America Trends

  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

 Robert Kaplan's erudite take on the world's geopolitical situation can be summed up in the manner described in our headline, but there is so much more nuance in his book “Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis” that you must read it for yourself to grasp the complexities of our fast-changing world in these illegible … Read More Read More

Donald Trump said he would end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine on day one of his second Administration.  While that date has come and gone, he is making moves to find a resolution to the conflict, but is it a continuation of the U.S.-led NATO effort on the side of Ukraine or has America … Read More Read More

  When Professor Nancy Rosenblum joined us months back, she and Russell Muirhead had written a book called “Ungoverning” The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos.”  Their case study was the first Trump Administration.  And while every modern state is an administrative state, the bureaucracy at all levels of government has … Read More Read More

 While the recent killing of the United Health Care CEO was a shocking and heinous act, it brought to the surface long held frustrations with our health care system in terms of access and costs.  For some time, it has been hard to have a conversation with anyone who feels that our delivery system is … Read More Read More

 For years, we have seen the richer get richer in America and the poor stagnate or lose economic ground.  Even the 2024 election was won by Donald Trump because many who voted for him felt that the middle- class life they wanted was becoming out of reach, even though the macro-economic indices were saying things … Read More Read More

 The Louvre.  The Tower of London. The Parthenon.  St. Peter's Basilica.  An all- inclusive resort in Bermuda.  What do all of these places have in common?  Well, they are fine to visit, but they are predictable and have been given the designation of ‘tourist traps.'  Often times we are fearful of going off-road and exploring … Read More Read More

 For the first time in a decade, adult obesity in the United States dropped last year, according to a new study and researchers are continuing to determine the role that the dramatic rise in popularity of weight loss drugs, like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, has to do with that trend.  Before 2023, between 2013-2022, obesity … Read More Read More

 To say that there is a chill in the air at FBI HQ, and its field offices, is an understatement.  Perhaps I should call HQ the future “Museum of the Deep State” on day one if Kash Patel is confirmed as its director, as he's said publicly.  Between firings, exposure of agents, analysts and others … Read More Read More

 Our memories may be a bit foggy about what brought on the Great Recession of 2008, the worst American economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Even George W. Bush, then president, asked his Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to explain to him what went on and how it occurred.  In his book, “2008: What Really Happened: … Read More Read More

Our guest today suggests that globalization as we know it may be over, closing the books on a significant chapter in modern economic history and an interconnected world order.  Industrial policies dismissed as obsolete for decades are being embraced once again by governments worldwide.  Could that be the reason that geopolitical tensions are rising?  Jamie … Read More Read More

As if our healthcare delivery system doesn't have enough problems, wherever it is located, but often those concerns pale in comparison to the needs of folks who live a distance from metropolitan centers. Hospitals are closing at an unhealthy clip in rural areas and the types of care within others is limited by the availability … Read More Read More

 Americans consume a disproportionate amount of the illegal, and deadly, drugs in the world.  Our guest on this podcast is well equipped to provide a nuanced response to why that is.  The story of the fentanyl crisis is heartbreaking and should disturb each of us. The toll of death and destruction left in its wake … Read More Read More

While we may attend games at stadiums, the way in which these cavernous facilities are erected, located, financed and owned is serious business.  They represent the epicenter of many cities and have over the years reflected the cultural changes going on in our society.  They have also hosted a range of activities beyond the sporting … Read More Read More

   Bad customer experiences are costing businesses more than ever, according to new research by experience management company Qualtrics.  Its work projects global losses of $3.7 trillion annually–a staggering 19 percent increase from last year's $3.1 trillion projection.  You don't need to see the macro picture when daily you suffer the frustrating indignities of calls … Read More Read More

While on many issues–reproductive rights, gay marriage, increasing the minimum wage, pushing back on price gouging, more support for day care–polls show overwhelming support for more progressive leaning, or Democratic, positions, the party lost the 2024 presidential election.  And while the final popular vote tally was about a point and a half difference and Democrats … Read More Read More

 Once the party of the working class, the Democratic Party is now the home of highly educated citizens with progressive social views who prefer credentialed experts to make policy decisions, while Republicans have become the populist champions of white voters who increasingly distrust scientists, journalists, universities, Hollywood, and even corporations.  The result of this new … Read More Read More

When you experience grief, the world can feel overwhelming.  It can be difficult to imagine a future.  You feel lost and hopeless.  This can happen because of the death of a parent, partner, sibling, child or even a longtime companion.  Or it can occur because of the death of a relationship, marriage or even a … Read More Read More

 We have been talking about returning manufacturing jobs to the Rust Belt of the Midwest and the once vibrant manufacturing hubs of the Northeast for a long time.  Almost since much manufacturing moved offshore about 50 years ago, leaving behind empty husks of buildings, environmental damage and broken lives. Yet doing so is easier said … Read More Read More

Interconnected technological change is happening more rapidly than at any time in history and on such a scale that its impacts will be profound in fields as diverse as health, food production, and the strength of the overall economy. It may even bail us out from our assaults on the planet.  In a clear-eyed and … Read More Read More

 There was a time that America sensed that the right leader came along at the right time and pulled us through many crises–war, The Depression, pandemics and other economic travails.  I am not certain we feel that way about some of the recent commanders in chief. Yet history reminds us we have had many forgotten … Read More Read More

Math is used by campaign strategists to help politicians decide where to travel and spend money when running for office. The same kinds of calculations can help ordinary citizens make the best use of their time and resources.  And for change agents who want a more representative democracy, these simulations and ‘what-if's' might give us … Read More Read More

When we think of institutions that define welcoming spaces to convene and conduct business in virtually every community in America the local library is first and foremost.  It represents the one place in which you can build social cohesion, promote civic renewal, and advance the ideals of a healthy democracy.  And where you can get … Read More Read More

We have been the powerhouse on the world's stage since WWII and we virtually stood alone as a dominant force since 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down.  While there have clearly been wobbles since, like the Iraq debacle, we now must envision a new era in foreign policy, both because of the rise of … Read More Read More

The guest on this podcast is pretty remarkable, not only because he's willing to say that the polling industry got things wrong, but why.  And he doesn't exclude himself.  Yet he has enough self-awareness to admit that not knowing who, among those polled, is coming out to vote really makes this job of polling a … Read More Read More

 Our guest on today's podcast, Rafael Martinez, is an assistant professor of Southwest Borderlands at Arizona State University.  There he focuses on immigration, migration, the US-Mexico Borderlands, and the American Southwest.  Through that work he demonstrates how communities along the US-Mexico border contribute to the social, political, and economic fabric of the US.  He calls … Read More Read More

 For some years, we've been told that the ice melt in Antarctica, Greenland and other places in the cryosphere represent the harbinger of things to come announcing the profound effects of global warming on the planet.  Little did I know that a new discipline has developed around ‘ice patch archeology,' which ties us to the … Read More Read More

The U.S Senate has many important responsibilities.  Among them are making laws, ratifying justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts and approving presidential nominees for key Cabinet positions.  For the newly re-elected Donald Trump Administration the latter responsibility is key to determining whether the chamber is ready to step up to its … Read More Read More