True Thirty with Joey Dumont

Welcome to the first episode of True Thirty 30 | a new weekly conversation where Joey and his Producer Sean X break down the biggest stories, questions, and cultural moments shaping the week.In this episode, we discuss Iran, rising gas prices, tariffs, farming pressures, and the symbolism behind the “Golden Calf” controversy. We also talk about diesel prices, California regulations, global trade pressures, and the strange state of modern political culture.TIMESTAMPS0:00 Welcome to True Thirty 0:42 Iran War Questions 1:03 Gas Prices and Taxes 2:47 California Gas Island 3:41 Farmers Feeling the Squeeze 5:05 Tariffs Fertilizer and Margins 7:10 No End in Sight 8:01 Asymmetric War Explained 12:06 Hormuz and Global Ripple 13:29 Trump China and Ceasefire 14:57 Generational Farms at Risk 16:32 Golden Calf Statue Story 22:50 Wrap Up and SubscribeFULL TRANSCRIPTJoey Dumont: Hello, everyone. We are doing something called True Thirty 30, which is basically an idea of our members reaching out to us over the weekend with stories that they thought were either crazy, unfounded, or they wanna know more about. So that's what we're doing today. Some of the subjects, we're gonna cover the Iran war for all the obvious reasons.Joey Dumont: We're gonna talk a little bit about some of the deleterious effects of that war specific to farming. And we're gonna end the conversation with the golden calf discussion. In case you guys don't know what that is, you will soon find out. So I'm here with my producer, Sean X, and we are gonna go through these topics, um, as best as possible.Joey Dumont: Hey, buddy.Sean X: Hey. How you doing?Joey Dumont: I'm doing well. It's a happy Monday.Joey Dumont: So I don't know, why don't you share some of the comments we got specific to the... Well, they wanna know more about what's going on in Iran.Joey Dumont: For the most part, people have said, “Okay, what's the nuance with the war going in Iran?”Joey Dumont: Because we keep on hearing it's on again, it's off again. It's affecting prices. It's not affecting prices. Yeah.Joey Dumont: So The New York Times has Iran war long-term energy discussions specific to Iran defended its demands for a peace deal, and President Trump called them garbage.Joey Dumont: Mr. Trump said he wanted to suspend the federal gasoline tax. So obviously everyone knows that gas has been affected by the Straits of Hormuz being shut down because of this war. We're now seeing gas prices at what, six- Six, si- six.Sean X: It's $6.35Joey Dumont: For regular?Sean X: For regular in San Francisco. Yeah. It's $6.74 for premium, and it's-Joey Dumont: And diesel fuel is anywhere between 7 and 8Sean X: $7.80 for diesel.Joey Dumont: Um, a lot of it is from California policies, and some of it is from the pipelines or gas can't reach us. Yeah. We're a gas island. If a refinery goes down, we're screwed. So for the most part, we pay the worst gas prices, so we're feeling the biggest effect here.Joey Dumont: So we are up over a dollar compared to the rest of you folks out there in the United States of America.Joey Dumont: And Donald Trump wants to suspend the gasoline tax, which is how much? It's eight-Sean X: 18 cents.Joey Dumont: 18 cents.Joey Dumont: So- Do, do you know what 18 cents means for those of us in California?Joey Dumont: With the gas prices I just mentioned, it's 2 to 3%. Yeah, every little bit helps, but it's really our California regulations that are the things that are screwing us.Joey Dumont: I read a meme recently that said, uh, “Donald Trump is so awesome that my truck only used to hold $59 worth of gas and now it holds $130 worth of gas.”Joey Dumont: Which I thought was brilliant. Um, so whoever wrote that, good for you. Um, but yeah, the, the gas tax is not gonna help us and- for us, . No.Sean X: It's, it's not gonna help us.Joey Dumont: Like, what we need help with is all the regulations in our state- Yeah ... and let that make us... A lot of people don't understand.Sean X: We use different gasoline here.Joey Dumont: We do. We do. And it's actually called CARB, um, which stands for California Air Resources Board, in case you guys have never heard of it, ‘cause I sure haven't. And it basically means that our gas burns cleaner, reduces smog, lowers certain pollutants, and it's chemically different from gasoline used in the rest of the country.Joey Dumont: So when they say that we're a gas island or a, an actual island on its own, that's what they mean by our taxes. So yeah, I don't think the, uh, suspending the gasoline tax is gonna work. And by the way, he has to get congressional approval to do so. So there's another wrinkle.Joey Dumont: Dude- Uh, we'll see ... we need, we need, we need more help th- than from the federal government.Joey Dumont: So those are all problems, I can say that we have an issue with.Joey Dumont: But As we know, this is affecting everyone, not only the day-to-day people, but farmers specifically because a lot of farmers use diesel fuel as opposed to regular fuel. And, um, so let's talk a little bit about that, dude. I just moved back to Minnesota to be with my mommy, uh, for her 86th birthday, and, uh, it was cool.Joey Dumont: And I don't know, I think most of our listeners understand that I grew up there. I've been in California for now 44 years, and I have a lot of buddies both from high school here in California, as well as the people I grew up with in Minnesota who are in the farming business.Sean X: Yeah. They're also tend to be more conservative than out, uh, out in California.Joey Dumont: I mean, it's- All my friends from Minnesota are Red Hatters. Not all, but most. And then most of my relatives are Red Hatters as well. I've been talking to them for the four years that I've been reporting on politics. They come to me because they say I don't judge them, and that, you know, they know I love them.Joey Dumont: And so they're just like, “Joey, what's actually going on?” Yeah. And that's kind of why we wanted to start this program as well, is that it's, if I'm reaching out to my Republican friends all the time on a DL basis, which is kind of funny, um, they don't explain to everyone else, “Hey, I called Joey.Joey Dumont: I wanted to know what's going on.” That's really what I try to do with my friends and relatives the other side of the aisle, if you will.Joey Dumont: And what we tried to explain to them specific to gas is that I have a buddy of mine who's a soybean farmer, in the Midwest, and he called me previous to the election and said, you know, “What do I need to know?”Joey Dumont: And I tried to explain to him, I said, “Hey, buddy, look at where you're getting your potash,” because I knew he was actually getting potash. Potash, about 80% of our potash comes from Canada. In Project 2025, the Trump administration announced that they actually did want to tariff potash. And I told my buddy, I said, “Hey, just if you can, try to find another source.Joey Dumont: Look at supply chain issues. Figure out that specific to your EBITDA,” because farms, if you guys don't know out there, farmers run at a very small margin to begin with. And if there's increased prices specific to tariffs, which is on the potash, the Mexico-Canadian free trade agreement that Trump actually launched in 2017, which was a good free trade agreement, he blew it up, said it was the worst deal ever, and now we have supplies specific to John Deere, other maintenance issues that are going across the borders of Mexico and Canada, which is also putting up their prices.Joey Dumont: And some of the things that I talked about specific to the numerous farmers that I've talked to over the last month- Is that the Farmer Bureau is actually saying that, and I'll just repeat it here, “Fertilizer pre-booking rates up 19%. 70% of farmers being interviewed are unable to afford all the fertilizer they need,” so they're actually planting less, “And farm diesel prices have increased by 46% since the end of February.”Joey Dumont: So nearly six in 10 farmers report worsening finances, rising fertilizer, fuel cost during plant season, and the immediate economic assistance to keep these open is probably gonna help this year, but they're worried, they're very worried about next year. Yeah. So that's the big-Sean X: So, well, a lot of them, as you said, they pre-book.Joey Dumont: So they'll pre- Well, they're running out. That's the problem.Sean X: They'll order, and now it's running out. Yeah. So now the effects are hitting them. Yeah. So what, what were their main concern to you? What, what are they asking you?Joey Dumont: They're just asking me what I think based on my reporting, based on the homework we're doing here at True Thirty to figure out, you know, what do you guys see an end to this war?Joey Dumont: President Trump has said very publicly that there is so much disarray in Iran that there is actually no leadership to negotiate with. And if you read up on this, the Iranian leadership specifically are a Basarashi-Sean X: Well, that is a problem when you bomb their leadership.Joey Dumont: I- Well, he did mention that. He did mention that. He didn't kill the people they wanted to replace, Khomeini. But, uh, yeah, I, I, I don't see an end to the war. Obviously, there's a lot of people talking about that. We've had some war correspondents on the show to talk about the externalities of this war and the longevity and the possibly forever war specific to anything in the Middle East based on our history, based on us being the United States.Joey Dumont: I think what we're gonna try to explore here at True Thirty, some of the experts we're bringing on in the next couple months will be talking about what they have referred to as a asymmetric war, and the war is no longer about kinetic destruction.Sean X: Joey. What do you mean by,, asymmetric war?Joey Dumont: Great question. So asymmetric war in this sense is that historically kinetic war, we have big battleships, we have destroyers, we have the biggest military in the world.Joey Dumont: Iran's known this for as long as it's existed. So the way they fight us means the asymmetry to what we're doing. So if we're launching at $4 million-Sean X: It's not, it's not equal. Yeah. Like, it's like if we, we can't- It's not equal ... we can't launch $10 million missiles at $10,000 drones all day.Joey Dumont: There you go.Joey Dumont: That's it. Okay. That's a big piece of it. There's also something called mosquito boats. So there's these little tiny boats with engines and people and guns, and they go after the big boats, like our destroyers, and that's how they're actually taking Straits of Hormuz under siege, if you will.Joey Dumont: They only- So basically, they're not blowing up anything now, but they're, they're essentially taking it hostage because of these things.Joey Dumont: Through strategies that involve less dollars. Yeah. They have mines-Joey Dumont: A lot less dollars ...Joey Dumont: they plant a bunch of mines in the Straits of Hormuz because there's most of the narrow ways, some actual throughput is, like, two miles wide. It's very narrow, so they can actually take from the ground, from the coasts and defend it.Joey Dumont: They can defend it with the mosquito boats that I was talking about. They can defend it with drones. And then something that not a lot of people talk about is the topography o- of Iran to begin with. It's approximately four times the size of Iraq, and I mention that because when we had a surge in Iraq, um, I think we had 170,000 soldiers during the surge, 150,000 now.Joey Dumont: And one of the big things, and I think this, we learned this in our interview with Tom Shanker, uh, the New York Times war correspondent.Joey Dumont: Dude, that was a great interview, man.Sean X: Yeah, he's so smart.Joey Dumont: I think you were right about Bibi. I think, like, he convinced Trump- that's my guess. I have to, I, I think- Yeah.Joey Dumont: Like, I'm sorry, man. It's like, dude, someone said, somebody said “If we go into Iran, the people will rise up.” Yes. The problem is the people had just risen up, and they got slaughtered. Wow, that's- I mean, if you take out 10 to 20,000 protesters, guess what? All the people that are likely to lead the charge are gone.Joey Dumont: Wow. And yes, and, and people see people being slaughtered, that's not good for them either. So yeah, I mean, that's what I mean by asymmetric war, buddy.Joey Dumont: That's where we are today.Joey Dumont: Dude.Joey Dumont: So I think one of the things that we can admit across the board is that we, America, have proven to be unbelievably powerful in our military might.Joey Dumont: So what we did in Venezuela, where we swooped in and pulled out Nicolás Maduro in the middle of the night, put him in Rikers Prison, maybe one of the most efficient, wonderfully produced smashes-Sean X: Efficient leadership changes, yeah.Joey Dumont: Yeah, I mean, just... Well, I mean, it actually, the regime change didn't happenJoey Dumont: I think that was where Donald Trump got very excited about how he can go into other countries. And with Netanyahu coming in specifically to his war room and saying, “Hey, I think we can go-” Iran's weak. I think we can get them today.Joey Dumont: Let's go after them. Obviously, that's what took place on February 28th. Now we're seeing, you know what? Eight, seven, eight weeks later, , this very small military excursion, as he called it, has moved into a full-blown war.Joey Dumont: But back to my Republican friends and farmers, everything they mentioned to me in my one-on-ones with them, their fertilizer, their diesel fuel, their supplies, their maintenance, they're scared-Joey Dumont: they're going under. These are places that operate on, like, a 3 to 5% margin if they're lucky.Sean X: Yeah, now it's going up.Joey Dumont: And we're talking about 20... Yeah, and you're talking about, expenses that are just through the roof. Yeah. We talked about the farmers. There's also global aspects of this. Yeah.Joey Dumont: I mean, the Strait of Hormuz closing is most important to Japan, South Korea, China, and India. Yeah.Sean X: And you mentioned to me, one of, one of our members was literally asking about... Because they are international- Yeah ... they were asking about the international effect that this is having.Joey Dumont: Well, Prime Minister Modi actually asked all of his 1.4 billion citizens to cut back on gas and anything to do with,, fertilizer or anything to do with the things that we now have a shortage in.Joey Dumont: LNG, if, for those who don't know-Sean X: Liquid natural gas ...Joey Dumont: it's liquefied natural gas. Liquified natural gas is something that most people have never really talked about but please understand it's this: what we use LNG for is fertilizer, intensive food, electronics, textiles, plastics, household utility bills.Joey Dumont: Again, guys, what we're gonna try and do is bring some experts on the show to talk to these specifically. We're gonna bring some economists on, and we're gonna talk about the longevity of this war. Is it possible with the ceasefire? What does that mean?Joey Dumont: Well, uh, the, the nature of warfare has changed. I, it- People, and this is where I'll totally agree with Republicans, like people are growing frustrated with a war that is literally only 60 days old.Sean X: Yeah. It's just the fear of the effects long term.Joey Dumont: So Trump is going to China. What do you think he hopes to accomplish there?Joey Dumont: I think he hopes to accomplish some type of a trade deal. I don't know if he's gonna jump down on the, the tariffs or not, but I do know that this Iran war is not helping his negotiations with XiJoey Dumont: because obviously America is the biggest foe of China. I do know that there's rumor around the campfire that Donald Trump is trying to negotiate numerous deals specific to tariffs and opening up more markets here in America that he's shut down based on his, 100% or 145% tariff, I think, in the beginning of his first or second administration.Joey Dumont: The sad part about all this is that there's, there's no end in sight with anything to do with what's going on in Iran. Lebanon obviously is a big issue with that because Donald Trump wants to negotiate with Netanyahu to say, “Hey, we need you to stop bombing in Lebanon because that's part of our ceasefire agreement, and you're violating that.Joey Dumont: And if that's violation, if that continues to happen, then the ceasefire itself stops, and then we're right back to a kinetic war.” Bibi isn't listening. Let's just say that. Bibi's not listening. He's doing what he wants to do because he got us into this war, I think, and I don't think he wants us to leave anytime soon, and this is more of his issue specific to his place in the Middle East and the surrounding countries that have not been a big fan of him for many years now.Joey Dumont: So yeah. Yeah.Joey Dumont: I, I don- I wish I had better news for my friends, specifically in the farming business because it is... It's been really scary to talk to some of these people. And then, you know, the one-on-one conversations are different than the stuff we're reading from.Sean X: Yeah.Joey Dumont: Sitting down and talking with farmers who have, you know, third, fourth, fifth generation, farms that they're very proud of.Joey Dumont: And these are not big farms, by the way. These, you know, 1,000 acres, 2,000 acres. These are not huge farms. The farm my, my grandpa used to work when I was growing up I think was 400 acres. Um, and these are the typical farmers you read about growing up. You know, they jump on their tractors-Sean X: Yeah, these aren't, these aren't the big agribusinesses.Joey Dumont: No. These are your mom-and-pop farmers- These are mom-and-pop farmers ... just trying to, you know, waking up at 5:00 every morning- Yeah ... working 18-hour days.Joey Dumont: Yeah. Yeah. All day, every day till the sun drops, and then they go back and eat, and then they re- rinse and repeat. Yeah. And they're very s- they're very scared because, again, these are generational, and these farmers that I talk to specifically don't have any other skills.Joey Dumont: They've been doing this their whole life. They were born and raised on these farms. They watched their father go through exactly what they're now going through. There is some diversification in s- there's some big pig farmers that I talk to that are doing well on that, but the guys that are planting soybeans, corn, and wheat, and the typical commodities, they're very scared for all the aforementioned reasons, right?Joey Dumont: The fertilizer itself, the price of their supplies, their maintenance, the upkeep on their tractors, their combines, all that stuff, it's, it's pricey and it's, and it's scaring them.Joey Dumont: Okay. We'll get an update, on that issue. Yeah.Joey Dumont: One of the other big questions that I've got right in front of me from one of our members, and many people ask this, what is about this golden calf?Joey Dumont: It's probably good to end this on a little bit of a whimsical piece. So in case you guys don't know, Donald Trump had a golden statue erected in his honor at Doral, which is one of his golf courses here in the United States. It's 22 feet. It weighs seven tons. And if you guys aren't aware of the old story specific to the Bible-Sean X: With MosesJoey Dumont: Yeah. So- ... Exodus 32, I'm a recovering Catholic, so I know a little bit about this story. Um, it was when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Bibles, or excuse me, with, with- The Ten Commandments ... Ten Commandments Ten Commandments. And he saw this golden calf that Aaron had a- had built for the staff because they needed an, an idol to worship.Joey Dumont: Moses was pretty pissed, to paraphrase. And he shattered the tablets, and then he melted down the golden calf, and he made all of the Israelites drink it. So not happy about that. Fast-forward to 2026, Donald Trump has erected a calf. Now,Sean X: who g- who gave, who gave this to him?Joey Dumont: Uh, it was a gift, and the Pastor Mark Burns was the one orchestrating this piece at the Trump National Doral in Miami, and he said this, to quote, “Let me be clear. This is not a golden calf,” he said. “This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the willpower to keep fighting for the future of America.” Now, this was the statue from Trump's attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, which was obviously awful.Joey Dumont: Where he said, “Fight, fight, fight.” And they wanted to capture that moment for the remainder of time to prove how brave he was in, in the circumstance. He was pretty brave or foolish, but he was.Joey Dumont: If the pastor has to say, “This is not a golden calf”- Yeah ... that's an issue. Yeah. Like, you know, it, it's r- it reminds me of when Trump did that post a couple weeks ago, and he took it down because there was controversy of it.Joey Dumont: The Jesus post?Joey Dumont: The Jesus post. Yeah, yeah. He's like, this... You know, and then he comes out and he says, “I'm not being Jesus here.” Right. It's like, you know, don't tell people to not believe their eyes. So when I look at this 22-foot golden monument to Trump, like, how is that not a golden calf?Joey Dumont: Well, it is... And I think that's the funny thing, too, is check this out.Sean X: So there was a show called The Boys, and- Oh, my God ... have you seen it?Joey Dumont: Oh, it's a great show. My mom watches it. Okay. So- She's 85, by the way- All right ... watching superhero stuff.Joey Dumont: So Eric Kripke is... I guess he put, “What the fuck? Seriously?” And this idea, this is what he wrote on Instagram- So who, who is he? ... over the weekend.Sean X: Who is... He's one of the actors.Joey Dumont: He's the showrunner.Sean X: He's the showrunner.Joey Dumont: Okay, got it. And he said, “Seriously, what the fuck?” over a split image of a golden statue of Homelander from episode six of The Boys and the golden statue of Donald Trump. So in the sixth episode of the show features a larger than life golden Homelander statue.Joey Dumont: The psychotic leader of The Seven proclaims that he is the new Messiah following a visitation by an angel. So the showrunner, this was July of 2025, and he's saying everything that we put in here as parody about a ridiculous man trying to be the Messiah has now come to fruition. Except-Sean X: I've seen that.Joey Dumont: The craziest thing about it is- Except it happened here ... if you look at that statue that they had in that episode, I mean, it's obviously not the same pose as Trump- No ... but- It's so close ... it is so clo- Dude, it is so close He's got his arm out like this. He's got...Joey Dumont: and maybe because that was the JC being on the cross, all that.Joey Dumont: So, so they're like- But it's the same fucking A ... this is not a golden calf. Trump is not Jesus in this post. No. The, the showrunner for The Boys has basically come out and say... Now, the character on the show, the character on the show is one of the worst characters, right?Joey Dumont: Well, he's the Antichrist in this story.Joey Dumont: He's the Antichrist.Joey Dumont: But this is, and this is Pastor Burns again, to continue this quote, “We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone,” he wrote on his social media. “Honor is not worship. Respect is not idolatry, and celebration is not bowing down to a false god.” So again- This is not a golden- It's right out of Central Casting.Joey Dumont: If you wanted to write a script- about what not, what isn't real while you're actually looking at what is real. This just took place in our life as citizens of the United States of America, and yeah, I don't think, I don't think there's enough, there's not enough jokes. I mean, the good news is there's plenty of jokes now.Joey Dumont: The memes are going everywhere with this. But the idea too, in case you haven't heard this, was that Donald Trump, who's never actually opened a Bible much less ridden it-Sean X: No, he opened a Bible. I saw him open a Bible.Joey Dumont: All right, true. But he's never read it.Joey Dumont: He opened the Bible that he held upside down- Down.Joey Dumont: True, true, true ... if you don't remember. He held it upside down when he was front of the church and he opened the Bible that he put, the Declaration of Independence in and the Bill of Rights, ‘cause he sold that once.Joey Dumont: Well, in his defense, in his defense he's probably never seen a picture of Jesus, so if he didn't think- ... he looked like Jesus, it, it actually might have been part of it. But I also heard this, and I have nothing to confirm this is true or not, but they said that either Caroline Leavitt or one of his comms people said, “Hey, Mr. President, say that the f- photo was doctored and that you had nothing to do with that.” I don't know if that's true, and then he came out and said, “Oh, I was supposed to be a doctor.” So I don't know if that's true or not, but it's one of those things where I just can't get over how silly this whole thing is and how...Joey Dumont: I thought it'd be good just to, uh, yeah- Yeah ... run this story through the ringer to- Yeah ... bring our- So- ... bring our members some fun-Sean X: That's the- ... on a Monday morning ...Sean X: true Thirty this week, and let's end it on this-Joey Dumont: Sounds like a good idea, buddy ...Sean X: pathetic note of the golden calf.Sean X: Thank- Thank you guys forJoey Dumont: listeningJoey Dumont: thank you. Thank you, Joey. Cheers. This is a public episode. 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What happens when military brilliance outruns political strategy? In this episode, Joey Dumont talks with veteran national security journalist Thom Shanker about the war with Iran, the intelligence used to justify it, and the dangerous gap between what America can destroy and what it can actually solve.The conversation argues that the opening strikes may have been tactically impressive, but that tactical success is not the same as strategic clarity. Shanker raises a central question: what changed so dramatically that Iran had to be attacked now? If the intelligence community could not clearly show an imminent new threat, then the public rationale for war starts to look alarmingly fuzzy. From there, the episode follows the consequences outward — the Strait of Hormuz, asymmetric retaliation, drones, sleeper cells, missile depletion, and the growing possibility that the U.S. has stepped into an escalation trap without a clear off-ramp.More broadly, the discussion is about how America keeps repeating the same error: defining threats in ways that justify force, while failing to define an achievable political end state. Iraq, Afghanistan, and the post-9/11 national security mindset all hover over this conversation. The result is a sober and deeply nuanced look at whether Washington understands the war it has started — and whether anyone in power has a realistic plan for how it ends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truethirty.com/subscribe

Eric Litchfield is a retired captain from the Santa Rosa Police Department in northern California. During his tenure, he managed divisions and programs that included patrol, traffic, tactical teams, incident management, detectives, professional standards and training, recruiting, and promotion assessments.Captain Litchfield has extensive experience in personnel investigations, policy development, recruiting, crowd control tactics, and managing large scale critical incidents.He is also a graduate of the POST Command College Strategic Foresight program, and a former fellow with the Institute for American Policing Reform.During our time together, we discussed the specific training differences between the men and women who serve as peace officers vs. the training of ICE and Border Patrol agents today in the Trump administration.We talked at length about the tone, tenor, and screening of ICE officers and how their specific training is not focused on working with the public, and why this has proven to be deleterious to the institution of ICE, its agents on the ground, and to American citizens writ large.We also discussed the leadership of J.D. Vance, Kristi Noem, and Steven Miller…specifically…how they have publicly declared “Immunity” for their federal officers, vs. the Qualified Immunity standard they will be held to in a court of law.Captain Litchfield helped me better understand the importance of training, screening, and governance of both state and federal officers and agents. I hope you find this helpful as well.*Note that this episode was recorded before the killing of Alex Pretti on January 24, 2026.*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

Today, I am joined by two of my oldest friends and colleagues from the advertising business. Jimmy is our resident Oxford scholar and proud libertarian, and Kevin is a former media executive, and very vocal Trump supporter.As shared during our interview, the three of us have been jarring about politics on a private thread for over a decade now…and please note that we argue like brothers (without the fisticuffs), while eventually hugging it out.During our chat, we walked through the November 4th elections, specifically the Governors races with Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia respectively. We then dove into Zohran Mamdani's decisive win as New York City's new mayor, and his many lofty promises and remedies to NYC's myriad problems on affordability.Our next areas of debate included why ICE is failing in its duty, how blowing up boats in the Caribbean is probably not a good idea, why Congress is failing for our least fortunate on SNAP, and why Trump's tariffs are not working as planned.We all had a blast…and I hope you learn something (other than Kevin is wrong most of the time) :-)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 today's episode, I sat down with three conservative people I've never met before named Bill, Mary, and Stephen, to talk about all things Trump. And I wanted to host such a show to highlight that we (Left and Right) are not as divided and hateful to one another when we sit down and talk like adults. And… this episode proved just that.Bill was the resident MAGA representative during our debate. I encountered Bill due to his daily arguments with my friend Terry on Facebook. To say it nicely, Bill likes to stir up shit as a proud member of MAGA, and is a very vocal fan of President Trump.I've watched Bill interact online for the better half of a year, and decided to debate him on a subject about a week or so ago… which he refused to do, while offering up whataboutisms as a repeated response to my many questions. So… knowing that I wasn't getting anywhere with our online interaction, I asked Bill to join me on the show so we could debate in person… and he graciously accepted. He then asked “Do you mind if I bring my friends Mary and Steve?”Well… how could I say no?Both Mary and Steve agreed to do this interview as long as I did not publish our Zoom interview on my YouTube channel…so this interview is in audio only.We began our chat by discussing the tragedy of the Charlie Kirk assassination…which quickly moved to our discussions on Erika Kirk's heartfelt speech about her husband at his recent memorial/rally in Arizona.We discussed the recent drama about the “indefinite suspension” of Jimmy Kimmel and Brandon Carr's overreach and public comments as the head of the FCC.When then free-formed a bit around topics like our federal government becoming the largest shareholder in Intel, and why that may be a conflict worth analyzing - which quickly jumped to the Trump tariffs and how these specific actions are affecting our farmers here in America.We closed our debate by discussing the many constitutional violations of ICE, and why the J6'ers deserved a blanket clemency by President Trump (yes, many folks believe this level of nonsense).The good news…we held a very spirited and sometimes contentious debate…without any name calling, or ad hominems of any kind. And as you will soon hear, it wasn't because we agreed on everything (we did not).I hope you learn as much as I did from our debate. And please leave your comments…I will respond in kind. 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…a repeat guest…and someone I now consider a friend.Rich was part of the 1992 Clinton/Gore presidential campaign, helping to craft policy and messaging on emerging global issues… and was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to head the speechwriting staff and be part of the policy planning office at the Department of Commerce.I invited Rich back on the program to talk about his recent piece on his own Subtack called, “The Wisdom of David Gergen”. I was so touched by the piece that I wanted to share it with our listeners.During our chat, we talked about Mr. Gergen's decency, his acumen in bipartisan politics…and Rich shared a few personal stories about their friendship along the way.I hope you enjoy your time with Rich 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

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