True Thirty with Joey Dumont

Fay Johnson is an expert in the field of Trust & Safety. Johnson's tenure combines deep expertise in behavioral science with hands-on experience in product development, content moderation, and online safety at leading technology companies including Meta, Twitter, and Nextdoor.Johnson has designed and implemented systems that promote respectful interactions, fairness, and community trust, shaping how billions of people engage online. While at Meta, Fay was the product lead on designing and building the Oversight Board, and its integration into the broader Facebook ecosystem.She is currently a fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Institute for Internet and Society where she is doing applied research and product development focused on depolarization and increasing civility in online discourse.During our chat, we discussed Meta's decision to cut back on Fact Checking, which includes both long-term and short-term consequences.We also dove into the roles of platforms like Meta, Twitter, and Nextdoor – specifically, if they have any moral or ethical responsibility with their Tenants and Conditions.We then talked specifically about some of the lessons she learned while running her product teams, and what the future may hold for these platforms with technology and systems like AI and Community Notes as possible remedies for what ails our online communities.I hope you learn as much as I did from Fay.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Tobias Rose-Stockwell is a writer, technologist and media researcher who explores the effects of social media on society and democracy. His work has been featured in major outlets such as FastCompany, Quartz, Medium, NPR, the BBC and many others. As a media researcher, he has advised the directors of Gannett, one of the largest news organizations in America, as well as local news outlets in the US, on digital strategy. Tobias was previously a guest lecturer at Stanford University on the topic of social enterprise design and technology ventures. He is currently a strategic advisor to Jonathan Haidt's organization, OpenMind, which focuses on depolarizing communities online.During our chat, we talked at length about his new book: Outrage Machine: How Tech Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy―And What We Can Do About It.The topics discussed include all of the usual suspects: Are our phones hurting our children? Has social media retrained our brains? Have algorithms remapped our chosen content? How is technology changing the industry of journalism and our democracy at large?I had a wonderful time learning from Tobias, and I hope you also enjoy hearing about his story…and his decades-long focus on how technology is changing our world.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Hack spent 12 years as a senior advisor in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including more than six years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE).Prior to that, he worked for Senate Whip Jon Kyl as Communications Director and chief spokesman. Joe is also a veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant for Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04). He began his career in the office of Senator George Voinovich (OH)During this episode of Joey Squared, we talk about The Alphabet People, our beloved LGBTQ+ community, and why they are not a monolith, nor should they be treated as one.We then talked at length about one of my favorite journalists, Nellie Bowles and her new book, Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History - and why it was such a romping good read.Nellie's collections of stories proved to be a wickedly funny treatise about the ideological capture of her former colleagues and editors at The New York Times. And Joey and I use her witty and engaging stories as a cursor to our discussions about the fringe left of my party, and how their narratives and messaging are being widely rejected by the majority of Americans today.I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Nick Quested is a British filmmaker and producer of documentary films, music videos, and TV commercials. He is the executive director and owner of Goldcrest Films. Quested has produced over 40 films, including several war documentaries directed by Sebastian Junger. Prior to producing, he was an award-winning music video director. Quested directed more than 100 music videos and commercials, working with artists including Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Sting. Nick has won two Emmys and a DuPont-Columbia Award, and has been nominated for an Oscar and a PGA Award. His company, Goldcrest Films, has won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice.Leading up to and during the 2021 United States Capitol Attack, Nick had been embedded with the Proud Boys, a far-right organization involved in the attack. In June of 2022 Nick testified – under subpoena on live television – to the US House of Representatives January 6 committee. As part of his testimony, Nick revealed that his crew had filmed a garage meeting between Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder and leader Stewart Rhodes on January 5, 2021, the night before the attack.During our chat, we talked about why Nick chose to live his life behind a camera, how he pivoted from shooting hip hop music videos to war documentaries, where he literally put his life on the line. We then discussed how he found his way into the inner sanctum of The Proud Boys – and how and why Enrique Tarrio allowed him to film the illegal activity of his Boys, and how this footage in his new film, 64 Days, helped put many of these Jan 6th rioters behind bars.I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.Watch Episode:Check out 64 Days:Website: www.64daysfilm.com IG: @64daysfilmStream the film: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/64days This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Brad Berens wears a few different hats: he's a strategic advisor and senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, Principal at Big Digital Idea Consulting, serves on a variety of boards, and has spent many years working in digital media. He's also a science fiction novelist and writes a weekly newsletter, The Brad Berens Weekly Dispatch on Substack, and also on LinkedIn. He has a Ph.D. in Shakespeare studies from U.C. Berkeley, where he was an award-winning teacher.Brad joined me to discuss Dr. Jonathan Haidt's newest book, The Anxious Generation, How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Brad is a longtime friend and colleague from my time in the world of advertising. And over the years, he has made it clear that he is “Less than impressed” with Dr. Haidt's many books and conclusions in the field of social psychology. In today's chat, Brad quickly points out that Dr. Haidt's title alone is flawed - because there is no “Epidemic of Mental Illness” nor is there any causal data to back up this very controversial claim. During our time together, I admit my biases… and do my best to defend my years-long intellectual crush on Dr. Haidt…in spite of Brad's cogent and valid concerns about the book's lack of unidirectional causality, specific to its title and theoretical positioning in the field of social psychology. As usual with my time with Brad, I had a blast, and learned a ton. I hope you enjoy this episode, too.  Brad Berens' Socials:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradberens/And The Brad Berens Weekly Dispatch: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Hack spent 12 years as a senior advisor in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including more than six years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE). He was recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist in 2022 and 2023. He is also a 2022 Maverick PAC Future40 Awardee.And Joe (one of my favorite all time Republicans) was recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist in 2022 and 2023. Today on Joey Squared, we talked about Dana Bash's CNN interview with Vice President Harris and Governor Walz and why our politicians refuse to answer questions. We then discussed the wave of excitement around the Harris/Walz campaign since Papa Joe stepped aside: whether or not Kamala has EVER been a Moderate or not, how and why progressive ideology derailed her Presidential campaign in 2020. And we ended our chat by discussing the choice of JD Vance and Tim Walz as our VP candidates in 2024.I hope you enjoy this episode of Joey Squared! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Yumi Wilson is a longtime San Francisco State University professor and a guest lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She is a former reporter and editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press in Los Angeles, where she helped cover the aftermath of the Rodney King beating by LAPD officers.In addition to teaching, she has taken on numerous side gigs, mainly to stay current in her ever-changing field. In 2012, she was hired by Linkedin, where she learned how to show journalists and other communicators the tips and tricks necessary to get their LinkedIn profiles to “all-star” status.  She has since written a book called Social Media Journalism.This summer, Wilson taught two courses in the Journalism Minor program.When she's not teaching or working at one of her side gigs, Wilson loves to write fiction, travel to faraway places, and watch Paw Patrol toy videos with her four-year-old grandson.During our chat, we talked about why she chose journalism as her career; why she chose to stay in California, and why she is now enjoying teaching her craft to future generations.We then talked about the realism and possibilities of Objectivity in journalism today – is it possible - or was it ever possible? We opined about the New York Times poor handling of an op-ed from Senator Tom Cotton, and why that was a watershed moment for this august publisher. We also discussed the business model of journalism, and why audience capture is influencing what stories get published and when – and how this is only exacerbating the divide between fellow Americans.We ended our chat by talking about the future of AI and Social Media in the realm of journalism.Yumi is a treasure to the industry of journalism, and I hope you learn as much as I did from her. Check out Yumi's podcast here: https://yumiwilson.me/podcast/Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Morris holds a double Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University. Morris is a former professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is a founder of the Morris Institute for Human Values, and author of over 30 books. He is also a business and motivational speaker, applying philosophical themes and concepts to business and professional life.During our chat we discussed his newest book, Stoicism for Dummies, and why it is such an important book for our politically divided culture.We talked about the founding fathers and their love and understanding of philosophy; the beauty, simplicity and reasons that philosophy matters today more than ever.I was thrilled to have Professor Morris back on the program to share his decades of wisdom and experience. I hope you learn as much as I did from our time together.Watch Episode:Check out some of Tom's books:The Everyday PatriotStoicism for DummiesThe Art of Achievement Silver Anniversary Edition This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Hack is a government relations specialist, political consultant, and former U.S. Senate Chief of Staff with more than 16 years on Capitol Hill.As Senior Vice President of The Daschle Group, Joe is known for his expertise in Senate politics and procedures. Notably, Joe served as a lead Republican consultant in securing passage of The Respect for Marriage Act and played a key role in shepherding The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act following the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.Previously, Joe spent 12 years as a senior advisor in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including more than six years as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (NE).Prior to that, he worked for Senate Whip Jon Kyl as Communications Director and chief spokesman. Joe is also a veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant for Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04). He began his career in the office of Senator George Voinovich (OH)Joe was recognized by The Hill as a Top Lobbyist in 2022 and 2023. He is also a 2022 Maverick PAC Future40 Awardee. In 2017, Joe was named by POLITICO as a top Senate operative in the “New Guard” Power List, a guide described as “crucial to understanding the players who are breaking through in the all-consuming era of Donald Trump.”Joe is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and the George Washington University School of Law.Joe and I talked at length about the origins of the TikTok bill, and the legislation drafted to ban the Chinese-owned app for over 170M Americans. We talked about the young man named Bijan Koomariaie. Joe then shared a story about how he met and interviewed a young lawyer named Bijan Koomaraie, who he introduced to Congresswoman Cathy MacMorris Rodgers of Washington State – a top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce committee – to be her legal counsel. Shortly thereafter Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader – based on Bijan's acumen as counsel – poached Bijan to be HIS technology counsel overseeing all that's going through the house Republican conference. This same TikTok bill was passed by the House and the Senate, and signed by President Biden on April 24th of 2024. We then moved on to talk a bit about RFK and his ascendancy as an Independent candidate – a candidate who pledges to be on the ballot in all 50 states before the November election – and how and why RFK is making some real waves for both parties in 2024. We ended our talk by discussing the possibilities of Mr. Trump's growing stable of VP candidates – and which ones we believe have a chance – and those we deemed unworthy of future discussions.This was my first interview with Joe Hack, but we had so much fun (both on and off camera) that we are going to continue our conversation under the heading of Joey Squared moving forward.I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Rich Klein is the Managing Partner of McLarty Media. He was part of the 1992 Clinton/Gore presidential campaign, helping to craft policy and messaging on emerging global issues. Rich was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to head the speechwriting staff and be part of the policy planning office at the Department of Commerce, reporting directly to Secretaries Ron Brown, Mickey Kantor and Bill Daley successfully. From the Commerce Department, Rich was appointed by President Clinton to serve as Special Assistant for International Affairs at the Department of State, the bureau charged with monitoring and enforcing international economic sanctions. During our chat, we talked about Rich's purview of geopolitics as a former member of the State Department, the hot wars in Russia and Israel/Palestine, past administrations foreign policy - both good and bad - why NATO matters more than ever - and the continuing dysfunction of our current Congress.It was my honor to have Rich join me on the program and I truly enjoyed every minute of his storied history, tenure, and storytelling of all things Washington D.C. Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Thom Shanker is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He is also the director of the Project for Media and National Security at George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs.Prior to his time at these academic institutions, Shanker was a longtime Pentagon correspondent and editor for the New York Times. His tenure with the Times included thirteen years covering the US Department of Defense, overseas combat operations, and national-security policymaking. Shanker conducted dozens of reporting trips to Afghanistan and Iraq and was embedded in the field with units from the squad and company level through battalion, brigade, division, and corps. He has chronicled a historic series of defense secretaries, including Donald H. Rumsfeld, Robert M. Gates, Leon E. Panetta, and Chuck Hagel. More recently, Shanker served as deputy Washington editor of diplomacy, military, and veterans affairs. Before joining the Times in 1997, Shanker spent five years as the Tribune's Moscow correspondent, covering from the start of the Gorbachev era to the death of the Soviet Union and the communist empire in Eastern Europe. Shanker is an author, with Eric Schmitt, of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda, published in August 201. The book became a New York Times best seller. During our chat, we talked at length about his newest book, Age of Danger that he co-authored with Andrew Hoehne. Their book was published in May of 2023 to much acclaim by both military experts and politicians alike.During our chat, we discussed the history of our “warning and action systems” specific to our military readiness, and how these systems have been altered and improved over the decades to protect Americans and our national security. We also discussed the many new challenges presented by climate change, pandemics, AI, and our ever increasing involvement with two hot wars in the middle east and Russian. It was a fascinating conversation with a true legend in the world of investigative journalism, and it was my honor to have Thom join me on the program. I hope you learn as much as I did from this chat.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Mitra Kalita is a storied journalist and media executive, author of two books, and a former Senior Vice President for News, Opinion and Programming at CNN Digital, where she oversaw a team of 200 employees. Mitra has also taught her craft at Columbia, UMass Amherst, CUNY Graduate School, and St. John's. And in November of 2020 she was asked to join the board of The Philadelphia Inquirer.During our chat, we talked about her tenure as a journalist and media executive, why she started a company called Epicenter NYC during Covid, how and why she co-founded her company URL Media, and why she believes that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are so important in today's news rooms.I was honored to have Mitra join me on the program, and I hope you learn as much from her as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Dax-Devlon Ross is the author of six books, including the acclaimed Letters to My White Male Friends. His journalism has been featured in Time Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post Magazine and many other national publications. He won the National Association of Black Journalists' Investigative Reporting Award for his coverage of jury exclusion in North Carolina courts and is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at Type Media Center.Dax is now a principal at the social impact consultancies, Dax-Dev and Third Settlements, both of which focus on designing strategies to generate equity in workplaces and educational spaces alike.. During our time together, we talked about the conflicts of oppositional black intellectuals like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, and we did so through the lens of one of his own books authored in 2008, The Nightmare and the Dream: Nas, Jay-Z and the History of Conflict in African-American Culture.Dax then shared his reasons for using Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie and Tupac to frame a centuries long discussion on what it means to be black in America. We talked about the poetic rhyme and reason of these iconic hip-hop artists and why their song and story is so important to black culture.We also talked about the recent Supreme Court ruling: Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard University and its landmark decision about how college admission programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment.And we closed our time together by discussing Roland Fryer's recent article in The New York Times called – Build Feeder Schools And Make Yale and Harvard Fund Them – an article that talked at length about why affirmative action needs to start well before the admissions process into our universities.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Morris was born and raised in North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar, and holds a double Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University. UNC has honored him with the "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award".Morris is an American philosopher - and former professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is a founder of the Morris Institute for Human Values, and author of over 30 books. He is also a business and motivational speaker, applying philosophical themes and concepts to business and professional life.Morris' books include Francis Schaeffer's Apologetics: A Critique, Understanding Identity Statements, Philosophy for Dummies, Plato's Lemonade Stand, True Success, The Art of Achievement, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, The Stoic Art of Living, Stoicism for Dummies, Superheroes and Philosophy, and, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric.During our chat we discussed his newest book, The Everyday Patriot: How to be a Great American Now, and why it is such an important book for our politically divided culture.We talked about the founding fathers and their love and understanding of philosophy; the beauty, simplicity, and importance of The Declaration of Independence, why patriotism matters today more than ever, and some very prescriptive things we can all do as citizens to assist our democracy in 2023 and beyond.I was thrilled to have Professor Morris back on the program to share his decades of wisdom and experience. I hope you learn as much as I did from our time together.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Show business is in Sharon's blood. Born into a family of entertainers, this busy woman prides herself on being an event project executive, influencer, and author of four books, including her latest, Skin In the Game, Black Buying Power in Sports & Entertainment. In addition to her work in professional sports, Braxton is the CEO of Inclusive Marketing Group, which works on projects in the wine & spirits business, gaming, exotic cars, food & beverage, and the consumer goods industry.Braxton started her career as an on-air personality and later became a music director at WRBB in Boston. She then moved to Atlanta to work in media relations with the Atlanta Hawks before heading back to New York where she worked in marketing with acts like Cher, Madonna, Missy Elliot, Yolanda Adams, En Vogue and Busta Rhymes - to mention a few. Braxton is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, MA with her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Communication with a concentration in radio and television. During our time together, we talked about her new book and why the industry of sports needs more black representation. We discussed the importance of Deon Sanders, both as a player and a coach. And we finished up by discussing the recent supreme court ruling that recalibrates how universities like Harvard and University of North Carolina will treat race as a factor in their admission policies moving forward.I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

In our effort to better understand the plight of California's foster care system, and those that serve our children in need, I sat down with GaKnew Roxwel, a senior social work investigator for The Children's Law Center of California. Prior to his sixteen years at the Center, he volunteered with various community organizations, and even worked closely with Leila Steinberg, an artist mentor to Tupac Shakur, in developing an after school arts program. The combination of GaKnew's chosen career, mixed with his love of music and education, birthed his socially therapeutic book, Under the Influence: When Hip Hop meets Psychology.During our chat, we talked about his upbringing in South Central Los Angeles, the tragedy of losing family and friends to senseless violence, his reasons for choosing social work as a career, his time teaching in Los Angeles Unified School District, and why he believes that intervention in the lives of troubled youth needs to begin early. To quote him directly “If you wait until they're teenagers [to show them love and care], you're not really going to get the buy-in, because they're already focused on the cool… and cool wins. But if you get the kids before the cool, you actually get to the core of who they are.” Words of a poet, indeed.GaKnew taught me a ton during our hour together, and I hope you enjoy his wisdom and insight as much as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Holly McNamara is a registered Professional Civil Engineer with a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Master's degree from UC San Diego in Structural Engineering. She has more than two decades of experience in project management, engineering design, and due diligence.In addition to her career, she has experience forming and working with 501c3 non-profits, as well as event planning and fundraising for many different groups. In 2010, Holly had the opportunity to work alongside the late CEO of Zappos.com, Tony Hsieh, to launch his best-selling book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. The book launch consisted of a two-month media push that required traveling and coordinating approximately 150 interviews and speaking engagements across the country. The book remained on the New York Times Best Seller List for 27 weeks.In my chat with Holly, we spoke about her decades-long friendship with Tony Hsieh, her time as his colleague at Zappos, and his tragic death in November of 2021. We discussed, at length, the recently published book, Wonder Boy: Tony Hsieh, Zappos, and the Myth of Happiness in Silicon Valley, by Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans. Holly was interviewed by the authors for over 40 hours for this publication.I hope you enjoy this very special episode.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Timothy J. Redmond received his PhD in political science from the University at Buffalo. He's an award-winning educator and author of over one hundred articles on critical thinking and politics and the book Political Tribalism in America: How Hyper-Partisanship Dumbs Down Democracy and How to Fix It. He teaches political science and history at Williamsville East High School and Daemen University. And in his spare time, he plays drums for the hardcore/punk rock band Snapcase.During our chat we talked about the origins of tribalism, from our early religious wars, to William Golding's book Lord of the Flies, and how this very human characteristic of tribal behavior has caused modern day Democrats and Republicans to have an unfavorable opinion of the opposing party almost 90% of the time. We then got a bit wonky while discussing the importance of placing Party over Policy, how we can better acquire and evaluate false political information, decipher political polls and complex statistics, and how best to navigate the stream of phony headlines and fake stories.We ended our discussion with the Story of Oresteia, a collection of plays that illustrates the tragedy of tribalism and revenge as only a Greek tale can.It was my pleasure to have Professor Redmond on my show, and I hope you learn as much as I did during our chat.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Timothy J. Redmond received his PhD in political science from the University at Buffalo. He's an award-winning educator and author of over one hundred articles on critical thinking and politics and the book Political Tribalism in America: How Hyper-Partisanship Dumbs Down Democracy and How to Fix It. He teaches political science and history at Williamsville East High School and Daemen University. And in his spare time, he plays drums for the hardcore/punk rock band Snapcase.During our chat we talked about the origins of tribalism, from our early religious wars, to William Golding's book Lord of the Flies, and how this very human characteristic of tribal behavior has caused modern day Democrats and Republicans to have an unfavorable opinion of the opposing party almost 90% of the time. We then got a bit wonky while discussing the importance of placing Party over Policy, how we can better acquire and evaluate false political information, decipher political polls and complex statistics, and how best to navigate the stream of phony headlines and fake stories.We ended our discussion with the Story of Oresteia, a collection of plays that illustrates the tragedy of tribalism and revenge as only a Greek tale can.It was my pleasure to have Professor Redmond on my show, and I hope you learn as much as I did during our chat.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Rich Klein is the Managing Partner of McLarty Media. He was part of the 1992 Clinton-Gore presidential campaign, helping to craft policy and messaging on emerging global issues. Rich was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to head the speechwriting staff and be part of the policy planning office at the Department of Commerce, reporting directly to Secretaries Ron Brown, Mickey Kantor and Bill Daley successfully. From the Commerce Department, he was appointed by President Clinton to serve as Special Assistant for International Affairs at the Department of State, the bureau charged with monitoring and enforcing international economic sanctions. During our chat, we talked about Rich's mentor, David Gergen, former White House Communications Director, and the importance of EQ over IQ to connect with the average voter. We discussed Rich's time working with former Senator Jay Rockefeller and his approach of working across the aisle in the late nineties, and why that method is no longer acceptable in the zero sum game of politics in 2023. We opined on the former bipartisan friendships of Ted Kennedy and Orin Hatch, President Obama and House Speaker Boehner, and war heroes like Senator Bob Dole and Senator John McCain. And we had some fun discussing why party Democrats should avoid any attempts to “primary” Senator Joe Manchin in West Virginia.We also talked about the Student Relief Bill and the $400 billion price tag accessed by the Congressional Budget Office–who this bill caters to politically–and how this is yet another example of the Democrats forgetting the working class. We then dove into how the Democrats are losing the votes of blacks, hispanics, and asian communities, and why this is happening at large.We ended our chat with Rich's sage advice about how to listen to the average voter, specifically how David Gergen's former researcher, Al Sindlinger called citizens directly from a phone book to get to know them a bit–all of which was chronicled and shared with President Richard Nixon and his communications team. It was my honor to have Rich join me on the program, and I truly enjoyed every minute of his storied history, tenure, and storytelling of all things Washington D.C. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

As part of True Thirty's continued reporting on policing in America, I'm joined today by two former leaders in law enforcement, Nicholas Sensley and Eric Litchfield.Chief (Ret.) Nicholas Sensley's diverse experiences include military service, 24 years as a peace officer, and volunteer development in transitioning and developing nations worldwide.In June of 2020, Chief Sensley launched the Institute for American Policing Reform to a national outcry for police reform following the murder of George Floyd. Before launching the Institute, and concurrent with his active police service in 2001, Chief Sensley formed Cross Sector Solutions LLC as an international consortium of experts who build and facilitate strategic partnerships among governments and NGOs for the benefit of development of our communities throughout the world.Eric Litchfield was a former police captain with the Santa Rosa Police Department, who served 28 years on the force. While there, Eric managed numerous divisions that include: Patrol, Traffic, Tactical Teams, the Incident Management Team, Detectives, Training, and Professional Standards and Education. Litchfield is now the Vice President of Education and Standards for the Institute of American Policing Reform. During our chat, we talked about Special Police Units and Task Forces. We discussed their origin, purpose, and why these units need more budget, oversight, and leadership if they are to continue at all.We discussed the lunacy of the naming conventions of many of these Special Police Units…names like SCORPION, CRASH, RED DOG, and TITAN, and how these names became a self-fulfilling prophecy of overreach and unmitigated violence. We also talked at length about the need for contiguous standards and education with the more than 800k uniformed police officers in the United States, and how we can begin to build a more constructive dialogue between the men and women of law enforcement and the communities they serve.It was my honor to talk with both Chief Sensely, and Capt. Litchfield about these controversial topics. I hope you learn as much as I did with their candid and honest answers to my questions.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Chris Ferguson is an American psychologist who serves as a professor and co-chair of psychology at Stetson University in Florida. He previously served as an associate professor of psychology and criminal justice at Texas A&M International University.Ferguson holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Central Florida. He has clinical experience with juvenile justice populations as well as conducting evaluations from child protective services. In 2013 he was given a Distinguished Early Career Profession Award, and in 2014 he was named a fellow of the American Psychological Association.In addition to his academic work, he was published a historical mystery novel entitled Suicide Kings, and more importantly, he plays in a Pink Floyd cover band called “Gods of Avalon.” He lives in Orlando with his wife and young son.I invited the professor on the show to discuss a recent piece he authored for Quillette called “Stuck in the Middle (of Academia), academia is a mess, but there is still hope.” In it, he talks about topics like suppressed speech, sacred dogma, and its effect on education, online mobs, the attack on academic freedom, and what it's like to be a tenured university professor today.I hope you learn as much as I did from Christopher.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Meaghan Thumath is a practicing nurse, clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the regional director of communicable disease control at Vancouver Coastal Health. She holds a Masters of Science in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford as a Trudeau scholar.Meaghan is an active member of the World Health Organization's WHO Emergencies Programme (WHE) with recent deployments to support the COVID-19 response in South Africa and the Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I invited Meaghan on the program to share her expertise on the topic of harm reduction policies here in North America. During our time together, we talk about her experience as a street nurse, her own purview on the topic of substance abuse, and her hope of a dignified national approach to assist our growing homeless and addicted populations worldwide.Meaghan's love and attention to our world's most marginalized communities is even more impressive than her storied experience and education. I hope you learn as much from her as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Robert Jensen (AKA Bob) is Emeritus Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the author of numerous books, including, An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity; The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege; and The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men. As you may have gleaned from his book titles, Bob is a humanitarian to his core, a man who cares about the plight of the less fortunate, and a man who has spent his entire life in the pursuit of helping our world become a better place. But the reason I wanted to talk with Bob today, was due to a recent article he penned for Julie Bindel's Substack called “Drag Story Hour and Cultural Appropriation”, specifically his feminist critique that these Story Hour events are just another example of patriarchy and objectification of women… which was a purview I had yet to read regarding this very divided topic in our culture.During our chat, we talked at length about why Drag Story Hour is offensive to many feminists, as well as other topics like, trigger warnings, safe spaces on college campuses, and how political dogma is harming us all.I hope you learn as much from this conversation as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Hyrum Lewis is a professor of history at BYU-Idaho, and a former Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. He received a PhD in history and philosophy from USC. And before coming to BYU-Idaho, he taught at Skidmore College in Saratoga, New York. Hyrum was born in Arizona, raised in Oregon, and now resides with his wife, Sundee, and their three kids in Rexburg, Idaho.In January of 2023, Hyrum co-authored and published a book with his brother called The Myth of Left and Right, How The Political Spectrum Misleads and Harms America. In it, to be brief, the authors argue that politics is more emotional than logical, and that the categories of Left and Right are no longer accurate or consistent – and are doing more harm than good to a culture already painfully divided by ideology.  As I shared with Hyrum during our chat, rarely have I read a book that's remapped my own internal dialogue the way this book did. It's one of my favorite political reads in the past 10 years. I hope you learn as much from Hyrum as I did.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Justin Dangel is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and led successful companies like Firefly, Ready, and Goji, due to his genuine hope of helping people in need. Justin is also a political wonk who founded Voter.com in 2001, an early adopter in online news media. Under his leadership the company generated over 3.5 million monthly active users and 500,000 newsletter subscribers. Voter.com was a repository for digital content that helped Americans educate themselves about local, regional, and national politics. Or to quote Justin directly, “Voter.com delivered the kind of information voters needed to make informed decisions about their elected officials.”His political and public service background includes both volunteer and work positions with the United States Treasury Department, Senator Ted Kennedy's Office, and Senator Joe Biden's office.During our chat, we discussed a wide range of topics that included: climate change, racism, gun violence, testing criteria in public schools, defund the police, student debt, and the state of journalism today. We also discussed the overall challenges of the democratic party and how they can once again align themselves with working class voters. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.Watch episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Julie Smolyansky was born in Kyiv, Ukraine to Jewish parents. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1976 where her father founded the Kefir company, Lifeway Foods in 1986. Smolyansky joined the company in 1997 after graduating from University of Chicago with a degree in psychology. After her father died of a heart attack in 2002, Smolyansky became the youngest CEO of a publicly traded firm in the history of our country. She then transformed Lifeway Foods into a multinational conglomerate, growing its annual revenue from 12 million to over 130 million in 2015. Even more impressive than her tenure as a corporate executive, is her service as a board member to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.Additionally, Smolyansky has been very active in the conversation on sexual violence of women and girls, both as an advocate and a survivor. In 2015, she served as an executive producer or the award winning documentary, The Hunting Ground, an award winning exposé of rape crimes on U.S. College campuses.Smolyansky is yet another powerful woman that has made a difference with her outreach and involvement, and why I feel lucky to have her join me on the show.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Cristine Soto Deberry is the Founder and Executive Director of the Prosecutors Alliance, an organization that supports and amplifies the voices of California prosecutors committed to reforming our criminal justice system through smart, sage, modern solutions that advance not just public safety but community well-being.Cristine spent 9 years with the San Francisco DA's Office, a decade as the Chief of Staff to San Francisco District Attorneys George Gascon and Chesa Boudin – as well as serving as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's Deputy Chief of Staff.In our attempt to understand the many issues related to our criminal justice system here in San Francisco, we were thrilled to have Cristine join us and share her vision of what proper criminal justice reform looks like.I hope you learn as much as I did from today's episode.Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

I recently attended a symposium on democracy and journalism that featured a former White House Correspondent for CNN named Jessica Yellen, and a young man named Isaac Saul of Tangle News. To be brief, this panel discussion was about the future of independent journalism and its importance in a representative democracy. And after it was all said and done, I approached Isaac and asked him to join me on the T30 podcast. As you will hear during the show, Isaac is not only an accomplished journalist, he is also (much to his own surprise) a rising star and entrepreneur in the realm of independent journalism. Isaac began his career at the University of Pittsburgh as a sports reporter for his college newspaper. His first professional role as a journalist was at The Huffington Post in 2013, before being asked to work with Ashton Kutcher and his media startup, A Plus, a positive news outlet where Isaac served as a reporter and editor for over 6 years before starting Tangle in 2021. I hope you enjoy this young man as much as I did. He is a powerful example of what journalism can be…and what it should be. Watch Episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Jacqueline has been described as having “never played by anyone else's rules” by W Magazine and has “embodied the season's audacious mood” by The New York Times. Harper's Bazaar wrote, “...As an actress with a taste for high drama, she figured understatement was beside the point.” Nominated for the TED main stage to talk about the connection between female sexuality and the global imbalance of power, Jacqueline is an impassioned voice for abortion rights, gender equality, and mental health. She is an accomplished actress, writer, producer, director and lifestyle entrepreneur, whose latest creative project is called, The Pussy Papers, a pro-choice initiative exposing the connection between female sexuality and the global imbalance of power, The Pussy Papers reveals one woman's exploits into sexism, censorship, and 5 letters that strike a national nerve. The Pussy Papers will premiere on January 12th, 2023 on The Pussy Channel, supported by Uncensored Media. A non-profit platform and disruptive female approach to delivering content that counts, The Pussy Channel champions stories that have been censored, subjects that have been silenced, and topics that have been taboo. Her greatest honor is being the mother to her 16 year old daughter and 26 year old son. And if you are wondering why I spelled the word Pussy with two XXs in the Headline, you simply need to listen to our conversation to understand why I did so. I promise it will be worth your time. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Jacqueline Buckingham is truly one of a kind! Watch Episode:www.jacquelinebuckingham.comIG: @jacquelinebuckingham YouTube: @thepussychannel Merch: www.thepussystore.comTrue Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Over the past year, I've spent countless hours studying the intersection of historical feminism and modern day gender ideology. I've interviewed numerous feminists, journalists, and academics who believe that the word Woman is defined by biology, not an identity… and that any change to this canonical definition is harmful to the categorization and protection of women at large. In my attempt to better understand gender ideology, I've interviewed numerous members of our trans community, as well as the many activists and liberal progressives who believe in the immutable and unbendable mantra that Trans Women are Women. And therein lies the rub. Today, I moderate our first T30 debate with two former guests, Julie Bindel and Brit Abney. During our time together, we attempt to answer the question, Can Feminism and Gender Ideology Co-exist? As you will soon hear, Bindel and Abney debate what it means to be a woman, a feminist, and a TERF. Bindel is a storied journalist and feminist who co-founded the law reform group, Justice for Women, and once served as the assistant director of the Research Centre for Violence, Abuse, and Gender Relations at Leeds Metropolitan University. She is also the author of Feminism for Women, The Real Route to Liberation, a book published in 2021 to much international fanfare. Abney is an academic, activist, and progressive intellectual who passionately lobbies on behalf of our trans community here in America. My hope with bringing Julie and Brit back on the show was to prove that polite conversation is not only possible today…it's preferable… if our collective goal is to find compromise on the topics that divide us the most. I hope you learned as much as I did today. Thanks for listening!Watch Episode:True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Julia Mason is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She's a graduate of the University of Illinois with both her masters in nutritional science and her medical degree, and she completed residency training in pediatrics at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles. She currently runs a busy practice in Oregon where she now deals with an ever increasing number of gender dysphoric adolescents–many of whom are dealing with neurodevelopmental challenges or psychiatric comorbidities.During our chat, we discussed the alarming statistic that 99% of children who are prescribed puberty blockers will graduate to cross-sex hormones–hormones like testosterone or estrogen. And by choosing this treatment, they are now on a life-long path of medicalization–a path that is not understood with regards to the informed consent of minors.She also shared her concerns that puberty blockers are not a “harmless pause” as many of her colleagues believe, and that based on her 25 years of practicing pediatric medicine, she believes that puberty blockers can lead to the sterilization of children, have adverse effects on bone density, and even prevent penile development in young boys. She has been very vocal in her dissent to the American Academy of Pediatrics for many years now.I was thrilled to have Dr. Mason join me on True Thirty. And although I have interviewed over 20+ clinicians in my reporting over the past 6 months, Dr. Mason was the first one brave enough to join me on camera. I hope you learn as much as I did for the show.Watch episode: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Jennifer Sey is an American author, filmmaker, business executive and retired artistic gymnast. She was the 1986 USA Gymnastics National Champion, and a 7-time member of the U.S. Women's National Team.Her first memoir, "Chalked Up," was published in 2008, and detailed the systemic abuse of children in the sport of gymnastics. She also produced the 2020 Emmy award-winning documentary film, "Athlete A.”Sey began working at Levi Strauss & Co. as a marketing assistant in 1999, rising to Chief Marketing Officer and then Global Brand President. In January 2022, she was asked to resign because of her vocal opposition to the extended closure of San Francisco's public schools.Set for release on November 15, Sey's latest memoir, “Levi's Unbuttoned,” not only recounts her rise up the corporate ladder and the events that led to her ouster, it also gives an unprecedented, insider's view of the cruel, exploitative hypocrisy that underpins woke capitalism. She is a mother of four, and now resides in Denver with her family.During our chat, we talked about why she turned down a million dollar severance package to tell her story – Levi's progressive corporate orthodoxy – and how the social activists of her own political party proved to be her largest and most intolerable critic.Watch Episode:True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

“We don't need weapons of war on our streets.”“We need to ban assault rifles.” “We need universal background checks.” “America's gun culture is killing our children.”As part of my reporting on the subject of guns in America, I've interviewed folks who voiced these above narratives – people who believe that more gun regulations are necessary to combat the violence in our streets, and that we need to legislate a nationwide ban on assault rifles. I've also talked with folks who believe that “it's the person behind the weapon, not the weapon itself” that's the problem. And that banning assault rifles is analogous to outlawing a Corvette to combat drunk driving. And both have a point.  In today's episode, I sat down with two gun enthusiasts who shared their expertise on the subject of firearms legislation and why attempting to ban assault rifles is not in the best interest of our country. And after hearing them out, I now believe that we're closer to a remedy than our current cultural and political divide would have us believe.Watch Episode:Kevin Ryan is the CEO and founder of Motivity Marketing, Inc and a bestselling author. He is known domestically and internationally as an entertaining speaker and informative practitioner in the digital presence trade. His opinions have been published in many prestigious publications such as the New Jersey Star Ledger and Forbes. His clients know him as a problem solver and expert in commerce, brand development and communications. In spite of humble beginnings selling phone book ads after graduating Suma Cum C Average from SUNY (no one cares campus) he has lectured at the likes of Columbia University, and USC Annenberg. Anthony Colandro is an Executive Board Member of the NRA, Vice President of the Local NRA Chapter in New Jersey, and a Master Trainer Counselor with the NRA (one of only 60 in the Nation). He's the host of the hit radio show, Gun for Hire Radio – with over one million listeners nationwide – and author of the book, “Crime Proof: Think Like a Criminal and Beat Them at Their Own Game.” In his spare time, he owns and operates the largest gun range in the United States in his home state of New Jersey.True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

As most of you have gathered by now, I've spent hundreds of hours researching the topic of gender ideology. And I've done so because I believe it's the most divisive topic of our time, as well as the most misunderstood.My guest today is going to help us all better understand the complexity of this topic, both from the perspective of a subject matter expert, as well as someone who has suffered from childhood gender dysphoria herself. Stella O'Malley is an Irish psychotherapist who specializes in gender dysphoria, and holds a B.A in Counseling/Psychotherapy, a Masters in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and additional diplomas in Youth Studies, Psychometric Testing, and Gender Identity Counseling. She's also the author of four books on parenting and the mental health of children. She's a regular contributor to newspapers, broadcast television, podcasts, and a sought after speaker and writer on the topic of gender dysphoria. In 2018, she published her documentary, Trans Kids: It's Time to Talk. And to quote Suzi Fei of the Financial Times, “It's where compassion meets controversy”. I hope you enjoy Stella and her expertise as much as I did. She is a gift to our trans community.Watch Episode:True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Over the past eight months, I've interviewed over twenty clinicians, researchers, journalists, and therapists on the topic of gender dysphoria. I've done this to better understand the width and breadth of a global phenomenon that has only begun to capture our collective attention as a society.Not only is the topic of gender dysphoria controversial, it has proven to end careers, reputations, and relationships for simply asking questions, or pushing back on the immutable narrative that Trans Women are Women, or that Gender Affirming Care is the solution to what ails our trans community.In addition to my talks with clinicians and subject matter experts from Australia, Britain, and Scandavia, I've interviewed numerous members of the trans community, most of whom would only talk “off the record” for all of the reasons stated above.Today, however, we're joined by a brave young trans woman named Dr. Kris Rizzotto, who talks at length about her own battle with gender dysphoria as a child, her eventual transition, her religious faith, her “coming out” to family and friends, and her blissful role as a mother.To be clear, Kris was not only willing to come on the show, she did so, and I quote, “to add something of value to this conversation and understanding of all things trans – from the perspective of my own lived experience as a trans woman…”I hope you learn as much as I did from Kris. She's truly a special person, and I was honored to have her on the program.Watch Episode: True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Today, my guest is Paul Embery, a British author, political commentator, firefighter, and trade union activist for the London Fire Brigade. Embery is a columnist for publications like Unherd, HuffPo, the BBC, and serves as a guest host for The Political Correction segment of GB News.In 2020, Embery published his best selling book, Despised: Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class. It was this illuminating and controversial book that inspired me to reach out and invite him on the show. Drawing on his background as a lifelong liberal who grew up in the blue collar town of Dagenham, Embery writes passionately about the disconnect between the traditional working-class values of his upbringing vs. globalization and the new wave of identity politics that now dominates the Labour Party.  During our chat, we discussed the many parallels between Britain's Labour Party, and America's Democratic Party. The similarities are stunning, to say the least. I hope you enjoy Paul's insight and candor as much as I did.Watch Episode:True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Rottenberg is an author, editor, and journalist who served his profession for over seven decades. There aren’t many folks who could subtitle a memoir My Seventy Years on the Frontiers of Free Speech as Rottenberg did earlier this year when he published his 12th book, The Education of a Journalist. Dan is my new hero.During his storied tenure, Rottenberg was the executive editor of Philadelphia Magazine, managing editor of Chicago Journalism Review, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and the chief editor of seven publications including Philadelphia’s Broad Street Review, an online arts and culture salon he created in 2005.Rottenberg also wrote an editorial page column for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1978 to 1997, and authored more than 300 articles for publications like, The New York Times Magazine, Bloomberg, Forbes, and the Rolling Stone. During our sixty minutes together, we talked about the history of journalism, the importance of free speech, why he dedicated his life to the written word, and the future of journalism in a digital world.I hope you learn as much as I did.Watch Episode:True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Juan Williams is a journalist and political analyst for Fox News. He also writes for several newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill. Williams has also worked as an editorial writer, op-ed columnist, and White House correspondent.Prior to joining Fox, Williams spent more than 10 years as a senior national correspondent for NPR, and 23 years at the Washington Post where he interviewed former Presidents like Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.Williams is the author of six books, including, Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, and Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary, which was voted “40 best Biographies of all time” by BookBub. He received an Emmy Award and critical praise for his television documentary work and has won numerous awards for investigative journalism, as well as for his opinion columns.It was my honor to have Mr. Williams on the show to talk about two of his recent articles for The Hill – “Democratic infighting could spell doom”, and “Chaos beckons if the MAGA GOP wins”. Watch Episode: True Thirty is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Lucy Masoud was a former firefighter in London, longtime trade unionist, member of the Labour Party, and an LGBT advocate for the past two decades. Lucy is now a barrister in the area of children’s law, both public and private – involving cases concerning domestic abuse. She was called to the bar in 2017 and joined Staple Inn Chambers shortly thereafter.  In court, Lucy is known for her fearless advocacy and forensic examination of the evidence – a skill that is not lost on her continued involvement as a feminist, while lobbying on behalf of women’s liberation.Today, I asked this storied feminist and champion of LGBT rights her opinions and experiences with trans activism, about her life as a lesbian in this new culture that says “Women have Penises” – how she and her fellow feminists are now suddenly The Bad Guys – and what LGBT legislation looks like in Britain in 2022.  I hope you learn as much as I did from her. She is both a force and a gift to her craft - and to women worldwide.Watch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

My guest today is Ms. Katherine Gehl, business leader, author, speaker, and political innovator who has taken on the ambitious undertaking of trying to reform how American politics works.In 2020, with Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, Gehl published her book, The Politics Industry, How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save our Democracy. Heady stuff indeed. The overarching theme is a system called Final Five Voting, where candidates enter a primary regardless of party – a new way of voting that forces candidates to earn a spot in the general election versus a system, which, currently, is not competitive.Alaska approved this system in a 2020 ballot measure. And Gehl noted that for the 2024 elections, there are also signature drives taking place in Missouri and Nevada. Gehl added that California and Washington adopted the top two primaries in which the top two finishers advance to the general election, again, regardless of party affiliation.After spending time with Katherine, I was truly encouraged about our elections for the first time in many years. As someone who has grown less than optimistic about our democracy of late, Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter have crafted a plan that might just work after all.I hope you learn as much as I did from Katherine. She is really on to something here!Watch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s interview is with Julie Bindel, a feminist campaigner, writer, and investigative journalist in Britain. Her recent book, Feminism for Women: The Real Route to Liberation, was published in 2021 and has caused quite the stir with younger feminists, both in Britain, as well as here in America. Julie writes for the Observer, Unherd, Sunday Times, The Critic, Spectator, Telegraph, and her own Substack, which is now one of my favorite destinations.  Julie travels the world to investigate stories of misogyny, women’s rights and suffrage, and gender ideology. She has lived in London with her partner (who just happens to be a feminist/human rights lawyer) and her two rescue dogs.During our time together, she shared her story of “coming out” to her parents as a young girl, her move to Leeds, her first gay bar, and the day she realized she was not the only lesbian in England (whew!).We then talked at length about The Patriarchy she’s been fighting against for four decades and counting, the plight of disenfranchised women across the globe, and why she has dedicated her life to bringing these issues to the fore.We also talked at length about the differences between gender and sex, where gender roles originated, and how the narratives of gender have harmed biological women as a collective.And sadly, we discussed the aggressive nature of trans activism – specifically against feminists of her ilk – including her story of being physically attacked outside of a university after speaking on behalf women’s sex-based rights.Our entire talk was framed around the protection of women and girls today, and how “every woman on the planet has experienced the fear of male violence, or the reality of male violence.”Watch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

In part 2 of my interview with Helen Joyce, we talk about the long term deleterious effects of puberty blockers and the FDA’s original usage and indication. We compare and contrast why America now has 300 “gender affirming” clinics (and counting), and why Britain only has ONE called Tavistock. We discuss the very controversial topic of causal suicides tied to transitioning (or lack thereof), and why this narrative is actually harmful vs. helpful to our trans community. Helen then educates me on the medical term “cascade of intervention”, what it means, and why it matters in this discussion. Why also talk about the 4,400% increase in 11-15 year old girls now identifying as male vs female over the past decade – and how a theory called Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria may be a possible answer to this statistic. We then conclude by talking about the importance of “female only spaces” and why they will never be a safe space for biological men. Oh, and of course, we discuss the toxic term, TERF, and why this slur is so harmful to the millions of feminists who have lobbied for women’s liberation for decades.Watch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s show, I interviewed Helen Joyce, Irish journalist, feminist, editor at the Economist in Britain, and best selling author of the book, Trans, When Ideology Meets Reality.To be concise, Joyce is no fan of what she perceives as a hysteria about gender identity. We talked at length about “safe spaces” for women, e.g. rape clinics, domestic violence centers, female prisons, and why trans-females are not invited. We also discussed the long history of feminism and their decades long struggle for women’s liberation. And of course, we discussed the controversial topic of trans females competing against natal females in competitive sports. Joyce shared with me, as well in many other public statements, that she is looking to help our trans community, not hurt. “My intention is not to be unkind to trans people, but to prevent greater unkindness.”We talked for over over 2 ½ hours – so this episode is part 1 of a 2 part series.Oh… and you’ll never watch The Matrix again without thinking of trans ideology. Trust me!  Watch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Over the past six months, I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching trans ideology and the historical roles of gender in today’s changing world. In today’s episode, my guest is a friend and former colleague, Bee Davis. We worked together over 17 years ago in the world of advertising, and had not talked to each other since 2006. And one day on Facebook, I saw an announcement on her Feed that she was now identifying as trans (she formally identified as male), and immediately reached out to her on DM and asked her to join me on the program. Thankfully, she accepted.During our chat, we discussed some of the most controversial aspects of trans ideology and gender dysphoria. We talked about Bee’s transition, her divorce, and the severe mental trauma that followed – including her attempted suicide and eventual healing. We then debated the topic of children on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, trans females competing against natal females in sports, the historic role and purpose of the word gender, and how best to explore the idea of gender fluidity as a collective culture.Bee and I didn't agree on everything, but we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and both felt lucky to be back in touch. I hope you learned as much as I did and welcome any and all questions.Watch Episode:In This Episode: Gender FluidityTrans IdeologyCompetitive sportsGender rolesBreakdown of mental health careSuicide ideationLGTBQ CommunitySocietal Views on Sexual OrientationsGender DysphoriaTransitioningGender ExpressionPuberty Blockers and Cross-X HormonesChildren transitioning Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Over the past year, I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching the origins and developments of the defund the police movement. I pored over public records and surveys, attended symposiums, and conducted interviews with beat cops and local politicians. I even talked with folks at the DNC who wanted to abolish the police entirely due to its origin of oppression and slavery. And in this episode, I talk with Santa Rosa’s Police Captain, John Cregan, about solutions offered up by both social progressives and conservatives alike. We talk about homelessness, poverty, and addiction, and why it matters to policing. And we discuss in detail the millions of dollars of new funding for mental health teams, clinicians, and a more robust social services infrastructure. In This Episode: Defund the policePolicing as oppression & slaveryCriminal Justice then vs nowMental health reformsGeorge FloydProper mental health training for policeDeescalation trainingSustainable fundingWatch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

Over the past several months, I've spent a ton of time attempting to understand the left-leaning bias of our news media. For those of you who do follow the news, this isn't news at all. But as a liberal, I really wanted to understand what was going on in our culture. I wanted to separate the straw from the hay, if you will.In that effort, I interviewed a woman named Marsha Parker, who is currently the chief operating officer of the largest nonprofit news organization in California called CalMatters. She's also a storied journalist in her own right as well as former media executive. She served as the former associate Dean at the University of California, Berkeley School of Journalism and is someone I like to call a friend. She shares with me why she chose to go into nonprofit journalism and why she took the job as the chair of the board of the Institute of Nonprofit News in California.In This Episode: Nonprofit news and mediaDemocrat’s demise in 2022Liberal news mediaCorporate sponsors in news mediaDiversity in journalismWatch Episode: Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

This week, my guests include Jim Meskauskas and Kevin Hicks, two old media buddies from New York City. During the show, we analyze the media metrics of Ben Shapiro’s growing media empire, the far left’s fascination with antiracism, and how the confluence of these two movements will hand the House and the Senate to the GOP in the November midterms.I hope you enjoy the show! In This Episode: Ben ShapiroDemocrat’s demise in 2022Liberal news mediaBatya Ungar-Sargon’s new book, Bad NewsJohn McWhorter’s new book, Woke Racism“All white people are racist”Why the far left is now a religionNeo-Marxism, Post-modernizationCritical Race TheoryGOPIntersectionalityRobin DiAngeloDiversity in MarketingGuest Biographies: Jim Meskauskas has over twenty-five years experience in both traditional and digital advertising, strategy, media planning, buying, analytics and measurement. He is co-founder and Chief Strategic Officer of Media Darwin, a boutique-consulting firm devoted to practicing those disciplines as well as evaluating and recommending resources and integrations — technology, data and analytics, talent structure — used for accomplishing them. He’s also a “mediologist”; What’s a mediologist? Someone who examines the uses of technology and human symbolic activity as a means of cultural transmission -- specifically but not exclusively -- through electronic media with the goal of understanding the impact on society. This includes the impact on business, political, and social activity. His likes are Star Wars merchandise, B-horror films, southeast Asian cuisine, and medieval cookery.His dislikes are people who read while walking, the use of the word “utilize” when “use” will do, pineapple on pizza, and TikTok.He studied literature and philosophy at UC Berkeley and read literature and history of science at Merton College, Oxford. He lives in New York City with his wife and their three rescue cats. None of them likes his medieval cooking.Kevin Hicks has over 40 years of print/digital media sales and sales management experience. Starting at a local Seattle newspaper in their classified advertising department (“Lost dog, black lab with one ear, blind in one eye, 3 legs, cut off tail – goes by the name of Lucky“), next starting a local free-distribution TV guide in the Puget Sound (back when there were only 12 channels), to mail-order computer catalog company (Multiple Zones), a stint in LA at Petersen Publishing, then into the digital space in 1999 – Go2Net, WhitePages.com, Hollywood Media, etc. Recently founder of Savio Media – an OOH agency specializing in “In-Hand” advertising. Personal likes/interests are cooking, sailing and more recently, rock-n-roll stardom playing guitar in a band in New York (to an audience of 3 or so). Currently living in NYC (Upper West Side), I would be more than happy to taste Jim’s medieval cooking – regardless of what his cats think. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

In my attempt to understand our transgender community a bit better, I sat down with a young man named Brit Abney to hear what he had to say. My invitation stemmed from our friendship on Facebook, and his prolific and compassionate defense of our transgender community within his own friends and followers. We talked specifically about Dr. Jordan Peterson and the controversial C-16 Bill, as well as my favorite comedian, Dave Chappelle, and his Netflix special, The Closer. During our dialogue you'll hear us debate (and disagree) on terminology related to pronouns, triggers, and microaggressions, but more importantly, you'll witness the wisdom of youth in its finest form.I hope y'all learn as much as I did from Brit.In This Episode:PostmodernismDr. Jordan PetersonC-16 Bill and PronounsFreedom of SpeechMeta-Narrative around “woke” cultureNobel EffectMarxism vs CommunismBret Weinstein Example of Speech ViolenceViewpoint DiversitySafe Spaces on College CampusSystemic MarginalizationControversy Over Netflix Dave Chapelle Special Biography: My name is Brit. I live in Denver with my wife and two kids. I'm a water resources engineer professionally and a philosopher by hobby. I like to ski, hike, scuba dive, and read whenever I get time (which isn't as much as I like thanks to my two wonderful children). SocialIG - britlandtabneyFB - https://www.facebook.com/britlandt.abney Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

This week's episode is with Acacia Croft, a long-time close friend and a highly educated person who kept me on my toes in this episode as we continued discussing around the Critical Race Theory, what’s working and what’s not working in our societal approach in education, the plight of black people, the white man narrative, and downside effects of Robin DiAngelo’s campaign. This is by far my favorite interview and I know you’ll walk away with a lot to think about as I did.In This Episode:Critical Race Theory in the ZeitgeistContinued talking points from Dax Devlon-RossEducating the publicWhite Man NarrativeIntersectionalityPolarization of our societyRobin DiAngeloAnti Racist PlatformDiversity, Equity and InclusionMedia’s continued role in today’s narrativeAcacia Croft is a veteran educator serving schools and communities for over 15 years in both public and American international schools overseas.  She started her career in public service as the executive secretary for State Representative Albert J. Price Sr. in the Austin office assisting the constituency of District 22 in Jefferson County.  Upon graduating from the University of Texas at Austin she joined Peace Corp and became a volunteer in Honduras, CA. She extended her service as a Peace Corps volunteer coordinator in Tegucigalpa working closely with the Secretary of Education.  During her time in the Peace Corps she supported local government and facilitated municipal initiatives focusing on civics education, health, community development and social responsibility. She is fluent in both English and Spanish.Upon returning from her Peace Corps service she embarked upon a career as a LOTE middle school teacher in Title 1 schools.  She served in various public schools in Texas and was chosen to participate in a teacher exchange program with the American International School in Lagos, Nigeria.  She taught in Nigeria for a total of 6 years where she began her Masters in Counseling but fell short by one semester due to the Ebola epidemic.  During the 2014 Ebola epidemic she was among the core group of expat teachers to transition the school to a virtual platform.  Returning stateside in 2017, she returned to the classroom at the high school level and was then recruited to lead Census outreach and partnerships for k-12 organizations in the greater Houston area.As senior partnership specialist Acacia is able to identify, cultivate, develop partnerships and strategic alliances with school districts, campuses, social service agencies, municipalities, businesses and other community stakeholders to conduct Census outreach and education.  She coached a team of 8 partnership specialists to educate, initiate and collaborate with community members and leaders   Acacia was responsible for the strategic development of outreach in the EC-12 community during the Census, post onset of Covid 19 pandemic, and post Census.  She executed and cultivated both external partnerships with the community as well as internal partnerships with operations and other regions.  She coordinated regional summits, collaborated with leadership and HQ initiatives as well as established innovative tactics in order to embed and corroborate the need for Census awareness and education. Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe

This week's episode is with Tom Morris, my friend and favorite philosopher. During our chat, we explored the origin of ideologies, their importance, their dangers, and how we as a culture need to better understand what they are doing to us. We talked about Gilgamesh, Tolstoy, Aristotle, and Kung Fu on a New York City subway. Oh, and we came up with a few ideas on how we can all start to get along a bit better. I hope you enjoy his wisdom as much as I did.In This Episode:Ideology and its rootAndy Norman and religionEducating the publicDemocracy todaySafe SpacesCritical Race Theory & Robin DeAngeloTribalismPhilosophers of todayMedia’s continued role in today’s narrative Dr. Tom Morris, is a native of North Carolina, a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar, and the recipient of a double PhD from Yale University. He has gone from being the most popular professor at The University of Notre Dame, where he taught for 15 years, to now serving as the world's most active public philosopher, authoring over 30 books, including national business bestsellers, while bringing the wisdom of the ages to many of the biggest and most successful companies in the world in over 1,200 public talks. He’s the author of books like True Success, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, Philosophy for Dummies, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, Socrates in Silicon Valley, The Oasis Within, and his newest book about challenge and change, difficulty and delight is called: Plato’s Lemonade Stand.His work has been covered by television networks like ABC, NBC, and CNN, and in most major newspapers and magazines around the world, including the New York Times and the Economist. His philosophical discoveries are changing lives and revolutionizing businesses all over the globe. He’s also been described as the world’s happiest philosopher.  Get full access to True Thirty at truethirty.substack.com/subscribe