America Trends

The U.S. Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)in 1977 with the key objective of ending redlining, the decades-old practice of neighborhood discrimination by banks against African Americans and others based on race and income.  The race-based rejection of loans to creditworthy residents of redlined neighborhoods delayed the American dream of homeownership for generations.  Our … Read More Read More

  There is irony in a man determined to use the powers of the presidency and the administrative state capacity to disassemble the administrative state, aka ‘the deep state.'  Yet that is what we are seeing with the Trump Administration. The military, Department of Justice, homeland security and ICE are all aspects of the administrative … Read More Read More

   Attorney Ira Shapiro is a man who has seen it all in Washington. As a long-time U.S. Senate staffer, he has written three books about the upper chamber. The collection has been described by one scholar as an ‘epic trilogy', capturing sixty years of Senate history.  He was the chief U.S. trade negotiator with … Read More Read More

 Many lawsuits have been brought against the second Trump Administration on the basis of overreach of its authority in trying to enact policies. President Trump declared victory over ‘radical left wing judges' when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the concept of the ‘universal' injunction, wherein one lower federal court can make a ruling which … Read More Read More

In 2019, the quiet suburb of New Canaan, Connecticut was shocked by the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five who vanished one morning after dropping her kids off to school.  In 2020, her husband Fotis Dulos–with whom she was locked in a contentious divorce–and Fotis's lover, Michelle Troconis, were charged with Jennifer's murder, … Read More Read More

America is a leader in scientific pursuits.  This fact that is underpinned by much evidence.  While the United States represents only 4 percent of the world's population it accounts for over half of science Nobel Prizes awarded since 2000, hosts seven of the Times Higher Education Top 10 science universities, and has introduced to the … Read More Read More

 The type of extensive evil that went on under Adolf Hitler back in the 1930's and 40's requires an apparatus that enlists ‘average' Germans of the era doing their jobs.  No one man could have done it alone.  Bringing this story forward, in authoritarian regimes around the globe there are people looking away at the … Read More Read More

 Ten states in this country have container deposit legislation, popularly called “bottle bills”.  The first one was passed in Oregon decades ago.  Container deposit legislation requires a refundable deposit on certain types of recyclable beverage containers in order to boost recycling rates.  First these measures were seen as an antidote to litter and an environmentally … Read More Read More

 Do you ever go to your primary care physician and are seen on time?  In a modern-looking facility?  Without the doctor having his or her hand on the door to signal a need to get to the next patient? In our sophisticated society, do you think we can get it right in combining cutting-edge technology … Read More Read More

Just as big box retail stores have given way to more boutique and on-line retail environments, grocery shoppers are drawn these days to stores with a curated selection of essentials at lower prices. Stores like the brother rivals of Aldi's and Trader Joe's are examples.  Do we really need 10 choices of olive oil?  Too … Read More Read More

Gallup ranks homelessness as one of Americans' top three concerns.  As it dovetails with the affordable housing crisis in this country, more and more people recognize how they, themselves, are a paycheck away from instability as it relates to having a roof over their heads.  The homelessness we are experiencing today finds its roots in … Read More Read More

 Whether your focus is on tariffs, the independence of the Federal Reserve or the reconciliation law and its tax and debt implications, the first six months of the second Trump Administration will have far-reaching effects on the American economy.  Perhaps, it's most important to watch the bond market reaction to the falling value of the … Read More Read More

 How does America end up with a Secretary of Health and Human Services who is at such great odds with physicians in America on the essential safety and efficacy of vaccines?  Leading medical organizations are now suing Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over his agency's COVID-19 recommendations regarding vaccines for children and those who are pregnant.  … Read More Read More

We may be the only podcast to continue the conversation about our responses to COVID, but that's fine with me.  It's that important because we will be there again and yet we've barely touched the surface in doing a serious examination of our public policy responses. The COVID pandemic quickly led to the greatest mobilization … Read More Read More

 The far right has been masterful at manipulating class anger to outmaneuver progressive goals and liberals often put ‘the smoking gun' right in the hands of their political opponents.  Can this tendency be reversed?  Yes, but a lot of work needs to be done to change messengers, messaging and there needs to be a blunt … Read More Read More

            Americans spend endless hours growing, tending, and cutting their lawns.  In fact, 40 million acres of land in the United States is covered by turf grass, making it the most irrigated crop in the country.  To what end?  It has virtually no value to flora and fauna and there … Read More Read More

 When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 in the Dobbs. vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, it was the decision that anti-abortion activists had been waiting to see for over 50 years.  While the decision did not ban abortions nationwide, it did throw the matter back to the states.  … Read More Read More

States, one by one, began legalizing marijuana, back in 2012 with Colorado leading the way.  It was sold to the public as a way to unclog the criminal justice system, bring tax revenue and strong regulation, which would ensure quality.  In truth the record shows that illegal shops have grown in number even in states … Read More Read More

These are tricky waters to navigate, but two scholars, Jessi Streib and Betsy Leondar-Wright, have co-authored a book called “Is It Racist? Is It Sexist?: Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas,” wade through it in their new book.  It's based on interviews with 125 white interviewees … Read More Read More

 High in the Arctic, myth is melting into reality: as temperatures rise, newly ice-free waters are turning the Northwest Passage from a fable into navigable waterways.  And while global superpowers, like America, Russia and China, see great economic benefit in finding a northern route that can act as a new superhighway for goods to equal … Read More Read More

 Congress authorized the Justice Department to conduct civil investigations into constitutional abuses by police, such as excessive force or racially motivated policing back in 1994 as a response to the beating of Rodney King, a Black man, by white Los Angeles police officers.  And in the wake of the George Floyd killing at the hands … Read More Read More

 Marriages are a 50/50 proposition in America as to whether they can survive all of the challenges couples go through.  For a Navy Seal, the divorce rate is closer to ninety percent.  Today, on the podcast, we talk to a remarkable SEAL couple, Jason and Erica Redman, who have written the book “Mission: Invincible Marriage: … Read More Read More

  While the need for strong, loving partnerships may be more necessary than ever in this complicated moment, the truth is fewer young people are even dating as other generations have done in the past, let alone marrying in their 20's or having families.  Our guest, Aleeza Ben Shalom, host of the series, “Jewish Matchmaking” … Read More Read More

 Call centers are the hub of much activity these days as customers seek information or wish to buy things.  Their role has changed over the years and the sophistication of the technology they use, the demands on them to streamline and cost cut with AI, and the supervisor ‘surveillance' which measures their minute- by- minute … Read More Read More

 Isn't it great when you deal with a company where the principal is the owner who will take full responsibility for the actions of the company's employees?  How rare is that?  Well, according to our guest, it is getting rarer by the day as systems are built to insulate humans from ever having to claim … Read More Read More

Mark Twain evolved over his adult life when it came to matters of race.  In perhaps the greatest American novel of all time, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, Twain demonstrates his keen sense that the Civil War did not end prejudice and bigotry in our society, though it did reshape its contours.  There is no … Read More Read More

Should gold and silver be a part of your portfolio? And, if so, how and when?  With precious metals prices surging is it too late to invest in them or is it just the right moment?  There are so many factors at play here that most advisors will tell you it's all right to make … Read More Read More

  In 2024, Latinos, a diverse population in America, gave Donald Trump more support than Republicans generally receive for their presidential candidate.  He was speaking quite openly of his plans to shut down the border and pursue illegal immigrants, first those involved in gangs and illegal activity, and then others who crossed into the United … Read More Read More

Employment attorneys like to get together at conferences and routinely discuss ‘best practices' so that they can help employers comply with legal requirements, reduce the risk of lawsuits and promote positive work environments.  Well now, thanks to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE they have something new to discuss–‘worst practices.'  According to our guest, Attorney … Read More Read More

 As a window into the refugee crisis which has landed with particular impact on the European shores, journalist and author Jeanne Carstensen focuses her new book on a tragedy dating back to October 28, 2015.  At the height of the biggest refugee crisis since WWII, a dangerously overloaded old wooden boat set sail from Turkey.  … Read More Read More

While many of us do not believe Donald Trump when he says the quiet part out loud, on the matter of deporting people (mostly undocumented, but not all) out of the United States during his second term, he was serious. However, his zeal to do it has ensnared more than folks who came here without … Read More Read More

 DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump Administration, is getting a lot of headlines, but the news coming from it may not benefit long-term reforms that virtually all Americans agree are necessary in order to expedite more effective governing.  That will require streamlining and enhancing individual responsibility and accountability by civil servants, instead … Read More Read More

 Nuclear power was once thought to provide unlimited energy at no cost.  Then the costs became apparent–building and maintaining costly facilities, environmental degradation, abundant use of water resources, storage of radioactive waste and overall security and safety.  After the Three Mile Island accident, it was thought that nuclear energy's promise had come and gone.  But, … Read More Read More

 Even though America and the first Trump Administration rushed into production the most effective vaccine to fight the COVID pandemic as part of Project Warp Speed, our life saving efforts failed to deliver the desired results. There is no way to look at America's response to the COVID pandemic without wondering what went wrong. America … Read More Read More

 Uncertainty is the watchword when it comes to the American economy as the Trump Administration looks to shake up the political economy around the globe with allies and competitors alike.  He's also been weighing in on the actions of the Federal Reserve, who's chair, Jerome Powell is asserting his independence in terms of determining the … Read More Read More

   When we see the white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel, will it signify the more open and humanistic Papacy established by Pope Francis, the first South American Pope, or will it be a return to the more doctrinaire church led by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.  Time will tell.  To share his insights about … Read More Read More

Perhaps you were following the social media phenomenon in 2023 of Flaco, dubbed ‘the world's most famous bird' from the night when vandals at the Central Park Zoo cut a hole in his cage until his death a year later in a courtyard on the Upper West Side. The year-long odyssey captured the imagination of … Read More Read More

 As a society we must ask ourselves what is the bottom- line consideration when it comes to health care?  Is it the numbers on a spreadsheet, the self-aggrandizement of the institution's owners or the well- being of the patient?  The response should be obvious.  Yet, the insidious model of private equity, now the owner of … Read More Read More

 The metaphor of a lighthouse–steady, reliable and guiding without being overbearing– is the framework to provide a balanced alternative to extreme parenting trends.  If applied consistently it equips families to raise emotionally healthy children who thrive academically, build resilience and maintain lifelong connections with their parents. A leading proponent of this approach, Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg … Read More Read More

 If you read the latest edition of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “The Nation's Report Card”, things are not going well in our nation's public schools.  Clearly, the long tail effects of the COVID pandemic are at play here. One respected educational researcher, Dan Goldhaber, did not want to sugarcoat the … Read More Read More

While there are many in America who believe that racism is a thing of the past and no longer an issue, those beliefs are not grounded in science with empirical proof to back them up.  You might say is this provable objectively?  Keon West, PhD., a social psychologist at the University of London, sets out … Read More Read More

 Imagine an American president who imprisoned critics, spread a culture of white supremacy, and tried to upend the rule of law so that he could commit crimes with impunity.  You may think this narrative speaks only to the present, but in fact history shows that American presidents have often pushed the boundaries established for them … Read More Read More

 Social Security and its future have been in the news recently as the DOGE guys have been looking at its innards. Yet, it's not called the third rail of American politics for nothing.  Over 70 million Americans rely on it for much, if not all, of their retirement income. Like Medicare, Social Security can be … Read More Read More

The pen is mightier than the sword and the ability to read opens up an entirely new world to someone who lacked that ability before.  That's why the issue of Black literacy in the South has such an important history.  For Black citizens, it was a weapon of empowerment and rebellion, while for whites, it … Read More Read More

 Years of low unemployment, record stock market gains and a slowing of the rate of inflation under President Jow Biden have given way to an economic muddle in the present under Donald Trump.  Are we putting tariffs on allies or are we not? How long can this uncertainty go on without roiling markets and causing … Read More Read More

  Whether it was Agent Orange in the Vietnam era, burn pits in Iraq, contaminated water at many bases across the country or 9-11 first responders, why do we, as a nation, make it so hard for these heroes to collect just compensation when we have subjected veterans and first responders to risks unimaginable to … Read More Read More

The Red Scare, after World War II, gave birth to the New Right in America and what we see today in the second Administration of Donald Trump.  That, according to historian and New York Times editor, Clay Risen, the author of “Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism and the Making of Modern America.”  In his account of … Read More Read More

Back in 2021, then FBI Director, Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, said that white supremacy is a “persistent, evolving threat” and the “biggest chunk” of racially motivated violent extremism in the U.S. To Mike German who served sixteen years as an FBI special agent  and the author of “Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within”, that's … Read More Read More

Choice dominates every sphere of modern life, almost to a point where it becomes overwhelming.  Which type of jelly should I buy?  Which insurance policy is right?  What should I watch on my 5 streaming services?  And yet in the political realm often we have two choices and our understanding of what they offer may … Read More Read More

 “We the People” is the opening salvo of the Constitution.  However, the definition of the people was very limited at the time.  And women, among others, were not part of the equation.  The Constitution was aspirational and later amended to include the previously excluded and while women fought, alongside many men, to take their rightful … Read More Read More

The last time we discussed this topic a few years back with our guest, the military, at least most branches, was struggling to meet its recruitment targets.  And for an all-volunteer force deployed around the globe, that is not a good thing.  The picture was a bit better in 2024, but the seismic changes at … Read More Read More