Special Counsel; Independent Thinking
There is a competition underway to condition the American public’s response, in advance, to whatever Special Counsel Robert Mueller ultimately reports. For the president and his allies, the message has been consistent: it’s a “witch hunt.” For Democrats, after championing the integrity of Mueller’s investigation for months, there seems to be an effort, now, to manage expectations. The president’s use of the term “witch hunt” in relationship to the Mueller … Read More
Tearing Down Institutional Racism with Darnisa Amante
Air Dates: March 18-24, 2019 Schools across America face an increasingly diverse student population while deep-seated institutional biases endure. Darnisa Amante argues that successful leaders who dig deep and unpack their own experiences with race and bias can help tear down the barriers of institutional racism and make schools better. Dr. Darnisa Amante is an educational and racial equity strategist who is deeply committed to the study of culture; innovation; … Read More
Of Bull Elephants and Mentors
In the late 1990s, juvenile elephants were killing white rhinos in the game preserves in South Africa. Park rangers were mystified. As they grappled with what to do—including killing several of the offending elephants—the rangers stumbled on a thought: the juvenile elephants had been culled from their original herds and released into new parks without being socialized by older elephants. In effect, they hadn’t learned how to behave properly as elephants. So the … Read More
Technology vs. Democracy with Llewellyn King
Air Dates: March 12-17, 2019 Democracy relies on facts, accurately reported and commonly understood—and journalists play an essential role in building that shared body of knowledge. Llewellyn King argues that technological change is placing great strain on our democratic societies. Llewellyn King is the creator, executive producer and host of “White House Chronicle,” a weekly news and public affairs program, airing nationwide on more than 200 PBS and public, educational … Read More
Leaving the Syrian Civil War
We’re going to get out of the Syrian war the same way we got in: without a strategy to do so. I’ve said before that the president’s refusal to engage in a policy process is troublesome in the extreme. Structured policy processes serve to add discipline to a decision-making process, to surface unintended consequences, and to ensure that whatever decisions are made for the nation are thoroughly vetted and thought-through. … Read More
Destroy All Monsters with Jeff Jackson
Air Dates: March 5 – 10, 2019 Stories are sometimes told with a particular message for their audiences. Other times, they are just stories. And in some cases, you can’t tell the difference. Enter the playwright, songwriter and novelist Jeff Jackson, who explores the intersection of fame and violence in a remarkable new novel. Jackson is a novelist, playwright, visual artist, and songwriter. His second novel Destroy All Monsters: The … Read More
Why We Dream with Alice Robb
Air Dates: February 26 – March 3, 2019 Poets, rock stars, authors—and even we mere mortals—all share a nightly sojourn—a temporary stay–in the land of dreams. Alice Robb argues they are not just flights of fancy, but critical to health and happiness in our waking hours too. Robb is a science writer whose work has been published in The New Republic where she was a staff writer, The New York … Read More
The First Campaign Narrative of 2020
The 2020 campaign is fully under-way. Democrats and even a few Republicans have announced campaigns and exploratory committees, and campaign narratives are beginning to emerge. Campaign narratives are central to how candidates engage with the public. They provide a framework for understanding developments because the public, once having internalized a narrative, can sort facts and new developments on their own. The narratives that emerge around campaigns are driven by the … Read More
The life of Rocky Marciano with Mike Stanton
Air Dates: February 19-24, 2019 There are not a lot of examples of perfection in life—except in the world of sports. On rare and exciting nights, a baseball pitcher can throw a perfect game or a basketball player can have a perfect night shooting. But a perfect career—that’s the rarest of accomplishments. Mike Stanton recounts the life of Rocky Marciano, who finished his heavyweight championship career with a perfect 49 … Read More
Health in the LGBTQ Community with Jason Rafferty
Air Dates: February 12-17, 2019 Recently, the Trump administration proposed defining gender as an individual’s assigned sex at birth. But the medical community—including Dr. Jason Rafferty—tells us gender is not so simply expressed. Rafferty graduated from Harvard Medical School and obtained post-graduate training through the Triple Board Residency at Brown University. He has additional Masters’ degrees from Harvard University in public health concentrating on Maternal and Child Health, and education … Read More