY! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard discusses the threat of political violence, America’s slide toward autocracy, and more with guests Rachel Kleinfeld and Ken White . Articles/other stuff referenced in this episode: “The New Era of Political Violence is Here” from Tom Nichols at The Atlantic “Trump Supporters’ Threats to Judge Spur Democracy Concerns” from Fields & Riccard at the Asso...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 2022Ep. 26
Join the Connors Crew and subscribe to our email newsletter today! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning Brown University scholar David Kertzer to discuss his newest book, The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler. Kertzer’s book is based upon his work with the newly opened Vatican Archives documents on Pope Pius XII. He provides groundbreaking insight into the Pope’s actions during World War II, in...
Aug 12, 2022•34 min•Season 2022Ep. 25
Subscribe to the free Connors Newsletter instantly at ConnorsForum.org . What do you get in return? Super informative original newsletter articles and podcasts about the important issues of the day sent directly to you. Everything is vetted by our experienced nonpartisan researchers—we don’t have time or patience for spin or political agendas, and we know you don’t either. Also, it's mailbag time again! Go to the Connors Forum contact page and send in your questions for us to answer on the podca...
Aug 04, 2022•3 min•Season 2022Ep. 24
Join the Connors Crew now by subscribing to our newsletter in just one click ! American democracy is in serious trouble. We may be on the verge of the “greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War” and quite possibly the “suspension of American democracy as we have known it,” in the words of Robert Kagan . Michael Gerson laments that recent developments in the U.S. are “revealing the frightening fragility of the American experiment.” And Jonathan Last warns , “America faces a...
Jul 29, 2022•46 min•Season 2022Ep. 23
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by longtime MIT professor and current University of Arizona scholar Noam Chomsky. Chomsky is known around the world for his academic career as a linguist as well as his work as a social commentator and activist. He is the author of many books and you can find his numerous talks and interviews all over the internet. Eppard and Chomsky cover a variety of topics, including the health of American democracy, free speech ...
Jul 20, 2022•36 min•Season 2022Ep. 22
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory research astronomer Varoujan Gorjian to discuss the amazing pictures just released by NASA from the James Webb Space Telescope. See the pics here —and have our favorite research astronomer explain them to you as you listen to this episode! And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER ! The Connors Forum is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The view...
Jul 14, 2022•45 min•Season 2022Ep. 21
Click here to join the Connors Crew and get our cool newsletter—it takes only a few seconds! This week's newsletter article: “Communities Impact Children’s Lives in Powerful Ways.” Happy Independence Day everyone! We know times are tough right now in this country. Mass shootings have rocked us once again. Inflation is high and economic troubles loom. A series of Supreme Court decisions have left you either elated or saddened depending upon your point of view. American democracy faces a five-alar...
Jul 03, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 2022Ep. 20
Click here to join the Connors Crew and get our cool newsletter -- it takes only a few seconds! This week's article: What is Causing Inflation? On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by three meteorologists from the Lee Enterprises Weather Team: Matt Holiner, Joe Martucci, and Sean Sublette. They discuss a number of weather-related subjects that people often get wrong, including tornadoes, humidity, heat lightning, interpreting a weather report, and more...
Jun 23, 2022•48 min•Season 2022Ep. 19
On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast host Lawrence Eppard is joined by Mona Charen, a nationally syndicated columnist, policy editor at the right-leaning The Bulwark , and host of their Beg to Differ podcast. Charen joins our show to offer a conservative's perspective on gun control, reducing poverty, the January 6 hearings, decency in American culture, and more. Read Charen's writing at The Bulwark here . Listen to Charen's podcast Beg to Differ here . Episode Music: “Please Listen C...
Jun 08, 2022•34 min•Season 2022Ep. 18
Subscribe to our Connors Newsletter today! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast host Lawrence Eppard is joined by Jon Marshall , a professor in Northwestern University’s school of journalism and author of the new book, Clash: Presidents and the Press in Times of Crisis. They discuss the role of the press and historical examples of its relationship with different administrations. Episode Music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar ( creative commons ) “Draw the Sky” by Paul Keane (lice...
Jun 01, 2022•47 min•Season 2022Ep. 17
Are you a reasonable person? If so, subscribe to the Connors Newsletter! On This Episode of Utterly Moderate . . . Segment 1: The Conger Ice Shelf Has Collapsed Richard Alley , a professor of geosciences at Penn State University, joins host Lawrence Eppard to help us understand the collapse of the Conger Ice Shelf in East Antarctica and its implications. Read about the Conger Ice Shelf collapse here . Segment 2: All About Climate Investing Zach Stein from the company Carbon Collective joins the ...
May 11, 2022•50 min•Season 2022Ep. 16
Hate all the bitterness and polarization? JOIN NOW ! Become a member of our community of reasonable Americans! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by University of Baltimore law professor Kimberly Wehle to discuss her new book, How to Think Like a Lawyer and Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas. Also, check out the song featured at the end of this episode, “ Turning Into You ,” by Shippensburg University student Piper Kull! Episode Music: “P...
Apr 28, 2022•39 min•Season 2022Ep. 15
Become a Connors Forum Community Member! Become a member of our community of reasonable people devoted to facts, honesty, and civility by subscribing HERE ! It takes 15 seconds or less! On this Episode: Virtually every week on television you can hear politicians and political commentators claiming that immigrants, and unauthorized immigrants in particular, commit a lot of crime. Are these claims true? The weight of the best available evidence suggests they are not. There is no objectively right ...
Apr 13, 2022•42 min•Season 2022Ep. 14
