How Do We Fix It?

Was Donald Trump's election a one-off event, or did it represent a fundamental realignment of American politics?Washington-based political experts wrongly called the 2016 election, and our guest, Salena Zito, author of "The Great Revolt", argues that they keep blowing it today. Democrats who ignore the concerns of those who went for Obama in 2012, but then backed Trump four years later, do so at their peril.We examine the spread of populism that is reshaping American politics on the right and the left, and why it may have much more staying power than critics would like to admit.Despite President Trump's weak approval ratings, the coalition that brought him to the White House is largely holding together. Salena drove many thousands of miles on back roads, speaking with hundreds of Trump voters in ten Great Lake swing counties while reporting for the New York Post, the Washington Examiner, and contributing to The Atlantic. She takes them seriously. From "red-blooded blue-collared" conservative populists to "rough rebounders" and "girl gun power" supporters, we learn why so many believe that Trump stands up for working people against powerful corporate interests."Modern populism today is a healthy skepticism of large things, big institutions, big government, big entertainment, big sports," says Salena. "This coalition isn't just impacting the ballot, its having an impact on how we shop and how we consume things."In this episode we look at the roots of populism, but also take a skeptical view of its future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From ancient times to the present day, women and men have brought meaning to their lives through storytelling.Before the invention of the printing press, ancient societies passed on the knowledge and wisdom of one generation to the next through oral history. Today, no other medium is as intimate and personal as podcasting. We are the town criers of our time.In this "Quick Fix" episode, Richard and Jim discuss the future of podcasting-- an industry that faces both opportunities and challenges. More than 550,000 podcasts are on iTunes-- and the number is growing every week. So is the audience. But while two-thirds of Americans have heard of the term "podcast," fewer than one-in-five are regular listeners. Last week in Philadelphia at Podcast Movement-- the annual trade show, rally and conference-- Tom Webster of Edison Research said: "The key to moving from 48 million weekly podcast listeners to the 100 million mark is understanding why those people familiar with the term “podcasting” have never listened."The launch of the new Google Podcasts app may go a long way towards reaching this goal. Until now, Apple has been the dominant player. Smart speakers present a great growth opportunity, bringing new ways to listen to podcasts. And each year podcasting reaches into an ever-widening circle of communities and interests. Find out here about how we make this show and other podcasts for our clients. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 and respect for different points of view.Deb Mashek is the first Executive Director of Heterodox Academy. For 13 years, she was a professor of psychology at Harvey Mudd College. "My learning is improved when I get to engage with you, because you see things differently, Deb tells us. It's not just about tolerating other viewpoints. "If we're serious about solving the world's biggest problems, we need to be open to the best ideas, regardless of where they come from.""A willingness to evaluate new ideas is vital to understanding our world," says Harvard University Professor Steven Pinker. "Universities, which ought to be forums for open debate, are developing a reputation for dogmatism and intolerance." Heterodox Academy was formed in 2015 to counteract the narrowing of viewpoints on many college campuses.In this episode we look at why viewpoint diversity matters just as much as other forms of diversity on campus and in society at large.Useful links: Heterodox Academy podcast.OpenMind Platform."The Closing of the American Mind", by Allan Bloom.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, and weakening U.S. influence around the world.In this episode, we look at solutions for climate change, sustainable growth, the need for smarter international co-operation, and the reason why the W.T.O. is so crucial to the future of the global trading system. Our guest is former Florida Congressman James Bacchus, Director of the Center for Global Economic and Environmental Opportunity at the University of Central Florida. He was twice the chief judge of the highest court of world trade at the W.T.O. in Geneva, Switzerland.Jim's new book is "The Willing World. Shaping and Sharing a Sustainable Global Prosperity.""I believe our President is a pessimist," he says. "He doesn't really believe in America or the American people, despite all he says about putting America first."  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Communities" is an impassioned account of the fall and rise of small American towns she cherishes. Dar chronicles practical success stories and challenges, delivering her message with hope and love."The opposite of division is not unity. It is collaboration," says Dar.We discuss the power of positive proximity and how working on local projects together can bring different parts of a community together. Dar speaks of the strength of weak ties and why they help build networks of people who act as stewards for the places that they love. From improving police-community relations in Gainesville, Florida, to the revival of Beacon, New York, we learn of many examples of how communities can succeed and thrive.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 founding principles developed before and during the American War of Independence.As he did with "The Island at the Center of the World," which looked at the Dutch impact on New York, Russell's latest book examines American values, drawing deeply on personal diaries, letters and autobiographies to flesh out six important lives. They include an African-American man who freed himself and his family from slavery, a Seneca tribal warrior who became a wise and respected political leader, and George Washington himself. When he began working on "Revolution Song" six years ago, "I thought I was doing history," Russell tells us. "I thought these things were long ago settled. I didn't think I would be living in a time when freedom of the press, freedom of religion and freedom of speech would be even debatable or under attack.""The intertwined stories of "Revolution Song" give a sense of how far-reaching a phenomenon the War of Independence was," wrote a book reviewer in the New York Times.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 drones," says our guest, Mehdi Salehi of the Parsons School of Design. His company, Drone Labs, specializes in drone design, R&D, data collection and analysis.Mehdi draws on his own experience as a refugee "leaving Afghanistan, going to Europe and then coming to New York" to build on a lifelong fascination with flight. "I've always believed that you can utilize this technology for good," he tells us in this episode.Drone technology is rapidly improving. Artificial Intelligence, or machine learning, will lead to many new breakthroughs in the near future. Among the civilian applications that we discuss: Using drones to help first responders in flood, fire and other natural disasters.Inspections of high-rise buildings and wind turbines.Tracking refugees in flimsy boats and rafts, who are in danger of drowning before rescuers can get close. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 senior fellow and director of Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Her most recent book, “The Third Revolution: Xi Jinpeng and the New Chinese State”, explains the background to recent dramatic changes inside China.She is among a distinguished group of China specialists who once favored engagement with Beijing, but are now calling for the United States to take a more forceful approach as China attempts to undermine democratic values. We discuss the best ways to navigate this relationship."Managing this relationship is essential," says Elizabeth. "It cannot allowed to it to spiral down too far." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 in pragmatic and inventive ways to improve life in their communities.We discuss public/private partnerships, the enormous value provided by community colleges in the changing jobs market, infrastructure projects, and innovative ways downtown districts have been revived. “The good news is the solutions to our civic problems already exist,” said opinion writer David Brooks in a recent column, praising “Our Towns.” “We just need to take these civic programs and this governing philosophy and nationalize them. We need to transform these local stories into a coherent national story.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 the country."This still can be the country people would like to think it is," says well-known journalist James Fallows of The Atlantic magazine and co-author of "Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America." He says that most people don't realize how fast the country is moving toward becoming a better version of itself.The book and our interview offer a surprising portrait of the civic and economic reinvention taking place. James and his wife Deborah Fallows wrote the book together, traveling to 31 towns and cities over four years in their single engine plane.The America they saw is deeply conscious of its problems-- from the appalling opioid epidemic to decades of economic dislocation. But many communities are coming up with practical, lasting solutions, in contrast to the rigid paralysis of national politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.