This past weekend, the country watched as hundreds of thousands of students gathered for the "March For Our Lives" Rally, to advocate for gun control reform in the United States.   Today, I am joined by Katie Kerns, who attended the march in Washington D.C.  Katie shares her perspective and experience at the march, and together we look at the most significant themes and messages shared this weekend.   We talk about the diversity of the speakers, how these students intentionally opened the stage for students from Chicago and D.C. and Oakland, to talk about the larger problem around gun violence in America, beyond mass shootings in schools.   We talked about the courage of students like Naomi Wadler, DeAngelo McDade, and the students of Parkland, FL.  Both Katie and I were emotionally moved by the stories of these students and their messages of survival and calls for action.  I hope listeners can enjoy and appreciate our recap of such an important moment in this movement.

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

#DeleteFacebook?  I don't know if we need to go that far - but you do need to check out this week's podcast about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and the way our social media information is now used.   This was on display during the 2016 election, and now as part of the investigation into the collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.  Michael Oghia, an internet security specialist working in Internet Governance, joins me on the show to discuss the meaning of social media data, how it's used for good, how it's used illegally, and how it influences our spending, our information gathering and media consumption, and of course, our politics.    

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

On today's show, I am joined by Kelsey Hayes, 8th grade teacher and policy advocate, to talk frankly about the challenges that teachers face in the classroom, and in the modern political climate.  In our home state of Kentucky, we are in the middle of a serious pension crisis, and the Republican Governor and Republican leadership has proposed a pension reform bill that would dramatically and negatively impact teachers.   Listen to our discussion about the hardships teachers face, and the ways they overcome these financial, educational, and political obstacles to be able to educate future generations.

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

Episode 58 is a follow-up conversation with my good friend Meredith Scalos, discussing the latest developments in the FBI's special investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

Episode 57  is an important show about gun control and the Second Amendment.   In the wake of mass shootings in Parkland, Florida and Marshall County in Kentucky, J's Lunch Counter takes an in-depth look into the debate around gun control.  We are joined by special guest Paul S. John, Manager for Mayoral Outreach of the non-profit organization Everytown for Gun Safety.   We explore why its so difficult for us to talk about guns, whether there are certain gun control regulations that most Americans agree, and whether or not guns or mental health play a bigger role in the gun violence we see in these mass shooting incidents but also in communities plagued by ongoing violence.  This is an important conversation that you won't want to miss!

After years of waiting, we have finally arrived at the premiere of Marvel's Black Panther! Today we're discussing all things Black Panther - from the casting of such a dynamic roster of talented actors and actresses, to one of Marvel's best stories to date, the superb directing job of Ryan Coogler, and the display of the African utopia of Wakanda.  I am joined by my wife Chioma Brown, along with our friends and comic book superfans Coy and Laneshia Conner, to discuss our collective reaction to the Black Panther debut.  We discuss the societal impact of this cultural landmark in entertainment, the significance of the black and African excellence on display in this movie, why so many non-Marvel fans were drawn to this film, and how the film lives up to the much-deserved hype.   Black Panther certainly represents a moment in time for the culture, and we are here for it.   *THIS SHOW CONTAINS SPOILERS* so if you haven't seen the movie yet - 1) get yourself together 2) go see it NOW!

There is so much to  unpack with this movie, and we only begin to scratch the surface, so listen and enjoy, and don't forget to leave a comment below!

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

Once I hit the record button, this Friday *Happy Hour* show took a bit of a turn.  Listen today as I share some open thoughts about ONE of the challenges to discussing politics in this Administration, hear how I've been shaped and moved by this recent immigration debate, and hear the real reason why I was upset with the totally appropriate Democrat response to the government shutdown.  

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

On today's show, I am joined by Cara Stewart of the Kentucky Equal Justice Center to discuss three important healthcare stories that have gotten lost in recent political coverage.  We discuss the future of U.S. HIV/AIDS policy and research in the wake of President Trump firing the members of the Presidential Council on HIV/AIDS, the likelihood of Congress securing funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and how this affects families in Kentucky and across the country, and the impact of the GOP Tax bill on healthcare policy.   I learned a great deal from this conversation with Cara, and I hope that it can be the same experience for you!

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON ITUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!

We're back again for part 2 of our 2017 recap, joined by my guests Junis Baldon and Griffin Brixey, to continue our conversation about the highs and lows and most important stories of 2017.   We begin this show where Part 1 left off, with an in-depth discussion about the biggest stories in sports, including Colin Kaepernick and the NFL Protests, and President Trump's war of words with professional athletes, plus Griffin's hot take on Kevin Durant and the Warriors and another look at the impact of Lavar Ball and the Big Baller Brand.   We dive into the some of the tragedies that we witnessed in 2017, including the Manchester bombing, the Las Vegas shooting, the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise, and the numerous devastating Hurricanes that pummeled Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Puerto Rico.  Finally, we explore the year in politics, including Donald Trump's first year in office, the firing of James Comey and the Mueller special investigation, the GOP attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare, the GOP tax bill, the travel ban against Muslims, and the impact of the rise of the white supremacist movement in the wake of the protests in Charlottesville, VA.   This was an interesting look back on all of the most compelling stories of the past year!

On today's show, we look back at 2017, with a reflection on some of the biggest stories of the year.   My guests and I explore the year in music, television, film, and all of entertainment.  From the generational enthusiasm of Jay-Z's 4:44 to the rise of Cardi B, we take a closer look at how music shaped the culture in 2017.   We also discuss arguably the biggest story of the year - the ongoing allegations of sexual harassment and assault against high profile figures in media and politics.   From Donald Trump to Bill Cosby to Harvey Weinstein and more, my guests have interesting takes on the driving force behind this story.  

This is part 1 of our in-depth look at 2017, so stay tuned for part 2 next week!

TELL A FRIEND. J’s Lunch Counter is a platform for each of you to engage in conversation that matters, so please help others join the convo! Tell a friend about the show and help grow our audience!   Share our posts on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends know what you find most interesting about each show!

STAY CONNECTED. Stay connected to the show!  Submit your questions about news, politics, popular culture, social justice, entertainment, music, and sports, and we will cover them for a future Mailbag segment.   You can send your questions to [email protected].   

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. We would also love for you to follow along on social media!   Like us on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/jslunchcounter.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet us at www.twitter.com/jslunchcounter. You can also follow the show on Instagram @JsLunchCounter.  Check out our website at www.jslunchcounter.com for more podcast and blog content each week!

SUPPORT THE SHOW. This show has weekly expenses that are required to keep it going.   From web services to hosting fees to equipment costs, this venture is certainly not cheap.  If you would like to support the show, you can make a PayPal donation to [email protected] or by clicking HERE.  Any amount you can give would help support the show, and all donations will go towards the expenses listed above! 

LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES.  Enjoying what you've heard so far?  Then take a moment to leave a review on iTunes.  Reviews help us move up the ranks so that more people will have access to the show!   Thanks again for all your support!