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This week, we discuss the devastating wild fires in California and the political earthquake that’s coming.

Then, we talk about the paradox of America’s dysfunction at home and unparalleled power on the global stage.

Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we discuss the TikTok ban set to go into effect and the “refugees” flocking to other China controlled apps. 

Joining Ron Steslow on this week’s panel: 

Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN)

Mike Madrid (Lincoln Project cofounder, author of The Latino Century)

Segments this week:

(02:04) The Wild Fires

(32:02) Dysfunction at home and power abroad

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Send your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/HagarChemali

https://x.com/madrid_mike

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

NBC News - Reservoir in Pacific Palisades was out of commission when fire started

NYT - Newsom Suspends State Environmental Rules for Rebuilding After Fires - The New York Times

Cato - California Insurance Market: Another Victim of the War on Prices | Cato at Liberty Blog

Los Angeles Daily News -Misinformation about California fires is spreading like, well, wildfire – Daily News

Segment 2: 

Foreign Affairs - The Strange Triumph of a Broken America 

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In this episode, Ron talks to Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon) about his new book It Takes Chutzpah and leading the legislative charge for privacy in the digital age.

Segments to look forward to:

(01:48) What is Chutzpah

(06:06) Being the ‘Designated Driver’ in the Senate 

(07:31) Why he’s committed to principled bipartisanship 

(10:22) Why the fight for privacy is so important to him 

(14:17) The “wild west” of data privacy 

(18:35) Putting the “foreign” back in FISA

(19:43) Where the political battlelines are drawn on privacy 

(24:57) Financial privacy 

Read It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change: https://bit.ly/4fWL3st

Follow Ron and Sen. Wyden on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/RonWyden

Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ 

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This week, we discuss President-elect Trump’s push to get “one, big, beautiful bill” to get his campaign promises through congress. 

Then, we talk about the proposals for a strategic Bitcoin reserve and the shifts in how legislators are thinking about crypto. 

Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we discuss how we can and should talk about the January 6th attack after Trump’s re-election and as American attitudes about the attack have softened. 

Joining host Ron Steslow on this week’s panel: 

Susan Del Percio  (MSNBC political analyst and crisis communications expert) 

Stef Kight (Politics Reporter at Axios) 

Segments this week:

(02:17) Trump’s Mega-MAGA Moonshot

(32:14) Strategic Bitcoin reserve and shifting crypto politics

Watch “What’s The Problem?” (non-technical): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtFOxNbmD38 

More on Bitcoin and the environment: https://x.com/DSBatten/status/1872879512620548308 

Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus.

Send your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/DelPercioS

https://x.com/StefWKight

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

Axios-Trump's mega-MAGA moonshot

Axios - Scoop: Trump plans to invite entire GOP Senate to Mar-a-Lago bash

NBC - Speaker Johnson's push to pass Trump's agenda in one massive bill faces big hurdles

Segment 2: 

Crypto.news - Bitcoin Reserve Executive Order out after Trump meets crypto.com CEO Marszalek

Axios - 🦡 The BITCOIN bill

Axios - What will happen if Trump commits the U.S. to bitcoin like gold

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In this episode, Ron talks to longtime Washington D.C. public defender Heather Shaner about her work representing dozens of January 6th defendants. They’re joined by Liz Gilbert Cohen who worked as a consulting producer on the documentary about Heather’s work with January 6 defendents—Public Defender. 

Segments to look forward to:

(02:41) The personal impact of January 6th

(05:43) The role of public defenders

(10:39) Understanding Heather’s clients’ perspectives 

(18:04) Media representation and public perception 

(30:53) The legal and ethical considerations

(43:42) The Trump factor 

(48:41) American society and the way forward

Watch the documentary Public Defender: https://bit.ly/4gJCRgp

RSVP to the screening event at MLK Memorial library on Jan 9: https://bit.ly/424oDCw

Follow Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ 

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For the full and ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus

We live in a loud world that’s getting louder.

We encounter noise all around us—from the chatter of polite conversations, to street noise in a big city, to the constant intrusion of the dings of notifications.

But what is all of this noise doing to us, and what does it mean to find quiet in the midst of it?

In fact, what is silence, anyway?

How can it affect our minds, our bodies, and our relationships?

Harvard and Oxford trained policymaker Justin Zorn and NASA consultant Leigh Marz join host Ron Steslow to discuss their new book, Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise

(02:38) What we can all learn from how the Amish evaluate new technology

(07:25) The attention economy and why it’s not working for us

(13:44) Understanding “ma” and how we can use it to resolve conflict

(22:14) Using quality over quantity to measure productivity

(26:26) Ways to incorporate silence in your everyday life

(35:35) Silence and expanded states of consciousness using psychedelics

You should read Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise : http://bit.ly/3UIGJU2

FollowJustin, Leigh, and Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JustinZorn

https://twitter.com/LeighMarz

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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For the full and ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus

We live in a loud world that’s getting louder.

We encounter noise all around us—from the chatter of polite conversations, to street noise in a big city, to the constant intrusion of the dings of notifications.

But what is all of this noise doing to us, and what does it mean to find quiet in the midst of it?

In fact, what is silence, anyway?

How can it affect our minds, our bodies, and our relationships?

Harvard and Oxford trained policymaker Justin Zorn and NASA consultant Leigh Marz join host Ron Steslow to discuss their new book, Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise

(02:33) Leigh and Justin’s backgrounds

(07:04) Why they began practicing silence in their own lives

(12:50) Why silence feels scary

(18:30) What is noise?

(22:12) Internal silence is what people think it is

(30:19) The connection between noise and rigid thinking

(37:27) The historical significance of silence

You should read Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise : http://bit.ly/3UIGJU2

FollowJustin, Leigh, and Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JustinZorn

https://twitter.com/LeighMarz

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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To unlock Politicology+ visit politicology.com/plus

This week, we discuss President Biden carrying out the largest single-day act of clemency in American history and the controversial commutations of sentences for corrupt public officials.

Then, we talk about the rash of reported drone sightings in New Jersey and the confirmed UAV sightings around military bases, and how we can sort fact from fiction to make sure we address real security concerns.  

Later, we talk about Mitch McConnell’s call to reject isolationism and the Atlantic’s deep reporting on how our crumbling military manufacturing infrastructure makes us vulnerable in a turbulent world.

Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we discuss CNN admitting that the person they showed being freed from a Syrian prison last week was actually an intelligence officer in the Assad regime and the growth of mediated media. 

Joining host Ron Steslow on this week’s panel: 

Liam Donovan (Principal at Bracewell LLP)

Olivier Knox (Senior National Political Correspondent at U.S. News & World Report)

Segments this week:

(04:31) Biden’s pardons and commutations 

(26:13) Drones

(41:04) The precarious state of our military manufacturing infrastructure 

Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus.

Send your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬

Get Olivier’s newsletter “Decision Points”: https://bit.ly/3ZTK8TU

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://x.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/LPDonovan

https://x.com/OKnox

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

WSJ - Mystery Drones Swarmed a U.S. Military Base for 17 Days. The Pentagon Is Stumped. - WSJ

CNN - Key US Air Force base closes airspace amid drone sightings | CNN

Segment 2: 

AP - Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

CNN - Victims ‘shocked’ after Biden grants clemency to ‘kids-for-cash’ judge and $54 million embezzler | CNN Politics

Segment 3: 

Foreign Affairs - Mitch McConnell: The Price of American Retreat

The Atlantic - The Crumbling Foundation of America’s Military - The Atlantic

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Journalist, Public Speaker and Author Celeste Headlee (@CelesteHeadlee) joins host Ron Steslow (@RonSteslow) to reveal the science and history behind human communication, share keys to unlock deeper conversations, and explain how critical empathy is for our ability to listen and connect. For more information, to contact us, or to contribute to Politicology, visit Politicology.com

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To unlock Politicology+ visit politicology.com/plus

This week, we dive into the fandom that’s developed around the assassin who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Then, we’ll look at how Donald Trump’s team pulled the Pete Hegseth nomination back from the brink in the Senate. 

Later, we talk about the younger Democrats pushing for generational  change in House committee leadership positions. 

Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we discuss how Citizens United moved the balance of power toward rich donors and pulled the Democratic party to the left. 

Joining guest host Zack Czajkowski on this week’s panel: 

David Weigel (politics reporter at Semafor)  

James Lynch (Communications Strategist)  

Segments this week:

(02:19) Assassin fandom

(31:54) Hegseth Nomination saved in the Senate

(45:48) Generational change in the Democratic Party

Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus.

Send your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬

Get David’s Newsletter “Americana”: https://bit.ly/4iB6HFd

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://x.com/ZackCz

https://x.com/JamesGLynch

https://x.com/daveweigel

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

CNN- 1-star McDonald’s reviews and sympathetic merch: Companies try to stop online support for CEO killer suspect | CNN Business

Wired - The Internet’s Obsession With Luigi Mangione Signals a Major Shift | WIRED

Yahoo News - Black Lives Matter activist calls on ‘black vigilantes’ after Daniel Penny’s acquittal: ‘F—k America’

Segment 2: 

Politico - Ron who? How Trump brought Hegseth back from the brink - POLITICO

NYT - Ernst Suggests She Will Not Oppose Hegseth for Defense Secretary - The New York Times

Segment 3: 

NBC News - 'The end of seniority': Younger Democrats are challenging elders for powerful positions

AP - Rep. Ocasio-Cortez announces bid for top Oversight job as Democrats push for generational change

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Poler Family Professor and chair of the psychology department at Amherst College Dr. Catherine Sanderson joins Ron Steslow to talk about how giving can make you happier. 

(02:08) What is happiness and how can we measure it?

(08:31) Does giving make you happy or do happy people give more?

(10:20) Types of giving and the impact on happiness

(14:50) The effect of giving on bad moods

(28:58) Gratitude letters

The Positive Shift by Dr. Catherine Sanderson https://benbellabooks.com/shop/the-positive-shift/

Politicology - March 10: Becoming Moral Rebels with Dr. Catherine Sanderson https://politicology.com/episodes/dr-catherine-sanderson-becoming-moral-rebels/

Are you learning from Politicology? Contribute now at https://politicology.com/donate!

Follow Catherine and Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/SandersonSpeaks

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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