Beyond Politics

Strategic Zen in the Trump Era: Navigating Exhaustion and Overwhelm: Matt Robison joins radio legend Howard Monroe to discuss the coping strategy of 'Strategic Zen' to deal with the overwhelming nature of Trump's second administration. They discuss how critical it is for Democrats to differentiate between significant moves and more transient actions, and how overreacting to every development is counterproductive. 02:33 The Strategic Zen Approach to Trump's Actions 03:36 Interview with Howard Monroe: Coping with the Trump Administration 05:21 The Fire Hose Effect: Managing the Overwhelm 07:43 Something or Nothing: Evaluating Trump's Actions 17:04 The End Game: What Should the Opposition Aim For? 31:20 Conclusion: Finding Calm Amidst the Chaos

Democrats vs Trump's Tactics: How to Beat the Flood the Zone Strategy. Matt Robison, Matt Wylie, and Paul Hodes discuss how Democrats should respond to the outpouring of pronouncements and Executive Orders from Donald Trump's administration. Democrats may be falling into the trap that Trump's team intended--but it's not that hard to see it and stay out of it. 01:06 The Spending Freeze Saga 06:51 Democratic Exhaustion and Disengagement 10:45 Trump's Performative Politics 15:15 Immigration and the Bigger Picture 22:42 The TV Presidency: Trump's Media Strategy 27:56 Republican Opportunities and Challenges 36:19 The Chaos and Its Consequences 42:23 The Absurdity of Trump Loyalty

Cross Purposes: The Broken Connection Between Christianity and American Democracy Matt Robison explores the relationship between Christianity and American democracy with Brookings scholar and Atlantic author Jonathan Rauch. They discuss the themes of Rauch's new book, Cross Purposes, which argues that the health of America's political and religious institutions are deeply intertwined. The conversation delves into the decline of Christianity's influence, the rise of secular substitutes, and the problematic blend of religion with partisan politics. Rauch also highlights the potential model of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a way forward for American Christianity. 00:00 Introduction: Christianity and American Democracy 01:28 Christianity's Contributions to America 07:17 The Decline of Religiosity in America 14:50 Sharp Christianity and Its Political Influence 19:17 The Broken Bargain Between Christianity and Democracy 22:03 Why Christianity Matters in America 31:05 The Decline of American Christianity 37:22 The Church Within the Church 42:40 A Civic Theology 44:51 The LDS Church as a Model 47:48 Final Thoughts and Reflections

 It's been a blitzkrieg of executive orders from President Donald Trump in his first week. But is it all a huge deal or is it more like Shakespeare said, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing? That's the question weo wanted to put to our round-table today and Once again, we had a pinch hit from our friend, Matt Wylie, who was super subbing in for Alicia Preston. We covered immigration, climate agreements, energy production, and controversial measures like birthright citizenship and the "weaponization" of the federal government. 00:42 Trump's Executive Orders: Big Deal or Not? 03:08 The Role of Congress and the Judiciary 07:00 Big Deal, Little Deal, or No Deal: Game Time 14:12 Trump's Immigration Policies 21:25 The Fox News Fallacy and Immigration Impact 23:17 Economic Frustration and Trade Effects 25:00 Trump's Climate and Energy Policies 29:45 Weaponization of the Federal Government 33:00 TikTok Ban and Executive Orders 38:38 Trump's High Point and Future Challenges

Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement--a rare case of productive teamwork between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in brokering the deal? The Jack Smith report detailing Trump's alleged crimes related to January 6th and classified documents. Pete Hegseth's controversial confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense. And finally Alicia Preston's birthday so who's the second greatest person born on her birthday? 00:28 Ceasefire Agreement Between Israel and Hamas 02:12 Trump and Biden's Roles in the Ceasefire 09:25 Jack Smith Report on Donald Trump 20:53 Pete Hegseth's Embarrassing Confirmation Hearing 26:41 Elon Musk vs. Steve Bannon 35:28 Middle Class Struggles and Political Neglect 37:53 Birthday Game: Famous People Born Today

Matt Robison and radio legend Howard Monroe separate the real, subtle threats posed by artificial intelligence from the kinds of things we stress about in movies. Then: why Democrats need to avoid falling into the "Trump fallacy." And finally, an audio adaptation of Matt's most recent Newsweek column on why Congress needs to step in and ban fraternities and sororities on college campuses. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 03:00 Howard Monroe Radio Show: Health and Humor 06:43 The Real Danger of AI: Distorting Reality 13:16 Trump's Press Conference: World Domination or Bluster? 15:15 Navigating Trump's Statements: Picking Battles 29:12 Fraternities and Sororities: Time for a Ban

Matt, Paul, and Alicia hit the biggest stories unfolding this week, starting with the  Los Angeles wildfires and the way in which the politics of global warming have already entered the picture, even as people are still at risk. Also, Joe Biden's assertion that if he had stayed in the race, he would have won; the end of all of the Donald Trump legal cases and the confusing muddled pile up it's turned into and what it ultimately means; the question of how Republicans are going to try to pass the Trump agenda; Facebook waving the white flag on fact checking; and finally, the case that Donald Trump is actually right about taking possession of Greenland. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 01:11 Los Angeles Wildfires and Climate Politics 03:17 Debating Energy Policies and Insurance Issues 07:58 Biden's Interview and Political Reflections 10:22 Trump's Legal Troubles and Sentencing 16:04 Jack Smith Report and Transparency Issues 19:00 The Importance of Truth in Politics 20:42 Debating Trump's Legislative Strategy 27:53 Mark Zuckerberg and Content Moderation 33:44 Trump's Greenland Ambitions 38:36 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Was Jimmy Carter really a failed President? Ahead of his funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, Matt Robison and historian Dr. Erik Loomis take a clear-eyed, unvarnished look at a presidency and historic legacy that are more complicated, and at times more successful, than we remember. 00:00 Introduction: Reflecting on Jimmy Carter's Legacy 02:17 Jimmy Carter's Early Life and Political Rise 04:33 Carter's Relationship with Racism and Segregation 07:42 Media Perception and Public Image 12:51 Presidential Challenges and Failures 29:44 Carter's Post-Presidency Achievements 35:54 Final Thoughts and Legacy

A Stellar Year: Space Discoveries and Cosmic Wonders of 2024 Matt Robison is joined by astronomy professor John Gianforte from the University of New Hampshire, also known as 'the Sky Guy'. They delve into the most fascinating space-related events of 2024, including the Great North American Eclipse, new moons around Uranus and Neptune, significant finds from the James Webb Space Telescope, and intriguing developments in early universe theories. They also look ahead to future missions like the Europa Clipper and the use of AI in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, highlighting how science fiction is becoming reality. (New Englanders: if you want to see some of these amazing sky sights, come to the UNH Observatory--more information here) 00:00 Introduction to Beyond Politics 02:04 A Big Year for the Sun 02:14 The Great North American Eclipse 05:39 Solar Maximum and Aurora Borealis 13:39 The Parker Solar Probe 16:22 Exploring the Solar System 16:49 The Comet 18:54 The Mysterious Oort Cloud 24:04 The Debate Over Pluto and Planet Nine 29:15 The Mystery of Planet Nine 29:35 New Moons Discovered in Our Solar System 32:35 James Webb Space Telescope's Latest Discoveries 33:48 Formation of Stars and Planets 36:34 Theories on Solar System Formation 39:40 Earliest Galaxies and Black Hole Mergers 47:28 The Ultimate Fate of the Universe 56:11 Science Fiction Becoming Reality

PART TWO of the "Boppies": our annual award show of the highlights and lowlights in news, politics, and current events for 2024. We dive into the most intriguing public opinion and demographic data of 2024, biggest science story, the year's defining moment, and the "Winner" of the year. 02:07 Public Opinion Fact of the Year 11:54 Best First of 2024 20:49 Breakthroughs in Science: Top Stories of the Year 33:14 Defining Moments of 2024 36:48 Who Won the Year?