The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

The 1990s were a heady time. The Cold War had ended, and America's version of liberal capitalism seemed triumphant. And yet, amid the peace and prosperity, anxieties about the project of self-government could be glimpsed beneath the surface. So argued Michael Sandel, in his influential and widely debated book Democracy's Discontent, published in 1996. Now, a quarter century later, Sandel updates his classic work for an age when democracy's discontent has hardened into a country divided against itself.\r\n\r\nIn Democracy\'s Discontent: A New Edition for Our Perilous Times, Sandel extends his account of America's civic struggles from the 1990s to the present. The book is an essential--and ultimately hopeful--reading for all those who wonder if our democratic experiment will survive in the twenty-first century.\r\n\r\nMichael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard University, where his legendary course "Justice: Ethical Reasoning in Polarized Times," fills Harvard's largest auditorium. Sandel is also the author of The Tyranny of Merit: Can We Find the Common Good?, which seeks a way beyond the polarized politics of our time. His other previous books include Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? and What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets.

In 2021, Cuyahoga County sent four times more children to adult court - referred to as a \"bindover\" - than the next highest county, Hamilton, which includes Cincinnati. Racial disparities exist at every stage of our criminal legal system. Yet, as of September 2024, Black youth comprised 72% of Ohio\'s youth prison population.\r\n\r\nMembers of the Youth Justice Collaborative believe it is time for our public leaders, courts, and communities to prioritize effective interventions, rather than rely on "tough-on-crime" approaches that criminalize adolescence. Through the Collaborative, they have supported transformative grassroots efforts that placed community-led programs within the facilities of the Juvenile Detention Center. What lessons can the Collaborative share that will optimize impactful change?

Over the past two decades, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) has been steadily replacing and rebuilding virtually its entire stock of low income and affordable housing across Greater Cleveland. As CMHA\'s CEO since 2012, Jeffery Patterson has led an ongoing process of neighbor and resident engagement, ensuring that every resident has a voice in the future of the community and the facilities that are being built.\r\n\r\nBy special request of the donors who created our annual Leadership for the Greater Good Forum, Jeffery Patterson will be joined by City Club CEO Dan Moulthrop for a collegial conversation about leadership and the importance of prioritizing community voice. Moulthrop has led the City Club since 2013, and his tenure has been recognized not only for the successful move to Playhouse Square but perhaps, more importantly, by the increasing relevance and accessibility of City Club forums.

Mehdi Hasan isn't one to avoid arguments. He relishes them as the lifeblood of democracy and the only surefire way to establish the truth. His unapologetic approach to journalism has made Hasan a highly sought after expert for his sharp, unfiltered perspectives on politics, media accountability, democratic norms, and more.\r\n\r\nAs an award-winning British-American journalist, broadcaster, and author, Hasan left mainstream media and now serves as the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of the new media company Zeteo--which comes from the ancient Greek word for 'seeking out' and 'striving.\' Zeteo aims to seek answers to the questions that really matter, while always striving for the truth. Hasan is also the best-selling author of Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking. Hasan previously worked as an anchor at MSNBC and columnist for The Intercept, and was included in the annual global list of \'The 500 Most Influential Muslims\' in the world (\'The Muslim 500\').

As the lasting impact of colonialism and slavery is felt throughout Native American tribes and Black communities today, museums across the nation are grappling with issues of patrimony and provenance regarding art, artifacts, relics, and remains. These items were often taken without consent, long before ethical protocols for procurement were established.\r\n\r\nNow, museums are working to find solutions in collaboration with community and comply with federal laws, such as the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Enacted in the 1990s, the Biden Administration recently issued updated policies that ultimately led to some museums covering up or removing some displays until the appropriate determinations could be made. This act reignited a conversation on museums\' role in reconciliation, addressing historical injustices, and cross-cultural understanding.\r\n\r\nThe City Club is once again proud to partner with The Cleveland Orchestra as part of the third annual Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Opera and Humanities Festival. Join us as we hear from museum leadership from Washington, D.C., New York City, and here in Ohio on how American cultural institutions are charting a new path forward on reconciliation and repatriation.

Originally expanded in 2014 under the Kasich administration, Ohio is one of 41 states, including the District of Columbia, that has implemented Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. However, the addition of trigger language into the current state budget bill would allow Ohio to disenroll from Medicaid expansion if federal assistance for the program drops below 90%. The trigger language comes as congressional Republicans in D.C. consider cutting the federal match for Medicaid expansion.\r\n\r\nFor Ohio, it\'s a move that could strip healthcare access from over 770,000 Ohioans; including about 362,000 in rural Ohio counties.\r\n\r\nAdvocates in health equity, maternal and infant vitality, mental health, and more have sounded the alarm on what it means to return to an era before Medicaid expansion. A rollback would also disproportionately impact rural communities and their hospitals, adding to already staggering health disparities.\r\n\r\nFeaturing:\r\nDomonic Hopson\r\nPresident and CEO, Neighborhood Family Practice\r\n\r\nBeejadi Mukunda, MD\r\nVP & Market Chief Medical Officer, Ohio, CareSource\r\n\r\nAmy Rohling McGee\r\nPresident, Health Policy Institute of Ohio\r\n\r\nModerator\r\nEmily Campbell\r\nPresident & CEO, The Center for Community Solutions

Sarah Lewis's book The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America examines America from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of Jim Crow when the country\'s conception of race, and whiteness, was transforming. A finalist for the 2025 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Lewis uncovers a pivotal era when Americans came to ignore the truth about the false foundations of the nation's racial regime. Thanks to Professor Lewis's historical detective work, what we see and what's left unseen shapes everything we believe about ourselves and other people - and how we can start changing the narrative about who counts and who belongs in America.\r\n\r\nSarah Lewis is an award-winning art historian, founder of Vision & Justice, and the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. She is also the author of the bestseller The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery, as well as the forthcoming book Vision & Justice.

Wilbur Ross, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and a Wall Street veteran, discusses his notable career and insights into Trump's economic policies. He shares his experiences in negotiating tariffs with China and reflects on the legal complexities surrounding them. Ross also recounts his early financial lessons through revitalizing a steel mill and a pivotal negotiation with Trump during a crisis. His new book, 'Risks and Returns,' offers a candid look at his ascent in both business and the political arena.

Tired of swiping left? You\'re not alone. Today\'s society is arguably facing a digital dating overload. In addition, more adults than ever have reported feelings of loneliness and isolation from friends, family, and community. Social structures have changed, and with them, the way we approach and participate in love, joy, and connection.\r\n\r\nHeidi Friedman knows what it\'s like to soldier through years of dating and finding true connection in today\'s times. Her first book, Love Lessons explores what true love really looks like through her personal journey of 104 dates over 10 years. It\'s a witty and insightful guide for anyone looking for love, reevaluating a current relationship, or starting over on the quest for the right one. With humor and authenticity, Love Lessons reflects Heidi\'s research, survival of many awkward dates, and finally meeting her true partner--through a mutual friend, Ann Zoller!\r\n\r\nHeidi is also a partner at Thompson Hine where she has been practicing environmental law and providing ESG counsel to clients nationally for over 30 years. Heidi has also written regularly for Bloomberg, Law 360, and other publications related to her professional life and experience as a female lawyer\r\n\r\nJoin us at the City Club as Heidi Friedman sits down with Ann Zoller to talk about her new book Love Lessons, and what we all can learn about love, joy, and connection today.

On March 20th, President Trump issued an executive order effectively abolishing the Department of Education. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have already filed a lawsuit to block the dismantling, alleging the executive branch has exceeded its constitutional authority and violated law. As the nation watches the flurry of executive orders and legal action unfold on public education, what does this mean for the nation\'s K-12 and higher education students?\r\n\r\nDerek Black is a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law, the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law, and directs the Constitutional Law Center. He is one of the nation's foremost experts in education law and policy. He offers expert witness testimony in school funding, voucher, and federal policy litigation and his research is routinely cited in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.\r\n\r\nHe is also the author of a leading education law casebook, Education Law: Equality, Fairness, and Reform, and other books aimed at wider audiences. His 2020 book Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy describes a full-scale assault on public education that threatens not just public education but American democracy itself. His forthcoming book, Dangerous Learning: The South's Long War on Black Literacy outlines the enduring legacy of the nineteenth-century struggle for Black literacy in the American South.