SmartHERNews

Bryce Carlson tells SmartHER News about the life lessons he learned rowing, solo, across the the North Atlantic.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The 3 top things we learned this week on SmartHER News - from violence in Chicago, Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and just how much PURE alcohol Americans drink a year. Cardiologist Dr. Kevin Campbell joins us to explain why he walked away from his successful medical practice to lead a medical mission to one of the most rural places on the planet. He had an incredible adventure and learned so much about himself, AND healthcare. An inspiring heart-racing story we hope you love!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

3 must-know news stories from the week (a look at wages, a warning for Apple and why we need to watch the Russians when it comes to our electricity as much as our elections). Also, a profile on a company that confronted tragedy and turned the experience into a product that saves lives. Meet the family behind "Katchakid".Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dear Friends, While we cover current event headlines on SmartHERNews.com (and this week is no exception), taking a break from the back-n-forth and listening to someone like our next guest can offer invaluable insight, not only for what we see and read on a regular basis, but how to live our best lives. You might have seen the above “family photo” at Former First Lady Barbara Bush’s funeral. The attendees all recognizable to us, and ironically, the man behind the camera familiar to all of them  - a quiet presence during some of the most crucial historical moments of the last 20 years.  Paul Morse started as a newspaper photojournalist and his work led to a position at the Bush White House. He later met the Clinton family and worked as a photographer for the Clinton Global Initiative – and had the opportunity to capture the Obamas at a variety of different events.   He joins us to talk about his career but more importantly to speak about what happens behind the scenes when in the presence of the most powerful men and women in the world.  A good perspective considering a time when it's easy to talk superficially about politics and political personalities, but more rare to discuss what really matters and what's at stake- Our two goals on SmartHERnews.com.  We hope you enjoy our conversations as much as we did. You can listen in the link above, by clicking HERE, or apple itunes.   Jenna & The SmartHER News Team.    Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Happy July 4th! Did you know the American Revolutionary war lasted 7 years?….7 years.... And by a simple twist of fate or luck or divine intervention…America didnt lose…but we had a few very near misses of almost losing it all. And that’s why the story of Washington’s Crossing marks a pivotal moment in all of our fates. Because it changed the momentum of the war. Listen to the story as told by Clay Craighead, marvelous historian, at Washington Crossing State Park. I had to got there in person. I had to stand on the ground. In a day, when electronic records can vanish, it’s important to stand where history happened. We recorded this interview in Clay’s office, where he’s worked for 30 years. You’ll hear a little bit of the working office in the background - I apologize for that...but its sitting in someone’s office, where they’re comfortable, that you get the most passion and you’ll hear that in Clay’s voice.… There’s a moment in our conversation where he mentions bloody footprints in the snow…an image I’ll never forget, especially this July 4th…as we celebrate the land of the free and the home…of the brave.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

SmartHER Summary As we prepare to celebrate America's independence, we reflect on the power of choice.  A simple choice to rebel gave birth to our nation.  And this week’s news reminds us how choices (both big and small) *still* shape our course. At the highest court of the land, a choice can change the outcome for an entire nation.  Justice Anthony Kennedy's choice to retire (and choice to deliver his resignation letter to the White House in person) – sets in motion a shake-up at the Supreme Court with major implications, as shown in the court's split decision in favor of the President’s controversial travel ban. In politics, the choices made by voters (and political parties) during primary elections *potentially* foreshadow the future. Democrats in New York chose an unknown socialist outsider over a well-known moderate congressman.  Republicans in South Carolina chose Trump-backed or well-known (well-funded) establishment candidates. Despite our heated rhetoric, Americans choose a peaceful transfer of power.  An important reminder as we learn since September, more than 130 politicians and candidates have been murdered in Mexico leading up to this weekend's presidential election.  Small choices can have big impact. A choice to focus on plastic straw pollution has changed policy in major American cities with others potentially following. When we choose to have our coffee (and how much we choose to drink) may determine how well we perform as researchers develop an app to help us choose wisely Choosing wisely is all parents want to do when considering when to give children a cell phone - new data exposes WHY that choice remains so crucial. And one of the biggest actors in Hollywood chooses God (though, as he tells it, perhaps God chose him). Our freedom of choice became a beacon of light in a dark world. Ellis Island Historian Barry Moreno talks to SmartHER News about how America chose to implement immigration policy more than 100 years ago - a fascinating conversation on our past choices and how they inform the present. Thats what choices give us  - a  uniquely American ability to change.  Thank you for choosing us – we won’t let you down, Jenna & SmartHER Squad P.S. we have a great podcast ready for the 4th of July – an in-depth look at the moment when America almost lost it all. Bloody footprints in the snow and a choice to continue changed everything. Watch for it next week!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Where We Started vs Where We End Up We started this week with news of the government separating children from those who illegally crossed the U.S. southern border and ended the week with new orders by the government to reunite them.    A lot happens in a week.  How did we arrive at this point?  For a better understanding, let's travel back in time. The government says illegal border crossings spiked in March – so what happened before/after that? The President announced in his January State of The Union he was open to granting citizenship to a select group of young adults brought into the country illegally as children as long as that policy change was part of immigration reform that included money to build a border wall. He set an arbitrary deadline for March 5 for Congress to compromise; that didn't happen. Weeks later, in late March, during Congress' spending bill debate, the opportunity to legislate new immigration reform surfaced again.  No compromise. No citizenship. No money for a wall. But construction started on a fence that looked very much like a wall. And a caravan of asylum seekers arrived at the border – one of them a former Honduran politician fleeing a politically unstable country.  Chief of the Rio Grande Valley sector for Customs and Border Control told Reuters in early April he worried the caravan would inspire others to do the same.  Fast forward to today, the Trump administration will confront a similar legal battle the Obama Administration confronted (and as one legal expert says, every administration confronted before them). A little-known court ruling that prevents the U.S. government from holding minor migrant children more than 20 days. – normally not long enough for legal proceedings – one of the reasons why DHS says 500,000 families from central America have stayed in the U.S. since 2013. But traditions change. This week in news we learned: Baseball attendance mysteriously drops. Marijuana laws may ease.  Americans will soon spend more time online than watching TV. An American tradition we can depend on? The same country that blasts people into space, combats the plague, and gives more than 400B to charity, still fights over unresolved issues.  But the diversity of our accomplishments should show us, what seems impossible, may be the next big headline. We’ll watch for it - Have a great weekend! Jenna & The SmartHER SquadSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

SmartHER Summary We often perceive absolutes as facts. But the truth often exists in shades of gray, rather than black or white.  This week’s news on the historic Singapore summitbetween America & North Korea serves as a prime example. In the aftermath, the debate over what the summit means or what it doesn’t vacillates between an epic moment in time OR a just a drop in the bucket. All or nearly nothing. We humbly suggest the summit can, in fact, be both. And THAT’S why it’s powerful and notable. Interestingly, you can both work as an expert of North Korea AND never step foot in the country. And that’s a fact about almost every single person you’ve heard this week espouse about North Korea – except for Michael Malice who has done BOTH, visited North Korea AND researched and written extensively about the hermit kingdom. Michael joins us on the SmartHER News podcast. The Singapore summit remains bothan important story and a major distraction from other news overseas: Islamic terrorists kill an American soldierin Africa. China strategically parks dangerous weaponson highly contested islands.     In Russia, the World Cup brings “spoons of victory”and an Iranian team *suddenly* finds itself without its shoe sponsor. Stateside:     An important memorial at Pearl Harbor remains closed indefinitely.    Plague resurfaces.     And a proposal to split California into 3 separate statesmakes it on the ballot.   An inspector general at the FBI bothshuts the door on a chapter in American historywhile leaving an opening for more questions about political bias. The Supreme Court rules you can be removed from voting rollsif you BOTHdon’t vote and don’t respond to mail.   A teenager bothsuffers from the darkness of depression, and sheds light on a potential solution.   Father’s Day, a holiday, inspired by a man with a background as BOTHa Civil war veteran and single dad. Juxtapositions make stories dynamic. And leaving room for “both” makes us Smart (HER). Instead of uncertainty, considering bothreflects another fact: endless possibilities. Happy Father’s Day, Jenna and The SmartHER Squad. P.S. A very special Father's Day message on our podcast.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The onslaught of news can feel like the daily grind of life – the core often gets ignored.  After taking in the peripheral facts, this week's news stories have an interwoven theme at their center: How can we help each other?  How can we help teach our children? A new studysays Catholic school students outperform public and private school students when it comes to self-discipline. One of the reasons why? God.  How can we help abolish poverty in America? Stockton, California will hand out $500 dollars to some residents to try to answer this question, testing an economic theory called "universal basic income." The results will hopefully offer insight on what may work (or what doesn't). How can we helpachieve world peace? A Nobel Peace Prize winner volunteers to pay for North Korea’s trip to Singapore so the summit next Tuesday June 12th can continue smoothly.  How can we help each other? Whimsical fashion designer Kate Spadetakes her own life followed by storyteller Anthony Bourdain. In between, the CDC reports dramatically rising suicide rates (except in the state of Nevada) and shares tips on how to help.   How can we help secure our borders? Illegal border crossings have soared 160%since last year at the same time. The most shocking number? The number of family crossings and unaccompanied children jumped more than 400% and 300% respectively. The Dept of Homeland security blames loopholes in current immigration policy for putting both Americans AND illegal immigrants at risk.  How can we help keep each other healthy? New research proves chemo may not be necessaryfor breast cancer patients, opening a doorway to more personalized, less ravaging, cancer treatments. (Also, check out a SmartHER explanation on a new lawthat aims to help terminally ill Americans access experimental medications). How can we helpkeep each other informed? Pew Research releases new data showing 7-out-of-10 Americans feel exhausted by the news.   We.Do.Too.  Here’s where SmartHER Newssteps in.  We don't want you exhausted. We want you empowered. Not by inspirational stories. By information. We believe by taking a breathe and getting to the core of the story - we can HELP by reminding each other about why news really matters. .   You help us tremendously – and we can only hope we return the favor.    With gratitude,  Jenna & The SmartHER SquadSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Just like cleaning out a refrigerator, this week's news cycle raises the question: how do you know when something has truly passed its prime? Sometimes it's by date; other times it's simply by feel.  Let's start with the American economy. Mining and manufacturing, two industries thought "past their prime" had job gains in the latest unemployment report, defying a belief by some that the "new normal" of the American economy didn’t include these sectors. The unemployment rate continues to fall to an 18-year-low.   In Europe, Italy tackles whether it's outgrown the European Union, while EU regulators ultimately decide its internet privacy standards have long passed their expiration and force an update.  Stateside, a shocking headline about the U.S. government LOSING children after they arrived illegally at the border, proves sour and stale, showing yet again, context matters. Other stories have lasting power.  The Ford Mustang survives massive vehicle cuts by the automaker because of the "emotional connection" of American consumers.   Disney World continues to challenge AND captivate as we learned in our new SmartHer Travel feature.  And Mr. Rogers still makes us feel nostalgic 5 decades later. Fred Rogers spoke directly to generations of children about once taboo topics like death, race and divorce, launching in a year burning with discord. In 1968, when 'Mr. Rogers' debuted, America roiled with debate over Vietnam, experienced the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy and anxiously awaited headlines from North Korea after the capture of The Pueblo (an American spy ship).  NoKo interrogated and tortured dozens of American crew members - a reminder of our long simmering tension. Fast forward to present day, and it's nearing "primetime" for the White House and North Korea to either engage or walkaway from the long-awaited summit on June 12 (as of this writing, the White House suggests it's a "go"). Is the opportunity for historic change missed, delayed, or prime for the taking? (BTW, we looked at meals served during important meetings, inspired by the working dinner this week between North Korea & U.S.).  While we sift through timelines, deadlines, and expiration dates - Here's to enjoying the prime of our lives!  Jenna  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/smarthernews/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy