Podcast appearances and mentions of Darrell M West

Congress has not passed many bills on the emerging digital economy. But that does not mean nothing is happening policy-wise. At the state level, there were 238 new pieces of regulatory legislation, according to a new report from New York University. That is a 163 percent increase over 2023. New laws cover AI, non-consensual sexual imagery, political deepfakes, and copyright protection, among other topics. Joining us today is one of the authors of that report. Scott Brennen is the director of the NYU Center on Technology Policy. Darrell M. West and he will discuss why state lawmaking has accelerated and areas such as AI, non-consensual sexual imagery, political deepfakes, and copyright protection where bills have passed. They also will consider the state outlook for 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 23, 2024 ~ Darrell M West, Senior Fellow Center for Technology Innovation, Douglas Dillion Chair in Governmental Studies at the Brookings Institution discusses navigating disinformation this election season.

Artificial intelligence has become a common weapon in political information warfare. The Morning Dispatch reporter, Grayson Logue, is joined by Darrell M. West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the co-editor-in-chief of TechTank, to explain the unique threat that A.I. poses. -West's profile at Brookings -TechTank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the TechTank podcast, co-host Darrell M. West explores potential paths forward in thesafety of kids online with Matt Perault, a professor at UNC's School of Information and Library Science,and Scott Brennen, the head of online expression policy at UNC's Center on Technology Policy. As co-authors of the report "Keeping Kids Safe Online: How Should Policymakers Approach Age Verification",both scholars will discuss current methods for age verification, consider the key trade-offs for each, andshare informed recommendations for policymakers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the TechTank podcast, co-host Darrell M. West engages in an enlighteningconversation with Dr. Camille Busette, the interim Vice President of Governance Studies at theBrookings Institution, and Dr. Andre Perry, a senior fellow in the Metro program and Director ofthe Valuing Black Assets Initiative. As project co-leads, these esteemed researchers will sharetheir plans for the new Center and why they believe it will help us address issues of racial equityand justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darrell M. West is a senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies program and a co-editor-in-chief of TechTank. West is the former vice president and director of Governance Studies. His current research focuses on artificial intelligence, robotics, and the future of work. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/out-of-the-blank/support

American Ideologies and Trumpism | “Trumpism'' has emerged as a powerful force in American political ideology since the 2016 election. It is characterized by a philosophy that leans heavily on populism, ultra-nationalism, and religious fundamentalism – all part of the platform that bolstered Former President Donald Trump throughout his administration and beyond. However, if Donald Trump were to disappear tomorrow, the forces that brought him to power would still very much be at play in the hearts and minds of American conservatives, explains our latest guest. Darrell M. West is the Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, as well as the author of Power Politics: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy. In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, he joins host Andrew Keen to discuss how Trumpism came to be, and how it is influencing the structures of American democracy.

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Darrell M. West, author of Power Politics: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy. Darrell M. West is vice president of the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Divided Politics, Divided Nation: Hyperconflict in the Trump Era. West lives in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the recent Supreme Court decisions, there is talk in California of succeeding from the United States and becoming its own country.  For more, news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with KCBS Radio's Doug Sovern and Darrell M. West, the vice president and director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and an expert on succession. 

Weekly roundup for January 15, 2022 The mainstream media is finally catching up to what many of us in the California independence movement have been saying for years. NOTES: THE CONSTITUTION ISN'T WORKING -- AMERICA IS BROKEN 1. "The Constitution isn't working", by John Kenneth White, The Hill, December 28, 2021; https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/587431-the-constitution-isnt-working 2. "Republicans Are Moving Rapidly to Cement Minority Rule. Blame the Constitution", by Corey Robin, Politico, January 5, 2022; https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/05/democracy-january-6-coup-constitution-526512 3. "It's Time to Amend the Constitution", by Sarah Isgur, Politico, January 8, 2022; https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/08/scalia-was-right-make-amending-the-constitution-easier-526780 4. "Our constitutional crisis is already here", by Robert Kagan, Washington Post, September 23, 2021; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/23/robert-kagan-constitutional-crisis FASCISM 5. "America is now in fascism's legal phase", by Jason Stanley, The Guardian, December 22, 2021; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/america-fascism-legal-phase 6. "If America really surrenders to fascism, then what? Painful questions lie ahead", by Chauncey DeVega, Salon, December 2, 2021; https://www.salon.com/2021/12/02/if-america-really-surrenders-to-fascism-then-what-painful-questions-lie-ahead 7. "Timothy Snyder warned us fascism was coming — now he says we can survive it", by Chauncey DeVega, Salon, October 14, 2021; https://www.salon.com/2021/10/14/timothy-snyder-warned-us-fascism-was-coming--now-he-says-we-can-survive-it 8. "If you're not scared about American fascism, you're not paying attention", by Mehdi Hasan, MSNBC, October 31, 2021; https://www.msnbc.com/mehdi-hasan/watch/if-you-re-not-scared-about-american-fascism-you-re-not-paying-attention-125063237821 9. "We Surveyed Experts on Democracy. They're Worried About the U.S. Turning Even More Authoritarian", The New Republic, December 31, 2021; https://newrepublic.com/article/164849/democracy-watch-authoritarian-sherrilyn-ifill-mehdi-hasan-aziz-huq-rachel-kleinfeld 10. "American fascism is still rising. What are you going to do about it, California?", San Francisco Chronicle, January 1, 2022; https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-American-fascism-is-still-rising-What-16739948.php?fbclid=IwAR3HlQ8vQAVAYmTGxVkSmMkJxL8jW8Byx4g0yw2q4pKLdBsyzp_VsXFRXOs 11. "The American polity is cracked, and might collapse. Canada must prepare", by Thomas Homer-Dixon, Globe and Mail, December 31, 2021; https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-american-polity-is-cracked-and-might-collapse-canada-must-prepare SECESSION / INDEPENDENCE / DISSOLUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 12. "Secession might seem like the lesser of two evils. It's also the less likely", by Stephen Marche, Washington Post, December 31, 2021; https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/12/31/secession-civil-war-stephen-marche 13. "Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz and the dangerous rhetoric of a national divorce", by Jennifer Graham, Deseret News, December 30, 2021; https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2021/12/30/22859964/marjorie-taylor-greene-ted-cruz-and-the-dangerous-rhetoric-of-a-national-divorce-texit-secession 14. "How seriously should we take talk of US state secession?", by William G. Gale and Darrell M. West, Brookings, December 13, 2021; https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/12/13/how-seriously-should-we-take-talk-of-us-state-secession 15. "America: Love It Or Leave It", by Kaia Hubbard, US News and World Report, November 5, 2021; https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2021-11-05/americans-eye-secession-amid-intractable-partisan-disputes 16. "What would it look like if New Hampshire actually seceded from the U.S.?", NH Business Review, January 14, 2022; https://www.nhbr.com/what-would-it-look-like-if-new-hampshire-actually-seceded-from-the-u-s 17. "Ted Cruz says Texas should secede and 'take the military' if Democrats 'destroy the country'", Salon, November 9, 2021; https://www.salon.com/2021/11/09/ted-cruz-says-texas-should-secede-and-take-the-military-if-democrats-destroy-the-country CIVIL WAR AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY 18. "Democracy is declining in the U.S. but it's not all bad news, a report finds", NPR, December 1, 2021; https://www.npr.org/2021/12/01/1059896434/united-states-backsliding-democracy-donald-trump-january-6-capitol-attack 19. "3 retired generals: The military must prepare now for a 2024 insurrection", by Paul D. Eaton, Antonio M. Taguba and Steven M. Anderson, Washington Post, December 17, 2021; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/17/eaton-taguba-anderson-generals-military 20. "The Coming Coup: How Republicans Are Laying the Groundwork to Steal Future Elections", by Ari Berman, Mother Jones, January 13, 2022; https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/01/how-republicans-are-taking-over-election-system-big-lie 21. "Why An Expert In Political Violence Is Worried About Civil War In The U.S.", FiveThirtyEight podcast, January 13, 2022; https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/why-an-expert-in-political-violence-is-worried-about-civil-war-in-the-u-s 22. "Are We Doomed?", by George Packer, The Atlantic, December 6, 2021; https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/imagine-death-american-democracy-trump-insurrection/620841 23. "We Need to Think the Unthinkable About Our Country", by Jonathan Stevenson and Steven Simon, New York Times, January 13, 2022; https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/opinion/january-6-civil-war.html 24. "Refusal to abide by the results of elections threatens the stability of the US more than at any time since 1860", by Michael Burlingame, Boston Globe, January 1, 2022; https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/01/opinion/refusal-abide-by-results-elections-threatens-stability-us-more-than-any-time-since-1860 25. "Is America heading to civil war or secession?", CNN, January 8, 2022; https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/is-america-heading-to-civil-war-or-secession/vi-AASziTy 26. "How does this end?", by Zack Beauchamp, Vox, January 3, 2022; https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22814025/democracy-trump-january-6-capitol-riot-election-violence MUSIC CREDIT: "Angry Bass Line", by Adigold; elements.envato.com IMAGE CREDIT: "American protesters in front of White House-11", Tasnim News Agency, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_protesters_in_front_of_White_House-11.jpg

How do we weigh the benefits of artificial intelligence with its potential harm? In Turning Point, Darrell West outlines a policy blueprint to maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides of AI. As AI becomes increasingly an unavoidable part of our lives, West breaks down the uses of AI, how it actually works, and how “the transformative technology of our time” causes economic disruptions. Near-term policy decisions may be the deciding factor in where this revolutionary technology leads to utopia or dystopia. Darrell West is the vice president and director of governance studies at Brookings Institution. He is the Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank and the director of the John Hazen White Manufacturing Initiative. His article “E-Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen Attitudes” was named one of the 75 most influential articles since 1940 by the Public Administration Review in 2014. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate

With every year, artificial intelligence becomes increasingly advanced. Innovators are creating and refining applications for AI in industries ranging from health care to transportation. Many economists are optimistic about this developing technology, viewing it as a means of finally escaping the disappointing productivity growth of the past few decades. Other observers are concerned, anticipating massive job loss and disruption. So today's interview with Darrell M. West explores the impending application of artificial intelligence in the economy, as well as the difficult public policy questions surrounding it. Darrell is the vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, where he is also a senior fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation. He is the co-author, along with John Allen, of https://www.amazon.com/Turning-Point-Policymaking-Artificial-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B084P8F951 (Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence).

Darrell West, an expert on artificial intelligence in the workplace, talks about the critical intersection America is facing and the public policy changes necessary to avoid mass suffering. Hosts Alan and Judson Pierce probe West on the future of work, with the increased use of automation and the continued growth of temporary and contract jobs. While part-time, temporary, and contract jobs can add flexibility and come at a low cost for employers, they often don’t come with key social benefits including retirement plans, disability insurance, and health insurance. Current public policy is based on a traditional model of long-term employment that no longer exists for many. And West asserts that America’s safety net is in dire need of a public policy overhaul that includes understanding and buy-in from the public. The three discuss the implications of Proposition 22, which California overwhelmingly approved that allows gig economy companies such as Uber to keep categorizing drivers as independent contractors. Darrell M. West is vice president and director of governance studies and holds the Douglas Dillon Chair at the Brookings Institution. Special thanks to our sponsor, PInow.

Darrell West, an expert on artificial intelligence in the workplace, talks about the critical intersection America is facing and the public policy changes necessary to avoid mass suffering. Hosts Alan and Judson Pierce probe West on the future of work, with the increased use of automation and the continued growth of temporary and contract jobs. While part-time, temporary, and contract jobs can add flexibility and come at a low cost for employers, they often don’t come with key social benefits including retirement plans, disability insurance, and health insurance. Current public policy is based on a traditional model of long-term employment that no longer exists for many. And West asserts that America’s safety net is in dire need of a public policy overhaul that includes understanding and buy-in from the public. The three discuss the implications of Proposition 22, which California overwhelmingly approved that allows gig economy companies such as Uber to keep categorizing drivers as independent contractors. Darrell M. West is vice president and director of governance studies and holds the Douglas Dillon Chair at the Brookings Institution. Special thanks to our sponsor, PInow.

With every year, artificial intelligence becomes increasingly advanced. Innovators are creating and refining applications for AI in industries ranging from health care to transportation. Many economists are optimistic about this developing technology, viewing it as a means of finally escaping the disappointing productivity growth of the past few decades. Other observers are concerned, anticipating massive […]

America's Place in the World *Chair: Professor Thomas Schwartz, Distinguished Professor of History, Vanderbilt University *General John Allen, President, Brookings; former Commander NATO International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan (Confirmed) *Dr. Jessica Tuchman Matthews, Ph.D., Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She served as Carnegie’s president for 18 years. (Confirmed) Thomas Schwartz Thomas Alan Schwartz is a historian of the foreign relations of the United States, with related interests in American politics, the history of international relations, Modern European history, and biography. His most recent book is Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography (Hill and Wang, 2020). The book has received considerable notice and acclaim. Harvard’s University’s Charles Maier has written: "Thomas Schwartz's superbly researched political biography reveals the brilliance, self-serving ego, and vulnerability of America's most remarkable diplomat in the twentieth century, even as it provides a history of U.S. engagement in global politics as it moved beyond bipolarity." John Allen John Rutherford Allen assumed the presidency of the Brookings Institution in November 2017, having most recently served as chair of security and strategy and a distinguished fellow in the Foreign Policy Program at Brookings. Allen is a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. He is the co-author of the book "Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" alongside co-author Darrell M. West (Brookings Press, 2020)” Allen served in two senior diplomatic roles following his retirement from the Marine Corps. First, for 15 months as senior advisor to the secretary of defense on Middle East Security, during which he led the security dialogue for the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. President Barack Obama then appointed Allen as special presidential envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, a position he held for 15 months. Allen’s diplomatic efforts grew the coalition to 65 members, effectively halting the expansion of ISIL. During his nearly four-decade military career, Allen served in a variety of command and staff positions in the Marine Corps and the Joint Force. He commanded 150,000 U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan from July 2011 to February 2013. Allen is the first Marine to command a theater of war. During his tenure as ISAF commander, he recovered the 33,000 U.S. surge forces, moved the Afghan National Security Forces into the lead for combat operations, and pivoted NATO forces from being a conventional combat force into an advisory command. Allen also participated in the Six Party Talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and played a major role in organizing the relief effort during the South Asian tsunami from 2004 to 2005. Allen was the Marine Corps fellow to the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the first Marine officer to serve as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where today he is a permanent member. Jessica Tuchman Matthews Jessica Tuchman Mathews is a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She served as Carnegie’s president for 18 years. Before her appointment in 1997, her career included posts in both the executive and legislative branches of government, in management and research in the nonprofit arena, and in journalism and science policy. She was director of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Washington program and a senior fellow from 1994 to 1997. While there she published her seminal 1997 Foreign Affairs article, “Power Shift,” chosen by the editors as one of the most influential in the journal’s seventy-five years. She holds a PhD in molecular biology from the California Institute of Technology and graduated magna cum laude from Radcliffe College.

America has often been a divided nation. Battles at our founding were often settled at 50 paces.The western ethos that is part of half of America fueled many of those divisions. Brother fought against brother in the civil war. The industrial revolution gave us riots, and death and violence. The cold war and fear of communism gave rise to whole careers and lives ruined just by accusation. The ’60s didn’t just produce great music but led to the death of students on the safety of a college campus. But, to use the often tired cliche of Wall Street, this time it’s different. Or at least so it seems. The divide today, fueled by social media, by 24/7 news cycles and the decline of faith in our basic institutions and fear of hyper-rapid and deep fundamental change has produced a kind of tribalism that undermines rather than reinforces all the central ideas of democracy and republican government. Darrell M. West vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution looks at all of this in Divided Politics, Divided Nation: Hyperconflict in the Trump Era. My conversation with Darrell West:

I interview the Brookings Institution's Darrell M. West about his new book Divided Politics, Divided Nation, which explores the exacerbation of America's culture wars during the Trump presidency, and offers suggestions on how both sides might better communicate with one another. For more about Darrell and his work, visit brookings.edu.  Theme music courtesy of Body Found. Follow American Freethought on the intertubes: Website: AmericanFreethought.com  Podcast Page: http://americanfreethought.libsyn.com  Twitter: @AMERFREETHOUGHT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21523473365/ Libsyn Classic Feed: https://americanfreethought.libsyn.com/rss Find out how to support the show here and here. Contact: john@americanfreethought.com

Darell West: AI, the Future of Work, and the Future of America (Ep. 137) Bio Darrell M. West (@darrwest) is the vice president and director of Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution and Editor-in-Chief of TechTank. His current research focuses on technology, mass media, campaigns and elections, and public sector innovation. Prior to coming to Brookings, West was the John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University. West is the author or co-author of 23 books including The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation(Brookings Institution Press, 2018), Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21st Century (Brookings Institution Press, 2016), Going Mobile: How Wireless Technology is Reshaping Our Lives (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust(Brookings Institution Press, 2014), Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education (Brookings, 2012), The Next Wave: Using Digital Technology to Further Social and Political Innovation (Brookings, 2011), Brain Gain: Rethinking U.S. Immigration Policy (Brookings, 2010), Digital Medicine: Health Care in the Internet Era (Brookings, 2009), Digital Government: Technology and Public Sector Performance, (Princeton University Press, 2005), Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns (Congressional Quarterly Press, 2005), Cross Talk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign(University of Chicago Press, 1996) The Sound of Money: How Political Interests Get What They Want (W. W. Norton, 1998), Biotechnology Policy Across National Boundaries (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), and Patrick Kennedy: The Rise to Power (Prentice-Hall, 2000), among others. He is the winner of the American Political Science Association’s Don K. Price award for best book on technology (for Digital Government) and the American Political Science Association’s Doris Graber award for best book on political communications (for Cross Talk). He has published more than three dozen scholarly articles in a wide range of academic journals. In 2014, he was honored by Public Administration Review for having written one of the 75 most influential articles since 1940. This was for his article “E-Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen Attitudes.” He has delivered many lectures in more than a dozen different countries around the world, including Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, China, Japan, Russia, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain, and the United States. He has been quoted in leading newspapers, radio stations, and national television networks around the world. The Center that he directs at Brookings examines a wide range of topics related to technology innovation including governance, democracy, and public sector innovation; health information technology; virtual education, and green technology. Its mission is to identify key developments in technology innovation, undertake cutting-edge research, disseminate best practices broadly, inform policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels about actions needed to improve innovation, and enhance the public’s and media’s understanding of technology innovation. Resources Inside Politics The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation (Brookings Institution Press, 2018) Brookings Center for Technology Innovation Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (HarperCollins, 2017) News Roundup Federal watchdog: FCC’s ORielly violated Hatch Act The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the federal ethics authority, warned Republican FCC Commission Mike O’Rielly that O’Rielly violated the Hatch Act, according to a letter it wrote to the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from using their official authority to influence or affect an election. At a panel discussion of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, O’Rielly stated ,“I think what we can do is make sure as conservatives that we elect good people to both the House, the Senate and make sure that President Trump gets reelected.” OSC did say, however, that merely appearing at the event was not a violation. Comcast aims for 21st Century Fox Comcast is preparing an all-cash $60 billion bid for 21st Century Fox, according to Reuters. This exceeds Disney’s current $52 billion proposal. But Comcast says it’ll wait for regulators to decide the fate of AT&T’s proposed takeover of Time Warner, before making a formal offer. Tensions mount between U.S. and China over Telecom/5G Tensions between the U.S. and China are beginning to mount over national security concerns related to Chinese telecommunications equipment, and the two countries’ race to lead the world in 5G. Cecilia Kang and Ana Swanson report in the New York Times that the White House is considering further restricting the sale of telecom equipment manufactured in China. The FCC and Commerce Department have already restricted government contractors from purchasing telecommunications equipment from companies like ZTE, which the Commerce Department says failed to punish employees for violating U.S. sanctions. China’s Ministry of Commerce told a U.S. trade delegation that visited Beijing last week that the ZTE ban would severely hurt the company. Se Young Lee and Lusha Zhang report in Reuters. N.S.A.’s collection of data from U.S. phone companies is up threefold since 2016 Charlie Savage reports in the New York Times that the National Security Agency collected three times more data than it did in 2016. The NSA collected some 534 million phone call and text message records from telecommunications companies. FCC begins shift of $9 Billion in Universal Service funds from BofA to Treasury FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has begun moving $9 billion that’s used for the universal service fund from Bank of America to the Treasury Department. Democratic Commissioners Rosenworcel and Clyburn say moving the funds is a shame because it foregoes some $50 million in annual interest income that could have been used to provide further subsidies. Todd Shields reports in Bloomberg. Velázquez and 46 members of Congress urge the FCC to preserve Lifeline FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made a proposal recently to rollback the federal Lifeline program, a program that subsidizes communications services for low-income Americans. In a letter she wrote along with 47 Members of Congress, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez says rolling the program back would result in 75 percent of existing customers in Puerto Rico losing their telecommunications carrier. Cambridge Analytica declares bankruptcy Cambridge Analytica has declared bankruptcy and is ceasing operations. The company began losing clients following the investigation into its alleged work to use the personal data of millions on Facebook to help get Donald Trump elected. However, the UK’s investigation of Cambridge Analytica is still ongoing, despite the bankruptcy, according to the Associated Press. CBC Releases vision for shared prosperity in tech The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released last week its Tech 2020 set of principles. The principles include proposals for STEAM education and job training, making tech available and affordable, addressing the economic stability of communities, recruiting and retaining black talent, and targeting investment in diverse companies and communities. Melania Trump announces platform Melania Trump announced a platform focused on children’s issues. It’s dubbed “Be Best” and it will have three components: well being, social media use (including cyberbullying) and opioid abuse. Google and Facebook announce ban on bail bond ads Google and Facebook announced that they would ban ads for bail bonds. Google said it would officially start banning the ads in July. Google’s Global Product Policy Director David Graff said the bail bond providers make most of their revenue from low income areas and communities of color. Facebook has plans to ban the ads as well, but it’s still working out the details.

Trump’s cabinet is the wealthiest in U.S. history. In light of this news, this episode revisits Professor Nicholas Carnes' interview on the effects of a government run by the rich, for the rich, and ways to get working class Americans a seat at the table. For More on this Topic: Check out the New York Times graphic and article on the financial disclosures of the White House. Read his briefs, How Government by the Privileged Distorts Economic Policy and How Government by the Privileged Distorts Democracies. Further Reading: Why Politically Active Billionaires Threaten the Health of Democracy, Darrell M. West, Brookings Institution Who Gets What They Want from Government?, Martin Gilens, Princeton University  

So how many billionaires are there in the world? And what do they have to do with politics? Darrell  M. West has answered those questions in Billionaires: Reflection on the Upper Crust (Brookings 2014). West is vice president of Governance Studies and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. As an election approaches, the role of money and politics is fresh on everyone’s mind. Darrell West takes this issue on at its zenith. He examines the relationship of the 1,645 men and women global billionaires to politics in the US and elsewhere. What he discovers likely confirms some of the greatest fears of many who lament elite politics. But West’s book is not simply a screed against wealth; he shows the different ways money has entered into policy-making process through new models of philanthropy and efforts to curb corruption. He offers recommendations in the book’s conclusion to address the inadequacies in our current system of campaign finance regulation and transparency laws that might limit some of the harmful effects of too much money in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So how many billionaires are there in the world? And what do they have to do with politics? Darrell  M. West has answered those questions in Billionaires: Reflection on the Upper Crust (Brookings 2014). West is vice president of Governance Studies and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. As an election approaches, the role of money and politics is fresh on everyone’s mind. Darrell West takes this issue on at its zenith. He examines the relationship of the 1,645 men and women global billionaires to politics in the US and elsewhere. What he discovers likely confirms some of the greatest fears of many who lament elite politics. But West’s book is not simply a screed against wealth; he shows the different ways money has entered into policy-making process through new models of philanthropy and efforts to curb corruption. He offers recommendations in the book’s conclusion to address the inadequacies in our current system of campaign finance regulation and transparency laws that might limit some of the harmful effects of too much money in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So how many billionaires are there in the world? And what do they have to do with politics? Darrell  M. West has answered those questions in Billionaires: Reflection on the Upper Crust (Brookings 2014). West is vice president of Governance Studies and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. As an election approaches, the role of money and politics is fresh on everyone’s mind. Darrell West takes this issue on at its zenith. He examines the relationship of the 1,645 men and women global billionaires to politics in the US and elsewhere. What he discovers likely confirms some of the greatest fears of many who lament elite politics. But West’s book is not simply a screed against wealth; he shows the different ways money has entered into policy-making process through new models of philanthropy and efforts to curb corruption. He offers recommendations in the book’s conclusion to address the inadequacies in our current system of campaign finance regulation and transparency laws that might limit some of the harmful effects of too much money in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So how many billionaires are there in the world? And what do they have to do with politics? Darrell  M. West has answered those questions in Billionaires: Reflection on the Upper Crust (Brookings 2014). West is vice president of Governance Studies and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. As an election approaches, the role of money and politics is fresh on everyone’s mind. Darrell West takes this issue on at its zenith. He examines the relationship of the 1,645 men and women global billionaires to politics in the US and elsewhere. What he discovers likely confirms some of the greatest fears of many who lament elite politics. But West’s book is not simply a screed against wealth; he shows the different ways money has entered into policy-making process through new models of philanthropy and efforts to curb corruption. He offers recommendations in the book’s conclusion to address the inadequacies in our current system of campaign finance regulation and transparency laws that might limit some of the harmful effects of too much money in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices