How Do We Fix It?

All too often political movements are defined by their opponents. That is especially true for libertarians who are often labeled as uncaring— far more concerned with the individual than society. In this episode, we get a mostly positive view of what libertarians stand for and also why they oppose both the populist domination of the Republican Party and the leftward tilt by Democrats.Our guest Nick Gillespie is editor at large of Reason Magazine, which has the motto "free minds and free markets." He's co-author of the book, “The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong With America,” and host of “The Reason Interview” podcast. In this episode we discuss six main topics— What is a libertarian, public education and school choice, inflation, the role of billionaires in society, Ukraine & foreign policy, and the controversial Disinformation Governance Board."I value individual choice. I devalue coercion," Nick tells us. "I believe in a smaller state than we have now... I want people to be able to make as many meaningful choices in their lives as possible."Recommendation: Jim has great enthusiasm for birding and science, and is reading "The Most Perfect Thing" about the science and natural history of bird eggs by Chenghui Ju, David C. Lahti Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the Republican Party go from being dominated by Ronald Reagan in the 80s to the movement of Trump? What are the deep tensions between grassroots Republicans and Conservative elites who used to be in charge? Six months before the 2022 midterm election, why would liberals and progressives stand to benefit from understanding exactly why conservatives win so many races? We grapple with these questions and many more in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?"Our guest is conservative intellectual, scholar and journalist, Matthew Continetti— a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. His new book is "The Right: The Hundred Year War on American Conservatism.""I resist this temptation to simply pathologize conservatism, because I don't think it explains why the American right has been so successful," Matthew tells us. Asked about critics who argue that Republicans are racist, sexist or homophobic, he says, "I think it's dangerous for the American left to ascribe everything to these 'isms'".Notes: Jonathan Rauch, our guest on episode 344, wrote a favorable review Matthew's book in The New York Times. We discussed Gerard Baker's Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Republicans Remain Shackled to Donald Trump" in this week's show.Recommendation: Richard watched and enjoyed the new Netflix comedy, "Standing Up". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Partisanship is up, trust is down and social media encourages us to believe we're right and everyone else is either ignorant, stupid or evil. But avoiding difficult conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why our nation is so bitterly divided.Journalist Mónica Guzmán set out to discover what was blinding us and learned that the best tool we have we're not using: Our own curiosity. In this episode we learn about her personal story as the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly support Donald Trump. We hear how Mónica discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.Mónica Guzmán is the author of the highly praised new book "I Never Thought Of It That Way". She serves as an advisor and storyteller at the depolarization organization, Braver Angels. "The anger and the rage that we see out there that defines our division doesn't actually exist that much on the one-to-one level," Monica told us.In this episode, Monica discusses how we can put our natural sense of wonder to work, finding the answers needed to work with people, rather than score points against them. Bridging the gap involves asking questions that help you get across the difficult divides that are causing so much pain in our families and communities. We also learn about the work of Braver Angels and hear why this month's America Talks is a good place to start when learning how to help depolarize America, one person at a time.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reform advocates are full of good intentions and worthy goals— from ending hunger to improving access to healthcare and limiting the impacts of climate change. But good intentions are not the same as good results. The efficient delivery of services is important for all citizens. In this episode, we look at how to design technology that makes the government smarter, much more efficient, and even friendlier.Amanda Renteria is CEO of Code for America, a non-profit group that uses coding and other forms of tech expertise to ensure the delivery of equitable digital tools and services. Amanda grew up in California's Central Valley, the daughter of Latino farm workers. She spent years in public service, as former National Political Director for Hillary Clinton, chief of staff for two Democratic Senators, and chief of operations for California’s Attorney General. "Nearly $60 billion in government services go unclaimed each year by people who are eligible," says Amanda. "We often talk about technology in terms of making things faster and easier but the first thing is to treat people with dignity... We try to create a welcoming front door. "In our discussion, we go under the hood to examine Code for America's work to improve government delivery of services to those who need it most— from food, income, and housing assistance to help with filling out taxes or getting something as simple as a new driver’s license. Recommendation: Both Richard and Jim enjoy games and puzzles, including Wordle and Guesstures. They're a lot of fun!Note:We are doing something special with our Patreon fundraising account, where we ask listeners for support. Until now we've been spending the money to expand our reach and gain more subscribers. But for the next 6 months, we're giving it to Ukraine relief efforts. The funds are going to charities such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross. Please help us help people who need our money most. Here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our brains are prediction machines: How we frame everyday tasks and challenges of our lives can have a profound impact on their outcomes. In this episode, we learn about new discoveries in science that reveal the many ways our expectations shape our experience.Author and science writer David Robson is our guest. His latest book, "The Expectation Effect" cites findings from well-over 400 "robust experiments" and takes readers on a tour of cutting-edge research that uncovers new techniques to improve our fitness, productivity, intelligence, health, and happiness.We learn why people who believe aging brings wisdom live longer. Reappraising stress as something that's energizing increases your creativity under pressure.Cultivating an indulgent attitude to food may help you lose weight. Taking a placebo, even when you know it is a placebo, can still improve your health."What the latest research has just done is to tell us that if the placebo effect is happening in a doctor's office or hospital maybe it's happening all the time in everyday life," David tells "How Do We Fix It?". "Our expectations are shaping our life every minute of every day."Unlike many best-selling self-help books, David's writing and reasoning are based on years of careful research. David was surprised by what he discovered. You cannot think your way into a pile of money or out of a cancer diagnosis. But just because magical thinking is nonsense doesn’t mean rational magic doesn’t exist. Pointing to accepted psychology and objective physiology, Robson gives us practical takeaways that may well improve our fitness, productivity, intelligence, and happiness.Recommendation: Jim is reading "Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World", by Simon Winchester.Note:We are doing something special with our Patreon fundraising account, where we ask listeners for support. Until now we've been spending the money to expand our reach and gain more subscribers. But for the next 6 months, we're giving it to Ukraine relief efforts. The funds are going to charities such as Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross. Please help us help people who need our money most. Here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine made Europe's energy dependence painfully clear. "We are supporting and actually financing the war by purchasing oil and gas and other fossil fuels from Russia," Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin bluntly put it.Fossil fuel energy is vital for Russia's economy, accounting for almost half of its exports. One-third of Europe's oil and as much as 40% of natural gas imports come from Russia. In this episode, we discuss how the war in Ukraine is changing the debate over fossil fuel dependency. Our guest is climate economist and Bloomberg News columnist Gernot Wagner of NYU and Columbia School of Business.The invasion has already prompted a dramatic rethink by European policymakers. The EU has pledged to sharply reduce and ultimately phase out purchases of Russian oil and gas. In an abrupt about-face, Germany halted the Nordstream 2 gas pipeline project. The unprovoked attack on Ukraine "certainly provides the moral clarity that tells us to get off fossil fuels now," Gernot tells us. "This is a fossil fuel war." As they do in almost every episode, Richard and Jim put the spotlight on solutions. Among the topics covered here:- The prospects for carbon capture technology to remove significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere.- The case for a new carbon tax plus a proposed ban on natural gas in new apartment building construction.- Why building many more homes in big cities would reduce carbon emissions.- The role of nuclear power, solar, and wind in reducing the world's reliance on fossil fuels.Recommendation: Richard enjoyed watching the Danish six-part HBO series, "The Investigation". We are doing something special with our Patreon account, where we ask listeners for support. The usual appeal is: give us a few dollars each month to help boost the audience for our solutions journalism podcast. Until now we've been spending all of the money to expand our reach and gain more subscribers. But for the next 6 months we're sending all the money to Ukraine relief efforts. The money will go to charities like Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross. Help us help people who need our money most. Sign up here. https://www.patreon.com/howdowefixit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democracies around the world are under threat from populist movements, demagogues, and dogmatic extremists who use disinformation, conspiracy theories, cancel culture, and shaming to weaponize social media and challenge our ability to distinguish truth from falsehood.Most recently, the Russian government has used lies and fake news to justify its attempted land grab in Ukraine. In "The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth", best-selling author, journalist, and public intellectual, Jonathan Rauch, offers a stirring defense of the social system of checks and balances that is crucial for turning disagreement into verifiable facts."This global network of people hunting for each others' errors is far and away the greatest human technology ever invented," Jonathan tells us. The constitution of knowledge "is a global conversation of people looking for truth, and more especially, looking for error."In this episode of "How Do We Fix It?", Jonathan arms listeners and advocates of truth with a clear understanding of what they must protect, and how to do it. He makes a clear and moving argument for how all of us can help defend truth and free inquiry from threats that come from as far away as Russia and as close as our cellphones.Here's one of our recommended reviews of "The Constitution of Knowledge".Movie recommendation: Richard enjoyed "The Leopard", a 1963 Italian period drama by director Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shock, surprises, and suffering are the most immediate results of all wars. Russia's brutal, yet deeply flawed invasion of Ukraine has profound implications for the West, global democracy, and the future of Europe and Russia. We hear the perspectives of two prominent thinkers, Jane Lytvynenko and Robert Kagen. Richard and Jim also share their analysis of the unexpected early outcomes of the war. This episode has extracts from an interview with Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post. He spoke with podcast producer and host Jenna Spinelle of "Democracy Works". We also share part of an interview from the current episode of "Democracy in Danger" with journalist Jane Lytvynenko, who covers technology, disinformation, and now, Ukraine. She was born in Kyiv. Jane is also a senior research fellow at Harvard University's Technology and Social Change Project at the Shorenstein Center.  This podcast is produced with the generous help of the Democracy Group podcast network and the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University. "I actually believe in the long run we will come out of this," says Robert Kagen. "Unfortunately, the long run may be longer than we want and we may be in this for 20 years.""Had the West stood up against the torture of protesters in Belarus, Russia would not have been able to put tanks there today," says Jane Lytvynenko. She argues for a more robust response by the West to attacks against democracy in other nations.Recommendation: Jim is reading “Mercury Rising. John Glenn, John Kennedy and the New Battleground of the Cold War" by Jeff Shesol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The war in Ukraine and the global response to Russia's invasion are dominating the news. But missing in much of the coverage is a sense of the country and its people. In this historic moment, we hear a riveting account of the country's recent political awakening and why Ukrainians are prepared to resist and fight.In the past century, Ukraine suffered massively during two world wars, Nazi occupation, famine, and the Chernobyl disaster. Eight years ago, during the "Revolution of Dignity", Ukranians stood up against corruption, brutality, and Russian dominance. A new democracy and civic bond were formed. The country profoundly changed."Ukranians are fighting for all of us," says our guest, Yale University historian Marci Shore, the author of “The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution.” She is a scholar of Eastern Europe in the post-Soviet era. "I'm terrified for my friends," Marci tells us. "The Ukrainians will not give up... I'm desperately hopeful that as difficult as the odds are, they are going to prevail."Recommendations for further reading about the war and today's Ukraine: Yarolav Trofimo, the Wall Street Journal’s Chief foreign correspondent, now in Kiev. Phil Stewart of Reuters and his newsfeed on Twitter, coverage from CNN's Clarissa Ward, Anderson Cooper, and Alex Marquardt in Ukraine. Background and perspective in The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The invasion of Ukraine is a shocking reminder of what's at stake for democracies around the world. This moment is a stunning reminder of the vital importance of what we so often take for granted— personal freedoms and the rule of law. Despite well-advertised flaws, our constitutional system of governance is infinitely preferable to dictatorships or thuggish autocracies. In this episode, we share a conversation that touches on the relationship between voters and those who represent them, and what is meant by "representative democracy". The interview is shared with us by our friends at the "Democracy Paradox" podcast.Lisa Disch, author of the book, “Making Constituencies: Representation as Mobilization in Mass Democracy” is this week’s guest. She is a professor of political science at the University of Michigan and an elected member of the Ann Arbor City Council. She is a committed member of the Democratic Party, but her views and research should be of interest to listeners from across the political spectrum.Lisa makes a spirited defense of multi-party representative democracy as an engine for change and progress. Justin Kempf asks the questions in this interview. His podcast, “Democracy Paradox” and ours are members of the Democracy Group network, where you can hear challenging, fascinating, and sometimes difficult ideas about democracy and governance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Partisan gerrymandering— where one party gains an unfair advantage by redrawing political maps to favor its candidates— is unpopular with voters, but widespread in many states. We examine why this process devalues democracy, and how data science is being used across the country to expose many of the most egregious examples, and help voters advocate for fair and transparent redistricting. Every decade, legislators across the country come up with maps for state and congressional districts. The latest round of changes, due to be finished well before primaries are held before the 2022 midterm elections in November, is facing widespread criticism. Redistricting reformers also see strong ties between partisan and racial bias.Our guest in this episode shows citizens how they can fight back against local examples of gerrymandering by both Democrats and Republicans. Professor Sam Wang oversees the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, which runs an informative website that helps voters in every state decide if they live in an unfairly drawn legislative or Congressional District."A sense of fairness is a fundamental principle of our democracy," Professor Wang tells us. But "these fundamental principles are hard to keep sight of when a lot of the ways we talk about democracy have started to break down a bit." Additional listener resources on political reform: Dave's Redistricting App, and RepresentUs. Daily news coverage of democracy reform at The Fulcrum.Richard's recommendation this week: Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes. The book, first published in 1605, is often called the first modern novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best-selling author Daniel Pink admits he's pedaling against the wind. His new book, "The Power of Regret" takes on the longstanding and deeply ingrained doctrine that paying attention to our regrets is foolish. In this episode, we ask him why this notion is wrong."No regrets" is the name or theme of countless books and popular songs. Bob Dylan, Angelina Jolie, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg all advised us to live without regrets. "We think that it's courageous to say I have no regrets, but it's not," Pink tells us. "What's courageous is staring your regrets in the eye, confronting them, and doing something about them".Almost everybody has regrets. And if we acknowledge them in fresh and imaginative ways, we can enlist our regrets to make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and deepen our sense of meaning and purpose. In our solutions podcast, we hear that examining what we regret the most helps us understand what we value the most.Pink draws on research in psychology, neuroscience, economics, and biology to challenge widely-held assumptions about emotions and behavior. He also questioned people about their regrets and conducted his own World Regret Survey, which has collected regrets from more than 16,000 people in 105 countries.Recommendation: Jim often listens to the podcast, "Blocked and Reported", hosted by journalists Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years of coronavirus have made the growing loneliness crisis even worse— with greater social isolation causing personal pain and mental and physical illnesses."Even before the global pandemic introduced us to terms like social distancing, loneliness was becoming the defining condition of the twenty-first century. But it's also one we have the power to reverse," says our podcast guest, economist Noreena Hertz. Numerous surveys have found that reported cases of loneliness have jumped in recent decades. More than three-in-five Americans told a 2020 poll, conducted before the pandemic, that they felt left out, poorly understood, and lacking in companionship. Noreena Hertz is the author of "The Lonely Century: How to Restore Human Connection in a World Pulling Apart." Her book is a personal and deeply-researched investigation into the roots of the loneliness epidemic and what we can do to come together. In our interview, we discuss the importance of the workplace in enhancing community, the need to reinvigorate our neighborhoods, and how governments and private enterprises can react to the increase in loneliness and alienation. We also learn more about the link between loneliness and the rise of right-wing populism.In many different ways, the social fabric of our community is being pulled apart, causing an increase in polarization and a loss of confidence in democracy and civil institutions. Technology, including social media, migration, a radical reorganization of many workplaces, and the transactional nature of commerce have also led to a broader sense of isolation. We discuss solutions in this episode.Recommendation: Richard and Jim use Wikipedia, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Wiki co-founder, Jimmy Wales, is the guest on a recent episode of "the Economist Asks" podcast, hosted by Anne McElvoy.Note: This episode was first published in January 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Across the board— from voter access to questions of race and gender, and views of the economy— the gap between Republicans and Democrats has grown wider in recent years. According to recent polling, a rising share of Americans say that having political conversations with those they disagree with is “stressful and frustrating”.Political polarization and the recent actions of party leaders have prevented compromise and resolution of critical problems.We discuss five personal ways to reduce polarization with our guest, Kamy Akhavan, Director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California, and former CEO of the well-known non-partisan site procon.org "In today's political climate we don't respect the other side: We don't care what they have to say," says Kamy. "Our immediate reaction goes to defense. It is 'stop that side'".5 personal tips to depolarize:1. Listen to understand not to judge.2. Commit to speak with and learn from others you disagree with.3. Seek Opposing Views. Is your sense of what the other side is saying a mere characterization of what they say?4. Interpret Generously. Don't assume that those with different ideological and cultural views are bad people. 5. Superordinate. Instead of pursuing common ground, recognize our underlying shared values. Seek out what you have in common with your workers, colleagues, and—yes— political opponents.In this episode, Kamy also shares his personal experience as an immigrant and a bridge builder.Recommendation: Jim is reading the science fiction novel, "Far From the Light of Heaven", by Tade Thompson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the point of an education? Is it to learn skills that will help you get ahead in the workplace, or is it to acquire knowledge and to think more deeply about your place in the world?In this episode we hear from an educator who thinks that the great books— Plato, Aquinas, Shakespeare for example— aren’t just for a few well-off students at elite colleges, but for everybody. And he says encountering these thinkers when he was a poor immigrant teenager from the Dominican Republic literally changed his life.Roosevelt Montás is senior lecturer in American Studies and English at Columbia University. He is director of the Center for American Studies Freedom and Citizenship Program, which introduces low-income high school students to primary texts in moral and political thought, as well as seminars in American Studies including “Freedom and Citizenship in the United States.” From 2008 to 2018, he was director of Columbia’s Center for the Core Curriculum. "There is a prevailing cultural attitude that liberal education— the study of literature and philosophy — is appropriate only to the elite," Roosevelt tells us. "That is a really pernicious idea." He argues that the students who benefit the most from the foundational wisdom in the "great books" come from poor and marginalized backgrounds.But liberal education is under assault today in academia. We find out why.Recommendation: Richard is watching the Anglo-Japanese Netflix TV series, "Giri / Haji", — duty/shame in Japanese— a thriller about a Tokyo detective scouring the London underworld to find his allegedly deceased brother. The series was filmed in Tokyo and London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earth's global average temperature in 2021 was the sixth warmest on record, according to two new reports issued this week by U.S. Government agencies. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies report that collectively the past eight years were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880. The research adds to overwhelming evidence of climate change.This episode looks at the role played by carbon-free nuclear power in providing one solution to the growing climate crisis. Our guest, British environmental activist and science communicator, Zion Lights, tells us whyt she changed her mind about nuclear safety and reliability. After playing a leading role with Extinction Rebellion UK, Zion left the group and founded Emergency Reactor, which calls on fellow activists to "stop spreading misinformation and fear. Follow the science about nuclear energy." "People are already worried and scared about climate change. Let's look at solutions," she tells us.This show is the latest in a series of "How Do We Fix It?" episodes about the need to come up with pragmatic, workable solutions that limit the damage to our warming planet. Recommendation: Richard has spent part of the past year reading literary classics, including the three books of Dante's "Divine Comedy", Virgil's "The Aeneid", and The Iliad and Odyssey by Homer. "My recommendation is to challenge yourself. This may lead you to change your mind about something that's important to how you see the world," says Richard.Note: Zion Lights is an amateur astronomer. Her Tedx talk, "Don't Forget to Look Up" is full of curiosity and wonder about stargazing and the universe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our first episode of 2022 is all about a constructive response to the calamitous events of one year ago: The January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol.On January 5th, a coalition of organizations, led by Ideos Institute, will host the first annual National Day of Dialogue. We discuss this invitation to all Americans to push back against deep divides. We also explore the need for hard talk and getting into our discomfort zones. “As a nation, we have largely lost our ability to have hard conversations without judgment, animus, or fear,” says our guest, Ideos President & CEO, Christy Vines. "Deep down we all want to have these kinds of moments with somebody we would disagree with and who we often see as the enemy... Not enough people are getting those opportunities to see the human behind the positions they hold." The National Day of Dialogue is a series of virtual and live events across the country, and the premiere of a documentary movie "Dialogue Lab: America", which includes a series of deep, and sometimes very emotional conversations among individuals from different political and religious beliefs. The event is part of a broader bridging movement that we’re part of on "How Do We Fix It?", as we respond to the deep divides that hold us back and threaten our democracy.Recommendation: "Beginner's Mind", 90-minutes of music and audio narration by acclaimed cellist Yo Yo Ma. He speaks of his career and personal story as an immigrant, and invites us “to strip away preconceptions and reclaim a beginner's mind...one open to new questions, explorations, and unexpected answers.” Available free on Audible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Forever Pandemic, Omicron, Build Back Better, Biden, Putin, China, What's Trump got up his sleeve? The media gave these stories ad nauseum coverage in 2021, often marching in lockstep and suffering from a painful lack of imagination about what should be the big news of the day.But what about underreported stories: The important news that most of us missed?Richard and Jim share their gripes, observations, hopes and insights about the media, science, the environment and global affairs. Our co-hosts are not only solutions journalists with decades of reporting experience, they're also voracious readers and observers of current events.In this episode, we learn how COVID has super-charged the development of promising new mRNA vaccines against malaria, lyme disease and other challenging illnesses, the hidden social upsides of remote working on family life, the broad benefits of the private space flight boom, and the hard truths of global energy production. We also examine why curiosity, intellectual humility and overcoming our negativity bias are all needed to gain a better understanding of the world.We explore why people have such a hard time accepting progress that is being made in many fields."A lot of times I think it is because the media is afraid that if they mention good news then people will stop the fight for further change," says Jim. "But if you can emphasize the good sometimes that shows these problems can be solved."Jim and Richard's recommended news sources: Apart from reading The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other mainstream newspapers, Richard recommends The Economist, GZero Newsletter on global affairs, and the Migration Policy Institute. Jim urges listeners to check out City Journal and eco-modernist reports from The Breakthrough Institute. His other sources include a range of journalists on Substack and Twitter.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerrymandering, low turnout elections, negative campaign ads, and increased polarization are all part of the flawed, fractured U.S. political system. Here we examine the case for constructive changes to how candidates for public office are elected.Our guest, Rob Richie, has been the leader of the non-profit advocacy group, FairVote, since co-founding the organization in 1992. He has been involved in helping to develop and implement: Ranked Choice Voting in several states and more than 20 cities, fair representation voting systems in numerous states, Voting Rights Act cases, the National Popular Vote plan in 16 states, and voter access proposals like voter preregistration and automatic voter registration."We're in a winner-take-all environment and it's incredibly tense," Rob tells us. The current voting system allows for only one choice, which can add to bitterness and deep division. "Ranked Choice Voting gives the voter a chance not only to just put an X next to one candidate but to make a series of choices."This fundamental reform is attracting growing support among Democrats, Republicans, and independents. In 2021 it was used for the first time to pick the Mayor of New York and the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin. Numerous cities and more states are considering Ranked Choice Voting. The vast majority of Americans live in landslide districts. Rob is also calling for multi-member congressional districts. Both reforms, he writes, would lead to "a more representative and functional congress" that would "regain legitimacy" with voters. Recommendation. Jim is listening to journalist Andrew Sullivan's podcast, "Dishcast". Jim calls Sullivan "a consistently interesting, provocative thinker", who has great free-ranging conversations on his show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The huge difference between slogans and solutions is a key theme of this episode. While demands to “de-fund the police” or replace entire police departments with something new might sound good in theory, these ambitious experiments in public safety may backfire.Our guest is Minneapolis civil rights lawyer and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong. Her recent New York Times op-ed— “Black Voters Want Better Policing, Not Posturing by Progressives”— was written after the defeat of a November ballot initiative that would abolish the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a department of public safety. She expressed frustration over the lack of a detailed, well-researched plan.While white progressives mostly voiced support for the proposal, majority-black neighborhoods rejected it. We find out why.In the months after the murder of George Floyd, there was a massive outcry over police violence against African-Americans. The protest movement was multi-racial. In many towns and cities, Whites marched alongside Blacks and other citizens of color, demanding change. But what sort of change?There’s a racial divide in how different communities view the police. But as we hear in this episode, it’s complicated.Recommendation: Richard enjoyed the new movie, “King Richard” — about the extraordinary story of Richard Williams and his daughters, tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Based on the true story the film follows the uplifting journey of a family that created a sports dynasty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A crucial step in preventing the next global pandemic will be knowing where this one came from. Did SARS-CoV-2— the virus that causes Covid-19— jump from animals to humans, or was the outbreak the result of a lab leak? The world still doesn’t know the answer.  This episode is part two of our wide-ranging interview with Alina Chan, a postdoctoral scientist who co-wrote an explosive online paper in May 2020. She argued that scientists and governments should investigate whether a virus from a laboratory in Wuhan, China caused the pandemic.“It's not about holding one country accountable, because we are all accountable for this,” Alina tells us. “We're all in this together.”In this episode, we discuss the need for much greater transparency when viral outbreaks occur. The world needs to adopt new policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate future outbreaks. Proposed solutions include: more regulation of scientific experiments— including “gain of function” research, better lab safety standards, greater international oversight of groups that study how viruses cross species barriers, and a global treaty governing viral research.Alina Chan co-wrote “Viral” with British science writer Matt Ridley. “Unfortunately, there are no enforceable international biosafety and biosecurity standards,” they write. Their newly-published book has prompted further controversy and pushback from some well-known scientists. We think a full airing of the questions raised by Dr. Chan’s research is central to our mission at “How Do We Fix It?”Recommendation: Jim is reading "In the Heart of The Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”, by history writer Nathaniel Philbrick. The book won the 2000 National Book Award for Nonfiction. The Essex sank after a sperm whale attacked it in the Pacific Ocean in 1820.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years after the known human case of COVID-19, the mystery of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unresolved.  Did the virus emerge from an animal in nature, or could it have accidentally leaked from a research lab in Wuhan, China? Shockingly, the world appears to be no closer to knowing the crucial answer.In this first of two episodes, we get a brief explanation of the growing controversy from our co-host, Jim Meigs, who has written about allegations of a scientific cover-up. Molecular biologist Alina Chan, a postdoctoral fellow in a gene therapy lab at the Broad Institute, is our interview guest.Dr. Chan first became widely known last year for suggesting that COVID-19 could have escaped from a laboratory. Her early research was called a "conspiracy theory" by leading scientists and mainstream media journalists. But in recent months, expert views of this mystery have decisively changed.Alina Chan and British science writer Matt Ridley — a past guest on How Do We Fix It? — are the co-authors of the new book, "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19." Our next episode will include part two of our interview with Alina Chan. We believe that finding the answer to how this virus first spread will be a vital part of preventing the next pandemic.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"This book is a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers and doctors showing what life is like on the spectrum," writes our guest, author Eric Garcia in We're Not Broken. "It’s also my love letter to autistic people. For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another language.”Garcia, who is autistic, is a senior Washington correspondent for The Independent. He has worked as a writer and reporter covering politics at The Washington Post, The Hill, and the National Journal."My main point is autistic people are fine as they are," Eric tells us in this episode.  “The idea that they are fundamentally flawed and failed human beings is simply not true... Instead of trying to cure autistic people, society should help them live fulfilling lives.”For many decades, people with autism have been stigmatized and subjected to harmful myths and wild conspiracy theories— all of them hurtful. We examine how they have been mistreated and ignored, and look at how to fix our misconceptions. Eric's new book has been greeted with positive reviews. The Washington Post calls it "outstanding", and a "call to include autistic people in the conversations that concern them." Recommendations: Jim praises "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" on Netflix — a documentary about a groundbreaking summer camp that galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality. Richard is listening to "Aut-Hour", a podcast hosted by Sara Gibbs that interviews autistic authors about their life and work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not long ago, most of us embraced social media as a life-changing opportunity to connect with friends and family all across the world. Today, public opinion, including members of Congress from both parties, has turned far more negative. Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, and other tech giants are accused of corrupting our democracy, spreading disinformation, and fanning the flames of hatred.Our guest is Robby Soave, a libertarian author and journalist who is a senior editor for Reason and the author of two books: "Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump" and his latest, "Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future."Robby is highly skeptical of most efforts to reform or break up technology firms. In a lively conversation we explore some of the biggest issues animating both right and left: bias, censorship, disinformation, privacy, screen addiction, crime, and more."There are certain legitimate problems with big tech and social media," Robby tells us. "The negatives have been very well-covered and over-hyped by everyone from the mainstream media to the right-wing media... The considerable positives of social media are almost entirely overlooked."In this episode we also hear about the respectful, impassioned debate between Robby and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind", who produced evidence linking the spike in adolescent mental illness and anxiety to the rise of Facebook and Instagram.  Recommendation: Richard is watching the TV series, "Engineering That Built the World" on the History Channel. This fascinating documentary features expert insights by our co-host, Jim Meigs, on the building of the Panama Canal, the formation of the Interstate Highway system and the struggle to construct the Transcontinental Railroad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As world leaders discuss the planet's future at COP26 in Glasgow, climate change remains a massive challenge and a source of fierce debate. While two-thirds of Americans think that the government should be doing more, it's tempting to throw our hands up in despair and think: "There's nothing I can do."Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe begs to differ. She says the most important thing is to talk about it—and she wants to teach us how. In this episode, we discuss her hopeful, passionate case for enacting positive change from the ground up, and the finding of her new book, "Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World."Katharine shares the science of climate change, how to talk about it across the political divide, and personal stories about engaging highly skeptical audiences, such as when she spoke to a crowd of conservative business leaders in West Texas at a meeting of Rotarians. The outcome was remarkable! "If we want to change the system, the most important thing any of us can do is to use our voice to influence others to talk about why it matters, and what we can do together to fix it," Katharine tells us. "Wherever we are, we have a shadow not just a footprint, and our shadow can influence people to do things themselves too."Katharine Hayhoe is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a professor of political science and public law at Texas Tech University. She is also a well-known science communicator,  principal investigator for the Department of Interior’s South-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the National Science Foundation’s Global Infrastructure Climate Network. Her research currently focuses on establishing a scientific basis for assessing the regional to local-scale impacts of climate change on human systems and the natural environment.Recommendation: Jim listens frequently to "The National Review" podcast. The latest episode, "An Astonishing Night in Va." is a conservative take on the 2021 election results. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many millions of Americans are heading back to work — in person — for the first time since the pandemic hit. During this time of remote meetings and working from home, many of us learned new skills, and perhaps, forgot our old ways to work and successfully collaborate with colleagues.This episode is a timely and very personal reminder of how to make meetings better and develop stronger, more productive relationships with those we work and live with. We learn about the crucial differences between exchange and communal forms of collaboration. Our guest, former psychology professor, and national non-profit head, Deb Mashek, spent two decades studying how people form relationships with each other, as well as the challenges & rewards of doing so.  Deb founded MyCo Consulting, where she puts her research into practice, helping academic leaders cultivate collaboration among diverse stakeholders to accomplish ambitious goals.The skills needed to collaborate well are vital for us to learn in our professional lives. "93% of employers surveyed rated this ability to work in teams as critically important, Deb tells us. "But few of us ever receive training on how to do this well."Interested in learning more about the ideas discussed in this episode of How Do We Fix It? Deb has generously put together this short handout that summarizes the suggestions with links to other resources.Recommendation: This one is an activity. Richard found great inspiration during a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He suggests that we visit museums and galleries as we fully re-engage with the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From local school board elections to state legislatures, an impassioned nationwide debate has erupted over allegations that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being taught in public schools.Anti-CRT bills have been passed in more than two dozen Republican-led states. What do we mean by Critical Race Theory? What are these laws aiming to accomplish? How will they affect schools in the US? We share a lively discussion from "Banished", a new podcast series, hosted by Amna Khalid, a history professor at Carleton College.In this episode we listen to interviews with Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy, Acadia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs, and former ACLU President, Nadine Strossen of New York Law School. All three support free speech and disagree with banning the teaching or discussion of controversial, even dangerous ideas and theories.This is a special episode of How Do We Fix It? We're taking a break during mid-October and continue a recent tradition of sharing stimulating, thoughtful interviews from other podcasts."Banished" is produced by Booksmart Studios. The series is about our reassessment of the many people, ideas, objects and even works of art that conflict with modern sensibilities. What can we learn about our present obsession with cancel culture by examining history, and what might it mean for freedom of expression? And how do we reconcile opposing points of view without turning on each other? Learn more about this recommended podcast at https://www.booksmartstudios.org. Thanks for Booksmart Studios for giving us permission to share this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Never before in living memory has America been as politically polarized as it is today. We are divided by our politics, Facebook and other social media sites, and by news media. Nearly half of us have stopped talking with someone about political topics as a result of what they said in person or online. Our culture of contempt is dividing us all and making America ungovernable.How do we use science and proven methods to reduce toxic polarization and push back against conflict entrepreneurs? This episode presents a way forward. Peter Coleman is a leading expert on intractable conflict and sustainable peace. He's a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. Peter's new book is "The Way Out. How to Overcome Toxic Polarization."We discuss research on how deeply divided societies can and do change. We learn more about the role you can play to navigate these times most effectively – as well as what to look for in groups and organizations in your community that are already at work making America more functional again.In this episode, Peter praised the work of the Bridging Divides Initiative, a group that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. The initiative supports efforts to grow and build local community resilience throughout elections and other periods of heightened risk, laying the groundwork for longer-term efforts towards reconciliation.Recommendation: Jim is listening to the podcast series, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, a history of rock from 1938 to 1999, hosted by Andrew Hickey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine a future where smart machines are more intelligent than humans. That future may be coming much faster than we think. The stark implications are considered in this podcast. The former Chief Business Officer at Google X, Egyptian entrepreneur Mo Gawdat has long been at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution, deeply involved in engineering, robotics, and AI. Mo is also a podcaster with a focus on how we can promote happiness. In his latest book, "Scary Smart", he argues that AI reflects our values and that unless humans change their online behavior, the consequences could be terrifying. "The true pandemic of our times is not COVID-19, Mo tells us. "AI is the real pandemic. It's at its infancy and will grow in intelligence until a point where it is undisputed that they will be the leaders."In less than ten years, he predicts, we will experience "the singularity", when artificial intelligence will be many times smarter than humans. But not all is doom and gloom. "The very essence of what makes us human — happiness, compassion, and love — is what will save humanity in the age of the machines," he writes. We discuss the practical, ethical, and spiritual implications of what's coming our way.Recommendation: Richard has just read Robert Fagles' translation of "The Iliad", by Homer — an epic Greek poem and often called the first great work of western literature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode addresses a great problem of our age: How do we curb the enormous power of giant technology companies and limit the disruption caused by them and their products?20 years ago, we lived in an era of digital utopianism when most people thought that the internet would give us new freedom to find information. But we didn't anticipate many of the most disturbing technological changes. Today, a handful of firms control most internet communication. Social media platforms amplify division more than they spread knowledge. Our guests are two Stanford University professors, Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein. Along with philosophy professor Bob Reich, they wrote the new book, "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot." Mehran Sahami teaches engineering and education at Stanford and is also a former senior research scientist at Google. Jeremy Weinstein teaches political science at Stanford. He previously worked in the Obama Administration. Both teach a popular undergraduate course on the intersection of ethics and technology.Recommendation: Jim has read and enjoyed the science fiction novel, "The Three Body Problem", by Chinese writer, Liu Cixin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The line between our “civilized” lives and wild, unpredictable nature seems to have gotten a little thinner lately. Nature is great, but it can also be dangerous if we don’t show proper respect. This show is about awkward encounters with bears, mountain lines, gulls and other wild creatures. We also discuss "killer trees" with best-selling science writer, Mary Roach, author of the new book, "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law".Mary is widely known for her funny, smart and sometimes gross writing and reporting in a series of books with one-word titles. Previously, we spoke with her about "Grunt", which looks at the surprising science of war. She also wrote "Stiff" about — you guessed it — dead people, "Gulp" on the digestive tract, and "Bonk" where we learn all about sex.Mary Roach has been called America's funniest science writer by the Washington Post. In the words of a reviewer in The Guardian, she "has specialized in tackling the uncomfortable, and at the heart of every book is her desire to explore the places from which we recoil."Recommendation: Richard has just watched Season 2 of the very funny TV series, "Never Have I Ever" on Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I now believe the 9/11 Truthers I encountered were canaries in the coal mines of American society," writes our co-host, Jim Meigs, in the current issue of City Journal. In this episode we hear about conspiracy theories, those who believe in them, and the corrosive impact of paranoia on American political life.Richard interviews Jim about his work at Popular Mechanics in the years after the 9/11 attacks. A team of reporters, editors, and fact-checkers at the magazine interviewed more than 300 experts and sources in civil engineering, air traffic control, aviation, fire fighting, and metallurgy. Their findings were published in the 2006 book, "Debunking 9/11 Myths. Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts."Jim also asks Richard about his reporting from the streets of Manhattan in the hours and days after the attacks that brought down the North and South Towers of The World Trade Center twenty years ago."I fell in love with the city during that September. In the words of a friend. 9/11 was a terrible day, but the weeks that followed were a remarkable time," says Richard.Most of our weekly podcast episodes put the spotlight on the guest. This show lifts the curtain on Jim and Richard's careers as journalists. Jim spent many years as a magazine writer and editor. Before becoming a podcast consultant, Richard was a radio reporter, news anchor, and show host in the U.S. and U.K. for more than three decades.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Only four in 10 Americans say they have a lot of trust in the news media. That's a big problem for our democracy. While journalists are supposed to tell the truth and get the story right, just 35 percent of right-of-center voters have some trust in what they see in the news.Democrats and independents are much more likely to trust journalists, but Americans of almost all shades of opinion are skeptical toward the news media, questioning not only the quality of journalists’ work but their intentions behind it.Our guest is Joy Mayer, Director of the non-profit Trusting News, which is working with local newsrooms around the country to help journalists earn consumers' trust.While many reporters, writers and editors are reluctant to discuss their political views, most journalists have liberal or progressive views. "I think it's something we need to talk about more openly," Joy tells us.In this episode, we look at bias, transparency, and constructive steps that the news media can take to improve its reputation with a broad cross-section of Americans.Recommendation: Richard enjoyed watching "The Chair" with Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass and Holland Taylor on Netflix.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For much of its history, the United States kept the rest of the world at arm's length. What happened in the decades after the 1941 military strike on Pearl Harbor, and several years after the 9/11 attacks, could be seen as an aberration.The sudden, chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover, and resulting humanitarian disaster may lead to another American foreign policy shift, plus a far greater reluctance to deploy U.S. forces overseas. While isolationism is derided by policy experts and global elites, this movement has a surprisingly enduring legacy. We examine it here.Charles Kupchan is a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.  "Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World" is his most recent book. We share extracts from an interview with Charles by Justin Kempf, host of the Democracy Group podcast, "Democracy Paradox"."Beginning in the 1990s, and then really picking up after 9/11, the United States overreached ideologically by thinking it could turn Iraq and Afghanistan into Ohio, says Charles. "Suddenly, I think, Americans said to themselves and to their leaders, ‘Wait a minute. Too much world, not enough America.’"Also in this episode: Jim and Richard share their views on the Afghan collapse and offer several solutions for American foreign policy.Recommendation: Jim is watching "Unforgotten", a widely-praised British crime drama television series, starring Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Baskkar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Successful politicians on the right and left often use anger and resentment to build support for their campaigns. "A lot of our politics is dignity politics," argues Stanford political scientist, Francis Fukuyama, our guest in this episode. "It's one group saying, 'look, you are not taking us seriously. You disregard our rights and we demand a different kind of world.'"We discuss whether identity politics are damaging our democracy at a time of deep polarization when many national and global institutions struggle to respond to growing challenges. "We have shifted from arguing about economic policies to arguing about identities," Fukuyama tells us. In his book, "Identity: The Demand for Dignity and The Politics of Resentment," he warns that unless we forge a clear understanding of human dignity, we will doom ourselves to continuing conflict. We discuss other solutions, including the need for more civics education, national service, and the benefits of universal healthcare and other policies that help all, instead of focusing on a single group.In the United States, “it’s better if both parties actually stick to broad social policy issues that they can argue about, rather than lining themselves up according to biological characteristics,” he says.We examine Fukuyama's provocative analysis of populism, nativism, white nationalism, radical Islam, and authoritarian tendencies that threaten to destabilize democracy and international affairs.Francis Fukuyama is probably best-known for "The End of History and the Last Man", published after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. His other major works include "The Origins of Political Order" and "America at the Crossroads" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Richard and Jim have an extended conversation around six solutions to help us manage the pandemic more successfully, and improve responses to future public health emergencies.1. Have a more realistic view of the virus. This includes understanding that the virus won't go away anytime soon. Clear, honest communication from the media and government health officials will help. 2. Restoring Trust. Greater transparency by public health officials and honesty about what is not known are two ways to improve understanding and trust.3. Improve access to care and medical literacy. 4. Focus on the severe cost of the pandemic to children. 5. Make it Harder for People to be Unvaccinated.Over 95% of new COVID-related hospital cases are among unvaccinated Americans.6. COVID will probably increase life expectancy: The virus has led to advances in mRNA vaccines and viral medicine. The pandemic will speed up and intensify research into other life-threatening illnesses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America is facing a reading crisis, and this has profound impacts on how we engage with the world. The number of adults who read books for pleasure fell by more than 30% in less than 15 years. Researchers found that Americans watch TV three hours a day, but spend less than 30 minutes reading. "Reading is seeing the world through someone else's eyes," says our guest, Joseph Luzzi, Professor of Comparative Literature at Bard College. "I think of social media as a mirror. You look into it and your tastes and interests are reflected back on you. Literature is a prism. You look into it and you are engaged." Recent neuroscience research suggests fiction literature helps people develop empathy and critical thinking. The decline in reading and the popularity of social media may have profound impacts on democracy, feeding into our deep partisan division, and reinforcing extreme opinions.In this episode, we also discuss how reading Dante helped save Joseph after he became a widower and a father on the same day. We also learn about his 4-for-45 prescription for how reading literature can bring pleasure enlightenment to our daily lives.Learn more about Joseph Luzzi's monthly book group, books and public lectures here.Recommendations: In this episode, Jim and Richard reveal the books that had a profound impact on them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our relationship with our stuff is broken. What was once fixed is often tossed into landfills. Repairs today are more expensive than the prices of many new clothes, gadgets, and household appliances.The U.S. has 5% of the world's population, but consumes about 30% of the world's resources and creates almost a third of the world's waste. Large manufacturers restrict the repair of their goods by limiting the availability of parts and repair information. Their policies sparked a consumer backlash and a growing right-to-repair movement. This week, The Federal Trade Commission said it wants to give consumers new rights to fix devices and limit "unfair anti-competitive restrictions" by manufacturers.Our guest, Sandra Goldmark, is a leader in the movement to demand better “stuff.” She doesn’t just want to help us clear away clutter—she aims to move us away from a throwaway culture, to teach us to reuse and repurpose more thoughtfully. We discuss her new book, "Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet,” and the case for a circular economy. Sandra is a professor at Barnard College in New York and leads its sustainability program. She's also the founder of Fixup, a non-profit group that runs pop-up repair shops and advocates for making sure consumers have the right to fix the things they own— their stuff.Recommendation: Jim is an enthusiastic cyclist, and is impressed by rail-trail pathways— paved trails that follow the routes of old railways lines— and the movement that created them. He enjoys riding on the 750-mile Empire State Trail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democracies around the world are under threat from populist movements, demagogues, and dogmatic extremists who use disinformation, conspiracy theories, shaming, cancel culture, and other tactics to weaponize social media and challenge our ability to distinguish fact from fiction and truth from falsehood.In his new book, our guest, best-selling author, journalist, scholar, and public intellectual, Jonathan Rauch, offers a stirring defense of the constitution of knowledge— our social system of checks and balances that is crucial for turning disagreement into truth."This global network of people hunting for each others' errors is far and away the greatest human technology ever invented," Jonathan tells us in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" The constitution of knowledge, he says, "is a global conversation of people looking for truth, and more especially, looking for the error."With a deep knowledge of history and politics, Jonathan arms listeners and readers with a better understanding of what they can do to protect truth and free inquiry from threats as far away from Russia and as close as your laptop and smartphone.Here's one of our favorite reviews of "The Constitution of Knowledge".Recommendation: Richard watched and much enjoyed "The Leopard", the 1963 Italian period drama by director Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The spread of the Delta Variant is a rapidly growing threat to public health, especially in states with low vaccination rates. But cases of COVID-19 are still holding steady in regions where more than 60% of the adult population had at least one shot.The disparity comes at a time of triumph with increasing evidence that the vaccines offer extremely high rates of protection. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that regional differences in coronavirus vaccination rates could create "two types of America."Vaccine hesitancy is high in rural red states, in Black and Latino communities, and among many young people. In this episode, we hear again from Dr. Wrenetha Julion, professor and Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion at Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago. We also review the latest research on the Delta Variant and warnings of rising hospitalizations among unvaccinated Americans.Vaccine hesitancy "is a significant problem," says Wrenetha. "It stems from a long history of mistrust and mistreatment of African-Americans and other groups in healthcare systems and research. Unfortunately, those things stick in people's minds."We examine the impact of the Tuskegee experiment and look at Wrenetha's suggestions for building vaccine trust in marginalized communities.Recommendation: Jim is reading "Bag Man", by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz. The book and her podcast tell the astounding story of Vice President Spiro Agnew— his crimes, cover-ups, and downfall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Much of the West has just lived through one of the worst June heatwaves in decades. Many states could be in a drought all this summer. From California and Arizona to the mountain West, dangerous heatwaves are almost becoming the norm.The threat of more devastating wildfires prompted calls for reforms of the nation's fire management policies, and are a clear sign that the impacts of climate change are now being felt.We discuss the causes of raging wildfires, including forestry management, climate, and the movement of people, as well as practical steps that can be taken now to reduce the destruction to property and people's lives. Our guests are Guardian journalists Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano, authors of the book, “Fire In Paradise: An American Tragedy", a harrowing account of the most destructive wildfire in a century. Both Dani and Alastair reported extensively on the Camp Fire in 2018, and this year's megafires in California, Oregon, and Washington.Recommendation: Jim continues to feed his passion for birdwatching, reading "A Season On The Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration" by Ken Kaufman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone" was a 2008 newspaper column that turned into a national campaign to help parents raise their children with less anxiety while pushing back against our culture that has become obsessed with kids' fragility.Our guest, Lenore Skenazy, founded free-range kids in the years after she first described making the decision to let her son, Izzy, take the New York City subway home alone. Her column resulted in a flood of media coverage and mixed reactions from parents— from accusations of child abuse to fond memories of childhood freedom. She hosted a TV series, "World's Worst Mom".This week, the second edition of her best-selling book, "Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow", is published. In this episode, we discuss how parents and educators can step back so kids step up. We also look at the resilience of children and why the rest of the world is laughing at us scaredy-cat Americans.   "There's so much intelligence and cognition building going on when kids are figuring out rules, and trying to figure out who's going to play with them," Lenore tells us. This form of learning about the world "doesn't look like learning because it's playing. We really have a hard time believing that you can be playing and learning at the same time."Lenore believes our kids are stronger and smarter than our society assumes. Her work with the Let Grow Project and Let Grow Play Club is built on the principle that children think and act for themselves when adults don't get involved every step of the way.Recommendation: Richard is watching two seasons of the Israeli TV series, "False Flag" on Hulu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's remarkable experiment in a pluralist democracy is under threat from toxic polarization. In this episode, we discuss two current nationwide campaigns to tackle this crisis head-on,America Talks, on Saturday-Sunday, June 12-13, is a powerful conversation event that invites thousands of Americans to connect one-on-one on video across our political divides. By doing so, we remind ourselves that the “other” is – just like us – a person with family, friends, hopes, fears, values, beliefs, and intrinsic worth.The fourth annual National Week of Conversation, June 14-20, organized by #ListenFirst Coalition and over 300 organizations, invites Americans of all views and backgrounds to listen and discover common interests. Sign up for both events at AmericaTalks.us.Our guests are Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of Civic Health Project, Director at AllSides, and 17-year-old Zoë Jenkins, a civic activist who founded DICCE — diversity, inclusion, cultural competency, and equity.Recent polling found that more than 9-in-10 Americans recognize that polarization is a problem, while 7-in-ten say democracy is in danger.This podcast looks at the crisis and the opportunity for changing and strengthening democracy. We also discuss Moral Foundations Theory, Open Mind Platform for schools and workplaces, student-led BridgeUSA, and the work of Bridge Alliance.Recommendation: Jim is watching "Our Planet" on Netflix, narrated by David Attenborough, who recounts his life, and the evolutionary history of life on earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word “peacebuilding” evokes a story we’ve all heard over and over: Violence breaks out, foreign nations react, peacekeepers and million-dollar donors come rushing in, warring parties sign a peace agreement, and, sadly, within months the situation is back to where it started—sometimes worse. But peace can grow in the most unlikely circumstances. What are some strategies that work?Our guest is an award-winning researcher and peacebuilder, Séverine Autesserre, author of the new book, "The Frontlines of Peace". She shares success stories — innovative grassroots initiatives led by local people, at times supported by foreigners, often employing methods shunned by the international elite. In this episode, we look at examples of local initiatives that build lasting peace. We examine how they differ from the top-down "Peace Inc." approach that can waste billions of dollars in aid and involve massive international interventions.Séverine shows the radical changes we must take in our approach if we hope to build lasting peace around us—whether we live in Congo, the United States, or elsewhere. We also learn how these approaches could help all of us, and discuss the work of moms in Chicago who work against gun violence in their neighborhoods.Featured sound bite: "Let's say you don't care about the rest of the world and you only care about your own community: The lessons we learn from conflict zones can help us improve the situation around us."Recommendation: Richard is watching comedy as a constructive form of escape. The TV series "Better Things" is an example. On earlier shows we recommended "Never Have I Ever" and "Call My Agent". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"We should be humble all the time," says Veronique de Rugy of her study of economics. "There's always something I realize that I didn't understand."  In this episode, we discuss the rigorous questions economists need to ask themselves when analyzing the likely impacts of public policies: Questions rarely asked by politicians and others in the public square. We look at the perils of cronyism, the shortcomings of the Ex-Im Bank, growing federal budget deficits, and the unfairness of the highly complex U.S. tax system.Veronique is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She writes a syndicated column looking at economics from a free market, libertarian perspective.Featured quote: "People don't go to the barricades to fight for distortions and economic inefficiency but they should go to the barricades to fight unfairness and cronyism that is unfair."Recommendation: Jim is listening to "The Moment", a podcast with interviews about the pivotal moments that fueled fascinating creative careers, hosted by Brian Koppelman.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's tempting to believe that our current moment is the most urgent of all. Yet despite the catastrophic pandemic, and threats from other urgent problems, humankind has faced worse calamities in the past— from global wars and plagues to economic collapse.In this episode, we look at age-old lessons from philosophy and discover how ancient wisdom can be our guide in modern times.Best-selling author, traveler, and former NPR foreign correspondent, Eric Weiner is our guide. He's the author of the recent book, "The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons From Dead Philosophers".This episode is a fun ride,  as we follow in the footsteps of history’s greatest thinkers—from Epicurus to Nietzsche, Thoreau to Gandhi— who show us practical and spiritual lessons for today’s unsettled times. Philosophy helps us during our struggle with disturbing questions raised by the pandemic: How can we remain calm in an uncertain age? How do we endure tough times? There are no easy answers, but philosophy can help us gain a wise sense of perspective, and ask better questions. The age-old lesson from philosophers, says Eric, is that "you can put down your iPhone and close your laptop, and stop acquiring more bits of data."Recommendation: Richard has just finished reading the remarkable novel, "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell. Set in England in 1596, The book is an exploration of grief, marriage, and family life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She lived in Seattle and covered science, climate change, and the environment for NPR for more than a decade. Most of her friends and colleagues were liberals or progressives. Then in 2018, journalist Ashley Ahearn made a big jump, moving with her husband to one of the most conservative counties in rural Washington State.  What did this public radio reporter learn from her dramatic change in lifestyle? In this episode, we learn about the profound rural-urban divide in America, and what Ashley discovered about her new neighbors and herself when she switched from the city to the country, now living on a 20-acre property with a horse and a pickup truck. We also discuss how politics and views of the land and climate differ greatly according to where people live.Recently, Ashley Ahearn launched her remarkable 8-part podcast series, Grouse, which looks at life in rural America through the lens of the most controversial bird in the West — the greater sage-grouse. This podcast series is also our recommendation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too often in our fierce and narrow political debates, we suffer from a poverty of imagination. Seeing a crisis through a narrow lens of "us versus them" is a barrier to creative solutions and vital changes needed to save lives, protect the planet, and grow prosperity.In this episode we discuss the enormous power and potential of framing: mental models that enable us to see patterns, predict how things will unfold, and understand new situations.Our guests are Kenneth Cukier, a senior editor at The Economist in London, and Francis de Véricourt, professor of management science at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. They are two of the co-authors of the new book, "Framers. Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil."Real-world examples of how framers changed the world include: The rapid rise of #MeToo, which went viral on Twitter after the actress Alyssa Milano tweeted a request to her followers: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”; Successful responses to Covid-19 by the governments of New Zealand, Taiwan, and Australia, and the framing of U.S. Constitution in the late 18th Century.We also learn why the advice to "think outside the box" is useless, and how to understand the role of mental models in our own daily lives.Recommendation: Jim suggests a puzzle: The New York Times "pangram", Spelling Bee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the months after George Floyd’s murder, colleges, universities, non-profits, and large corporations across the country embraced anti-racism and diversity training as a way to promote inclusion and racial justice.But do these programs actually work to change minds and achieve their goals? Our guest, associate professor of History at Carleton College, Amna Khalid, argues that while training can improve customer service and knowledge of CPR and Excel spreadsheets, it’s woefully inadequate when confronting complex social problems such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, and racism. Amna grew up under several military dictatorships in Pakistan and came to the U.S. with a passionate commitment to free speech and belief in the power of education to promote curiosity, understanding, and imagination."Through all my journeys what I've come to realize is that people are individuals more than any category that you can put them into," Amna tells us.  "If we really begin to engage with people as individuals then we will do a far better job of diversity and inclusion."While critical race theory (CRT) can be one useful tool in our conversations about race, this episode includes criticism of efforts to promote one all-encompassing view of diversity. Recommendation: Richard enjoyed watching "Soul", which won the Oscar this year for best animated feature movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the greatest crisis facing America today? — Racism and hate crimes, exploding government debt, climate change, or the mess at the border?It may be none of these. America and many other countries are trapped in high conflict. Both sides are paralyzed by fear and anger as they demonize the other. The national narrative of "us versus them" is a threat to democracy and stops us from working together to build a better world.Best-selling author and investigative journalist, Amanda Ripley, is our guest. She is well-known for her writing in The Atlantic, Time, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Her latest book is “High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out."Amanda argues that good conflict involves nuance and complexity. It can teach us to be better people, who are capable of solutions as they move past misunderstandings. Many are trapped in high conflict, which is threatening to tear us apart, creating an even deeper crisis than we have now.We discuss "conflict entrepreneurs"— cable TV personalities, talk radio hosts, and politicians from both left and right — who profit from making us angry and fearful."Most Americans want "out" of this high conflict," Amanda tells How Do We Fix It? "They very much want to see a different way of disagreeing among their politicians and the news media. They are frequently tuning out of politics and the news, which is a big problem, but totally understandable."Recommendation: Jim enjoyed watching "Long Strange Trip", a highly-praised documentary about the rock band, the Grateful Dead. TV viewers can watch it on Amazon Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.