Ida talks to a man from Pennsylvania about critical thinking, politics and how to keep things in perspective. Her guest makes the important observation that perhaps people in previous elections felt there was more at stake-- and often people tune into elections only in time to see misleading commercials and misinformation. How can we encourage better civic engagement between election cycles?

Ida talks to Amber from Phoenix, Arizona. Amber maintains a strong relationship with her parents (Trump supporters)-- but it's not always easy. In fact, they often avoid the topic of politics all together. Still, she is hopeful that exposing her mother to the facts as she knows them, might eventually lead to better outcomes for everyone. Ida and Amber discuss what "true" news even means anymore-- with the advent of AI and folks questioning reality.

Ida speaks to Elle, who heard something pretty crazy on an elevator, and also talked to a Vet on an airplane while they both watched Trump's plane arrive. "Polarization got us here, cancel culture got us here, and hard conversations will get us out"

You can get a hat at: 186askmeaboutmyhat.com

The First Episode of "Ask Me about My Hat" -- introduces listeners to the 186 method, the hat and also a special guest who had a brave conversation across political lines just one day after the election.