Checking in on America’s Families During Turbulent Times

Guest: Chris Karpowitz, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, BYU

The last five years have brought big changes to American culture –from the rise of #FakeNews and the election of President Trump, to the #MeToo movement and national legalization of gay marriage. We’ve also seen growing income inequality and national protests about racial inequality. In the midst of all of this, how are American families faring? Answering that question is the aim of the American Family Survey from BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy.

Fighting Human Trafficking After Natural Disasters

Guest: Roshan Khatri, Chief Medical Director, Headwaters Relief Organization

More than a thousand people are still missing in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. Amid the scramble to find them is also the pressing need to get survivors food, water, and shelter. The US has pledged millions to help, but natural disasters also carry a hidden cost: affected areas are a prime target for human traffickers to lure people into prostitution and slavery. The Headwaters Relief Organization is a non-profit focused on natural disasters, and they’re fighting human trafficking.

Empowering Women in South Sudan

Guest: Karak Miakol, Founder, Diar Foundation

South Sudan became an independent nation in 2011, ending Africa’s longest running civil war. But almost immediately, a new civil war broke out within South Sudan fueled by political and ethnic divisions. Karak Miakol fled South Sudan in 2014 when her life was threatened because of the outreach work she was doing with women in refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of women and children have been displaced by the civil war. They are targeted by both sides, says Miakol. Which is different from the civil war prior to South Sudan’s independence. Karak Miakol now lives in Colorado and from afar, manages a program she started in South Sudan to empower women. It’s called Diar Foundation –Diar means women in her native Dinka language. Miakol was recently honored as BYU’s 2019 Center for Conflict Resolution Peacemaker.

How Partisan News Sways the Public

Guest: Adam Berinksy, MIT Professor of Political Science, Director of MIT Political Experiments Research Lab

We’re living in a very politically polarized time in America–Democrats are more firmly Democrat and Republicans are more firmly Republican. And often the news media gets some of the blame for that: cable TV and the internet make it possible to get your news only from sources that align with your political views. So which comes first? Do people choose a biased news outlet because they like its slant? Or is the news media making us more politically polarized?

Avoiding Doctor Burnout by Going to the Patient

Guest: Tonya McDonald, Founder and Pediatrician, Radiance Pediatrics in Dallas, Texas

Doctors have the highest rate of suicide compared to other professions in the US. Physicians often see an overwhelming amount of patients and paperwork, which can lead to burnout. Dr. Tonya McDonald felt that, and to turn things around, she’s brought back a way of practicing medicine that’s nearly unheard of these days. She’s now one of those doctors you’ve probably only seen in movies –the kind with the black bag who will go to the patient to provide care, at any time of day or night.

Movies for Fans of Downton Abbey

Guest: Kirsten Hawkes, ParentPreviews.com

Downton Abbey is back. The movie comes out this Thursday. Fans of the PBS series have waited nearly four years for this. Kirsten Hawkes of ParentPreviews.com reviews Downton Abbey and recommends several other British period dramas for fans of the genre.