The year 2020 marked an inflection point in U.S. history that tested the mettle of its citizenry, its government and the soul of the republic itself. On this edition, host Jane Whitney takes a look back at the most important issues impacting our world, in a round-up of interviews from 2020 featuring nationally recognized experts on topics ranging from life after COVID-19 and the economic recovery to the election results, U.S. foreign policy and more. Discover how Americans weathered the perfect storm of two pandemics — one, a deadly virus; the other the scourge of racism playing out against the backdrop of a bitterly divided nation during a presidential election year. See what Jon Meacham, Madeleine Albright, Steve Kornacki, and Joy Reid said about the issues that then were foremost in our minds and if their predictions were accurate.

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A panel of guests join Jane Whitney for a discussion of the state of the country in the shadow of the pandemic but through an intensely personal lens, a series of vignettes with influencers and thought leaders that, like a jig-saw puzzle, provide a view of the broad landscape when pieced together. The headliners, interviewed one-on-one, include:

• Tim Daly, actor and president of The Creative Coalition
• Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe
• Danielle Ponder, the singer and former public defender
• John Lithgow, actor and author
• Dr. Kavita Patel, epidemiologist and nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution

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The defining political question of the moment, many pundits claim, probably is: Whither the GOP? When Donald Trump was sworn into office, the GOP held both houses of Congress and was considered untouchable. Two years later, the Democrats won back the House; two years after that, the Senate and the presidency. While the GOP dominates the South and still controls the majority of state legislatures and governorships, moderate Republicans have been marginalized and are fleeing. Demographic trends are challenging its recruiting, creating a potential existential crisis for the party, and it no longer has a platform beyond the support of Donald Trump. The eleventh show of the season examines the future of the GOP, the party culture and politics and the role of the two-party system.

A panel of four distinguished experts join Jane Whitney to discuss the future of the GOP:

• Robert L. Gibbs, former White House Press Secretary
• Matthew Dowd, Author, Political Pundit and Consultant
• Kristen Soltis Anderson, Founding Partner at Echelon Insights and Columnist at the Washington Examiner
• Tara Setmayer, Former GOP Congressional Communications Director

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“We’re the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we’re the last that can do something about it” has become something of a cliché, a summary of the existential threat posed by global warming. As climate change moves from an imminent peril to a deadly reality for vast swaths of the country, a panel of nationally recognized groundbreakers discuss the gaping dichotomy between what scientists say needs to be done to moderate an impending disaster and the political reality of what is possible. The broad ranging discussion of the science, economics and politics swirling around the alarming climate change headlines are explored. The panel also examines what state and local communities are doing to mitigate the congressional stasis, what might break the logjam, how the issues play in national, state and local elections and the role of private citizens and companies. Five distinguished climate experts join host Jane Whitney on the tenth episode of Common Ground:

• Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Scientist, Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair at Texas Tech University
• Bill McKibben, Author, Educator and Environmentalist
• Andrew Zimmern, Emmy- and James Beard Award-Winning Chef, Author and Advocate
• Xiye Bastida, Activist and a Founder of The Sunrise Movement
• John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate

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A century after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote, the uncertainty that foreshadowed the suffrage victory foreshadows the precariousness of women’s rights. “Finish the Fight!”, a rallying cry from the struggle to win the final battle of the women’s voting rights movement once again characterizes the ongoing demand for full gender equality and is the focus of the show's ninth episode. Four distinguished guests join Common Ground host Jane Whitney to discuss the history of the women’s movement and the hurdles that remain.

• Stacey E. Plaskett, US Congresswoman, (D) Virgin Islands
• Katty Kay, Washington Editor, Ozy Media
• Cecile Richards, Co-founder of Supermajority
• Sophia Nelson, Scholar in residence at Christopher Newport University and Author of The Woman Code

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In the wake of the January 6 insurrection, probably the most serious threat to our constitutional government since the Civil War, leaders of the FBI and law enforcement authorities have repeatedly warned that the threat of domestic grown terrorism is metastasizing. Are they overreacting to a momentary spasm of the body politic or does the danger to our democracy run deeper than previously acknowledged? The panel of experts address the question and discuss what the country can do to reinforce our democracy’s foundations.

Three distinguished guests join host Jane Whitney on the 8th episode of Common Ground.

• Rep. Elissa Slotkin, Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, US Congresswoman, (D) Michigan
• John Brennan, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
• Frank Figliuzzi, Former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence; NBC News National Security Contributor

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Has America lost its preeminent place in the world? Emerging from World War II as the first among equals, the United States became the architect and leader of a series of overlapping international alliances and agreements that relied on cooperation to seed the unrivaled progress and prosperity of the post-war era. But the popular platform of “America First,” which propelled President Trump to victory and symbolized his world view, has effectively shattered that bipartisan foreign policy consensus. On this edition of the show, a panel of nationally recognized authorities on international affairs examine President Biden’s efforts to rebuild America’s standing in the world and reinvigorate the country’s alliances. In the wake of the country’s most consequential foreign policy election in the post-war era, the panelists also debate how to project American power and how to protect the country from foreign threats.

A panel of foreign policy expert join host Jane Whitney on the seventh episode of Common Ground.

• Richard Haass, Diplomat and President of the Council on Foreign Relations
• David Ignatius, Washington Post Foreign Affairs Columnist
• Robin Wright, Columnist for The New Yorker, Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center

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Since the Kardashians became America’s royalty – famous for being, well, famous – celebrity has defined the country’s culture, an essential element to win power and influence. Donald Trump took celebrity to new heights, using it to become the most powerful man in the world. Now a new generation of luminaries is coming of age. Who are they? What do they have in common? What do they tell us about the country’s direction and its future? Those questions are the focus of Common Ground with Jane Whitney’s sixth show. She is joined by four panelists:

• Deja Foxx, Activist and Founder of GenZ Girl Gang
• Daniela Pierre-Bravo, Co-Author of “Earn It”, Contributor for NBC’s Know Your Value, MSNBC producer and Founder of Acceso Community
• Jerushah Duford, Evangelical Author, Speaker and Granddaughter of Billy Graham
• Kristin Tate, Author and Columnist at The Hill Newspaper

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The Trump administration’s signature achievement was the expansion of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority and the confirmation of hundreds of lower court judges, the capstone of conservatives’ 30-year mission to restructure the courts in their own image. Case by case, the Supreme Court is rewriting the rules that have long structured the way we live, how we are governed, how we worship, even who we are. Immigration. Health care. Political representation. Reproductive and religious rights. . . It's hard to find any aspect of daily life beyond the reach of the court's long tentacles. In this episode, some of the country’s most celebrated court watchers explore how the court’s most recent verdicts could impact the way we live. Jane Whitney is joined by:

• Nina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent for National Public Radio
• Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University
• Pete Williams, NBC News Justice Correspondent

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Although race and identity always have shaped U.S. politics, they reemerged four years ago with new intensity. In what was supposed to be Obama's post-racial America as the pivot point of the election, they became the unapologetic driver of Donald Trump's unexpected victory. But the reenergized forces that propelled Trump to the White House did not spring out of a vacuum. The crowd-pleasing candidate merely marshaled spirits unleashed half a century ago in what was a culmination of the so-called "Southern strategy," as the Republicans' pushed race and identity to the political forefront. In its fourth show of the season, a panel of nationally known voices discuss the role of race in American politics and how identity issues are shaping our daily lives.

Common Ground host Jane Whitney is joined by:

• Heather McGhee, Author of the New York Times Bestseller The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
• Don Lemon, CNN Anchor and author of This Is the Fire
• Richard Lui, MSNBC Anchor, Author & Director
• Jelani Cobb, Staff Writer, The New Yorker

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