Let's Find Common Ground

Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly support Donald Trump. We hear her warm personal story of how Mónica set out to understand what divides America and discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.

In this episode of "Let's Find Common Ground", we discuss ways to use our own sense of curiosity to have rewarding cross-partisan conversations with colleagues, friends, and family.

Mónica Guzmán is the author of the new book, "I Never Thought Of It That Way". She serves as an advisor to the depolarization organization, Braver Angels. Our interview shows listeners how to cross boundaries and find common ground with others from different viewpoints and life experiences.

CPF Executive Director Kamy Akhavan joins Sangita Shresthova, research director at Civic Paths Group, and Monica Guzman, journalist and author, to discuss her latest book and share insights on how to better understand and connect with those whose opinions and beliefs vastly differ.

Featuring: Kamy Akhavan - Executive Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future Mónica Guzmán - Author, "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times," Digital Director, Braver Angels Sangita Shresthova - Director of Research, Civic Paths Group at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

The public's trust in government is near an all-time low. Now some politicians are recognizing that polarization and division in the United States is a threat to how our democracy functions. In this episode, we hear from two members of Congress: One Republican, one Democrat.

Representatives Derek Kilmer and William Timmons both work together on the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and are leading supporters of the Building Civic Bridges Act — a proposal that would fund federal and local efforts to reduce polarization.

We also discuss how bipartisan support for robust measures in response to the invasion of Ukraine may strengthen efforts to improve ties between Members of Congress of both parties.

This effort comes at a critical time. Recent polling has found that about four-out-of-five Americans are very or extremely concerned about America's political divisions.

"Let's Find Common Ground", produced for Common Ground Committee, is co-hosted by Richard Davies and Ashley Milne-Tyte.

Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer joins Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad to discuss women's rights in the Middle East and her documentary film "Be My Voice," which chronicles her movement against Iran's policy of mandatory head covering for women.

Featuring:

• Barbara Boxer - Former U.S. Senator (D-CA) and Fall 2020 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future
• Masih Alinejad - Journalist, Author, Women's Rights Activist
• Kamy Akhavan - Executive Director, USC Center for the Political Future

Education expert Alan Arkatov joins current and former school officials Lisa Korbatov, Nick Melvoin, Pedro Noguera, and Darline Robles to discuss the mixing of school boards, parental involvement, and appropriate content in today's often hyper-partisan school board environments.

Featuring: Alan Arkatov - Katzman/Ernst Chair in Educational Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation; Center EDGE Founding Director, USC Rossier School of Education Lisa Korbatov - Former President, Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education Nick Melvoin - Vice President, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education Pedro Noguera - Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the Rossier School of Education Darline Robles - Former Superintendent of LA County Office of Education

America has the highest rates of incarceration in the world. Once people leave prison the hope is that they'll be law-abiding, productive members of society. But all too often this isn't the case – four in ten prisoners are back behind bars within three years of release.

In this episode, we meet two men who want to fix the US's flawed re-entry process. And they come from very different backgrounds. Former prison warden and overseer of regional prisons, Daren Swenson, has spent his career in corrections. Georgetown University professor Marc Howard is a reformer who has long campaigned for the rights and humanity of incarcerated people.

They were brought together by Convergence Center for Policy Resolution to come up with solutions that take into account both the dignity of people re-entering society and the public safety implications of their release.

Congressman Jamie Raskin Talks "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy"

CPF Director Bob Shrum joins Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to discuss the latest in the House select committee hearings investigating the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill, the importance of bipartisan cooperation, and the legacy of his late son and father.

Featuring: Bob Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife

Jamie Raskin - U.S. Representative (D-MD); Author, "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy"

What is the military's role in protecting democracy? The question took on a new sense of urgency in the months after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2020. A deep partisan divide opened up over what actually happened on that day, how to describe the chaotic events, and who should be held responsible.

After decades of service in the U.S. military, retired Brigadier General Steven Anderson decided to speak out about the threat of future insurrections and the possibility that a coup might succeed next time. "There is a significant threat being posed to our nation and our democracy," he says.

While some of those arrested and charged in the attack were veterans or even active members of the military, General Anderson says America's armed forces can make a constructive contribution in the future. In this podcast, he tells us that The Pentagon should order a civics review for all members— uniformed and civilian— on the U.S. Constitution and electoral integrity. We also discuss how the military can foster diversity and common ground.

Center Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy are joined by John Chiang, former California State Treasurer, and David Crane, former advisor to Gov. Schwarzenegger, to assess California's governance and government services amid rising housing costs and tax rates, and the future of the so-called "golden state."

Featuring: Bob Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife

Mike Murphy - Co-Director, Center for the Political Future; NBC Political Analyst

John Chiang - California State Treasurer (ret.); former California State Controller; Fall 2020 Fellow, Center for the Political Future

David Crane - President, Govern for California; Lecturer in Public Policy, Stanford University

Black History Month is a celebration of the remarkable contributions of black Americans to our nation. Some of our guests share their personal thoughts and stories about the lessons of history. We learn about the legacy of the civil rights movement, and recent calls for social change, justice, reform, and respect. This episode includes extracts from past podcasts and a Common Ground Committee public event.

Podcast guests featured: Professor Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X and the author of the memoir "Growing Up X", Dr. Brian Williams, Associate Professor of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Hawk Newsome, Cofounder, and Chair of Black Lives Matter Greater New York, Errol Toulon, Sheriff of Suffolk County New York, and Caroline Randall Williams, a poet, author, teacher and Writer-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

We also share moving extracts from a conversation between Donna Brazille and Michael Steele for a Common Ground Committee forum in 2018. As the first Black chairs of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee, respectively, their views represented different perspectives. But in tackling essential questions of race and governance, they found many points of agreement.