Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other

We're joined by Tim Alberta upon the publication of his new book, The Kingdom, The Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. After starting out with some fun banter about Tim's beloved Detroit Lions and veering off into kids' names, we delve into weighty topics such as whether Tim still considers himself an #evangelical - more specifically, if there are aspects of his faith he's begun to question. Much of this conversation is about the new book: "The main thing is no longer the main thing" for so many megachurch pastors; Donald Trump is "a creation of the culture gone crazy" (especially in the American Evangelical church); whether hucksters like Trump and Paula White, when they're behind closed doors, laugh at all their "suckers" that buy into their various schemes; who Tim thinks is the audience for THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY - and who he hopes the audience is; and we get to hear some input from Charles Mingus the 3rd!   Tim Alberta is a staff writer for The Atlantic and the former chief political correspondent for Politico, and has written for dozens of other publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump and the newly released The Kingdom, The Power and the Glory. He co-moderated the final Democratic presidential debate of 2019 and frequently appears as a commentator on television programs in the United States and around the world. And as listeners will quickly learn, Tim is a big time Detroit Lions fan.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: https://www.mezawealth.com/   We're also pleased to give a shoutout to our friends at a great new podcast: https://leftylooseyrightytighty.podbean.com   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   www.bytimalberta.com/   www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Power-Glory-Evangelicals-Extremism/dp/006322688X   www.theatlantic.com/author/tim-alberta/

On this episode, we were joined by Jahnavi Rao and Nivea Krishnan of New Voters. Jahnavi is the President and Founder and Nivea is the Executive Director of the organization, a 501(c)3 whose mission is to involve students in all aspects of civic life, from registration to education and even emerging technologies. This is a nonpartisan group that, as of the date of our interview, registered 80,000 high school students to vote in 39 states along with 300,000 students that have been reached through their educational efforts.   We discussed what inspired Jahnavi to launch the organization and what prompted both of these "badass organizers" to get involved in politics and civic engagement in the first place; they shared what it's like to engage young voters by helping them get registered to vote as well as getting involved in legislative advocacy; we geeked out about politics and polling including how New Voters' Research Network does its research; and what it's like to interact in neighborly ways with folks who might assume they're on a different political team.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: https://www.mezawealth.com/   We're also pleased to give a shoutout to our friends at a great new podcast: https://leftylooseyrightytighty.podbean.com   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   www.new-voters.org   www.instagram.com/newvoters   www.linkedin.com/company/newvoters

Thoroughly appreciated this "Best of" conversation with Dr. Yuval Levin which we originally had right after the terrible attacks of October 7th in Israel. It was especially timely to have Dr. Yuval Levin on the program as he's not only one of this country's foremost scholars and policy experts, he's originally from Haifa, Israel. So we, of course, discussed what's happening there; however, our recording was only a couple days after the terrorist attacks that sparked the war. We did get to discuss a number of other pressing issues such as Dr. Levin's advocacy for ranked choice voting in primary elections; how to structure institutions to create the right kind of culture; whether our political positions come first or our philosophical and ethical moorings are primary; how Yuval is really just reiterating Aristotle for contemporary society - i.e. "What kind of person do I want to be? And what would that kind of person do in this situation?" With that in mind, a central theme of this program came up: How do we engage with friends, family and neighbors when so many are expressing extremist views? Dr. Levin's recommendation is that sometimes, at Thanksgiving, we just have to say, "I really think you're wrong. Now, pass the gravy..." and leave it at that. And I bet you never knew Alexis de Tocqueville could have been a Borscht Belt comedian!   Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. The founder and editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. Dr. Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush. And he has published essays and articles in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Commentary. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: https://www.mezawealth.com/   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

This is a special episode of TP&R as we are joined by Michal Rozen from Israel. Michal is currently a communications and film teacher there. She served in the army when she was 19. But she's found other ways to serve as she is a leftist who believes in peace and non-violence. That said, Michal's partner, siblings and cousins are all active in the IDF. And as you'll hear, there's much unity with everyone helping as they can with the war effort.   In this chilling conversation, we get updates on what's happening with family in Israel and how our cousins who are eligible for service with the IDF are doing. We discuss what it's like growing up in Israel and the fact that Israel is a pluralistic country. Michal has always been among Arab neighbors, friends, coworkers and students. We cover the political differences people have, even among family - some who like what Netanyahu has done, some who don't. With Michal's area of study as a teacher, we talked about the way Hamas has been waging an information war in addition to all the other ways they continue to terrorize. Michal also shared thoughts on more accurate information sources and how to be better consumers of the news.   Here is one of the follows Michal suggested: www.instagram.com/yosephhaddad   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   Oseh Shalom by Nurit Hirsh Performed by HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir Conducted by Dr. Marsha Bryan Edelman, Arranged and Accompanied on Piano by Matthew Lazar, Founder & Director, Zamir Choral Foundation

You might recognize David Brooks from his columns in The New York Times or his essays in The Atlantic. Perhaps you’ve seen him on PBS NewsHour or Meet the Press. He’s also a prolific author. In fact, his 2019 book The Second Mountain was a major inspiration for this program. We discuss that as well as David’s new book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (Penguin Random House).   Our conversation with "Brooksie" went in a number of surprising directions: Sociological observations (and confessions) of New York Mets fans; The way lifelong friends enrich our lives; Depression - fair warning that this section gets pretty gritty and candid; How, as observant Jews, we both discovered Christianity later in life; As Jews who are Christian, whether we have any ambivalence; American Evangelicalism - talk about ambivalence! David's writing process and the motivation of deadlines; and much, much more!   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   David's new book HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks

What standards seem to guide your conduct? What stories shape your sense of the world and your place in it? What stories shape your sense of what it is to be a human being? What kinds of responses to the world’s suffering do you have the most hope for? These are just a few of the big questions we explored with Dr. Ryan McAnnally-Linz in this conversation. They're the kinds of questions he explores with his colleagues Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun at Yale together, in their book LIFE WORTH LIVING and in a number of other settings.   Ryan McAnnally-Linz is a systematic theologian and Associate Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. He works at the intersection of theology, ethics, and cultural criticism. Ryan co-authored Public Faith in Action with Miroslav Volf. Dr. McAnnally-Linz also co-authored the book we discuss in this episode, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most. He co-edited The Joy of Humility and Envisioning the Good Life. Ryan also contributes to the excellent podcast For the Life of the World. And his scholarly articles have appeared in a broad range of publications. If you read enough of Ryan's material, you might come across some of his other interests such as Omaha Hi-Lo Poker and The Big Lebowski.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Here's the fundraiser for IDF Reserves: spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   faith.yale.edu/people/ryan-mcannally-linz   faith.yale.edu   faith.yale.edu/podcast   www.lifeworthlivingbook.com

"...nothing matters in this whole wide world, When you're in love with a Jersey girl..."   It was so cool to have Lisa Camooso Miller on the program partly because she grew up just a couple towns over from where Corey grew up in New Jersey! So of course we talked about "my hometown..." We also talked a lot about Lisa's specialty: #communications. And can't we all use a primer on better communication skills? There was so much else we covered such as how Lisa built her career in #politics and #journalism. It all comes down to, as we say in Jersey, "I got a guy" - meaning, relationships. We discussed what's happening in Congress with the Speaker of the House (or lack thereof); how it's being covered; life in a post-COVID world; and we get a peak behind the scenes at how big pieces of legislation actually get passed. Plus, since Lisa has an awesome podcast called THE FRIDAY REPORTER, we did geek out about #podcasting.   Lisa Camooso Miller has been a notable communications leader for over twenty years in local, state and federal government posts, political campaigns and committees, as well as advocacy organizations. She is the host and producer of The Friday Reporter podcast. Lisa is a partner at Reset Public Affairs and prior to that position she served as the head of media affairs for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. She was previously deputy communications director for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Speaker of the House.  She also served as the head of communications for the Republican National Committee in 2007. Prior to her time in Washington, D.C., Miller served under two New Jersey governors, where she participated in the recovery and rebuilding efforts following the attacks of September 11th. And did we mention Lisa's a Jersey girl?!?!   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: https://www.mezawealth.com/   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Here's the fundraiser for IDF Reserves: spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   www.fridayreporter.com/about-us   www.fridayreporter.com

“Oseh shalom bimromav. Hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu. V’al kol Yisrael V’imru” (They who make peace in their high places, may they bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel.)   In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Naomi Yudanin and Dr. Erica Harris. We came together to discuss what's been happening in Israel since the attack by Hamas on October 7th; what's happening with our own families there; some background about our family histories including emigrating from Ukraine; how we're processing the reaction we're seeing around the world including here in the U.S.; and most importantly, how we can help. That's where the fundraiser that Naomi is organizing, Equipment For IDF Reserves, comes in. We are raising money on behalf of Naomi's friends, Yonatan and Evelyn Seltzer, who have recently been mobilized as part of the 360,000+ reserve soldiers recruited by the IDF to fight Hamas. They are in need of basic and defensive equipment, which has been difficult to acquire and distribute quickly. Like many of their fellow reservists, they're scrambling to acquire these essentials and end up paying for it themselves. Please consider helping Yonatan, Evelyn, and other soldiers like them buy basic goods (including socks, underwear, hygiene products, warm clothing, etc.) in the next few weeks as they prepare to fight Hamas. Here is the link: spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   Additionally, Dr. Harris is in the process of providing low fee or pro-bono services to victims of the war in Israel as well as their families. Databases are currently being created that many therapists are joining to provide services to these individuals. If anyone would like further information, they may contact Dr. Harris through her website at www.ericaharrisphd.com.   Dr. Erica Harris is a licensed clinical psychologist whose areas of expertise include trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, relationship conflict, addiction, coping skills, and life transitions. Dr. Harris also provides crisis treatment for patients struggling with situations in the moment, in order to help them cope more adaptively.   Dr. Naomi Yudanin is a computational biologist by training who describes her vocational background as a "professional data nerd building a better healthcare experience for all." Naomi is currently the Director of Medical Data at Munich RE.   Oseh Shalom by Nurit Hirsh Performed by HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir Conducted by Dr. Marsha Bryan Edelman, Arranged and Accompanied on Piano by Matthew Lazar, Founder & Director, Zamir Choral Foundation   spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   ericaharrisphd.com   naomiyudanin.com   zamirchoralfoundation.org   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as  www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

Please consider participating in a charitable effort our family is supporting: http://spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   It was especially timely to have Dr. Yuval Levin on the program as he's not only one of this country's foremost scholars and policy experts, he's originally from Haifa, Israel. So we, of course, discussed what's happening there; however, our recording was only a couple days after the terrorist attacks that sparked the war. We did get to discuss a number of other pressing issues such as Dr. Levin's advocacy for ranked choice voting in primary elections; how to structure institutions to create the right kind of culture; whether our political positions come first or our philosophical and ethical moorings are primary; how Yuval is really just reiterating Aristotle for contemporary society - i.e. "What kind of person do I want to be? And what would that kind of person do in this situation?" With that in mind, a central theme of this program came up: How do we engage with friends, family and neighbors when so many are expressing extremist views? Dr. Levin's recommendation is that sometimes, at Thanksgiving, we just have to say, "I really think you're wrong. Now, pass the gravy..." and leave it at that. And I bet you never knew Alexis de Tocqueville could have been a Borscht Belt comedian!   Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. The founder and editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor at The New Atlantis, a contributing editor at National Review, and a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. Dr. Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush. And he has published essays and articles in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Commentary. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy, most recently A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: https://www.mezawealth.com/   Here's the fundraiser for IDF Reserves: spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

This is a special, timely conversation about what's happening in Israel. We invited our friends who produce and host DIRTY MODERATE, Adam Epstein and Dawn Sorokin, to work through some of the real history of Israel and that region; some of our own family's history; numerous false and destructive narratives that need to be confronted; how we're muddling through everything that's unfolding; and much more.   Here is one charitable effort that our family is supporting: http://spot.fund/EquipmentForIDFReserves   Be sure to visit Dirty Moderate's platforms here: Twitter and instagram @dirtymoderate TikTok @dirtymoderatenation Substack www.dirtymoderate.com    And as always, Corey can be found on all (or at least most) of the socials @coreysnathan including www.threads.net/@coreysnathan. (...and we're hitting publish just before sundown. So this is still kosher for Shabbas.)

Anytime Matt Lewis joins us, we have a grand ole' time! In this free flowing conversation, we make a pitch for how to solve the dumpster fire known as U.S. Congress: In light of the #Barbenheimer summer, Congress should consider the #FitzpatriHeimer fall. (cf. Co-heads of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ.) We also cover how to talk to some friends and family in one information bubble, and other friends and family in a whole other political news silo. We get into his latest book FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS and how it's a bipartisan problem. Matt shares how he prepares for interviews; how driving is a great time to write notes and even take a nap (...just kidding); we do some rank prognostication on the Speaker Sweepstakes; and we even talk some baseball!   Matt Lewis is a senior columnist at the Daily Beast and the author of Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections (and How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots) and his new book Filthy Rich Politicians: The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals and Ruling-Class Elites Cashing in on America. You might recognize Matt from his appearances on MSNBC's Morning Joe and prior to that as a CNN political contributor. Matt’s also provided political commentary on Real Time with Bill Maher, Face the Nation on CBS, the NewsHour on PBS, and ABC’s Nightline. Matt’s writing has appeared in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, GQ, the Washington Post, and Politico among others. Matt previously served as senior contributor for the Daily Caller and, before that, as a columnist for AOL’s Politics Daily. Matt is also the host of Matt Lewis and the News and is the co-host of The DMZ along with Bill Scher.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.thedailybeast.com/author/matt-lewis   twitter.com/mattklewis   mattklewis.com/books-articles-media   mattklewis.com/matt-lewis-and-the-news

What is the distinction between civility vs. politeness? How do we do life together? Why do so many of us have a lust to dominate others? How do we navigate the vertical relationship between the people and our governing authorities? More importantly, how do we navigate our horizontal relationships among our neighbors? How can we have a debate without it devolving into a quarrel? We've been grappling with these questions since the oldest story in the world has been told and since the oldest book was written.   ALEXANDRA HUDSON is a writer, popular speaker, and the founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and intellectual community dedicated to beauty, goodness and truth. She was named the 2020 Novak Journalism Fellow, and contributes to Fox News, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, TIME Magazine, POLITICO, and Newsweek. She earned a master’s degree in public policy at the London School of Economics as a Rotary Scholar, and is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy. She is also the creator of a series for The Teaching Company called Storytelling and The Human Condition. Her first book, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves, is forthcoming from St. Martin’s press, which we cover at length on this episode.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   alexandraohudson.com   www.civic-renaissance.com   alexandraohudson.com/book-preorder

Mike Madrid makes his triumphant return to TP&R! We explored why significant numbers of Latino voters are drifting away from the Democratic Party; what explains the drift toward authoritarian populism of much of the Republican Party; how Fox News and the conservative media ecosystem keep their audience so angry; whether there are any Republicans worth supporting; we had some disagreement on whether to keep the offramp open for those who want to depart the Trump Train; what Mike means when he says that every day we go forward is a day closer to the end of Trumpism; and that politics is downstream of culture. And here's a doozy: How many votes in the upcoming presidential election really matter? Out of 150 million votes, how many votes actually swing the election? And which ones?   Mike Madrid is a national political strategist, an expert in demographics and Latino politics. Mike’s academic work on Latino politics became the foundation for groundbreaking communications and outreach strategies in California, Texas, Florida and nationwide. Later, Mike was a co-founder of the Lincoln Project which played a significant part in defeating Donald Trump in 2020. Mike also lectures on race, class and partisanship at USC; he is the co-host of The Latino Vote podcast along with Chuck Rocha; and he is the author of the upcoming book (Spring of 2024), THE LATINO SOLUTION.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.threads.net/@mykemadrid   twitter.com/madrid_mike   latinos.vote/

Such a joy to have Wajahat Ali back on TP&R! Even before we got to the formal intro, Waj had Corey laughing to the point of tears. And yes, that was a snort - a laugh-snort! (a lorf? a snaf?) But laughter was a good salve for the serious subjects we covered. We discussed how power doesn’t like to be confronted and grappled with whether change can happen without discomfort. We were candid about our own mental health and what tools we've each developed to nurture good mental health. There was also a nuanced point of disagreement regarding parents’ rights to curate what their children are reading. And then we explored some important questions: Can we persuade those who disagree with us? If so, how? Or is it all catharsis?   Wajahat Ali is a writer originally from the Bay Area. Waj has been an attorney; a New York Times op-ed writer; a CNN commentator; co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream; lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s report Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America. He’s currently a columnist for the Daily Beast and is the author of the excellent, funny, at times heart-wrenching book that came out in 2022 titled Go Back to Where You Came From: And, Other Helpful Recommendations on Becoming American. Waj is the co-host of democracy-ish. And rumor has it, he is an aspiring gold-medalist in the Lego Olympics.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.wajali.com   www.thedailybeast.com/author/wajahat-ali   www.dcpofficial.com/democracy-ish

Is a hotdog a sandwich? And why is that an important question? (Just trust me: It is!) Yascha Mounk of Johns Hopkins University joined us for this conversation to discuss his latest book THE IDENTITY TRAP: A STORY OF IDEAS AND POWER IN OUR TIME. What is meant by the term “identity synthesis?” In recent years, terms like “identity politics,” “cancel culture” and being “woke” have been used to refer to the topics that are dealt with in the book. So with the urgency of fighting the dangers of right-wing authoritarianism, why address the identity trap? What advice is there for arguing and organizing against the identity trap? And is there reason to be optimistic?   YASCHA MOUNK is Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, Founder of Persuasion, an online magazine devoted to defending the values of free societies; he’s a Contributing Editor at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, he is the host of the Good Fight podcast, and the author, most recently, of The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712961/the-identity-trap-by-yascha-mounk   www.persuasion.community   www.persuasion.community/podcast   “(S)ix pieces of advice for arguing and organizing against the identity trap..."  Claim the Moral High Ground Don’t Vilify Those Who Disagree Remember That Today’s Adversaries Can Become Tomorrow’s Allies Appeal to the Reasonable Majority Make Common Cause with Other Opponents of the Identity Synthesis …But Don’t Become a Reactionary

“Is America a divinely ordained promised land for European Christians, or is America a pluralistic democracy where all stand on equal footing before the law?” Dr. Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI, grapples with this central question in his new book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future. As Dr. Jones says, “At its heart, this book sets out to expose the deep, hidden roots of America’s current identity crisis.” This landmark work examines the genocide and removal of Native Americans and White racial violence against African Americans that occurred in three distinct regions of our country: Tulsa, OK; the Mississippi Delta; and Duluth, MN. Tragically, these accounts are not unique to these areas. Similar atrocities have occurred in virtually all 50 states. And yet, this is a story of hope. The heart of the project is that “Authentic healing flows from, and true repentance is built on, the twin pillars of truth-telling and repair.”   Dr. Robert P. Jones is the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Dr. Jones is also the author of the forthcoming book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future as well as the award-winning books White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity and The End of White Christian America. Robby writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for The Atlantic, TIME, Religion News Service, and other outlets. And you might recognize him from his appearances on CNN, MSNBC and NPR. He also writes weekly at robertpjones on substack, a newsletter for those dedicated to the work of truth-telling, repair, and healing from the legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity. Dr. Jones holds a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University, an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and an undergrad degree in computing science and mathematics from Mississippi College.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.prri.org   www.amazon.com/Hidden-Roots-White-Supremacy-American/dp/166800951X/   robertpjones.substack.com   And please support our friends at BEST OF THE LEFT - www.bestoftheleft.com

Mariana Alfaro, reporter on the breaking political news team at The Washington Post, has insights about the changing landscape of journalism; how to do excellent reporting, especially given some of the hostile environments contributors to the Fourth Estate are subjected to; appreciating the role of good journalism in a healthy democracy; how to collaborate with other top notch writers on the larger, breaking stories in American politics; yes, we break down some of those current events such as the numerous criminal cases facing ex-President Donald Trump; and why... MUSTARD SKITTLES??? For crying out loud, WHY?!?!    Mariana Alfaro is a politics reporter at The Washington Post covering breaking news and was one of two reporters behind Post Politics Now, The Post’s live, breaking politics news feed.  She joined The Post in 2019 as a researcher for the Daily 202, the newspaper's flagship politics newsletter. Before that, Mariana worked as an intern for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Insider and The Texas Tribune. A native of San Salvador, Mariana graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.washingtonpost.com/people/mariana-alfaro   twitter.com/marianaa_alfaro

Have you ever wondered how primetime news commentary shows on major networks are made? Have you ever wondered why guys like Tucker Carlson say the kinds of things he says? Our guest on this episode, Mike Leon, can tell you all about it. Mike shares what really happens behind the scenes on the set of Fox News. And some of the secrets are quite surprising. He also provides insights on how we can be better consumers of news and analysis.    Mike Leon is a Rutgers journalism graduate, with 20+ years of TV, radio & digital media experience, including production stops in news & sports, from Fox News to ESPN to MSG Networks (to name a few). He is the host of the Can We Please Talk? podcast, a top 200 news commentary podcast in the U.S. that breaks down the latest headlines, featuring interviews with award-winning journalists, current & former government officials, historians, legal analysts, best-selling authors & even yours truly!   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.leonmedianetwork.com   www.leonmedianetwork.com/can-we-please-talk

What's at the root of the differences between generations? How different are those in the Silent Generation (that's who came after the Greatest Generation) from GenZ and "Polars" (which is the working name of the youngest generation)? Are major historical events like the Great Depression, World War II or, more recently, the Great Recession and COVID 19 the most significant factors in shaping a generation? Or could it be technology? Our guest, Dr. Jean Twenge, says it's the latter. In particular, Dr. Twenge asserts that it's technology's "daughters," the slow life strategy and individualism that have evolved over the course of the six generations she covers in her latest book, GENERATIONS. And that's just scratching the surface!   JEAN TWENGE, PHD, is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and has written extensively on generational change, including many scientific papers and several books including her most recent one titled Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future. Dr. Twenge’s work on generational differences and technology is based on a dataset of 39 million people. Her research has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox and Friends, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and National Public Radio.   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   www.jeantwenge.com   jeanmtwenge.substack.com   www.jeantwenge.com/generations-book-by-dr-jean-twenge

This is a special presentation of Let’s Find Common Ground from our friends at Common Ground Committee. CGC’s mission is to bring healing to the national challenges of polarization and incivility, inspiring and motivating the public to find common ground. They do this by demonstrating how influential people of opposing views can find agreement without compromising core values. Here are the show notes from this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground:   "Moderate Republican Will Hurd insists that across the country 'there is more that unites us than divides us.' The former GOP Congressman threw his hat into the ring in June with a video announcement that he's running for President of the United States. Our latest episode of 'Let's Find Common Ground' re-visits our interview with Will Hurd, recorded one year ago.   "Hurd stresses the need for both pragmatism and nuance when tackling guns, immigration, and other hot-button issues. But don't call him a squishy moderate. 'In the media in Washington DC…moderate means middle of the road,' he says. 'But in reality, moderates are the ones that do the hard work and get things done because they’re the ones that are having to take a philosophy to people that may not identify with it.'   "Will Hurd served as a CIA agent overseas and conducted briefings for members of Congress. This experience inspired him to run for Texas 23rd Congressional district, which he won in 2014. Congress. He was elected three times in a swing district where Democrats often win. Hurd says in our podcast interview that he succeeded by engaging with voters from both sides, not just voters who shared all his beliefs."   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   www.threads.net/@coreysnathan   commongroundcommittee.org/podcasts/   commongroundcommittee.org/