Podcasts about congressionally

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Commanders are reportedly close to striking a $3 billion deal to build a new football stadium anchoring a massive mixed-use development at the old RFK site. It's believed to include at least $850 million from the District for parking and preparing the site, with the team paying to build the stadium itself. And the price tag could raise with an addition of a Metro station. However, not all city officials support using taxpayers' dollars to help finance a home for the Commanders. Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen joined the show to explain his long-time opposition to building a new sports venue at the RFK site. He said the city doesn't need to subsidize a stadium to attract development. "The public investment on this is going to be more than a billion dollars already and I don't think that's a good deal for DC," he said.Allen also said the deal should include moving its headquarters from Virginia to the District.Plus, what could be on the chopping block as D.C. grapples with Congressionally-mandated budget cuts?The U.S. Supreme Court considered a Montgomery County case this week that would allow religious families to opt their kids out of public school lessons with LGBTQ-themed books. It's a case with national implications. Montgomery County Council Vice President and chair of the county's education committee, Will Jawando, got behind the mic to weigh in. He also weighed in on County Executive Marc Elrich's proposal raise income taxes rather than property tax rates. The county-level income tax increase was made possible by a change in the tax structure by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this month. Jawando said he supports the income tax bump."I make $150,000 a year. I'll pay $150 more in income tax next year if this passes. It's $100 per $100,000 in taxable income is the increase. It's a very small amount, but it'll allow us to fully fund our schools and our teachers," he said.Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.orgFollow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885Follow us on Bluesky: bsky.app/wamu.org

The Defense Department's planning, programming, budgeting and execution system it looks pretty much like it has for decades. This, more than a year has after a Congressionally-chartered commission came out with a long list of ways to reform it. This year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at least paid lip service to the idea of PPBE reform. So what's going on? We turn to the CEO of the Society of Defense Financial Management, Rich Brady. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department's planning, programming, budgeting and execution system it looks pretty much like it has for decades. This, more than a year has after a Congressionally-chartered commission came out with a long list of ways to reform it. This year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at least paid lip service to the idea of PPBE reform. So what's going on? We turn to the CEO of the Society of Defense Financial Management, Rich Brady. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

STARTING TODAY TUNE IN TO https://www.karmicevolution.com/astrologically-speaking WITH SHERI HORN HASAN as we look back at all the mind-boggling Astro News You Can Use this past week & what's coming next!We start with the Pisces New Moon monthly lunar cycle which squared Jupiter in Gemini back on February 27 & led to the overly enthusiastic yet expansively arrogant dramatic reception by President Donald Trump & vice president J.D. Vance in the White House on February 28.It seemed back then like things were only going downhill from there-- what with unelected billionaire Elon Musk in charge of gutting federal governmental services that U.S. citizens rely on under the guise of eliminating waste & fraud. Moving fast and breaking things his specialty, Musk didn't take long to fall out of favor with Americans suffering from his financial cuts by the time we reached the March 6 first quarter lunar crisis in action mutable square of the Gemini Moon to the Pisces Sun. Musk's reply?“Everybody's talkin' at me, I don't hear a word they're saying…”Things were in flux all right, and by the time of the March 7/8 Pisces Sun trined Mars—by then direct in Cancer since February 23—it was clear that everything was not going to be ok. It slowly began to dawn on larger numbers of people that America's current situation was not sustainable and that a radical change would be necessary for the future, as Erin Sullivan defines this aspect in her book “Retrograde Planets.” By March 8, U.S. green card holders—legally allowed to live and work here--were being arrested without being charged with a crime or the right to an attorney & sent to harsh ICE prisons. By March 9, both Americans and Canadians were fed up—the former with Musk's federal job & funding cuts beginning to reverberate negatively throughout society & the latter as the U.S. president refused to shut up about making Canada America's 51st state--& began attacking Tesla dealerships.Meanwhile, lawsuits against the Trump administration's actions began to deluge the courts and now total 146. Approximately one-third of these are now under judicial restraints via various judges' rulings against federal employee firings, the defunding of Congressionally approved programs, veterans' healthcare and other benefits, and so much more.With Venus already retrograde in Aries since March 1 & Mercury having stationed retrograde in Aries 14/15--just after the first Virgo Full Moon lunar eclipse on March 13/14—it seemed inevitable that the truth was beginning to dawn even on those who'd voted for this current administration of billionaires. Not to mention their GOP Congressional sidekicks who'd by then become too afraid to hold public town halls with their angry constituents.However, since the Sun/Neptune conjunction in Pisces March 19 & the Sun's entrance into Aries at the spring equinox March 20, a shift began to take place. Such an obvious lack of compassion of the “let them eat cake” kind, combined with a callous inattention to detail, began to give way by the time the Sun's entrance into Aries called us all into the fight.Since they, we've been morphing away from delusional Piscean energy & toward the higher Piscean manifestation of empathy, & into a more proactive “fight for the right to have rights!” Aries battle cry. And with Venus retrograde have reached her inferior conjunction with the Sun in Aries March 22, we're now, by March 29, at the heliacal rising at time when global leaders tend to lose their heads, so to speak…At the Sun joined Mercury in Aries on March 24—usually an important announcement of some kind from or about leaders, as I noted in last week's podcast—we learned about how top secret U.S. military classified information was disseminated via the unprotected Signal chat app. As we move closer to early May's conjunction between transiting Uranus and “off with his head” fixed star Algol, no surprise that calls for the resignation of our current Pisces Moon Defense Secretary are, in true Aries fashion, getting louder by the day. My March 26's Mars square to wounded healer Chiron, it was obvious how this incident “wounded” our military by weakening its defenses through allowing those listening (are you listening Russia? How about you China? Oh, and what about Iran?) as one of the participants on that chat was actually IN Moscow on an unsecured line at the time. Are ya wakin' up yet, folks?Now as we approach tomorrow's Aries New Moon solar eclipse--& this eclipse series is a physically themed one which has already been filled with accidents, fires, military attacks, etc.—it also brings both luminaries together in alignment—both heart and mind. And Saturn sextiles Uranus now, telling us we have the opportunity to bring revolutionary forces together to try to heal some of the current wounds sustained through the Mars/Chiron square. Remember, this is all under the guise of the current U.S. Pluto return, which ain't gonna be over til it's over, and that's a long way off. Let's use this Aries New Moon solar eclipse to organize the troops necessary, to partner with those who need the most defending from harm, and not give up until the job is done…For this and more Astro News You Can Use, tune into https://www.karmicevolution.com/ See you then! Namaste

Billions of dollars from opioid settlements are flowing into communities, but how does EMS get a slice of the pie? In this episode of the Inside EMS podcast, host Chris Cebollero is joined by Corey Carlson, EMS segment lead at Lexipol, to break it all down. Carlson simplifies the complex world of opioid settlement funding, sharing exactly where the money is, who controls it and how EMS agencies — both public and private — can apply. From funding for training, mental health support, AEDs, cardiac monitors, ambulances and even K-9 units, there are countless ways EMS can use these funds. The key? Knowing who to ask and how to frame the request. If your EMS agency could use a financial boost (and let's be real — whose couldn't?), this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you claim your share of the $56 billion (and counting) in opioid settlement funds. Additional grant-funding resources: EMS grants: 5 steps to success Debunking the top 5 EMS grant myths: Insights for success 10 books every EMS grant writer needs Guide to securing Congressionally directed funds This episode of the Inside EMS Podcast is sponsored by ZOLL Medical. Learn more about ZOLL's products for EMS at zoll.com/solutions/ems-and-fire. Enjoying the show? Contact the Inside EMS team at theshow@ems1.com to share ideas, suggestions and feedback, or let us know if you'd like to join us as a guest.

In breaking news, the “gang of 20” states have joined forces again, led by NY's Attorney General Leticia James, to sue to stop Trump's dismantling and putting out of business the Congressionally mandated and funded Dept of Education to obey his “Project 2025” master's orders. Michael Popok takes a deep dive into the new lawsuit filed in Massachusetts and observes what happens next. Right now, you can get a free inspection, free estimate, and save up to 30% off your entire purchase at https://leaffilter.com/LEGALAF. Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the first government agencies targeted for dismantling by the Trump Administration, The United States' Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a major focal point of executive actions, headlines, and judicial filings. The chaotic approach to slashing jobs, shuttering offices, and eliminating funding has led to many people feeling unclear on what this agency does and how it affects the United States, as well as its relationship to the world. With many questions still remaining about the legality of what the Administration is attempting, as USAID is a Congressionally mandated agency, many Americans are left to wonder and wade through a dizzying array of information. In light of all this, the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire spoke with Charles Kenney, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, to unpack the history of this agency and the impact it has. From administering lifesaving treatments around the world (which remain paused despite waivers) to building local economies (allowing people to stay in their home countries, rather than migrating to the West), this Agency has left an indelible mark on the world. Join us on this insightful conversation as you learn more about the realities surrounding USAID.Charles Kenny is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. His current work focuses on global economic prospects, gender and development, and development finance. He is the author of the books “The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease,” "Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding," “The Upside of Down: Why the Rise of the Rest is Good for the West,” and “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Utility: Happiness in Philosophical and Economic Thought.” He has been a contributing editor at Foreign Policy magazine and a regular contributor to Business Week magazine. Kenny was previously at the World Bank, where his assignments included coordinating work on governance and anticorruption in infrastructure and natural resources, and managing a number of investment and technical assistance projects covering telecommunications and the Internet.

Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in. Last month, I chatted with Elizabeth Beardsley, senior policy counsel for the U.S. Green Building Council, about the state of climate action in the U.S. and globally. Despite concerns that our new president would be less eco-friendly than President Biden, Beardsley said there was optimism that sustainable progress in the U.S. and abroad would continue. Three weeks into Trump administration, that optimism has been rattled. On his day in office, President Trump rescinded Biden-era executive orders that sought to put climate action and environmental justice front and center, he shifted the country away from renewable energy and he froze Congressionally-approved funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. He has also taken aim at environmental regulation.For this episode, I discuss the effects of the president's early actions with Ben Evans, Federal legislative director for the U.S. Green Building Council—what they mean for commercial real estate, the nation and the world. *"Shock and awe" comes to sustainability (1:22)*An international retreat (3:59)*The funding freeze and the Inflation Reduction Act (6:47)*Unplugging the electrification push (10:40)*The loss of GSA leadership (12:12)*The shift back to fossil fuels (13:50)*Deregulation concerns (15:40)*The road ahead (19:50)

Reactions to Elon Musk gaining access to USAID and the US Treasury's data despite not being an elected or Congressionally confirmed official.

It's News Day Tuesday! Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines of the day. First, they run through updates on Trump's illegal freezing of government funds, firing of an NLRB commissioner, mass ICE raids, Hegseth's confirmation, Bird Flu, the gutting of consumer protections, Trump's DOJ, labor action among Whole Foods and Delta, Trump's ban order on trans people in the military, the return of Palestinians to North Gaza, and the implosion of AI-adjacent Tech Stocks amid the release of Chinese AI tech DeepSeek, also unpacking Lindsay Graham's predictably slimy response to Trump's improper firing of myriad Inspectors General. After diving a little deeper into the drama behind the emergence of DeepSeek, a drastically cheaper and more efficient LLM AI technology out of China, Sam and Emma shift to Trump's sweeping order to completely freeze all Congressionally-ordered federal funding, parsing through the devastating and overarching impact this order will have on the American public and any federally-funded organizations and Trump's active targeting of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 in an attempt to legitimize this maneuver, as they explore the rapid initiation of the Project 2025 assault on (and “traumatization of” to quote the OMB head) federal workers. They also expand on Trump's recent firing of the third NLRB board member, effectively barring them from taking actions until a new one is confirmed, the emergence of various public health threats in the wake of Trump's killing of any federal public health communications, and wrap up with a killer Kickstarter project without a world without billionaires. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch notorious immigration expert… uh… Dr. Phill engage in a ride-along raid with ICE, and dive deep into Trump's overwhelming anti-immigration orders and the utter dearth of any productive opposition from Democrats with some help from Ronald Raygun. Kyle from Columbus unpacks the Big Tech freakout over China's DeepSeek AI, Josh from Bushwick unpacks the absurdity of charging for public transit, and Jim from Portland highlights his ongoing Kickstarter campaign for an anti-billionaire graphic novel. The MR Team also unpacks developments around RFK Jr.'s impending confirmation hearing, plus, your calls and IMs! Check out the KickStarter page for the new graphic novel "F**K BILLIONAIRES" here!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/f-ckbillionaires/f-ck-billionaires Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: Liquid IV: Embrace your ritual with extraordinary hydration from Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to https://LiquidIV.com and use code MAJORITYREP at checkout. That's 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://LiquidIV.com. Select Quote: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOU, for LESS, at https://SelectQuote.com/majority. Go to https://SelectQuote.com/majority to get started. Blueland Cleaning Products: Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://blueland.com/majority. You won't want to miss this! That's https://blueland.com/majority to get 15% off. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Bessel van der Kolk is a Dutch psychiatrist, author, researcher and educator. Since the 1970s his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. He is the author of The New York Times best seller book “The Body Keeps the Score.” He has spent his career studying how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences, and has translated emerging findings from neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study a range of treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults. Much of his research has focused on how trauma has a different impact at different stages of development, and that disruptions in care-giving systems have additional deleterious effects that need to be addressed for effective intervention. In order to promote a deeper understanding of the impact of childhood trauma and to foster the development and execution of effective treatment interventions, he initiated the process that led to the establishment of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), a Congressionally mandated initiative that now funds approximately 150 centers specializing in developing effective treatment interventions, and implementing them in a wide array of settings, from juvenile detention centers to tribal agencies, nationwide. He has focused on studying treatments that stabilize physiology, increase executive functioning and help traumatized individuals to feel fully alert to the present. https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/scientific-publicationshttps://time.com/6998595/bessel-van-der-kolk-trauma-profile/Click here to send us a text. Also, our book “Pulled By The Root” is available at https://www.pulledbytheroot.com/bookhttps://www.pulledbytheroot.com/

On The Good Trouble Show podcast, #TGTS, the Pentagon's UAP secrets are getting out as US Intelligence Analyst and former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) employee Sarah Gamm, who was part of the UAP Task Force, goes public with their experience working on the UAP topic and being a member of the Pentagon's UAP Taskforce.The UAP Task Force was the Pentagon's Congressionally mandated program to investigate UAPs / UFOs, which was run by UAP Task Force Director Jay Stratton, with other members such as David Grusch and Travis Taylor as part of the effort.With the United States Senate considering the inclusion of The Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Act, otherwise known as The Schumer Amendment, sponsored by Senators Chuck Schumer, Mike Rounds, Kirsten Gillibrand, Martin Heinrich, and others, people are paying attention to allegations by whistleblowers David Grusch and Lue Elizondo as the nation grapples with how to deal with the reality of UAP.The Good Trouble Show: Linktree:  https://linktr.ee/thegoodtroubleshowPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheGoodTroubleShow YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGoodTroubleShow Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/GoodTroubleShow Instagram: @goodtroubleshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goodtroubleshow Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Good-Trouble-Show-With-Matt-Ford-106009712211646Threads:  @TheGoodTroubleShowBlueSky: @TheGoodTroubleShowBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-good-trouble-show-with-matt-ford--5808897/support.

Blue Star Mothers of America were created in 1942, during WWII and were Congressionally chartered in 1960. They have 179 chapters nationwide and over 6000 members. Tune in to hear more about this wonderful group of ladies and how they work to make our troops find enjoyment in their lives in the military. Our library of shows can be found at www.veteranscornerradio.comJoin us on Facebook at the page Veterans Corner RadioYou can contact our host William (Bill) Hodges at bill@billhodges.com

Recent surveys are suggesting that Americans are losing confidence in higher education, even to the point of feeling like college isn't worth the cost. David Hawkins, Chief Education and Policy Officer for NACAC, joins Joel and Chris to talk about these surveys and the current college landscape. Were the right people surveyed? Which colleges are we talking about? Why have costs risen so much? David takes us on a fantastic discussion! Here are some of his resources referenced in the episode: Federal Research Bank Anchor Economy Initiative: https://www.philadelphiafed.org/community-development/workforce-and-economic-development/anchor-economy-initiative College Board Education Pays: https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/education-pays Bureau of Labor Statistics Education Pays: https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm National Center for Education Statistics, Study of College Costs and Prices 1988-89 to 1997-98 (Congressionally mandated study): https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002157.pdf Higher Education Price Index: https://www.commonfund.org/higher-education-price-index College Board Trends in College Pricing: https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Trends%20Report%202023%20Updated.pdf Music on this episode comes from Normcore always (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Normcore/Neighbors/Heartless_Man).

This week, we explore the compelling story of Dr. Feylyn Lewis, who assumed the role of caregiver for her mother at the age of 11. Following an unsuccessful spinal surgery that resulted in her mother's severe disability, Feylyn found herself taking on the responsibilities of a youth caregiver, assisting with her mother's daily needs and medication regimen.Despite facing significant challenges, Feylyn balanced her caregiving duties with her education and personal life. Her story serves as a testament to the strength and determination of young caregivers, who often bear burdens beyond their years. Through her advocacy and research, Feylyn has become a leading figure in supporting and empowering these unseen heroes, striving to ensure that no child experiences the isolation and fear she encountered as a young caregiver.Feylyn candidly reflects on her caregiving journey and shares insights into the unique challenges and needs of youth caregivers. Her narrative reminds us of the importance of recognizing and supporting these unsung heroes and underscores the profound impact that even the youngest individuals can have on the lives of their loved ones.About:A native of Nashville, Tennessee and a Vanderbilt University alumna, Dr. Lewis grew up as a youth caregiver for her disabled mother. Her experience with caregiving, disability, and living life on the margins led her on a path of global research and advocacy. She has a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a PhD in Social Work. Her research focuses on mental health and resiliency in youth and young adult caregivers, and she conducts research in the US, Europe, UK, and Australia. Dr. Lewis currently works as the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, where she is responsible for providing vision, leadership and strategic planning for student affairs programming that delivers holistic wellness formal support services, student life and community engagement.Outside of work, she serves as the Vice-President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the Junior League of Nashville and co-chairs the Congressionally appointed PCORI Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research Advisory Panel, and she sits on numerous other international advisory boards. She currently resides in Nashville where she continues to provide care for her mother.Support the Show.Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver Sisterhood of Care, LLC Website: www.confessionsofareluctantcaregiver.com Like us on Facebook! Tweet with us on Twitter! Follow us on Instagram! Watch us on Youtube! Pin us on Pinterest! Link us on LinkedIn!Tune in on Whole Care Network

Welcome to the National Historic Trails Center Foundation! We are a nonprofit organization and all exhibits are owned, maintained and upgraded by the foundation. Come see us today! Our Mission Promote and preserve the heritage surrounding the pathways to the West, and to foster appreciation, insight, and understanding. Our Vision Be dedicated to providing archival and educational programs, to increase public awareness of the historic trails, to enrich cultural lives of residents and visitors, and to encourage tourism. The National Historic Trails Center Foundation represents the non-profit side in a Congressionally mandated partnership with the federal government through the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM owns this amazing facility and staffs the highly trained interpreters. The Foundation created and owns the world-class exhibits you find inside the Center! The Foundation's role is to maintain these exhibits, updating and improving them as needed. These exhibits have seen many, visitors young and old. They have been touched by thousands of hands and enjoyed by guests from all over the world and especially by Wyoming school children! It is the Foundation's mission to promote and preserve the heritage surrounding the pathways to the West and to foster appreciation, insight and understanding of the greatest voluntary human migration in the history of the world. Across the Mormon Pioneer, the Oregon, the California Goldrush and the Pony Express Trails, an estimated 500,000 American emigrants traveled seeking their various destinies. We celebrate these historic trails aiming to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of tourists as well as the residents of our local community. The Foundation Board of the Directors and I hope you will bring your family to the Trails Center soon! We are thankful for your continued support of the Foundation and ask that you consider contributing financially to the legacy we are preserving. Your general donation and/or participation in our Write Your Name in History project provides for the future and protects the heritage of Wyoming history! If you would like to know more about having your name or the name of a loved one engraved upon our rock wall, please inquire at director@NHTCF.org or call at 307-265-8030. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-alberts/message

 Bio: Pete Newell Pete Newell is a nationally recognized innovation expert whose work is transforming how the  government and other large organizations compete and drive growth.  He is the CEO of BMNT, an internationally recognized innovation consultancy and early-stage tech accelerator that helps solve some of the hardest real-world problems in national security, state and local governments, and beyond. Founded in Silicon Valley, BMNT has offices in Palo Alto, Washington DC, Austin, London, and Canberra. BMNT uses a framework, called H4X®, to drive innovation at speed. H4X® is an adaptation of the problem curation techniques honed on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan combined with the best practices employed by successful Silicon Valley startups. The result is a disciplined, evidence-based, data-driven process for connecting innovation activities into an accountable system that delivers solutions and overcome obstacles to innovation. Pete is a founder and co-author, with Lean Startup founder Steve Blank, of Hacking for Defense (H4D)®, an academic program taught at 47+ universities in the U.S., as well as universities in the UK and Australia. H4D® focuses on solving national security problems. It has in turned created a series of sister courses – Hacking for Diplomacy, Hacking for Oceans, Hacking for Sustainability, Hacking for Local and others – that use the H4X® framework to solve critical real-world problems while providing students with a platform to gain crucial problem-solving experience while performing a national service. Pete continues to advise and teach the original H4D® course at Stanford University with Steve Blank. In addition, Pete is Co-Founder and Board Director of The Common Mission Project, the 501c3 non-profit responsible for creating an international network of mission-driven entrepreneurs, including through programs like H4D®. Prior to joining BMNT, Pete served as the Director of the US Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF).  Reporting directly to the senior leadership of the Army, he was charged with rapidly finding, integrating, and employing solutions to emerging problems faced by Soldiers on the battlefield. From 2010 to 2013 Pete led the REF in the investment of over $1.4B in efforts designed to counter the effects of improvised explosive devices, reduce small units exposure to suicide bombers and rocket attacks and to reduce their reliance on long resupply chains. He was responsible for the Army's first deployment of mobile manufacturing labs as well as the use of smart phones merged with tactical radio networks. Pete retired from the US Army as a Colonel in 2013. During his 32 years in uniform he served as both an enlisted national guardsman and as an active duty officer. He commanded Infantry units at the platoon through brigade level, while performing special operations, combat, and peace support operations in Panama, Kosovo, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an Army Ranger who has received numerous awards to include the Silver Star and Presidential Unit Citation. Pete holds a BS from Kansas State University, an MS from the US Army Command & General Staff College, an MS from the National Defense University and advanced certificates from the MIT Sloan School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bio: Dr Alison Hawks Dr. Alison Hawks is one of the leading experts advancing public sector innovation. A researcher and academic-turned-entrepreneur, she is the co-founder and CEO of BMNT, Ltd., the innovation company that is changing how public sector innovation happens; and Chair of the Common Mission Project UK, BMNT's charitable partner that guides mission-driven entrepreneurial education in the UK. Dr. Hawks co-founded BMNT Ltd with (Ret) Col Pete Newell, the CEO of BMNT, Inc., in 2019 to bring BMNT's proven innovation approach to the UK market. Under her leadership BMNT has become a trusted innovation partner across all single Services of Defence, the Cabinet Office, and the national security community. She has also helped change how real-world government challenges are addressed in the UK, launching the “Hacking for” academic programmes created in the U.S. These courses that teach university students how to use modern entrepreneurial tools and techniques to solve problems alongside government at startup speed. As a result of her efforts, 14 UK universities are offering Hacking for the Ministry of Defence, Hacking for Sustainability and Hacking for Police. More than 480 students have taken these courses, addressing 103 real-world challenges. Dr. Hawks teaches mission-driven entrepreneurship at King's College London, Department of War Studies and at Imperial College London's Institute of Security Science and Technology. She was named the Woman of the Year for Innovation and Creativity at the Women in Defence Awards in 2022. She serves on the Board of Directors of BMNT, leading development of BMNT's innovation education programs while also guiding the integration of BMNT's rapidly expanding international presence. She was previously Director of Research at the Section 809 Panel, a U.S. Congressionally mandated commission tasked with streamlining and codifying defense acquisition. She was also an Assistant Professor at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, as well as King's College London, Department of Defence Studies where she taught strategy, policy and operations in professional military education. Dr. Hawks' doctoral thesis was in military sociology. She received her Ph.D from the Department of War Studies at King's College London, and her MA in Strategic Studies from the University of Leeds. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. She has multiple peer reviewed publications on her research. Interview Highlights 03:50 BMNT 06:20 Serendipity 10:00 Saying yes to the uncomfortable 11:20 Leadership 15:00 Developing a thick skin 20:00 Lessons of an entrepreneur 22:00 Stakeholder success 25:00 Solving problems at speed and at scale 28:00 The innovation pipeline 29:30 Resistance is rational 34:00 Problem curation 38:00 Dual use investments 43:00 Accelerating change 47:00 AUKUS 52:20 AI   Contact Information   ·         LinkedIn: Ali Hawks on LinkedIn ·         LinkedIn Peter Newell on LinkedIn ·         Website:  The Common Mission Project UK ·         Website: BMNT US ·         Website: BMNT UK   Books & Resources ·         Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less: Robert Sutton, Robert , Huggy Rao ·         Value Proposition Canvas ·         Business Model Canvas ·         Hacking for Defense ·         Hacking for Allies ·         AUKUS DIN ·         Impromptu : Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI, Reid Hoffman ·         Huberman Lab Podcast ·         Allie K. Miller ·         Wiring the Winning Organization: Liberating Our Collective Greatness through Slowification, Simplification, and Amplification: Gene Kim, Steven Spear ·         The Friction Project - Bob Sutton, Huggy Rao Episode Transcript  Intro: Hello and welcome to the Agile Innovation Leaders podcast. I'm Ula Ojiaku. On this podcast I speak with world-class leaders and doers about themselves and a variety of topics spanning Agile, Lean Innovation, Business, Leadership and much more – with actionable takeaways for you the listener. Ula Ojiaku My guests for this episode are Pete Newell and Ali Hawks. Pete Newell is the CEO and Co-founder of BMNT, an innovation consultancy and early stage technology incubator that helps solve some of the hardest problems facing the Department of Defense and Intelligence community. Ali Hawks is CEO of BMNT in the UK and also a Co-founder of BMNT in the UK. In addition to this, she is the Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Common Mission Project, and she Co-founded the Common Mission Project in 2019 and drove its growth as a Startup charity in the UK. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Pete and Ali, I found it very insightful and I'm sure you would as well. Pete, thank you Ali, thank you so much for being with us on the Agile Innovation Leaders Podcast. It's a great pleasure to have you here.  Pete Newell  Thanks so much for the invite.  Ali Hawks  Yeah. Thank you for having us.  Ula Ojiaku Right, this is the second time ever in the history of my podcast that I'm having two people, two guests. The first time was fun, and I know this one would be as well, and informative. I always start with asking my guests to tell us a bit about themselves. So your background, any memorable happenings that shaped you into the person you are today?  Pete Newell  So I'm a retired army officer. I enlisted when I was 18 and was commissioned when I left college in the mid 80s. I spent most of my career as an Infantryman in tactical units. I spent a great bit of time in the Middle East and other war zones. Towards the end of my career, I ended up as the Director of the Army's Rapid Equipment Force, which is essentially the Skunk Works that was stood up at the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to accelerate technology to solve problems that were emerging on the battlefield, that weren't part of something else, somewhere else. And in that three-year journey, it probably exposed me to first and foremost, the speed at which new problems are presenting themselves, not just on the battlefield, but in the rest of the world. It exposed me to the speed at which technology is changing, being adopted and then being adapted for other purposes. So it's almost like chasing technology as it changes is a whole new sport, and it exposed me to  the challenges of large bureaucratic organisations and their inability to keep up with the speed of the changes in order to remain competitive, whether it was on the battlefield or in the commercial markets or something like that. Those epiphanies really drove, first, my decision to retire from the military, because I became addicted to solving that problem, and second, drove the impetus to launch BMNT in 2013. And in fact, you are right square in the middle of our 10th anniversary of being a company. So it really is, I think, a big deal because we started with four people on a driveway in Palo Alto, California, now we're a global company with multiple companies and are grateful, but that's the history of how we got started.  Ula Ojiaku  Congratulations on your 10th anniversary, and it's an impressive background and story. Ali, what about you?  Ali Hawks  So, my background, a little bit different than Pete's, by training I was an academic, so my training and my PhD was in military sociology. I was really interested in understanding people's experiences in the armed forces, both in the US and the UK. That is what my PhD was focused around, my thesis, and I went on to be an academic at King's College London here in the UK. I've also been an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service. But it wasn't until I then took a job with the US DoD, in something called a Congressional Advisory Panel called the Section 809 Panel, which was tasked with overhauling all of defense acquisition, and that's where Pete and I met. I think one of those formative experiences in my career was meeting Pete and going to the non-profit that Pete started and spun out of BMNT, it's called the Common Mission Project with a really big program, Hacking for Defense, and Steve Blank also Co-founded that as you know, and Joe Felter. I went to an educator course for this program in Fort Belvoir as a part of my job to understand, could we take these types of methods and put them into congressional legislation or DoD regulation as a way to change how people think about problems? And when I met Pete, it was the intersection of all of the things that I really love, academia, entrepreneurship, defense and national security. I went up to Pete and pitched him and said, I want to take this back to the UK and launch it. That was the start of what has been thousands of conversations about the value that we can add both in the US and the UK.  I worked in some law firms before I did my Master's and my PhD, but mainly my career has been in academia.  Ula Ojiaku  Wow. Thanks for sharing. And would you say it was serendipity that made your paths to cross and how are you finding the journey so far?  Ali Hawks  I think, yes, I think it's serendipity. I have a really different life journey than Pete. And I think in my career at the time when I met Pete, I hadn't really found what it is, what I felt like my purpose should be, or hadn't really found passion or joy in my work to that day. I found things I loved, I loved academia and I love teaching, but it just still didn't hit all of those things that you kind of get up every day and are like, this is what I'm meant to do. And I had done a lot of work on reflecting of what that would feel like and what that would look like and the elements it had to have. So by the time I met Pete, it was almost as if someone was flashing a huge sign at me saying, don't miss your turn, this is your turn. So I think serendipity, but also really understanding what it is that I wanted to do and the type of people I wanted to work with and the journey so far. I'll hand over to Pete in a second, but it's been nothing short of incredible. Pete has an amazing reputation, but as a business partner and as a leader, he allows people to truly learn, experiment, make mistakes, and he pulls everyone along by building confidence and empowering people that work for him. So in terms of kind of coming from academia and becoming a researcher turned entrepreneur, it's been the most formative experience of my career. Being able to work along Pete is like being able to work alongside that kind of guide or that guru, and you're like, wow, I can't believe I get to talk to this person every week and learn from them and be in business with them. So that's how it's going for me. Pete, how's it going for you?  Pete Newell You know, Steve Blank and I had a long conversation about serendipity when he and I met 2015 and here's my advice in serendipity. It really is if you have an active curiosity and a willingness to say yes to things that you wouldn't normally, and you're not adverse to taking risk, the chances of serendipity smacking like lightning greatly go up. And then I go back to my first trip to Stanford University in 2011. Well, I was still a military officer and saying yes to a number of things that people asked me to do, and just one conversation after another led to a meeting with two guys who were Stanford graduate school instructors who were writing a book. Those two decided to write a chapter in that book about the work I was doing at the Rapid Equipment Force. Now, when Huggy Rao and Bob Sutton decided to write a book and hire a case study writer who spent six months digging into your life, you learn all kinds of things about yourself and about the world, and when that's followed by a chance coffee with Steve Blank, who had no idea who I was, and I had no idea who he was, that 15-minute coffee turned into a four-hour discussion between the two of us. I typically would not have been at the Fort Belvoir thing that Ali was at, and I think our meeting was very brief, but it was, I think, six months later when I found her in the library at Georgetown University at some social event and we both decided that we wanted her to do something, and we wanted to do something in the UK, and we wanted to see something between allied countries come together. There was no strategy or grand business development, there was nothing that drove those conversations. It was simply in the spur of the moment, the curiosity takes over and you start to say I can see where this might work. Now, Ali will be the first to tell you, it has not been easy, but it has been a privilege to work with her and to continue to work between the two governments and the countries to see absolutely brilliant things done. And so I just say, I come back to, it's that curiosity connected with the desire to, the willingness to accept a little bit of risk, but learning how to say yes to things that you're uncomfortable with and digging just a little bit more. That opens up that opportunity so much more.  Ula Ojiaku I could see, it's evident to me the way Ali was talking about working with you, Pete, and your leadership, I'm wondering, could there have been anything about your military background that has influenced your leadership style as a whole? Pete Newell Yeah, everything in my background does. I can tell you, even growing up as a kid that the way my parents raised me influenced me positively, and negatively in some cases. My military background, I have been fortunate to work for a group of fantastic military leaders, I spent time in the Special Operations community, I spent time working for Stan McChrystal, I spent time in the Pentagon working for brilliant people. I also worked for some of the absolute worst bosses in the entire world, and I rarely say this about people, they were just bad human beings, and I will tell you in many cases what I learned watching a leader in a just really horrible environment influenced me more than watching the really brilliant guys out there. If you think about it, it's really hard to pattern yourself after somebody who is brilliant and driven and successful and kind and they do all that, but I'll tell you what, you can look at somebody who is really a bad boss and say, I don't want to be like them, and it happens in an instant, that I do not ever want to be like that person. That teaches you a lot about the environment that you want to create that people are going to work in. I have some hard areas, and Ali will acknowledge some of them, in the way people are treated in the workplace. Also as a graduate of the Special Operations community, I have strong feelings about how high performing people should be allowed to perform, and also expectations of how they work. I think the military left me with a high degree of not just respect, but you want to hire people, there's a certain degree of dedication to their success, whether they stay in your company or whether they leave, or they go someplace else, whether they're challenged or something else. And I'll tell you, if there was something hard about transitioning from the military to the business world is, in the military, you're given people and you're told to make them successful no matter what. In the business world, you tend to just fire people who are unsuccessful and not invest time and energy in them. I have never been able to make that change, and it's a bit of a struggle sometimes, because in the business world, you can't afford to hang on to people who are subpar performers, if you want to run a high-performance organisation. So if there's one of the things that I have learned is I am challenged in letting somebody go because I see it as a personal failure if somebody fails to thrive in my organisation, that has been built and imprinted by my past. I think Ali has a very different opinion, because she comes from such a great different place. Here's the beauty of it, the work with people like Ali and some of the others, we can argue and disagree and fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but we still love each other, and it is still an absolutely amazing environment to work in. That's really what, if you get it right, that's what life's like.  Ula Ojiaku What's your view, Ali?  Ali Hawks So we clearly have different backgrounds, I think that I was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of leadership style. Being in academia, you're not really in a leadership position because you're responsible for yourself, and in a way, it's a really good test bed for being an entrepreneur, because in academia you have to have such thick skin, because you turn in your peer reviewed journal publications, you turn in your papers and people write back and slash, and no one's trying to make you feel good. In fact, they want to help you, but also they're quite competitive. So that was a really good proving ground for being able to develop the thick skin for critical feedback or any feedback and really all of the knocks that come with being an entrepreneur. What I took into starting BMNT here four years ago was, things that I took from Pete and from the U.S. was really allowing people and high performers to work in the way that they feel best. One of the things I hated when I was younger in certain jobs, and working in law firms is punching your time card at 8 am, and you punch out at 5, and an hour for lunch, and it never felt right that that was the way to measure someone's productivity or to really enhance or empower people. And so the way that I approach it is we consider everyone to be an adult and to do their job, and also to be as curious as possible. So on our Standup this morning, with two new team members coming back into BMNT, one of the things that we agreed on is if no one's asking for time off to be creative or to have a day or two days to read a book that will enhance their knowledge or make them a better BMNTer, then we're failing. If no one has asked for that time by the end of this calendar year. So the way that I really approach leadership is how can I empower, but also invest in every single person, because it's not me delivering the everyday work, it's the people in my company, so they're building it alongside of me. I hire smart young people who will give feedback and we action that feedback. So we change things based on what we get from a 23-year-old, so everyone in the company feels really valued. And I think, learning from Pete, is also being really honest and transparent with everyone in the company when your chips are down and you have to say, guys, this is what's going on, and I found it has built such a strong cohesion in the team that we have now, that this year going into it is the most excited I've ever been about running BMNT. So taking a lot of what I learned from Pete and also my own experiences of feeling really caged, actually, in most of my jobs, and being able to understand that people work in very different ways, and if you allow them to work in the ways that are best for them, you really do get the best of everyone.  Ula Ojiaku That's very inspiring and insightful. Now, there was something Pete said earlier on about you, Ali, walking up to him and sharing the vision that you wanted to take back what BMNT is doing to the UK and so what made you go for it, what pushed you towards that? Ali Hawks Again, it was a lot of work on my part of really understanding what I wanted to do, and when I approached Pete that day, I was really excited and exuberant and I said, I want to take this back to the UK and I want to run it. And Pete is, as you get to know him, he's very calm and he's quiet, and he kind of looked at me and he said, you should talk to some people. And I thought, okay, I'll go talk to people. So I went out and I talked to people and I got Pete on the phone a few weeks later and I said, Pete, this is my dream job, this is what I want to do. And Pete said, prove it, do a Business Model Canvas. So I then hung up the phone, I googled Business Model Canvas, I watched YouTube videos on how to complete it. I was still working at the 809 Panel, so I was getting up really early to talk to people back in the UK, make phone calls, pulling on all of my contacts because I've been in defense and national security for gosh, since 2009, and I was canvassing everyone I knew, I filled out the Business Model Canvas, I sent it to Pete, he was going to be in DC about a week later, and he wrote back saying we should meet. So we then met and had an initial conversation around what it could look like, but it really wasn't until as Pete said in that library at Georgetown for a reception that we came together and having had both time to think and think about what I put down in the Business Model Canvas, but also how we got along, I think, and gelled as business partners, we decided, let's do it. So when we said we didn't have a plan, I had an idea of what we could do, and I have unfailing determination to make things work, and so I just knew, and I think we both knew if we tried it, that something would come of it, and if not, we would learn a lot from it. So we went from there and it took a while before we got a plan, to be honest, but we got there. Ula Ojiaku Well, here you are. Ali Hawks Exactly. Pete Newell You know, if there's one thing I have learned as an entrepreneur is that the plan you thought you were going to have, is never the one you actually execute. So the faster you begin to test it, usually by talking to people and doing things, the faster you will get rid of bad ideas. And it's not about finding the good idea, but it's about creating all the ideas you could possibly have and then killing them off quickly so that you understand the core of the value that you think you're going to deliver. Everything after that is the mechanics of how to build a business. I mean, that's not easy stuff, when you're launching a company, more importantly when you're launching one in a country you haven't been in in a while, but getting there is really about getting the thought process moving and getting people to disabuse you of the notion that every idea you have is brilliant. Ula Ojiaku I mean, I agree setting up a business isn't easy. I can't imagine the additional challenge of setting it up in the defense sector, the Department of Defense in the US, Ministry of Defence here in the UK. What sort of things would you say would be the additional? Do you have to go through hurdles to go through approvals, clearances and all that? Ali Hawks From the MOD experience, it's less about clearances and those types of things, it's more about understanding, winding your way through what feels like a maze, to find the right stakeholders that you can bring together at the right time to make a decision. So while there are individuals that hold budgets and can make decisions, there's a constellation of people around them that need to be aligned in concert with that decision. If you went to a business, of course, you'll have to have a couple of people on board, but the time to sale or the cost to sale is relatively straightforward. When you go into the government, you have a group of highly motivated people, highly mission-driven people who experience the pain of their problems every day, and they are trying to fight just as hard as you are in order to change something for the better. So in the first instance, you have great allyship with your customers, because you have a shared mission, and you're both working towards it, which is fantastic. The second is really trying to understand if that person has the budget and they need to sign off on it, how much do they need to care about it, or is it their chief of staff that needs to really care about it? Or is it their engineer? So I would say the difference is the amount of discovery that you do and doing that stakeholder mapping, is fundamental to success, but also knowing that people change jobs in the civil service and the Armed Forces every few years, that is a critical skill as a business working with the government, that stakeholder mapping and that discovery with your customers, customer development never ends. So I think that that is the longest pole in the tent in terms of finding the right people, and sometimes people say that's the person that has authority, you go talk to them and they say, no, I don't have any authority, so it's really trying to wind your way through the maze to align those key stakeholders. Pete Newell I would add to what Ali said, is that it's like climbing into a very complicated Swiss watch and you need to understand not just how things work, but you need to understand why they work the way they do, and how they work with other things, and then you need to understand who's responsible for making them work and who the beneficiary of the work is, and who possibly might want to make them not work. So, Ali's comment on stakeholder development, it's at the heart of everything you do -- you talk about more sociology and anthropology than it is anything, it truly is understanding why things work the way they do and what drives people to behave one way versus another. Once you figure that out, then you can figure out how to motivate them to behave one way or another, and where you might fit to help them in their daily job or whatever else. But that stakeholder development and understanding who's in charge, who benefits, who doesn't benefit, why something might be counter to something else is so critical in any consulting business, but in particular, if you are trying to get something done inside a government organisation. It, in many cases, it's archaic, but it still operates underneath a very definitive culture that you can map if you've been at it long. Ula Ojiaku So BMNT, you help government organisations to solve hard problems at speed and at scale. Can you expand on this? Pete Newell It's both I think. I go back to my experience, way back in the Rapid Equipping Force and 2010 is first and foremost, there are tens of thousands of problems that prevent the government from doing what it wants to do. The government is challenged, first, in being able to identify those problems; second, in translating those problems into plain English that other people might understand; third, in using that translated thing to find ever bigger groups of people, to then redefine the problem one more time, so that it makes sense for the rest of the world; and fourth, creating the policies and process that will attract people to come to them and work with them to solve those problems fast enough to build a solution before the problem changes so much that the calculus is completely out of whack again. And in all this there's a complicated long answer, but the impedance difference between the speed at which you develop and acknowledge a problem and your ability to get people to work on it, if it's out of sync with the speed at which technology is being adopted and adapted, you will constantly be perfectly solving the wrong problem, and you'll be constantly delivering things that are antiquated before the day they land in somebody's hands, so that's really the speed issue. I go back to what I said about sociology. This is the speed of your ability to get people to come together to work on something, and then the scale is determining, scale how fast, and scale how big. The scale how fast is, I can start to deliver a solution to this, but I know the solution is going to change every 6 months. So I don't need to commit to building tens of thousands of these over a 5-year contract, but I do need to commit to changing what I deliver every 6 months, or this is going to scale to some big end and it goes into a much different system, you have to be ambidextrous about your approach to scale, and unfortunately most procurement laws, both the United States and in the UK are not built to be ambidextrous. They're built to do one thing and one thing very efficiently only. Unfortunately, that's not the way the world works anymore. Ula Ojiaku Any thoughts, Ali? Ali Hawks As Pete said, and as a sociologist, the most often thing, and I think Pete said this a long time ago when we first met, is the government doesn't have a tech adoption problem, it has a people problem, and a lot of our work, a lot of our customers will come and say they have a tech problem, and they have a huge degree of urgency, but the things that get in their way are they have no common language, and they have no repeatable and scalable process in which to think about and work on their problems. And the framework that we developed, the innovation pipeline, is that process for them to do it. It's not complicated, it's methodology agnostic, and so it allows you to develop an entire workforce around a common language of innovating, mission acceleration, agile transformation, whatever you want to do, recognising that people are at the heart of it. The Head of Innovation at UC Berkeley and during one of our Lean Innovators Summit, said something that has stuck with me for several years now, ad he said, and it really hit home with our customers, because sometimes when I first started BMNT here, I was such an evangelist that I forgot to listen to the customer. I was just so convinced that they needed what we had, and I think the customer was telling me something else and I would get frustrated, and when I heard this, it was resistance is rational. When we go into a room with a group of people, we usually have a customer who is an evangelist of ours, or an early adopter, a huge supporter, and they have a couple of other people who feel the same way they do about change and innovation and moving rapidly, and then 70 percent of the team don't feel that same way. So approaching it and really empathising with the customers and understanding resistance is rational, why would they want to change? Things for them work, the way that they have always done, it works, and that is a rational response. So being able to then develop a service where you're connecting with them and saying, I understand that, and that's a rational response, and then using tools, like one of my favourite tools, the Value Proposition Canvas, to really understand, what are the jobs to be done, and the pains and the gains, and when you speak in that type of language, there are so many times that I have seen this kind of aha moment of like, oh, so if I did that, then I wouldn't have to do this anymore, or I would be able to do this different thing. And this is not complicated, these are not complicated tools or processes we're talking about, but the common denominators of it are discipline, consistency, and hard work. And I think, coming off what Pete said, when you want to get pace and speed, you have to be consistent and you have to be disciplined, and people have to understand what you're saying in order to get over that resistance is rational piece. Pete Newell I think Ali's spot on in terms of the problem with the problem. Oftentimes is, we can put a problem in a room and 10 people work on it and get 10 different versions of the problem, and so part of the art that's involved in the process is to get a group of people to agree to a common definition of a problem and use the same words, because many times we're inventing new words. It's new technology, new problem, but the first thing we do is get everybody to say the same thing the same way, and then start to talk to other people about it, because part two of that is you learn that your problem is probably not the right problem, it's a symptom of something else, and that whole process of discovery is a very disciplined, I would say it's a scientific methodology applied to how we communicate with people. You have to get out and test your theory by talking to the right people in a big enough diverse crowd to truly understand that whether you're on the right track or the wrong track. That's hard work, it really is hard work, and it's even harder to get what I would say critical feedback from people in the process who will challenge your assumptions and will challenge your test, who will challenge the outcomes of that. That's what our team does such a great job of, working with customers to teach them how to do that, but listening to them and helping them come together. At the same time, we're looking at the quality of the work and because we're a third party, we can look over the shoulder and say I see the test, and I see the outcome, but I don't think your test was adequate, or I don't think you tested this in an environment that was diverse enough, that you may be headed down the wrong path. The customer can still decide to go with what they learn, but in most cases, at least they're getting honest feedback that should allow them to pause and relook something. Ali Hawks I think for this particular reason, this is why BMNT is a leader in this space, is because the kind of jurisdiction around that front end of the pipeline, of are we making sure that we're choosing from enough problems and we're not stuck with a couple of investments that might be bad, so to speak, really validating that problem to decide, is it worth working on, is this even progressible, does anyone care about it, can it technically be done, does the organisation care about it, before spending any money on investment. Now that front end of the pipeline is gradually becoming a stronger muscle, and I'll speak for the UK, is gradually becoming a stronger muscle because of the work that BMNT has done, and both in the US and the UK, there is incredibly strong muscle memory around experimentation and incubation, which is fantastic. There's a lot of structure around that and frameworks and a lot of common language, which is amazing, because when you have that developed, going back to the beginning to refine before you put into the machine, so to speak, that's where what we call curation, really validating that problem, that's a single most determining factor on whether a problem will transition to an adopted solution. Most of government starts in experimentation and incubation, so they don't get the benefit of de-risking investment in a solution, and they don't necessarily get the benefit of all the learning to expedite that into incubation and experimentation. So I think where BMNT comes out and really owns that area is in that front end of the pipeline, and when you do that front end, you would be amazed at how fast the other part of the pipeline goes through discover incubation experimentation, because you've increased confidence and really de-risked investment in the solution. Ula Ojiaku Thanks for sharing that Ali, would you say you're applying lean innovation amongst other things to the framework you're referring to, or would that be something else? Pete Newell No, I think that it's all part of the process. We use a variety of tools to get to the data we want, and then it's a matter of doing analysis, and this is why Ali's background as an academic is so critical, because she's keen on analysis, and looking at the data and not skewing the data one way or another, and that's an incredibly important skill in this process. Again, this is really the application of a scientific methodology, and you need to be able to do that, but you need to understand how to get the data. So whether it's Lean or it's Scrum or it's some Google tool or something else. We have become really adaptive in the use of the tools and a mixture of the tools to drive a community of people to create the data we need to make an assessment of whether something's going the right direction or not. And that's the beauty of being involved with the Lean Innovation Educators Forum, the beauty of the time we spend with folks like Alex Osterwalder or with Steve Blank or with the folks from the d.school at Stanford or any of those places that are developing tools. It is understanding how to use and adopt the tool to fit the circumstances, but at the end of the day, it's all about creating the data you need to use the analysis that will drive an insight, that will allow you to make a decision. Too often I find people who are just overly enamoured with the tool and they forget that the tool is just a tool. It's about data, insight, and decisions, and you have to get to a decision at some point. Ula Ojiaku Data, insight, decisions. Amazing. So, if we shift gears a little bit and go into your Strategic Innovation Project, SIP, I understand that one of the shifts you're driving in the DoD and MoD respectively is about their approach to involving private investment in defence technology. Could you share a bit more about that? Pete Newell As part of the innovation pipeline, you have to eventually transition out of the discovery phase and at the end of discovery, you should know that you have the right problem. You have a potential solution and you have a potential pathway that will allow you to deliver that solution in time to actually have an impact on the problem. At that point, you start incubating that solution, and if it's a tech or a product, then you're talking about either helping a company build the right thing, or you're talking about starting a new company, and that new company will have to do the thing. Our work in terms of early-stage tech acceleration is really now focused on what we call dual-use technologies. Those technologies that are required to solve a problem in the military, but also have a digital twin in the commercial world. There has to be a commercial reason for the company being built that's actually going to solve the problem, and so as we looked at that, we found really interesting conversations with investors in the United States and then eventually overseas who were looking for a way to help defense get the technologies it wanted, but have portfolios that don't allow them to just invest in a defense technology, and they were looking for an opportunity to engage one, with like-minded investors, but two, in honest conversations about problems that existed in the military and in the commercial world so they can make better decisions about the deployment of their capital to create the right companies. I think it's probably been five years now we've been working on the hypothesis around this. we started to develop a very strong language around dual-use investments in early-stage tech acceleration and adoption, and we started to build new tools inside government programs, as well as new groups of investors and other folks who wanted to be involved. All that was fine in the United States, but then we found it was a slightly different application outside the United States, particularly in Europe, which is not necessarily the most Startup friendly environment in the world in terms of investment, but at the same time, understanding that the United States has an unequalled appetite for technology to the point where that technology doesn't necessarily exist within the United States, nor do the best opportunities to test that technology exist for the United States, so we had to come up with a way that would allow us to do the same type of investigation with our allies, which turns into this incredible opportunity amongst allied nations and companies and vendors and things like that. And I know that from Ali's standpoint, watching NATO DIANA and other programs start, that it is more challenging, it's a different environment in Europe than it is in the United States. Ali Hawks Picking up there and in terms of the way that we think about investment, and what Pete is talking about is a program we run called Hacking 4 Allies. We currently work with Norway and take dual-use Norwegian Startups into our incubator and accelerator called H4XLabs in the US and we help them enter the US defense market and the commercial market, and one of the things that we're starting to see over here is it is a pathway that doesn't really exist in Europe. So when we think about NATO's DIANA, what DIANA is focused on, which is dual-use and deep tech and what they are overly focused on, and I think is correct, is how do you raise investment in the countries themselves to help booster a whole range of effects around being able to raise money within the country? Ultimately, though, and a lot of what DIANA was doing, in terms of the concept and its focus on dual-use and deep tech, was before the invasion of Ukraine, and so at that time before that, I think in terms of the NATO Innovation Fund and thinking about investment and NATO, it wasn't as comfortable with dual-use and investing in dual-use as the US is, not only is the US comfortable, but you have things like we helped a private capital fund, where people feel a great deal of patriotism, or that it's a part of their service to be able to contribute in that way. That feeling doesn't exist, it exists here, but it manifests itself in a different way, and it doesn't manifest itself as let's invest in dual-use technologies to help our defense and national security. So there's different understandings and cultural feelings towards those things. Now, having had the invasion of Ukraine and now the war in Israel and Gaza and now in Yemen, I think that the change is accelerating, insofar as what are the capabilities that we need to rapidly develop within NATO to be able to feel secure on our borders, and what type of investment does that take? Now, US investment in Europe has dropped about 22 percent in 2023, and so they're a little bit nervous about investing in these companies, and so the strength that being able to change the investment paradigm, which is ultimately, the companies that are going to receive the investment from the NATO Innovation Fund and NATO DIANA, they want to develop in the country, but ultimately all of those companies and their investors want them to get to a bigger market, and that bigger market is the US. So, what we are able to do is to connect real dollars, government dollars and commercial dollars, to those companies. We are one of the only pathways outside of export regimes for the Department of International Trade here in the UK. We are one of the only private pathways that has not only been tested and proved, but that we are able to take more companies year on year, take them to the US and prove that model. Now that's really exciting, especially as we see some of the investment declining, because we're able to identify those companies, we're able to connect them to problems that matter that people are trying to solve, develop the use cases, and then help them on the commercialisation side of things in terms of going into a new market. I think that the way that we think about investment in the US from a BMNT perspective, and the US is a little bit different from Europe and the UK, but the exciting thing is now that we have this proven pathway to enhance and accelerate concepts like DIANA and the NATO Innovation Fund. Ula Ojiaku So it sounds to me like it's not just about the localised investment into the innovation, it's also about BMNT building pathways, so European Startups, for example, that want an inroad into the US, maybe vice versa. Pete Newell I think the AUKUS DIN, the Defense Investor Network really is the collection of the US Investor Network, the UK and Australia. All three countries had Defense Investor Networks that had been set up over the last several years and primarily focused on, one, allowing investors to engage other investors about topics that are of common interest when it comes to this dual-use paradigm; and two, being able to engage with people in the government about things the investors were concerned about. I'm very clear when I talk about the Defense Investor Network, it is about defense investors, not about the government's problem. I've had to redefine that multiple times, as this is about enabling investors to be more proactive and participate in building the right kinds of companies, not about the government telling investors what they need to do, or the government telling the investors how they need to do it. It really, it was built from the investor perspective, and then we found is that the investors were prolifically honest about their feedback to senior people in the government, which I think has been hard for people in the government to get that kind of feedback, but when an investor with a portfolio of 30 and 40 companies looks at the government and says, I will never do it the way you just described, and here's why. Until you change that quantity, it makes no sense for us to participate, invest in, do, you'd be amazed. Sometimes it is the first time somebody's been able to articulate why something isn't going to happen, and then people nod their heads, well, I'll quit asking for that, or I'll go back and change something to see what it is we can do. So, we went from Hacking 4 Allies, which started out as a BMNT program with the Norwegians, to Hacking 4 Allies with the UK, Australia, Norway. At the same time, we had set up the Defense Investor Network, but as soon as we started the Allies program in the UK, the UK-based investors raised their hands and said, what you're doing in the United States, we want to do here, and then the same thing happened in Australia. When they made the AUKUS announcement, it just made too much sense to be able to look at, if we really want a free flow of technology and problems across the AUKUS governments, then surely we should be building ecosystems of like-minded people who can help drive those conversations. So it was super, super easy to bring the AUKUS Investor Network together, it was just too easy. The part that I think is not so easy, but we need to do work on is we, those investors need to be fed problems that are of an AUKUS nature, and at the same time, the governments need to listen to the investors when they tell them they have problems investing in companies that aren't allowed to participate in exercise or training or contracting or acquisitions in a different country, and if you really want to make AUKUS a real thing, there are a lot of policies that have to change. There's been a lot of progress made, but I think there's a lot more left to do to, to really get the opportunity to happen. Ula Ojiaku And would you say some of the problems would be related to what government officials would call national security, because if it's a dual-use spec, whilst it has its secular or commercial use, in the military, you wouldn't want other people knowing how you're deploying that technology and the ins and outs of it. So could that be one of the issues here? Pete Newell My definition of national security really touches public safety all the way up to military, so it's both. I think if you dig into it, it touches everything from supply chain, to access, to raw materials, to manufacturing, to education and workforce development, and you name it. There's a paradigm shift that has to happen if we're going to build more things, more often rather than long term ships and things like that, that as allied nations, we have to be able to attack all of the underlying foundational problems, and that's my supply chain, raw materials, manufacturing, and workforce that's necessary for the future. No one country is going to get that fixed all by themselves, and I think, to me, that's the absolute brilliance of what AUKUS should be able to focus on. Ali Hawks I agree, and I think that to being able to co-invest as well, the opportunity for investors to come around and understand what are the opportunities to, not only co-invest and coordinate, but to be able to scan their companies and their deal flow to see where their companies can partner and secure greater work and contracts and scale. So I think that it's a really important initiative in terms of being a steward of an extremely important ecosystem, not only being a steward, but being able to build that ecosystem of support and development. How we look at national security in the UK is really no different than what Pete talked about, and when we think about working with companies and the willingness to work with big tech companies or small tech companies or whatever it is, it's not just simply one transaction where, here's the money and here's your software. So obviously the kind of employment and the skills, but what is the ecosystem around that technology that is necessary? Does it require sensors and chips, and what is it that it requires that's going to bring in multiple different industries to support it, and that's really what the agenda here around prosperity is. How do we invest in these types of technologies and their ecosystems around it to have a more prosperous Britain? So you have a wider spread of skills as opposed to just investing in one thing. I think that's where AUKUS brings three very important allies together to be able to do that individually, but then the option to do it across in terms of the broader strategy and the policy around AUKUS, is a once in a lifetime chance that I think has come up. Ula Ojiaku So I think the key thing here is, this is a space to be watched, there's lots of opportunity and the potential of having the sum being greater than the parts is really huge here. One last question on this topic. So you said deep tech, and with Open AI's launch of ChatGPT earlier on last year, the world seems to have woken up to, generative AI. Do you see any influence this trend would have, or is having, in the military space in the Defense Innovation space. Pete Newell I think the world has woken up and is staring into the sun and is blinded. The challenge with AI in general, and I would say that it's not the challenge, AI has a long way to go, and by and large, folks are really focused on the high end of what AI can do, but people have to learn how to use AI and AI has to learn. What we're not doing is using AI to solve the mundane, boring, time wasting problems that are preventing our workforce from doing the high end work that only a human being can do, and I don't care how many billions of dollars we're pouring into building robots and other things, it's all great, but we still have government people managing spreadsheets of data that, they become data janitors, not analysts, and it is particularly bad in the intelligence world. I quote the Chief Information Officer of a large logistics agency who said data is not a problem, we have tons of data, it's just crappy, it's not tagged, it's not usable, we have data going back to the 1950s, we have no means of getting that data tagged so it's useful. Now, if we put time and energy into building AI products that would correctly tag old data, it'd be amazing what we can do. In the cases that we have helped develop tools with our clients, they'll save anywhere from a million to 300 million dollars a year in finding discrepancies in supply chain stuff, or finding other issues. So imagine if we put that kind of work in place for other people, but free people up to do more, better, smarter things, how much more efficient the use of the government's time and money would be, so that that money and that time could be invested in better things. So when I say, yeah, the AI is out there and people's eyes are open, but they're staring into the sun. They're not looking at the ground in front of them and solving the things that they could be solving at the speed they should be doing it, and unfortunately, I think they're creating a gap where legacy systems are being left further and further behind, but those legacy systems, whether it's finance, personnel, supply chain, discipline, things like that, aren't going to be able to make the transition to actually be useful later on. So I would describe it as an impending train wreck. Ula Ojiaku And what would be, in your view, something that could avert this oncoming train wreck. Pete Newell I think a concerted effort, really just to have the government say we're going to use AI to get rid of as much of the legacy brute force work that our populations are doing so that we can free them up to do other things. Part of this is we're then going to take the money we save and channel that money back into investment in those organisations. Right now, the money just goes away, that's great, you did better, therefore, your budget's reduced. There's no incentive to get better that way, but if you look at an organisation and say, you know, if you can save 10 million dollars a year, we'll give you that 10 million dollars to reinvest back into your organisation to do better and something else. Now, you have some incentive to actually make change happen. Ula Ojiaku Any thoughts, Ali? Ali Hawks I think the exciting thing for us, the way that I look at it in terms of government is that that government enablement to be able to use AI, here they are building large language models for the government based on the data that they have, and there's a lot of excitement around it and there should be. It's a pretty exciting thing to do. I think where we're in a really strong position and what I find really exciting is being able to do what we do best, which is help them understand what is the query and how do you validate that query? So what are the basic skills that you need to be able to interact, and then to be able to retain the skills of critical analysis, so when the answer comes back, you do not take that as the end all be all. It is a tool. So within your decision-making process, it's decreasing the amount of time it takes you to gather a certain amount of information, but just as you would if you were doing a book report, you still have to validate the sources and understanding, and you have to apply your own judgment and your own experience to that packet of information, which is what we all do every day, but it's not really thought about that way. So I think that the way that people are looking at it here is it will be able give us the decision and it will be able to kind of do our job for us, and for some tools, yes, and I completely agree that we need to free up all of the mundane work that hoovers up the time of civil servants here, because it's extraordinary how they're bogged down, and it completely disempowers them and it contributes to low retention rates and recruitment rates. But I think also it's developing the muscle to be able to do that critical thinking in order to leverage human intelligence to engage with artificial intelligence. And I think that's where we are uniquely positioned to do that because that is the bulk of our work on the front end of the pipeline, which is how are you going to validate what you know, how are you going to get the problem statement in order to query what you need to query and then having the judgment and the analysis to be able to look at that answer and make a decision, based on your own human intellect. That's where I see it playing here. I completely agree with Pete, we have people looking into the sun being like LLMs and they're going to solve everything, but you sit, let's say a hundred people down in front of an LLM and tell me how many people know what to ask it, or how to use it and integrate it into their everyday workflow. There's a long way to go, but I feel really excited about it because I feel like we have something so incredible to offer them to be able to enhance their engagement with AI. Ula Ojiaku That sounds excellent, thank you. Just to go to the rapid fire questions. So, Ali, what books have you found yourself recommending to people the most? Ali Hawks So I don't read a lot of work books, in terms of like how to run a company or anything like that, sorry, Pete, but, and I have a 4-year-old and three stepchildren, so I don't actually read as much as I used to, but I have read over in the last few weeks, the book Impromptu by Reid Hoffman about AI, which is great, and I listen to a lot of podcasts on my commute into London, so the Huberman Lab podcast I listen to a lot, but if you're looking for workplace inspiration, I'm afraid I look at Instagram, listen to podcasts, and then I follow Allie K. Miller, who writes a lot about AI, came out of Amazon, and she is fantastic for breaking things down into really bite sized chunks if you're trying to learn about AI, if you don't come from a technical background. Ula Ojiaku Thanks, Ali, we'll put these in the show notes. And Pete, what about you? Pete Newell I will give you two new books. One of them is a fun one, Wiring the Winning Organization written by Gene Kim and Steven Spear. Steve Spear is a good friend of ours, he's been a great mentor and advisor inside BMNT for a long time, I've known Steve since way back in my early days. The other one is by Huggy Rao and Bob Sutton, and it's called The Friction Project, and it's just like you say, it's all about friction in the workplace. I think both of those books tend to lend themselves to how to drive performance in organisations, and I think, knowing all of the authors, that they are phenomenal books, but I think the experience the four of them bring to the dialogue and the discussion of what the future workplace needs to look like and the things we need to solve will all be buried in those books. In terms of podcasts, I'm all over the map, I chase all kinds of things that I don't know. I listen to podcasts about subjects that I'm clueless about that just spark my interest, so I wouldn't venture to pick any one of them except yours, and to make sure that people listen to yours. Ula Ojiaku You're very kind, Pete. Well, because you're on it, they definitely would. Would you both be thinking about writing a book sometime, because I think your story has been fascinating and there are lots of lessons Pete Newell Only if Ali would lead it. So I have picked up and put down multiple proposals to write books around the innovation process within the government and other places, and part of the reason I keep stopping is it keeps changing. I don't think we're done learning yet, and I think the problem writing a book is you're taking a snapshot in time. One of the things that we are very focused on for the military, we talk about doctrine, what is the language of innovation inside the government workplace? It's the thing that we keep picking up, we've helped at least one government organisation write their very first innovation doctrine, the Transportation Security Administration of all places, the very first federal agency to produce a doctrine for innovation that explains what it is, why it is connected to the mission of the organisation, and describes a process by which they'll do it. I think within the Ministry of Defence, Department of Defense, there needs to be a concerted effort to produce a document that connects the outcome of innovation to the mission of the organisation. We call that mission acceleration. We look at innovation as a process, not an end state. The end state is actually mission acceleration. There's probably a really interesting book just to be written about Ali's journey, and I say more Ali's journey than mine because I think as a woman founder of a defence company in the UK, all of the characters in the book are completely unlikely. So somewhere down the road, maybe. Ula Ojiaku Well, I'm on the queue waiting for it, I will definitely buy it. So where can the listeners and viewers find you if, if they want to get in touch? Ali Hawks We're both on LinkedIn, so Pete Newell, Ali Hawks, our emails too are on our various websites, bmnt.com, bmnt.co.uk. Ula Ojiaku Awesome. Any final words for the audience? Pete Newell I'll say thank you again for one, having us. Like I said, it's the first opportunity Ali and I have had to be on a podcast together. Any opportunity I get to engage with the folks and have this conversation is a gift. So thank you for giving us the time. Ula Ojiaku My pleasure. Ali Hawks Yes, Ula, thanks very much for having us on together. It's been great. Ula Ojiaku I've enjoyed this conversation and listening to you both. So thank you so much. The pleasure and the honour is mine. That's all we have for now. Thanks for listening. If you liked this show, do subscribe at www.agileinnovationleaders.com or your favourite podcast provider. Also share with friends and do leave a review on iTunes. This would help others find this show. I'd also love to hear from you, so please drop me an email at ula@agileinnovationleaders.com Take care and God bless! 

In this episode of From the Crows' Nest, host Ken Miller sits down with USN Commander (Ret) R. Scott “Sherm” Oliver to discuss how the Department of Defense (DoD) culture and understanding of electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) has evolved over the past decade, especially since the release of the 2020 DOD EMS Superiority Strategy. They specifically discuss how DOD views the EMS as a maneuver space, the ongoing challenge of organizational change now that DOD has the right strategy and doctrine in place, and the outlook of the strategy implementation plan. Sherm Oliver is an Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) Subject Matter Expert (SME) and retired U.S. Navy Commander with over 23 years of experience in electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO). His time in the Navy culminated as founder and then Chief of Staff of the Congressionally mandated Secretary of Defense EMSO Cross-Functional Team. During this assignment, he served as a principal advisor to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on EMSO matters and led efforts to develop a new EMSO strategy for the Department of Defense (DoD).Ken also answers some listener mail. Listeners can email him at host@fromthecrowsnest.org to leave their questions, comments, or recommendations for the show. To learn more about today's topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

We'd love to hear from you about this episode.One thing I know about humans and why we have thrived as a species is our love of learning.Education is a healthy activity that people of all ages can enjoy. Improving intellectual wellness looks different for each of us. For some, it is multiple degrees and certifications. For others, it is researching a hobby or activity of interest. Regardless of how we get education, we are more when we learn more.We often talk about nature as the first teacher. The many lessons we can learn from the natural world are always available; we must only observe them.As part of nature, humans have the right and responsibility to learn how to protect and interact with our environment. This is especially true because of the incredible impact our environment has on our health and well-being.Welcome to Episode Forty-Two of The Nature of Wellness Podcast.  In this episode, we sat down with Sara Espinoza, CEO of The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), the nation's leading organization for lifelong environmental learning. NEEF is a non-partisan, non-advocacy organization that was Congressionally chartered in 1990 to complement the work of the US Environmental Protection Agency.Sara shares the incredible journey of how she turned a childhood passion into a successful profession and the importance of educating more people about the environment around us. We discuss the importance of NEEF's work to make the environment "more accessible, relatable, relevant, and connected to people's daily lives" through their programs focus on K-12 Education, Conservation, Health, and Veteran connection.This conversation made us want to learn more, love more, and live more connected to our environment. Please subscribe, rate, and leave a review anywhere you listen to this podcast.We appreciate you all.Be Well-NOWNEEF: www.neefusa.orgNational Public Lands Day: https://www.neefusa.org/national-public-lands-dayGreening STEM Projects: https://www.neefusa.org/what-we-do/k-12-education/greening-stem-projects Find NEEF grant opportunities: https://www.neefusa.org/what-we-do/grants/grantsVeterans and Nature Grant Announcement: https://www.neefusa.org/news/neef-announces-awardees-2024-2025-veterans-and-nature-grantNEEF LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/neefusaNEEF Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neefusa_org/NEEF Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NEEFusa/ * The unbelievable Shawn Bell produces the Nature of Wellness Podcast, making us sound good.** The NOW theme song was penned, performed, produced, and provided by the dynamic duo of Phil and Niall Monahan. *** This show wouldn't exist without our amazing guests and all of you who listen. Please like, subscribe, follow, and review to help us get these important messages out to more folks who can benefit from them. Thank you all.

Join Dr. Jasser this week as he looks at what the death of President Ebrahim Raisi means for Iran and its domestic and foreign conflicts in the region. Zuhdi connects the dots to the White House Islamists that likely led to the Biden administration withholding Congressionally approved aid to Israel. Last, as semesters finish across the country, some reflection on the radicalization of the Left and students in the American university system.    Keywords: Iran, Raisi, Islamic republic, Biden, Israel, Hamas, Gaza, palestinians, Congress, Zuhdi Jasser, Muslim, Islam, Muslim Brotherhood, university  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (05/10/2024): 3:05pm- Hillary Andrews and Scott Sistek of Fox News write: “A ‘severe' geomagnetic storm is now in progress, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, raising hopes for a dazzling display of the Northern Lights on Friday night while also putting infrastructure operators on guard for potential electrical effects from the solar event.” You can read more here: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/rare-severe-solar-storm-northern-lights-alabama 3:10pm- On Thursday, adult film star Stormy Daniels testified in the Donald Trump “hush money” case—offering salacious details about her alleged affair with the former president in 2006. But why was Daniels permitted to provide over-the-top testimony that was immaterial to the charges being brought against Trump? Is the purpose simply to humiliate Trump even if the court isn't able to convict him of any crimes? During her testimony, it was revealed that Daniels believes she can communicate with ghosts! She also routinely expressed her disdain for Trump—and explicitly said she refuses to pay Trump more than $600,000 she owes him for legal fees stemming from a failed defamation suit she brought against him in 2018. Will the jury even find her testimony credible? Trump has been charged with attempting to conceal payments made to Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges that the payment concealment amounted to falsified business records which influenced the 2016 election. 3:35pm- Dr. Ben Carson—Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development & a Retired Neurosurgeon and Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University—joins The Rich Zeoli to discuss the 2024 presidential election as well as his new book: “The Perilous Fight: Overcoming Our Culture's War on the American Family,” which he co-authored with his wife, Candy Carson. During the conversation, Dr. Carson argues that the legal challenges being brought against Donald Trump are preventing the Republican presidential candidate from campaigning—amounting to a form of “election interference.” Dr. Carson's book is available for pre-order now and will be available everywhere on May 14th:https://a.co/d/5RggqEs 4:05pm- The Wall Street Journal's Corinne Ramey and Erin Mulvaney write of Stormy Daniels's Thursday testimony in the Donald Trump “hush money” trial: “[Trump's attorney Susan] Necheles also pointed jurors to Daniels's work as a medium and self-described paranormal investigator. Daniels has said that while living in a New Orleans house that she thought to be haunted, spirits attacked her boyfriend and held him underwater. Daniels told jurors that some indications of paranormal activity at the house were later attributed to a giant opossum.” You can read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/stormy-daniels-testimony-hush-money-trial-7edc4ed5?mod=hp_lead_pos4 4:25pm- Rich foolishly clicks a link on Stormy Daniels's social media page—his computer probably has a virus now… 4:35pm- Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss President Joe Biden withholding Congressionally appropriated military assistance to Israel. In response, Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL) introduced articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives on Friday—citing an “abuse of power.” Dr. Coates is the author of “David's Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art.” You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Sling-History-Democracy-Works/dp/1594037213. 4:55pm- Rich reads hilarious social media messages but runs out of time for the segment. 5:05pm- Dr. Wilfred Reilly—Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University and author of “Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss how academics are using imaginary data in research, including instances where Microsoft Excel's “autofill” feature was used to produce statistics. Dr. Reilly's new book releases on June 11th but you can pre-order it now: https://a.co/d/jd6PjBb. 5:40pm- In a post to Truth Social, Donald Trump torched Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—saying he's even more dangerous to America than Joe Biden. 5:50pm- The commencement presenter at Thomas Jefferson University has gone viral on social media for pronouncing student names phonetically. 6:05pm- On Thursday, adult film star Stormy Daniels testified in the Donald Trump “hush money” case—offering salacious details about her alleged affair with the former president in 2006. But why was Daniels permitted to provide over-the-top testimony that was immaterial to the charges being brought against Trump? Is the purpose simply to humiliate Trump even if the court isn't able to convict him of any crimes? During her testimony, it was revealed that Daniels believes she can communicate with ghosts! She also routinely expressed her disdain for Trump—and explicitly said she refuses to pay Trump more than $600,000 she owes him for legal fees stemming from a failed defamation suit she brought against him in 2018. Will the jury even find her testimony credible? Trump has been charged with attempting to conceal payments made to Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges that the payment concealment amounted to falsified business records which influenced the 2016 election. 6:30pm- The Conservative Brief's Martin Walsh writes: “When authorities seize cars and other property used in drug crimes, even when the property belongs to so-called innocent owners, they are not required to hold a prompt hearing, a divided US. Supreme Court decided. The justices voted 6-3 to reject the claims of two Alabama women who had to wait more than a year for the return of their cars. When the cars were being driven by others, police pulled them over and took them after discovering drugs.” You can read Walsh's full article here: https://conservativebrief.com/court-rules-no-82998/?utm_source=CB&utm_medium=JE 6:45pm- Hillary Andrews and Scott Sistek of Fox News write: “A ‘severe' geomagnetic storm is now in progress, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, raising hopes for a dazzling display of the Northern Lights on Friday night while also putting infrastructure operators on guard for potential electrical effects from the solar event.” You can read more here: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/rare-severe-solar-storm-northern-lights-alabama 6:55pm- Don't miss Rich and Dom at Mulligan's Shore Bar in Wildwood on Saturday, May 11th! Rich will be on site from 5pm to 7pm for the big Donald Trump rally.

Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss President Joe Biden withholding Congressionally appropriated military assistance to Israel. In response, Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL) introduced articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives on Friday—citing an “abuse of power.” Dr. Coates is the author of “David's Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art.” You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Sling-History-Democracy-Works/dp/1594037213.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:05pm- The Wall Street Journal's Corinne Ramey and Erin Mulvaney write of Stormy Daniels's Thursday testimony in the Donald Trump “hush money” trial: “[Trump's attorney Susan] Necheles also pointed jurors to Daniels's work as a medium and self-described paranormal investigator. Daniels has said that while living in a New Orleans house that she thought to be haunted, spirits attacked her boyfriend and held him underwater. Daniels told jurors that some indications of paranormal activity at the house were later attributed to a giant opossum.” You can read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/stormy-daniels-testimony-hush-money-trial-7edc4ed5?mod=hp_lead_pos4 4:25pm- Rich foolishly clicks a link on Stormy Daniels's social media page—his computer probably has a virus now… 4:35pm- Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss President Joe Biden withholding Congressionally appropriated military assistance to Israel. In response, Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL) introduced articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives on Friday—citing an “abuse of power.” Dr. Coates is the author of “David's Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art.” You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Sling-History-Democracy-Works/dp/1594037213. 4:55pm- Rich reads hilarious social media messages but runs out of time for the segment.

Did President Biden commit an impeachable offense by halting Congressionally-approved arms shipments to Israel? Ron DeSantis goes to a pro-Palestine encampment and absolutely SCHOOLS them. Maine Governor Mills signed an executive order to make the construction industry more inclusive for women, and Dana thinks it's a bad idea. Kristi Noem cancels the rest of her media appearances. The DOJ tampered with evidence in Trump's classified documents case. Disney's Star War series introduces a non-binary character. The White House dodges questions about hostage negotiations and Kathy Hochul's racist comments.Please visit our great sponsors:Black Rifle Coffeehttps://blackriflecoffee.com/danaUse code DANA to save 20% on your next order.  Goldcohttps://danalikesgold.comGet your free Gold Kit from GoldCo today.Hillsdale Collegehttps://danaforhillsdale.comVisit today to hear a Constitution Minute and sign up for Hillsdales FREE Imprimis publication.KelTechttps://KelTecWeapons.comSign up for the KelTec Insider and be the first to know the latest KelTec news.Patriot Mobilehttps://patriotmobile.com/danaGet free activation with code Dana.ReadyWise https://readywise.comUse promo code Dana20 to save 20% on any regularly priced item.The Wellness Companyhttps://twc.health/danaGet 15% off with promo code DANA.

Presidents do not have the power to dispense with statutes. Today, the New Civil Liberties Alliance filed an amicus curiae brief emphasizing that point and urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in Murphy Company v. Biden. In this case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a presidential proclamation that contradicts Congressionally-mandated land use in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The withdrawal of lawful land use in this monument designation is part of a legally disturbing trend: for the last 25 years, presidents of both parties have been exceeding their constitutional authority to designate monuments and inappropriately dispensing with statutes passed by Congress. Mark, Vec and Zhonette talk about NCLA's amicus brief in Murphy Company v. Biden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

December is busy season in a Congress that has done nothing all year. In this bonus episode - which features Congressional Dish host Jen Briney as a guest on the December 1st episode of Politics, Politics, Politics with Justin Robert Young - we take a look at what we expect in Congress during the final month of a Congressionally chaotic year. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via  Support Congressional Dish via  (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to:  Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!   Listen to the full December 1 episode of Politics, Politics, Politics  

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by CSIS's Director of Congressional Affairs, Elizabeth Hoffman, to discuss their takeaways from the recent Congressional staff delegation they led to Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova, and the importance of decision-makers to witness the impact of Congressionally appropriated aid to the war effort. 

Congressman Jack Bergman is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st congressional district since 2017. 1.)  The oversight task force - reevaluation of the legality of the Biden Administration's withholding of congressionally appropriated funds for southwest border wall 2.)  appropriations for Michigan

For the past 40 years, Tom Ramos has been a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). For the past few years Tom has been conducting research and writing a history of the early years of the Cold War, and the nuclear weapons program of LLNL. Through interviews with historical figures and with extensive research into top secret archives, he has brought out new perspectives of the Cold War that have been little understood until now. His efforts were rewarded with the publication of his book, From Berkeley to Berlin.Tom created several programs in the 1990s that served the Defense Department. Most notable among them, starting with a $200K grant, Tom created the Counterproliferation Analysis and Planning System (CAPS), which helped military operators analyze facilities manufacturing weapons of mass destruction in hostile countries. The program grew into a $46M a year enterprise and was declared to be the Defense Department's premier counterproliferation program by Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Another significant program that Tom started was the Homeland Defense Operational Planning System (HOPS), a program like CAPS, but steered towards analyses to protect America's critical infrastructure.In the 1980's Tom was a nuclear weapons designer in the Laboratory's X-Ray Laser Program, which supported President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. In the program's last nuclear test, Tom led a team of physicists who designed the program's brightest laser. In the late 1980s Tom joined a committee helping to prepare the government for START negotiations and he prepared a daily summary sheet for the Secretary of Energy to use at NSC meetings on the resumption of START Talks. Later Tom was assigned to the Pentagon as the legislative affairs officer for the Congressionally mandated Nuclear Weapons Council. Tom's duties included preparing the Council for Congressional hearings.Prior to joining the Laboratory, and after graduating from West Point and MIT, Tom served as a combat engineer and was later an associate professor of physics at West Point, New York, where he taught each of the physics department's core courses, as well as electives in Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.orgSubscribe to NucleCast podcastRate the show

For the past 40 years, Tom Ramos has been a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). For the past few years Tom has been conducting research and writing a history of the early years of the Cold War, and the nuclear weapons program of LLNL. Through interviews with historical figures and with extensive research into top secret archives, he has brought out new perspectives of the Cold War that have been little understood until now. His efforts were rewarded with the publication of his book, From Berkeley to Berlin.Tom created several programs in the 1990s that served the Defense Department. Most notable among them, starting with a $200K grant, Tom created the Counterproliferation Analysis and Planning System (CAPS), which helped military operators analyze facilities manufacturing weapons of mass destruction in hostile countries. The program grew into a $46M a year enterprise and was declared to be the Defense Department's premier counterproliferation program by Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Another significant program that Tom started was the Homeland Defense Operational Planning System (HOPS), a program like CAPS, but steered towards analyses to protect America's critical infrastructure.In the 1980's Tom was a nuclear weapons designer in the Laboratory's X-Ray Laser Program, which supported President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. In the program's last nuclear test, Tom led a team of physicists who designed the program's brightest laser. In the late 1980s Tom joined a committee helping to prepare the government for START negotiations and he prepared a daily summary sheet for the Secretary of Energy to use at NSC meetings on the resumption of START Talks. Later Tom was assigned to the Pentagon as the legislative affairs officer for the Congressionally mandated Nuclear Weapons Council. Tom's duties included preparing the Council for Congressional hearings.Prior to joining the Laboratory, and after graduating from West Point and MIT, Tom served as a combat engineer and was later an associate professor of physics at West Point, New York, where he taught each of the physics department's core courses, as well as electives in Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.orgSubscribe to NucleCast podcastRate the show

SEASON 2 EPISODE 27: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:43) SPECIAL COMMENT: Uh-oh. Somebody told Trump about the 14th Amendment and he's terrified And we know who terrified him. The Wall Street Journal published a 900-word editorial exactly 77 minutes before Trump's post and it is aptly titled “The 14th Amendment Trump Panic” because while the Journal usually has the confidence and arrogance and factuality of Marie Antoinette apocryphally talking about dessert, this time the lead fascists Chez Murdoch sound really scared. They have resorted to the argument that even if the 14thAmendment doesn't JUST apply to people who literally fired a gun at the flag or those who instructed them to, it can't apply to January 6th because January 6th wasn't a REAL insurrection because… uh… it didn't SUCCEED. 14-3 advocates are quote “willing to put democracy at risk in order to save it. But U-S institutions held up reasonably well despite the strains of the Trump Presidency, even the events of January 6. The transfer of power took place on schedule…the rioters and organizers are being punished, often severely…” In other words: whaddya mean ATTEMPTED murder? What kind of crime is THAT? Either there's murder, and you go to jail, or there isn't murder, and you go free. Am I right? Trump bleated about socialists and democrats and election interference and who will get to tell him? The Disqualification clause was in essence created to keep the Vice President of the confederacy out of the Senate. After he won. As a DEMOCRAT. In 1866. And Alexander Stephens had been convicted of NOTHING. He was arrested for treason on May 11th, 1865, released from prison in October without even going to trial. In 1919, 14/3 was used to keep a Congressman-Elect, Victor Berger of Wisconsin – literally an actual member of the Socialist party – out of the House because he had been convicted of violating the Espionage Act during the 1st World War because he opposed U-S entry into it. And just last year local New Mexico official Cuoy Griffin was bounced by 14/3 after nothing more than a misdemeanor conviction for trespassing. The point of course is that Stephens was kept out even though he was never convicted of anything, never even TRIED for anything, and he was readmitted only after a Congressionally-approved amnesty. Trump doesn't understand these nuances but like the wild animal he is he can smell fear, and there's nothing but fear in the WSJ editorial. Press the point. Plus we knew Mark Meadows had confessed to the Georgia judge last week while trying to get his trial moved to Federal Court. We had no idea how MUCH he had confessed, and how screwed he is, and how his only option may be to cut a deal with Fani Willis. B-Block (20:27) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: All is finally well at CNN where the new guy starts in one month and four days and controversy is a thing of the past and what do you mean at the BBC he once leaned over to a news editor and BIT HIM ON THE ARM HARD ENOUGH TO LEAVE MARKS THROUGH HIS SHIRT? (26:26) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Matt Schlapp conducts an exorcism...in his PANTS! The Philadelphia cemetery that has a memorial to...Nazi collaborators? And segueing perfectly: After pimping for the hashtag "Ban The ADL," Elon Musk insists he's opposed to all forms of anti-semitism and then explains that the main Jewish organization fighting anti-semitism, The Anti-Defamation League, has conspired to destroy advertising on twitter and he's suing them and if Musk ain't an antisemite it's an incredible simulation. C-Block (33:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: The school year has begun at every level and inevitably I flash back to the day my legendary Cornell American history professor nearly failed all of us in his class because his favorite football team lost.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few people know the innards of Defense department finance, as well as Bob Hale. He was comptroller and chief financial officer. He was an assistant Air Force secretary for financial management. And he spent a dozen years at the Congressional Budget Office, heading its defense group. Among his current gigs: Chairman of the Congressionally-chartered commission examining DoD's Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process. In this exclusive extended interview, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin, talks with PPBE Chairman Bob Hale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: A progress report from the chairman of a Defense management reform commission. An exclusive two-part interview with PPBE Chairman, Bob Hale. PPBE is the Congressionally-chartered commission examining the DoD's Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution process. The outlook for Capitol Hill as the Senate, anyway, returns to Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: A progress report from the chairman of a Defense management reform commission. An exclusive two-part interview with PPBE Chairman, Bob Hale. PPBE is the Congressionally-chartered commission examining the DoD's Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution process. The outlook for Capitol Hill as the Senate, anyway, returns to Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few people know the innards of Defense department finance, as well as Bob Hale. He was comptroller and chief financial officer. He was an assistant Air Force secretary for financial management. And he spent a dozen years at the Congressional Budget Office, heading its defense group. Among his current gigs: Chairman of the Congressionally-chartered commission examining DoD's Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process. In this exclusive extended interview, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin, talks with PPBE Chairman Bob Hale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raphael "Rafi" Cohen is the director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE, and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He works on a broad range of defense and foreign policy issues, including defense strategy and force planning, Middle East and European security and civil-military relations.Cohen previously held research fellowships at the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute and the National Defense University's Center for Complex Operations. He has written for a variety of forums, including the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, War on the Rocks, Lawfare, The Hill, The National Interest and other publications. He also served as a staffer on the Congressionally-appointed 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission and is now the deputy executive director of the 2023 National Defense Strategy Commission.A military intelligence branched lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, Cohen has held a variety of command and staff positions in both the active and reserve components, including during two combat tours in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008. He holds B.A. magna cum laude in government from Harvard University and an M.A. in security studies and Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.orgSubscribe to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Renee Landers is a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She teaches Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Health Law, and Privacy Law, among other academic pursuits. She also has served in a number of other impressive positions, including a term as President of the Boston Bar Association and another as Chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice. Among her many volunteer activities, Professor Landers has played and continues to play a significant role in the area of judicial ethics in her home state of Massachusetts. And, perhaps most important, she happens to be a great role model for aspiring lawyers. I've known Professor Landers for a number of years and could think of no one I'd rather talk with about some of the most significant decisions issued by the United States Supreme Court in the final weeks before its summer recess, and about the current controversy over whether the Justices should be bound by Congressionally-imposed rules of judicial conduct, as are all other federal judges. I learned a lot from the conversation and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. 

(6/23/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The House Armed Services Committee sends an $874 billion defense bill to the House floor. The GAO says the military health care system still needs to complete Congressionally-mandated reforms. And the Senior Executives Association has a new president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(6/23/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The House Armed Services Committee sends an $874 billion defense bill to the House floor. The GAO says the military health care system still needs to complete Congressionally-mandated reforms. And the Senior Executives Association has a new president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jenenne Whitfield became president of The Heidelberg Project in 2017. Under her direction, The Heidelberg Project (founded by Tyree Guyton) has risen to international prominence and is currently recognized as one of the most influential art environments in the world. Her leadership and commitment have enabled the project to extend its reach by participating in joint projects with museums, universities and other organizations throughout the world. Together, Whitfield and Guyton coined and trademarked the idiom, Heidelberg-ology, defined as the study of discarded materials incorporated into the fabric and structure of an urban community and the effects on that community. Under Whitfield's leadership, the work of the HP spans six continents and has collected over 27 awards, locally, nationally and internationally.In addition to her role as executive director of The Heidelberg Project, Whitfield lectures regularly, has taught courses at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan on art as a social practice, and serves as a mentor to the next generation of art thinkers and activists.  She is also co-founder of a new art collective in Detroit called United Artists of Detroit (UAD).​Rebecca Alban Hoffberger stated: “From idea to sustained fruition, the American Visionary Art Museum has occupied more than half my life. Without reservation, and with unanimous AVAM Board and staff accord, I have the utmost peace and joy in our rightful selection of Jenenne Whitfield as my successor.”About the AVAMThe American Visionary Art Museum—a Congressionally-designated national museum and education center dedicated to showcasing intuitive, self-taught artistry and thought—welcomes only its second director in its 30+-year history with the appointment of Jenenne Whitfield by the Board of Directors to succeed Founder, Director and Primary Curator Rebecca Alban Hoffberger.  Ms. Whitfield was previously the President & CEO of The Heidelberg Project and worked with the Detroit-based outdoor artistic organization for 28 years. Ms. Whitfield formally takes-up her new role with AVAM in September, 2022.Interview conducted in October 2022.The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture. To find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory. Stay in TouchNewsletter sign-upSupport my podcastShareable link to episodeThis season of The Truth in This Art podcast is generously supported by The Gutierrez Memorial Fund and The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation invests in innovative people, projects, and ideas that improve the quality of life in Baltimore and beyond. The Gutierrez Memorial Fund was established in the spring of 2010, to honor the life of artist, visionary and community leader, John K. Gutierrez. The Gutierrez Memorial Fund is committed to supporting arts organizations and individual artists who are residents of Maryland and whose programs or projects serve Maryland communities.  Thank you to both of these foundations for their support and making this season possible. ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s estimated that the U.S. government will hit the Congressionally-mandated debt ceiling today, meaning it will have to find ways to shuffle funds around until Congress raises the limit. Lawmakers are gearing up for a protracted fight on Capitol Hill. Recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that inflation is hitting low-income households, especially those that are Black and Latino, the hardest. And, amid unease following the collapse of FTX, crypto miners are being squeezed by high energy costs and lower prices for cryptocurrencies.

It’s estimated that the U.S. government will hit the Congressionally-mandated debt ceiling today, meaning it will have to find ways to shuffle funds around until Congress raises the limit. Lawmakers are gearing up for a protracted fight on Capitol Hill. Recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that inflation is hitting low-income households, especially those that are Black and Latino, the hardest. And, amid unease following the collapse of FTX, crypto miners are being squeezed by high energy costs and lower prices for cryptocurrencies.

We are super excited today to be joined by the chief strategy officer of CMS Innovation Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Purva Rawal. Purva will be sharing a bit about CMS, the agency's priority to drive innovation that tackles the health systems challenges, and Purva's role at CMS. About CMS In order to find ways to raise healthcare quality while lowering costs for the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programmes, Congress established the CMS Innovation Center in 2010. In response to this challenge, the CMS Innovation Center has sped up the transition from a healthcare system that pays for volume to one that pays for value through its models, projects, and Congressionally mandated demonstrations.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center, also known as “CMMI,” develops and tests new healthcare payment and service delivery models to:1. Improve patient care.2. Lower costs.3. Better align payment systems to promote patient-centered practices.Learn more about Purva Rawal:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/purva-rawal-9a49a21/Learn more about CMS: Website: https://innovation.cms.gov/about Learn more about Previva Health Group:Website: https://previva.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/previva-health-group/

I open today with more discussion over how the Legacy/mainstream media is handling the information dump from Twitter regarding the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story. As Mollie Hemingway states, "It's terrifying how much the Left disdains free speech." Yet, for all the effort it took, they are now having to deal with the story, conveniently after the midterm elections. What's interesting is seeing how they are starting to approach Elon Musk's release of The Twitter Files. It seems they are trying to make it sound like old news, hardly worth covering. In fact, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre used those very words, calling it "old news" as if the laptop story had always been accepted as real and is so far in the past it's no longer worth discussion. Others in the media seem to be trying to make this about the embarrassing Hunter Biden selfies, as if that's the only information on the harddrive. So, let's go back in time to when the story broke in October of 2020. The big headline wasn't about nude pics or crack pipes or human trafficking. The first story was about emails from Hunter Biden leveraging connections with his father to boost his payments from Burisma – the Ukrainian natural gas company. It was about the pay-to-play scheme that has made the Biden Crime Family quite wealthy. That's the content the Legacy/mainstream media wants to suppress. That's the content they want you to believe has already been litigated and there is nothing to see. But when we look at the emails about Burisma and leveraging then VP Joe Biden for influence, we have to then look at Joe Biden's comments at a Foreign Affairs Issue Launch held on January 23, 2018. In that meeting, Biden explained how he demanded a quid pro quo from Ukraine before the U.S. would release a Congressionally authorized payment for $1 billion dollars. The favor was for Ukraine to fire a prosecutor looking at corruption at Burisma, the very same natural gas company where Hunter was being paid $50,000/month to be a board member. See how the pieces are all coming together. Now, many of us already knew this and have for two years. But, now the Legacy/mainstream media is going to have to deal with it. And, as they usually do, will attempt to recast and shape the narrative to best protect the Left and Joe Biden. Finally, we turn to Axios to see how they are playing their part already in trying to redefine the New Media. The internet allowed for citizen journalism, where anyone could post content, via written, oral or visual mediums. This was an instant threat to the Legacy/mainstream media because they were faster, more accurate and not beholden to corporate overlords. The Left accuses the New Media of being dangerous because there were no editors or standards in place, but I think we can see which "media' entity has produced more truth rather than propaganda. The old guard is in a fight to retain their dominance, while Elon Musk is proving to be a much bigger thorn in their side then they would like. Take a moment to rate and review the show and then share the episode on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, GETTR and TRUTH Social by searching for The Alan Sanders Show. You can also support the show by visiting my Patreon page!

Doug Lindsay has spent the last two decades investigating and tackling rare, complicated medical conditions – first in himself and his family and now through his Personal Medical Consultant service. An innovator, Doug partners with clients and experts to make new things happen. He works to get clients who are stuck in the medical system unstuck. To aid him in his work, he strives to understand healthcare from all levels of organization, from the individual to health systems, public health, and global health. Doug's dogged, indefatigable ability to chase down answers to an individual's complex problems makes him a special asset as a teammate and Personal Medical Consultant. In addition to his Personal Medical Consultant service, Doug Lindsay • Co-chairs PCORI's Congressionally-mandated Rare Disease Advisory Panel (RDAP) • Co-chairs Washington University School of Medicine's Community Advisory Board for the Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences and the Institute for Public Health (ICTS & IPH). • Is Community Advisory Board member for the National Institutes of Health's ACTIV-1 IM trial. (ACTIV is the US government's public/private/nonprofit collaboration for Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutics and Vaccines research.) • Is member of the National Institutes of Health's ten-person ACTIV COVID Biospecimen Prioritization Committee. (NIH) • Is member of Academy Health's Global Health Interest Group. • TEDx talk Operation: Adrenal Gland can be found at TED.com • Was speaker in the panel kicking off Academy Health's Datapalooza, 2019 • Has twice been an ePatient Scholar at Stanford Medicine X (2017, 2019) • Appeared on The Dr. OZ Show in fall 2019 as example of The Power of 1 (to make a difference). • Was the first patient invited to give a fireside chat for the Health Management Academy, which hosts C-Suite education conferences for the nation's 100 biggest hospital systems, 2017. • Co-chaired aviation humanitarian nonprofit Wings of Hope's “Taste of Hope” fundraiser • Has been keynote speaker for national organizations like AHIMA, for healthcare conferences like the Society for Participatory Medicine, and at internal corporate events for firms like Pfizer. • Graduated with honors from Rockhurst University's Honors College with a BS in biology in 2016. • CNN online feature “This college dropout was bedridden for 11 years. Then he invented a surgery and cured himself” on his story was the #3 article globally across all media platforms for all of 2019 for time readers spent reading it.

Guest Page Fast links to Items: Richard  –  Michael Fast links to Bios:   Michael  –     Support The Other Side of Midnight! UFOs Over Ukraine: Exploring a MUCH Bigger Picture …. On Halloween, 2022 — after almost three-quarters of a century of deliberate, wide-spread and persistent government obfuscation of The Most Important Issue of All Time — “Are We Alone” — we could finally be witness to “the Beginning of the Endgame … Official Government Disclosure.” For that is the date — October 31, 2022 — of a Congressionally-mandated deadline for the “Gillibrand-Rubio Amendment” to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Authored by two US senators, one Democrat and one Republican — Kirsten Gillibrand and Marco Rubio — the “Gillibrand-Rubio Amendment” mandates, within five weeks of tonight (!), the first sweeping taxpayer Report on UAPs (UFOs!) ever demanded of the government by Congress — covering EVERYTHING … from “further annual [...]

It's a packed podcast addressing a long list of developments, especially the recent article by Lue Elizondo entitled "UFOlogy Must Die." They're not going that far, but Ross and Bryce do understand Lue's frustration with UFO Twitter and the out-sized outrage over every tiny scrap of something - or nothing. Also: disappointment at the Navy's refusal to release some videos; will the upcoming Congressionally-mandated regular UAP report contain an "October Surprise?" And Bryce updates the hunt for that infamous formula he received from a mysterious visitor more than a quarter-century ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Marshall's life story is like one that we see in movies. From a childhood filled with visiting food banks and relying on charity, she served in the military until she found herself walking the red carpets of Hollywood.    Jennifer reveals that the difficulties and pain of growing up in poverty led her to pursue acting to fulfill a need and a purpose. "The trauma I had accrued as a child, and a young adult was not a downfall for me. It was something that I could choose to lament and say; this was terrible. Of course, these things happened. But I saw it as an opportunity to tap into emotions, create beautiful art, and heal myself from the inside out."   Come along on our conversation to learn how to turn your life struggles into learning points to grow and thrive.   Join me in this episode of Someone Gets Me —Inner Inspiration that Drives You with Jennifer Marshall ▶️   Key point covered in this episode:    ✔️The power of persistence. Jennifer entered showbiz knowing she was not the youngest, prettiest, most talented, or wealthiest well-connected actress. As a Navy Veteran, she brought a terrific worth ethic and discipline, outworking many others.   ✔️The longer you lament about how hard it will be, the more you will be behind the other people in the buffet of life. Jennifer's journey navigating trauma and abuse taught her to turn her pain into power. She emphasizes the power of self-belief, integrity, and hard work in her transformation from victim to survivor.    ✔️The ultimate gift of all the discord and pain we go through is when it can finally be transmuted into something beautiful. It takes time and active effort for every person to come to peace with the past and appreciate the gifts that life's big tragedies have provided. A transformation is powerful after overcoming great adversity and crafting a beautiful path for yourself.    ✔️If it's your calling, it will hunt you down and never leave you alone.  There's a difference between what you can do and what you're called to do. Your soul purpose will keep following you around until you acknowledge it and will keep knocking on the door until you open yourself to embrace it.    What dreams keep tugging at you that you are running away from?   Jennifer Marshall is a proud Navy veteran and vocal advocate for the military veteran community. You may know her as the host of Mysteries Decoded on the CW (yes, she really is a licensed Private Investigator) or as Max's mom on Netflix's hit, Stranger Things. Other shows she's appeared on include NCIS, Hawaii Five-0, and Nickelodeon's Game Shakers, to name a few.   Jennifer graduated Magna Cum Laude from Virginia Wesleyan University with a double major in International Politics and Spanish and a minor in History. Jennifer received her graduate degree from American Military University in Administration of Justice, graduating with a 3.994 GPA.    As a proud Navy veteran, Jennifer volunteers in her community by mentoring other veterans looking to enter film and television. She also helps deliver food to homebound seniors through the local senior center. She raises funds for the award-winning and Congressionally recognized non-profit Pin-Ups for Vets to donate much-needed rehab equipment for our nation's veterans. Jennifer believes in the power of volunteerism and giving back to the community.    Jennifer Marshall Biography, IMDB 21 June 2022 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1351148/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm   Connect with Jennifer  Website: www.jennifermarshall.com  LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-marshall-190b9a37/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ActressJenniferMarshall/ YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oUO29hTl2Y Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenn13jenn13   ———————————————————————————————— How to Connect with Dianne A. Allen You have a vision inside to create something bigger than you. What you need is a community and a mentor. The Someone Gets Me Experience could be that perfect solution to bringing your heart's desire into reality. You will grow, transform and connect. https://msdianneallen.com/someone-gets-me-experience/ Join our Facebook Group Someone Gets Me: https://www.facebook.com/groups/someonegetsme. Follow Dianne's Facebook Page: Dianne A. Allen: https://www.facebook.com/msdianneallen. Email contact: dianne@visionsapplied.com Dianne's Mentoring Services: https://msdianneallen.com Website: https://www.visionsapplied.com Be sure to take a second and subscribe to the show and share it with anyone you think will benefit. Until next time, remember the world needs your unique gift, let your light shine.

25 [3/3] - John J. Hammerer - The World of Combat Systems The Trident Room Podcast host Marcus Antonellis sits down with John J Hammerer – they discuss the real-world challenges of air and missile defense and the initiation of The Meyer Scholar Program. This episode was recorded on April 23, 2021. John Hammerer is the Chair, Integrated Air and Missile Defense at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Previously he served as a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, the Navy's Federally Funded Research and Development Center where his principal areas of research included combat systems development and operational warfighting assessment. Prior to joining the Center for Naval Analyses, he was a defense consultant to the AEGIS and New Construction Ships Branch in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense Program Office. In this capacity he was a member of several study groups including the Congressionally mandated BMDS Training and Education Needs Assessment and the DDG-1000 Combat System Activation Readiness Assessment. John's eight shipboard assignments, included duty as the commissioning Commanding Officer of USS Paul Hamilton and command of USS Lake Erie, conducting the first ballistic missile intercepts in space from a ship at sea. Ashore, he served as the Commander of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's Joint National Test Facility, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency's Initial Defensive Operations Task Force and Program Manager of the Ground Based Midcourse Defense Fire Control and Communications System. He also led the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's Joint Force and Test and Evaluation of Battle Management Command, Control, and Communications, and Intelligence Directorate. John was the Surface and Strike Warfare Officer in Combat System Engineering Branch of the AEGIS Program Office's Technical Division. Prior to reporting to the Naval Postgraduate School, he was an adjunct professor of Joint Maritime Operations at the U.S. Naval War College. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Science degree in Physics from the U.S Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He was certified as a Joint Specialty Officer and Acquisition Professional Level III in Program Management. The Trident Room Podcast is brought to you by the Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association and the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation. npsfoundation.org For comments, suggestions, and critiques, please email us at TridentRoomPodcastHost@nps.edu, and find us online at nps.edu/tridentroompodcast. Thank you!