How Do We Fix It?

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 appears to be standing down," said President Trump, five days after the killing. In this episode, Jim and Richard discuss seven tools that help us understand the significance of what happened. They include: Watch out for scare tactics by both sides of the debate; Don't take mass protests at face value; Read a broad range of opinions from different sources; Beware of simple answers; Understand the wisdom of "I don't know", and just because Trump acted doesn't mean he was wrong.Neither Richard nor Jim are experts on the Middle East, and they can't predict how this crisis will change the world. But as longtime journalists, they are experts at how to organize information and do research. This week's recommendations: Both Jim and Richard often read editorials and opinion pieces by writers they disagree with. Jim pays attention to the left-wing magazine, Mother Jones and the progressive writer Matt Taibbi, while Richard's daily read includes the editorials in The Wall Street Journal.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 support their efforts to strengthen democracy, boost curiosity, find constructive solutions and emphasize the positive.We've included clips from our 2019 interviews with Debilyn Molineaux, Arthur Brooks, Micah Sifry, Jodie Jackson and Pearce Godwin. As we celebrate collaboration and sharing, we also want to give a shout-out to three more vital groups that we will be working with in 2020: The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University, Common Ground Committee, and New Books Network. All are working hard to promote the work of those who seek to make the world a better place.This week's recommendations from Jim and Richard...Book to read: "The Years That Matter Most" by Paul Tough.NiemanLab blog: "Podcasting Unsilences the Silent" by Joni Deutsch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Ambition and American Complacency" discusses the threat China's model of authoritarian capitalism poses to democracy in the United States and around the world. The Chinese government is using its growing military, technological, and economic to change the direction of the world.Conspiracies are becoming increasingly prominent in the public discourse. Democracy Scholars  Democracy scholars Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum call the current version “conspiracy without the theory” and unpack the concept in their book "A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy."In this episode Jim and Richard discuss the ideas raised in both sets of interviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 the controversy may affect the result of this week's U.K. election. Our guest in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" is Bari Weiss, an opinion writer at The New York Times, who covers culture and politics. We discuss her new book, "How to Fight Anti-Semitism.""When anti-semitism is rising it is the number one sign that a society is dying or maybe is already dead," Bari tells us. "The proximate victims are Jews themselves, but the bigger and overlooked victim, if you look at history, is the surrounding society."Bari mentions this article by the anti-racist scholar and activist Eric Ward: "Skin in the Game. How Anti-Semitism Animates White Nationalism." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Institute and a co-author of An Ecomodernist Manifesto.Reducing carbon emissions "matters and is important not necessarily for human survival, but for a world that I would like to leave for future generations," Ted tells us. "Bio-diversity... tropical rainforests and savannahs: I care about all of those things, and the debate with environmentalists is how you get them."The Breakthrough Institute offers a different kind of framework for thinking about climate change. We discuss solutions in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 teacher, Lucy Crehan, is the author of "Cleverlands", an exploration of the lessons learned from the world's top-performing education systems. Her research also highlights the importance of play in the learning process.In Finland, where math and reading scores are among the highest in the world, "they don't start education formally until seven-years-old," says Lucy. Instead of meeting academic targets in kindergarten or first grade, "they're focusing on a much broader educational and social development before they start formal learning."Solutions discussed include: The need for diversity during playdates and in children's lives, and the developmental role played by unsupervised play. The importance of high academic expectations for older children, and the creative role of play during the school year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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: New York's 15th CD in The Bronx.Ivelyse Andino, founder and CEO of Radical Health, a minority-owned, Bronx-based health equity social enterprise that uses technology, an app powered by artificial intelligence, and community conversations to help black and brown pregnant women and new mothers understand their health care rights, build trust and develop self advocacy. According to US government statistics, black women are up to six times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than white women. "The US is ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth if you are a black or brown woman," says Ivelyse. She compares the healthcare system to a MacDonalds. "You're in you're out. Here is all the things you need or you think you need and have at it."Ivelyse was born and raised in The Bronx. She enjoyed a career in health tech, and trained oncologists on new drugs. Her life took a dramatic turn when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, which forced her to personally confront systematic disparities and failings of the healthcare system.While reporting this episode we also spoke with several outstanding activists including Kaniya Samm who is a community organizer; and Alexis Del Rio, the co-founder of Bronx Móvil, a bilingual mobile harm reduction program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 and political consultant Reed Galen, and look at whether the case for greater civility is overshadowed by the need to push back hard against the populists, and those who sneer at compromise, tolerance, reason, flexibility and other vital pillars of a functioning democracy."The Democrats are playing chess and Trump's eating the pieces," says Reed, who resigned from the Republican Party in 2016. "He will take your civility and squash you with it."Further thoughts from Reed on civility here.With this episode we start a new feature: Jim and Richard Recommend. We lift the curtain on what we're listening to, reading and watching. - Music: Singer-songwriter Belinda Carlisle.- Movie: "Parasite" by Korean director Joon Ho Bong.- Books: "Ill Winds: Saving Democracy From Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition and American Complacency by Larry Diamond, and "Golden Rice: The Imperiled Birth of a GMO Superfood" by Ed Regis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 somebody changes their mind is hearing the story of how they change their life," Eleanor tells us. "Why, when we know that changing our minds is as tangled and difficult and messy as we are, do we stay so wedded to the thought that rational debate is the way to go about it?"The book and our podcast begin with Eleanor interviewing men who catcalled her in the street and made obscene gestures. Did she convince these guys to change their behavior? Find out what happened... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 withdrawal. The December 12 vote could bring more confusion, with no party winning an overall majority. One the biggest hurdles is deciding what kind of Brexit voters actually want. For this episode, Richard traveled to London and spoke with Jill Rutter, senior research at the non-partisan think tank, UK in a Changing Europe. She writes frequently about Brexit and the UK's evolving relationship with the EU."The Prime Minister is very keen to be able to say he's got Brexit done," says Jill. But even though he has surprised people by being able to conclude a withdrawal agreement, he really hasn't got Brexit done." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.