In this week's episode of Allow Us to Explain, we examine immigration. Join our guests, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette (writer of the Navarrette Nation newsletter on Substack ; host of the "Ruben in the Center" podcast) and one of our ONC interns, as we discuss security at the border, the role of labor and economics, the future of immigration policy, and more.

Works Cited

Preston, Julia. “The Real Origins of the Border Crisis.” Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023, www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/origins-immigration-border-crisis-asylum-biden.

Bier, David. “Why the Legal Immigration System Is Broken: A Short List of Problems.” Cato Institute, 10 July 2018, www.cato.org/blog/why-legal-immigration-system-broken-short-list-problems.

Council of Foreign Relations. “U.S. Immigration Policy.” Council on Foreign Relations, 2009, www.cfr.org/report/us-immigration-policy.

Isacson, Adam . “Weekly U.S.-Mexico Border Update: Migration Rises, Darién Gap Data, House Republicans’ Budget.” Https://Www.wola.org/, Washington Office on Latin America, 22 Sept. 2023, www.wola.org/2023/09/weekly-u-s-mexico-border-update-migration-rises-darien-gap-data-house-republicans-budget/#:~:text=Migrant%20Apprehensions%20Rise%2C%20Shelters%20Fill. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

Klobucista, Claire, et al. “The U.S. Immigration Debate.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 3 Aug. 2022, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-immigration-debate-0.

In this week's episode of the Weekly Roundup, Tania and Jordan discuss last week's major stories. Including Biden administration restarting construction on the US-Mexico border, Gaza-Israel, an update with the SAG-AFTRA strike, and more.

This episode was recorded on Thursday October 12, 2023

We’re back with the Weekly Roundup. This week we have Tania (Community Team Lead) and Izzy (Podcast Intern) cover last week’s top news stories. Including: Kevin McCarthy getting voted out as speaker of the House of Representatives; Prime Minister Modi’s infrastructure initiative; scientists behind the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine winning the Nobel Prize; and much more.

Recorded: October 5, 2023

In this episode of Allow Us to Explain, Jeff Hall (CEO and founder of Our National Conversation) and Makayla Idelburg (ONC Journalism intern) interview Holly Page, co-founder of No Labels. Join ONC interns Tania Ruedas-Ortiz (Community Team Lead) and Sam Taylor (Managing Editor and Core Content Director) as we discuss politics, media polarization, and more.

Follow NoLabels:

https://www.nolabels.org/ 

Facebook: @NoLabels

Instagram: @nolabelsorg

YouTube: @nolabelsorg

Follow ONC:

https://ournationalconversation.org/ 

Instagram: @ournationalconversation

TikTok: @ournationalconversation

LinkedIn: our-national-conversation

Twitter (X): @OurNatlConvo

Facebook: @ournationalconversation

YouTube @ournationalconversation

Join Rohan and Sam explore the turbulent years in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. We discuss the environment of insecurity, violence, and opposition to US occupation, along with the challenges faced during Iraq's power transition. As well as examine the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib scandal and more in episode 3 of Allow Us to Explain: The Second Iraq War miniseries.

In this week's episode of Allow Us to Explain, we delve into the importance of higher education. Join our guests Dr. Johann Neem (Western Washington University, author of What Is the Point of College?) and ONC interns Ronan C., Tania R., and Natia S. as we dive into the intricate aspects of higher education.

You can find What is the Point of College: Seeking Purpose in the Age of Reform by Professor Johann Neem here: https://a.co/d/eJLY21E

Works Cited

“10 Benefits of Higher Education.” MSU Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, 11 Nov. 2022, https://www.msudenver.edu/10-benefits-of-higher-education/?category=37

Parker, Kim. “Views of Higher Education Divided by Party.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, 19 Aug. 2019, www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/08/19/the-growing-partisan-divide-in-views-of-higher-education-2/.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. “What You Need to Know about Higher Education.” Unesco.org, United Nations, 2023, https://www.unesco.org/en/higher-education/need-know?TSPD_101_R0=080713870fab20005725093f87c63216f2bee022c8dc5097419dd0d102057d43231e31b64b139c7208a449e76d1430001906da5a8427ea4cff26a647371560c4fbe65627d737fc957ee41084613ffb669a34c1ea1ce23fa527d061ea08965bff

Kromydas, Theocharis. “Rethinking Higher Education and Its Relationship with Social Inequalities: Past Knowledge, Present State and Future Potential.” Palgrave Communications, vol. 3, no. 1, 13 Oct. 2017, www.nature.com/articles/s41599-017-0001-8, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0001-8.

Federal Student Aid. “Federal Student Loan Portfolio.” Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, 20 Dec. 2018, https://studentaid.gov/data-center/student/portfolio

Perrin, Andrew J., and Alanna Gillis. “How College Makes Citizens: Higher Education Experiences and Political Engagement.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, vol. 5, no. January-December 2019, Jan. 2019, p. 237802311985970. https://journals.sagepub.com/, https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119859708

Tretina, Kat. “Is College Worth the Cost? Pros vs. Cons.” Forbes Advisor, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2020, www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/is-college-worth-it/.

In this week's episode of the Weekly Roundup, we'll discuss last week's major stories. Such as the Republican presidential debate, the USDA's $808 billion plan to expand broadband access, the strike authorization at the United Auto Workers union, the Fukushima Daiichi wastewater release, and more. 

Recorded on Thursday August 31, 2023

In this episode of Allow Us to Explain, we discuss AI in education. Panelists Tania (ONC's infrastructure team lead) and Sabrina (ONC's economic team lead) discuss this growing issue. We go over the role of AI in the education system; some of the pros and cons of AI in education; and the future of education in the face of AI.

Works Cited

American Federation of Teachers. “Survey Shows Educators Are Feeling Stressed Out.” American Federation of Teachers, 30 Oct. 2017, www.aft.org/news/survey-shows-educators-are-feeling-stressed-out. American Federation of Teachers.

Microsoft. “Turbo-Charging Productivity in Asia: The Economic Benefits of Generative AI.” MIT Technology Review, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 5 July 2023, www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/05/1075792/turbo-charging-productivity-in-asia-the-economic-benefits-of-generative-ai/. 

Bailey, John. “AI in Education.” Education Next, 8 Aug. 2023, www.educationnext.org/a-i-in-education-leap-into-new-era-machine-intelligence-carries-risks-challenges-promises/. 

Haan, Kathy. “24 Top AI Statistics & Trends in 2023.” Forbes Advisor, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2023, www.forbes.com/advisor/business/ai-statistics/.

Szczepański, Marcin . “Economic Impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI).” European Parliamentary Research Service, July 2019. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2019/637967/EPRS_BRI(2019)637967_EN.pdf 

Chen, Claire. “AI Will Transform Teaching and Learning. Let’s Get It Right.” Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University, 9 Mar. 2023, hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-will-transform-teaching-and-learning-lets-get-it-right .

Blose, Abreanna. “As ChatGPT Enters the Classroom, Teachers Weigh Pros and Cons | NEA.” NEAToday, National Education Association, 12 Apr. 2023, www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/chatgpt-enters-classroom-teachers-weigh-pros-and-cons.

Young, Erin Lorelie . “The Gender Gap in AI | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung | Tel Aviv - Israel.” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Institute Israel, 30 Dec. 2021, il.boell.org/en/2021/12/24/gender-gap-ai 

Greene, Robin T. “The Pros and Cons of Using AI in Learning: Is ChatGPT Helping or Hindering Learning Outcomes?” ELearning Industry, 27 Apr. 2023, elearningindustry.com/pros-and-cons-of-using-ai-in-learning-chatgpt-helping-or-hindering-learning-outcomes.  

Nietzel, Michael T. “NSF Announces $140 Million Investment in Seven Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes.” Forbes, 4 May 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/05/04/nsf-announces-140-million-investment-in-seven-artificial-intelligence-research-institutes/?sh=d2c672e4d216 

Compton, Julie. “Why Universities Should Adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics Course Requirements.” IEEE Teaching Excellence Hub, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 18 July 2022, teaching.ieee.org/why-universities-should-adopt-artificial-intelligence-ai-ethics-course-requirements/ 

On this week's episode of the Weekly Roundup, we'll discuss last week's major stories. Tune in for updates on the US soldier in North Korea, Maui's emergency agency head resignation, rural broadband funding, and more.

Recorded on Thursday August 24, 2023

Unionization efforts have been making a comeback over the last couple of years. Join our interns Sabrina (Economic Policy Team Lead), Devan (Governance Policy Team Lead), ONC's CEO Jeff Hall, and guest Anna Wilding (award-winning director, actress, writer, producer, and still photographer) as we cover the history of unions, the role of management, the current SAG-AFTRA strike, and more.

Find more of Anna's work here -

Website:  https://annawilding.world/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annawildingoriginal/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/annawilding

Works Cited

Banerjee, Asha, et al. “Unions Are Not Only Good for Workers, They’re Good for Communities and for Democracy: High Unionization Levels Are Associated with Positive Outcomes across Multiple Indicators of Economic, Personal, and Democratic Well-Being.” Economic Policy Institute, Economic Policy Institute, 15 Dec. 2021, www.epi.org/publication/unions-and-well-being/.

Drew, Chris. “20 Pros and Cons of Unions.” Helpful Professor, Helpful Professor, 17 May 2023, helpfulprofessor.com/pros-and-cons-of-unions/. 

“Emmy Awards 2023: Ceremony Postponed as Hollywood Actors and Writers Strike.” BBC News, BBC, 28 July 2023, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-66335564#. 

Holdman, Jessica. “Columbia Publix Workers Strike over Wages, Inequity Claims.” Post and Courier, Post and Courier, 11 Aug. 2023, www.postandcourier.com/columbia/business/columbia-publix-workers-strike-over-wages-inequity-claims/article_e9b26dbe-385a-11ee-b20d-abc70422226d.html.

Howard, Philip. K. “Why Government Unions-Unlike Trade Unions-Corrupt Democracy.” Time, Time, 4 Apr. 2023, time.com/6267979/government-unions-corrupt-democracy/. 

Josephson, Amelia. “The Pros and Cons of Unions.” SmartAsset, SmartAsset, 30 Apr. 2023, smartasset.com/career/the-pros-and-cons-of-unions. 

Liu, Jennifer. “Hollywood Strikes Have Already Had a $3 Billion Impact on California’s Economy, Experts Say: It’s Causing ‘a Lot of Hardship.’” CNBC, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2023, www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/hollywood-strikes-have-had-3-billion-impact-on-california-economy-so-far.html#:~:text=Work-,Hollywood%20strikes%20have%20already%20had%20a%20%243%20billion%20impact%20on,causing%20%27a%20lot%20of%20hardship%27&text=People%20take%20selfies%20beneath%20the,2023%20in%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20California.

Sainato, Michael. “US Employers Step up Anti-Unionization Efforts as Pandemic Spurs Activism.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 June 2020, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/18/us-employers-unions-pandemic-activism.

Smith, Max. “Northern Va.. Metrobus Drivers Go on Strike; Bus Lines Affected.” WTOP News, WTOP, 24 Oct. 2019, wtop.com/tracking-metro-24-7/2019/10/some-metro-drivers-to-strike-thursday-likely-impacting-commutes/.

Thompson, Derek. “‘unnecessary’ and ‘Political’: Why Unions Are Bad for America.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 June 2012, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/unnecessary-and-political-why-unions-are-bad-for-america/258405/.

Uranga, Rachel, et al. “‘More Work for Less Money’: Protests at LAX, City Hall as Thousands Walk off the Job.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2023, www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-08/los-angeles-city-workers-strike-scene-lax.

Wilkinson, Alissa. “Hollywood’s Historic Double Strike, Explained.” Vox, Vox Media, 13 July 2023, www.vox.com/culture/2023/7/13/23793828/sag-aftra-strike-wga-hollywood.