All Sides with Amy Juravich

People want to be more present, and smartphones are largely responsible for taking us out of the moment.

Consumer Reports home and technology reporter Courtney Lindwall recently bought the Nokia 2780 Flip in an effort to embrace “digital minimalism,” a movement that largely began to reclaim mental calmness from the chaotic digital realm.

With new technologies like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency becoming more widespread, so is their use in scams. We will talk about how you can stay vigilant against scammers.

Soon, it’s possible that the next Lyft you call won’t have a driver. Google’s self-driving car, Waymo, is expanding into new cities.

With the right hardware, you might soon be able to order your next take-out delivery meal with your Alexa.

Guests:

• Courtney Lindwall, tech reporter, Consumer Reports
• Kenyetta Bagby, manager, Office of Consumer Affairs, Ohio Department of Commerce
• Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

Despite his death seven years ago, the specter of Jeffrey Epstein still looms large. Association with the sex trafficker and disgraced financier has resulted in the downfall and damaged reputations of many rich and powerful men.

On this hour of All Sides, we delve into who Jeffrey Epstein was and why so many supposedly savvy people get ensnared by questionable people.

Guests:

• David Enrich, deputy investigations editor, The New York Times
• Holly Peterson, Wall Street Journal "Earn Your Luck" columnist
• Ronald Riggio, professor, leadership and organizational psychology, Claremont McKenna College

Communication is key, but the looks are changing. In our digital age of texting and emails, less spoken language means less emotion, tone and social cues.

A study from the University of Missouri-Kansas City shows that each year we speak about 300 fewer words. As political polarization increases and arguments and debates dominate our dialogue, how do we re-learn the art of communication?

Navigating sensitive topics and confronting others is difficult, but an essential skill in all facets of life, whether it's family, friends or the workplace. And, inevitably many people are using AI for advice.

We’ll learn about difficult conversations, how to approach them, and tools to strengthen our dialogue skills.

Guests:

• Matt Abrahams, lecturer in organizational behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Maggie Hallett, associate director, Mental Health America of Ohio
• Aaron Yarmel, associate director, Ohio State University's Center for Ethics and Human Values/founding director, Philosophy Counseling and Consulting

What’s next in the state’s largest corruption case, following a hung jury in the trial of two former FirstEnergy executives?

Weeks of testimony and more than a week of deliberations yielded no verdict. Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former FirstEnergy Senior Vice President Michael Dowling were charged with bribery and corruption. A hearing on Wednesday could determine the next steps in the case.

While the case is in flux, so are customers’ electric bills.

From rising costs to accelerating demand, consumers are fighting back, perhaps at the ballot box.

If you’re not registered to vote in the May primary, today is the last day to do so.

We're talking about all of these subjects on this week's Reporter Roundtable.

Guests:

• Karen Kasler, bureau chief, Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau
• Laura Hancock, politics and policy reporter, Cleveland.com
• Susan Tebben, reporter, Ohio Capital Journal

Allergy season is in full swing and more than 80 million Americans suffer with seasonal allergies.

How does this year compare to years in the past? Are people going to be sniffling more, or is this year going to finally be a downturn in pollen?

We'll get the answers from a local allergist.

Conservation can take on many forms. It can involve protecting animals, plants, forests or any of Earth’s natural resources.

We are going to meet a woman who has dedicated herself to protecting and preserving wildlife areas, including The Dawes Arboretum in Newark.

For many young people, a little guidance and mentorship can be life changing.

When someone dedicates themselves to being that change, their community grows and prospers.

We'll talking with an individual who has worked for decades to teach and help young people to reach their full potential through various initiatives and programs.

It's all coming up on this week's edition of Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

• Dr. Summit Shah, allergist/founder, Premier Allergy & Asthma
• Holly Latteman, director of science and research, Dawes Arboretum
• David Bush, founder, Madd Poets Society/commissioner of youth civic engagement, City of Toledo

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

The city’s women’s volleyball team, Columbus Fury, has new owners.

Married entrepreneurs Andrea Mitchell and Andy Sandler acquired100% of the team from the previous ownership group, which included Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and his parents.

This comes at a time when The Greater Columbus Sports Commission is putting a greater emphasis on women’s sports, including trying to get a women’s soccer team in the city.

Women’s sports are on the rise with increased viewership of the women’s bracket in March Madness and more focus on women in the recent Winter Olympics.

Guests:

• Andrea Mitchell, owner, Columbus Fury
• Linda Logan, CEO/president, Greater Columbus Sports Commission
• Dunja Antunovic, associate professor, sports sociology, University of Minnesota

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

The State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR) project is Ohio State University College of Medicine's attempt at creating a comprehensive mental health study for Ohio’s population.

Researchers have collected mental health data on many counties across Ohio.

What the Framingham study did for heart disease is what the SOAR project wants to do for mental health.

We're discussing the issue on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

• Scott Langenecker, PhD, professor and vice chair of research for psychiatry and behavioral health, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Anthony King, PhD, psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center/director, STAR Trauma Recovery Center and Program for Resilience

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Alex Green / Pexels)

Drugs flow into Ohio’s prisons in ways that are both brazen and clandestine.

The brazen way is with visible and noisy drones making drops inside prison yards or provided by corrections officers themselves.

The clandestine way is when contraband is smuggled inside prisons on tiny pieces of drug-soaked paper.

Potent narcotics addict, and even kill, men and women trying to turn from a life of crime while housed in state-run, taxpayer-funded facilities, which are under constant surveillance.

In the words of one prison official, keeping narcotics out of prisons is "like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole." You close off one route and another one pops up.

Coming up on this hour of All Sides, reporters from the Columbus Dispatch and The Marshall Project discuss their year-long project: Smuggled.

Guests:

• Laura Bischoff, investigative reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
• Doug Livingston, staff writer, The Marshall Project-Cleveland
• Chris Mabe, president, Ohio Civil Service Employees Association

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

NASA plans to blast a crew back to the moon any day now, with Wednesday marking the earliest possible launch window.

It’s been more than 50 years since the last moon mission, and the Artemis Two crew is the most diverse to orbit the lunar surface.

When it comes to breaking barriers and records, former astronaut and current central Ohio resident Kathryn Sullivan knows a thing or two about that.

The first American woman to walk in space, she’s also the first woman to dive to the lowest point on Earth.

She joins us for this week's Tech Tuesday to talk about the evolving role of women in space, her adventures under the sea and how she’s educating a new generation of thrill seekers.

We'll also discuss the significance of the recent Meta verdict.

Guests:

• Kathryn Sullivan, first American woman to walk in space/oceanographer/author
• Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

The recent strikes on Iran by the United States and its allies have resulted in one of the lowest-approved conflicts in history, according to recent polls of the American public.

Further action is polling even lower, with most Americans deeply opposed to boots on the ground in Iran.

How does the reaction to this war compare to past conflicts with the United States, and what makes this one different?

Also, it’s not just the public reaction that matters, but how do lawyers and lawmakers feel about this war?

Guests:

• Dakota Rudesill, professor, Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law
• Bill Butler, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.)/president, National Veterans Memorial and Museum

If you have a disability and would like a transcript or other accommodation you can request an alternative format.

(Photo: Ted Shaffrey / AP)