Beyond Politics

Chris Hill, host of Motley Fool Money, the #1 stock investing radio show in America, explains why the down market won't be like March 2020 this time around.  Also, why is Disney+ adding a subscription with ads, and are baseball owners the dumbest business leaders in America?

Max Bergmann (@maxbergmann) is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a former senior State Department official who is an expert on US-Europe-Russia relations. He takes us inside what is probably going on in the State Department, the White House, and other agencies right now as they make major decisions on issues like the Russian oil ban, no fly zone, and other moves to counter Russia in its war with Ukraine.  How does the process work, who does what, and how much more have government leaders worked out behind the scenes than they let on to the public?

Jim Clyburn is the Majority Whip in the United States House of Representatives, the third-ranking Democrat, and one of the top leaders of our country.  In 2020, his decision to endorse then-candidate Joe Biden was probably more responsible than any other single act for Biden winning the nomination, defeating Donald Trump, and saving America.  Congressman Clyburn takes us behind the scenes of that dramatic moment and through some other great stories that you've never heard before. 

In 2017 Congressman Steve Israel left Capitol Hill – unindicted and undefeated – at the very pinnacle of politics. He was one of the top ranking Democrats in Congress, widely respected, and on a path to even greater influence. President Bill Clinton called him “one of the most thoughtful Members of Congress.”  So why did he give it up? And how did the reality of Congressional fundraising factor in? By the way, if you like what you hear, Congressman Israel’s latest literary venture is his new bookstore in Oyster Bay, Long Island called Theodore’s. You can order a range of great books online, including the two satires he penned since leaving Congress. 

Why this war? Why now? And are there fractures behind the scenes within the Kremlin? Sean Carberry served as NPR’s international correspondent based in Kabul, Afghanistan after reporting for NPR from more than two dozen middle eastern and African countries.  He shares what top analysts are thinking about the state of the war in Ukraine, what his colleagues on the ground are focusing on right now, and what the future might hold. A crossover episode with the Beyond Politics Podcast. Photo by Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash

I recently wrote an article for Newsweek in which I pleaded with Democrats to refocus. When we lost the effort to save American democracy in the Senate at the beginning of the month, it was demoralizing. And Democrats shouldn't give up on the federal level. But there's a lot more to government and making change in America than the federal level. Earlier this month when the Ohio Supreme Court threw out the Republican legislature's ludicrously gerrymandered congressional maps, there was a lesson there...and if Democrats can pick their chins up and pause outrage-tweeting for a moment, they will see that the Ohio win didn't just fall out of the sky. It happened because Dems focused on overlooked, smaller, state and local races that make a huge difference in power. Democrats may not be able to pass a big, sweeping federal law to comprehensively stop all election abuses, or to fix all of our problems. But that doesn't mean they can't grit and grind their way to achieve many similar protections and advances in the states and at the local level. One of the key leaders in understanding the importance of state and local politics, and doing something about it, is Amanda Litman.  She co-founded Run for Something, an organization dedicated to supporting people who want to run for office, and getting smart, dedicated, progressive leaders in positions across the country that make a difference in American lives. 

Chris Hill of Motley Fool Money walks through how to think about (and how much to worry about) recent volatility, as well as the drops of some high performers, and the counterintuitive performance of the lodging industry.

Democratic political and media consultant Mark Bergman has a message for Democrats...we're right about a lot of things, including striving for equality, supporting working families on needs like child care, and following science on Covid. But the the voters are not seeing things the same way.  It's partly the message, partly the priorities we talk about, partly the brand of the entire party...and there's a healthy dose of distortion from right wing media. But the bottom line is, we're losing the middle, and we can't win elections in 2022 or 2024 with just our activist base, because the Republican base is even more fired up.  We need to appeal to persuadable working class voters again. The good news is that it ain't over yet. "That's why you play the whole ball game...the Cincinnati Bengals thought they were going to win the Super Bowl until the final two minutes," Mark says.  In this episode, Mark gives a dose of reality, but also some helpful pointers about how to fight back against the headwinds the party is facing.

Matt joins legendary West Virginia radio broadcaster Howard Monroe to talk about why school issues - including mask mandates, closures, curriculum, "transparency," and critical race theory - have become such a huge focus in politics these days.  And are Republicans winning on these issues?

The agreement from gun manufacturer Remington to settle a civil court case brought by Sandy Hook families marks the first time a gun company in America has been held liable for a mass shooting.  The case revolved around the marketing campaign for the rifle used by the Newtown shooter and whether it targeted teenage boys and young adults through ad placement in violent video games. The fact that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case could open the door to many more state-based lawsuits, while the settlement award could put financial pressure on other manufacturers across the industry. So is the $73 million settlement a turning point for gun reform efforts? We wanted to ask one of the top veterans of the gun reform advocacy community, Cliff Schecter, who has worked for Mike Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Brady Campaign, and has written widely about gun safety.  Photo by Bexar Arms on Unsplash