EP 860 America’s COVID Response Deserves Examination

EP 860 America’s COVID Response Deserves Examination

 Even though America and the first Trump Administration rushed into production the most effective vaccine to fight the COVID pandemic as part of Project Warp Speed, our life saving efforts failed to deliver the desired results. There is no way to look at America’s response to the COVID pandemic without wondering what went wrong. America …

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EP 859 The Federal Reserve and Its Impact on Today’s American Economy

EP 859 The Federal Reserve and Its Impact on Today’s American Economy

 Uncertainty is the watchword when it comes to the American economy as the Trump Administration looks to shake up the political economy around the globe with allies and competitors alike.  He’s also been weighing in on the actions of the Federal Reserve, who’s chair, Jerome Powell is asserting his independence in terms of determining the …

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EP 858 A Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican on the Upcoming Conclave to Replace Pope Francis

EP 858 A Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican on the Upcoming Conclave to Replace Pope Francis

   When we see the white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel, will it signify the more open and humanistic Papacy established by Pope Francis, the first South American Pope, or will it be a return to the more doctrinaire church led by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.  Time will tell.  To share his insights about …

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EP 857 What Does the World’s Most Famous Bird Tell Us About the Environmental Crises We Face?

EP 857 What Does the World’s Most Famous Bird Tell Us About the Environmental Crises We Face?

Perhaps you were following the social media phenomenon in 2023 of Flaco, dubbed ‘the world’s most famous bird’ from the night when vandals at the Central Park Zoo cut a hole in his cage until his death a year later in a courtyard on the Upper West Side. The year-long odyssey captured the imagination of …

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EP 856 Is Private Equity Killing Hospitals–And Other Businesses?

EP 856 Is Private Equity Killing Hospitals–And Other Businesses?

 As a society we must ask ourselves what is the bottom- line consideration when it comes to health care?  Is it the numbers on a spreadsheet, the self-aggrandizement of the institution’s owners or the well- being of the patient?  The response should be obvious.  Yet, the insidious model of private equity, now the owner of …

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EP 855 Lighthouse Parenting Shows Us the Way to Maintain Lifelong Connection with Our Children

EP 855 Lighthouse Parenting Shows Us the Way to Maintain Lifelong Connection with Our Children

 The metaphor of a lighthouse–steady, reliable and guiding without being overbearing– is the framework to provide a balanced alternative to extreme parenting trends.  If applied consistently it equips families to raise emotionally healthy children who thrive academically, build resilience and maintain lifelong connections with their parents. A leading proponent of this approach, Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg …

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EP 854 Nation’s Report Card Shows America is Failing Its Next Generation

EP 854 Nation’s Report Card Shows America is Failing Its Next Generation

 If you read the latest edition of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card”, things are not going well in our nation’s public schools.  Clearly, the long tail effects of the COVID pandemic are at play here. One respected educational researcher, Dan Goldhaber, did not want to sugarcoat the …

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EP 853 Can Racism Be Scientifically Proven?

EP 853 Can Racism Be Scientifically Proven?

While there are many in America who believe that racism is a thing of the past and no longer an issue, those beliefs are not grounded in science with empirical proof to back them up.  You might say is this provable objectively?  Keon West, PhD., a social psychologist at the University of London, sets out …

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EP 852 We Have Survived Presidents with Autocratic Ambitions Before

EP 852 We Have Survived Presidents with Autocratic Ambitions Before

 Imagine an American president who imprisoned critics, spread a culture of white supremacy, and tried to upend the rule of law so that he could commit crimes with impunity.  You may think this narrative speaks only to the present, but in fact history shows that American presidents have often pushed the boundaries established for them …

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EP 851 Will Social Security Survive Its Fiscal and Political Challenges?

EP 851 Will Social Security Survive Its Fiscal and Political Challenges?

 Social Security and its future have been in the news recently as the DOGE guys have been looking at its innards. Yet, it’s not called the third rail of American politics for nothing.  Over 70 million Americans rely on it for much, if not all, of their retirement income. Like Medicare, Social Security can be …

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