She lived in liberal Seattle and covered science, climate change and the environment for NPR for more than a decade. Then in 2018, journalist Ashley Ahearn made a big jump, moving with her husband to one of the most conservative counties in rural Washington State. In this episode of "Let's Find Common Ground," we hear about the profound rural-urban divide in America, and what Ashley discovered about her new neighbors and herself when she switched from the city to the country, now living on a 20-acre property with a horse and a pickup truck. We also discuss how politics and views of the land and climate differ greatly according to where people live. Recently, Ashley Ahearn launched her 8-part podcast series, "Grouse", which looks at life in rural America through the lens of the most controversial bird in the West— the greater sage-grouse. One of her great passions is storytelling, and helping scientists better communicate their research to the broader public. 

When Joe Biden became president he wanted to bring Americans together, to forge unity. But maybe unity isn’t what we should aim for. Our guest this week says instead of focusing on that elusive goal, Americans need to concentrate on what’s damaging all of us: toxic polarization. In this episode we look at what toxic polarization is and how to end it, person by person. Peter Coleman has advised the Biden administration on how to detoxify America. He is a mediator and psychologist who specializes in conflict resolution. A professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, he is the author of the forthcoming book, The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.

In the second installment of the CPF Fellows Roundtable Series of 2021, Spring 2021 CPF Fellow Shaniqua McClendon is joined by former Fellows Barbara Boxer (Fall 2020) and Dan Schwerin (Fall 2018) to discuss current progressive policies and debates and the future of progressivism in the U.S. This discussion was moderated by CPF Fellows Manager, Harry Burke. Featuring: Barbara Boxer: Former U.S. Senator (D-CA) and CPF Fall 2020 Fellow Shaniqua McClendon: Political Director, Crooked Media and CPF Spring 2021 Fellow Dan Schwerin: Director of Speechwriting, Hillary Clinton and CPF Fall 2018 Fellow

CPF Co-Director Mike Murphy is joined by historians Sylvain Piron and Jay Rubenstein, former Congressman Denver Riggleman, and Marley Clements, co-creator of "QAnon: The Search For Q" on Vice, to examine the similarities between the Apocalyptic and Millenarian cults in the Middle ages to modern conspiracies around Y2K and QAnon. Featuring: Mike Murphy - Co-Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future Marley Clements - Documentary filmmaker, political strategist, and co-founder of Bunker Crew Media Sylvain Piron - Director of Studies and Chair of Intellectual History of Medieval Societies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, France Denver Riggleman - Former U.S. Congressman (R-VA); CEO of Riggleman Information and Intelligence Group (RIIG); Author, "Bigfoot... It's Complicated" Jay Rubenstein - Director, USC Center for the Pre-Modern World and Professor of History at the University of Southern California

CPF Director Bob Shrum is joined by historians Sean L. Field and Julien Théry, filmmaker Kristin Pichaske, and best-selling Author Michael Shermer to discuss the history of the Templars and how similar trends target America’s civic institutions, drawing on events from the Kennedy assassination to 9/11. Featuring: Robert M. Shrum - Director of USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future and Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics Sean L. Field - Professor of History at the University of Vermont Kristin Pichaske - Award-winning Filmmaker, "Pulling The Thread;" Associate Professor of Cinema and Television Arts at Columbia College Chicago Julien Théry - Professor of History at Université Lyon II Louis Lumière in Lyon, France Michael Shermer - Best-Selling Author and Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine

CPF Executive Director Kamy Akhavan is joined by historians Elizabeth A.R. Brown and Dallas Dennery and psychology experts Sara Gorman and Norbert Schwarz to explore how beliefs in conspiracies shaped the politics and psychology of the medieval world and our current political climate. Featuring: Kamy Akhavan – Executive Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future Elizabeth A. R. Brown - Professor Emerita of History at Brooklyn College and The Graduate Center, CUNY Dallas Denery - Author, Professor of History at Bowdoin College Sara Gorman - Mental health expert; Author of " Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore The Facts That Will Save Us" Norbert Schwarz: Provost Professor, Department of Psychology & Marshall School of Business; Co-Director, USC Dornsife Mind & Society Center

With American democracy in crisis, can students save the day?  For college students it can be frightening to consider the prospects for a better tomorrow. But addressing the problems in our political system will require the next generation to be more engaged and less polarized. BridgeUSA was formed by college students to tackle the crisis head-on, with campus-based chapters at colleges around the country. This non-profit group hosts discussions and events, champions ideological diversity, teaches constructive engagement, and aims to promote a solution-oriented political culture. BridgeUSA’s chief goal is to develop a new generation of political leaders who value empathy and the common good. Guests for this episode are Manu Meel, a recent graduate of U.C. Berkeley and Chief Executive Officer of BridgeUSA, and Jessica Carpenter, a senior at Arizona State University, who runs brand management and communications at BridgeUSA.

Jennifer Hook, USC Sociology Professor, is joined by U.S. Congressman Jimmy Gomez and policy experts Brencia Berry and Vicki Shabo to discuss the state of national paid leave, policy changes under the Biden Administration and ways to advance the issue. Featuring: Brencia Berry - Political Director, PL+US Paid Leave For the United States Jimmy Gomez - U.S. Representative (D-CA) Vicki Shabo - Senior Fellow, Paid Leave Policy and Strategy, Better Life Lab at New America Moderated by Jennifer Hook - Professor of Sociology, USC

Spring 2021 Center Fellow Shaniqua McClendon is joined by North Carolina Representative Rachel Hunt and Former U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Comstock to discuss the importance of electing more women to national, state, and local offices, and how political parties are addressing issues important to women voters. Featuring: Barbara Comstock - Former U.S. Representative (R-VA) and Spring 2021 Fellow, Center for the Political Future Rachel Hunt - North Carolina Representative (D-Mecklenburg) Shaniqua McClendon (Moderator) - Political Director at Crooked Media and Spring 2021 Fellow, Center for the Political Future

By almost any measure, Congress is much more rigidly divided along partisan lines than it was 30 years ago. Politicians run nationalized campaigns, not local ones, and frequently demonize the other side. We examine ways to find common ground among lawmakers, and those who work on Capitol Hill, with two deeply experienced Washington insiders. Betsy Wright Hawkings served as chief of staff for four Republican members of Congress over 25 years and helped build bipartisan coalitions on a range of vital issues. She is now Managing Partner of Article One Advisors, a consulting firm focused on giving organizations strategic advice on how Congress functions.  Tamera Luzzatto served as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s chief of staff in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2009. Before that, she was on the staff of Democratic Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV for 15 years. Today, she is Senior Vice President of government relations at Pew Charitable Trusts.