Left, Right & Center

The Supreme Court ruled against long-standing affirmative action practices for public and private universities. Is there any chance this could improve how colleges try to increase diversity on campuses, or will it set back the clock in the push for racial equity?

After last week’s short-lived mutiny, plenty of questions remain about the strength of Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. What can we take away from how he’s handled the aftermath? How has it impacted support for Putin at home and abroad?

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Governor Ron Desantis have used state policies to bring national attention to their ideological battle. Are the dueling governors just trying to boost their national profiles, or do they accurately represent the direction that their respective parties are headed in?

President Biden is hitting the campaign trail to tout his first-term accomplishments, gain support, and refill his war chest. But in the face of sagging poll numbers, can he convince voters to grant him a second term? 

It’s now been one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. What’s changed in the absence of federal abortion protections, and what else has the court ruled on in its most recent term? Can it maintain public credibility amidst political polarization?

A storm is brewing inside the environmental movement, pitting clean energy advocates against conservationists concerned about the impacts of development. How will a movement that’s been primarily focused on opposing new projects retool to build the infrastructure necessary to combat climate change?

Donald Trump has broken another record. Already the first former president ever indicted on criminal charges, he’s now the first ever indicted twice. He faces 37 felony counts stemming from his improper withholding of top secret documents at Mar a Lago. He stored them, among other places, in the bathroom. Trump cries witch hunt, but what defense will he employ in federal court?

And then there’s the court of public opinion, where Trump holds defiant rallies and the usual cast of Republican surrogates jumps to his defense. Will Trump’s political opponents capitalize on another chapter in a long series of scandals, or can the former president spin this to his advantage as part of his deep state narrative?

All the drum beating from Republican leadership stirs up right-wing extremists online, but Trump’s arraignment in Miami went off with little more than a whimper. In the wake of January 6, how big a threat does conspiracy-driven political violence continue to pose?

Mike Pence is officially running for president — against the former president who made him vice president. He’s trying to evoke Reagan conservatism, but does the Trump-dominated GOP actually want to go retro? And does Pence have the charisma to bring voters with him?

The Ukrainian military may or may not have launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive in the wake of a horrific dam break that flooded the front lines. If Russia was responsible, could it be a dangerous sign of things to come in this war, and should the world condemn the act with a louder voice?

And this week’s announcement of a big merger in the world of golf raises questions about Saudi Arabia and whether it’s using sports to turn attention away from its record of human rights abuses.

The months-long battle to raise the limit on how much money the federal government can borrow cleared its biggest hurdle: the Republican-controlled House, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“We didn’t do it by taking the easy way,” McCarthy said. “We decided that we had to spend less, and we achieved that goal. Is it everything I wanted? No. But sitting with one House, with a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic Senate who didn’t want to meet with us, I think we did pretty dang good for the American public.”

Negotiating this bill also marked the first big test of McCarthy’s speakership.

After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his presidential campaign on Twitter last week, he had a more conventional kickoff in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina this week. He spent most of his stump speech going after President Biden, but when talking with reporters, he criticized his top GOP rival, former President Trump, more explicitly.

“He’s attacking me for opposing an immigration amnesty for illegal aliens that he did support when he was president. … He campaigned against that in 2016,” DeSantis said. “I do think, unfortunately, he’s decided to move left on some of these issues.”

And HBO’s flagship drama (or tragic comedy?) “Succession”ended on Sunday night. Author Kurt Andersen says the show “nailed the unreal way we live now.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finally announced his bid for president. He did it on Twitter with Elon Musk, the platform’s controversial owner, and it did not go well. After 25 minutes of silence and delays, DeSantis finally gave his speech. Will the rocky start marr his campaign, or does it not matter?

Then, it’s the third anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers. His death sparked an important movement in the U.S. and around the world. But what was not well-known about Floyd’s life is that he was a music lover and a mentor to men in his community.

Lastly, the filmmaker Spike Lee wanted to make a difference in the entertainment business, so he put his money where his mouth was and started a fellowship program for Black students. Is this type of effort enough to make a difference to diversity, equity and inclusion in the entertainment industry?

Democrats are worrying about the Senate map as 23 seats are up for reelection, as compared to 10 on the Republican side. Many of these seats are in swing states or red states. What should Democrats do to ensure some wins?

Then, Biden is set on partnering with Vice President Kamala Harris again in 2024, despite her low approval ratings. Will this impact his electability? Researchers have stated that past vice presidents have not moved the needle on votes for a president. But is it different this time when the concern around Harris isn’t her competency as vice president, but whether she’s capable of being president should Biden not make it?

Lastly, Americans are facing a loneliness epidemic that’s affecting their mental and physical health. It’s been an issue since before the COVID pandemic, but we didn’t publicly start talking about it until after. Why did it take so long for people to open up about it, and what can they do to address it?

Trump took the stage again for a New Hampshire town hall hosted by CNN, and it was like going back in time to 2016. He rehashed the stolen election claim and hurled insults, and more. Is the U.S. bound to repeat political history?

Then, with another round of mass shootings and the public growing weary, can politicians agree on legislation, or must Americans accept gun violence as unavoidable?

And Bud Light entered the cultural wars by featuring a transgender model in a recent ad campaign, which received immediate backlash from the right. Do companies have a responsibility to be inclusive in their marketing, or should they stick to their main demographic?

Biden seemed to take a page out of Trump’s playbook this week by ordering 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. He stated it was meant to help the National Guard and Border Patrol deal with the surge of migrants as the pandemic-era Title 42 expires. But were soldiers the right response to a humanitarian crisis?

Then, fighting in Sudan has created a humanitarian disaster after only two weeks. Did the U.S. overestimate the situation by pushing for democracy? And did we embolden the two military leaders behind the fighting — by treating them as legitimate players?

And finally, television and film writers went on strike this week after failed negotiations with producers and studios. Will they succeed in getting higher pay in a streaming age where the old rules don’t apply?

President Biden has made it official: He’s running again. And there is yet to be a serious challenger to Donald Trump. Is the upcoming race full of undesirable candidates?

Then, politicians seem to agree that that TikTok should be regulated or banned in the U.S. as concern increases over China using the app to spy on Americans. How serious is this threat, and how will people react if it’s prohibited?

And music has an ability to bring us together, and country musician Ketch Secor from Old Crow Medicine Show takes it as his duty. Secor talks about the importance of trying to unite people from both sides of the gun debate — to talk about real solutions. Plus, he shares his new song “Louder Than Guns.” 

This is all discussed in front of an audience in Washington D.C. for a special live Left Right and Center.