Ten Miles Square

In 2003, New Orleans public schools were among the worst in the country.Seventy percent of eighth-graders were not proficient in math, 74 percent weren’t proficient in English, and the graduation rate was barely over 50 percent. Moreover, the district was as corrupt as it was incompetent. FBI investigations led to the indictment of two dozen school officials; nearly $70 million in federal funding was missing. New Orleans schools have since achieved a remarkable transformation. In 2023, the high school graduation rate was 79 percent, and 65 percent enrolled in college—nearly double what it was in 2004 and higher than the state average.This success, one expert argues, was powered by the city’s commitment to charter schools. In a new documentary, Turnaround, which premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival last fall, author David Osborne chronicles the rise of New Orleans public schools through its use of charters and argues for the expansion of this model. Osborne is the author of six books, including the 1992 bestseller, Reinventing Government. Host: Anne Kim, Senior Editor, Washington MonthlyGuest: David Osborne, Director, TurnaroundChapters00:00 Introduction to the Documentary and Its Purpose03:18 The State of New Orleans Public Schools Before the Turnaround05:40 The Role of Charter Schools in Education Reform10:18 Leslie Jacobs: A Key Figure in the Reform Movement17:10 Success Stories from Charter Operators21:40 Criticism and Challenges Facing Charter Schools25:42 Differentiating Vouchers from Charter Schools32:33 The Future of Public Education and Charter SchoolsRead the Washington Monthly:www.washingtonmonthly.comSubscribe to the Washington Monthly's PolicyFix playlist:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLonp7h9esu5j_rTTHx-0Vv_T_AyQqoRaO&si=AANgMFJ6G2_cOUM4

In the eyes of today’s teens, journalism and the media are doomed.

In two major surveys of US teens conducted over the last two years, the nonprofit News Literacy Project found deep levels of mistrust and misunderstanding of the news:

• Only about half ofteens know that “branded content” is a form of advertising;

• Only 52 percent of teens understand that articleslabeled “commentary” are opinions;

• ·Teens have overwhelmingly negative impressionsof news, calling it “fake,” “crazy,” “biased,” “boring,” and “bad”;

• Just 15 percent of teens actively seek out news,and many hold low opinions of journalists’ truthfulness and ethics. Half of teens, for instance, believe that journalists make up quotes.

The root of this distrust is the lack of “newsliteracy,” argues Charles ("Chuck") Salter, the News Literacy Project’s President and CEO.

Host: Anne Kim, Senior Editor, Washington Monthly

Guest, Charles Salter, President and CEO, News Literacy Project

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to News Literacy and Its Importance

03:37 The Disturbing Findings of the Studies

06:01 Understanding Teenagers' News Literacy Levels

08:47 The Negative Perception of Journalism Among Teens

11:20 The Role of Popular Culture in Shaping Attitudes

14:01 The Risks of Low News Literacy

16:40 The Societal Impact of Mistrust in Journalism

19:30 Advice for Journalists and Conclusion

President Donald Trump won 93 percent of rural counties in 2024. Rural voters also made up 36 percent of the Trump vote, according to the Pew Research Center, compared to just 16 percent of voters for Harris.

Political scientists Suzanne Mettler of Cornell University and Trevor Brown of Johns Hopkins argue that Democrats must work to bridge this urban-rural chasm, both for the sake of Democrats’ political fortunes but for the sake of preserving democracy.

Mettler and Brown are the authors of the new book, Rural versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy, in which they argue for robust investments in rural America to rebuild the Democratic Party. They also lay out a surprising analysis of why Democrats lost rural voters. The blame lies not with major policy differences between rural and urban voters, but Democratic neglect and disdain of the rural vote.

Hosts: Anne Kim and Garrett Epps

Guests: Suzanne Mettler, Interim Chair & John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, Cornell University; Trevor Brown, Postdoctoral Fellow in Moral and Political Economy, Johns Hopkins University.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Rural vs Urban Divide

02:55 Defining Rural Voters and Their Political Impact

05:39 Exploring the Myths of Rural and Urban Voter Differences

10:20 Historical Context: The New Deal and Rural Politics

14:17 Current Challenges for Democrats in Rural Areas

16:38 The Role of Race and Ethnicity in the Divide

19:55 The Importance of Competition in Rural Politics

25:25 Strategies for Democrats to Reconnect with Rural Voters

In 2010, the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to money in politics with its decision in  Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission.

The Court struck down longstanding federal restrictions on “independent” political spending by corporations and outside groups, ruling that such expenditures were protected “speech” under the First Amendment.

Since then, according to the Brennan Center, super PACs have spent more than $10 billion on federal elections.

For many campaign finance reform advocates, reversing Citizens United is the holy grail. Some nonprofits, for instance,have called for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision—an effort Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed as well.

But with the passage of such an amendment is unlikely,, a group of prominent legal scholars is arguing for an alternative path. The Supreme Court could choose to end super PACs, they say,and without overturning Citizens United.

Among these advocates is Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. FurmanProfessor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School and the founder of Equal Citizens.org, a new nonprofit leading the legal campaign against super PACs. Lessig says a critical test willcome this spring, when the First Circuit Court of Appeals hears a case involving a voter initiative passed in Maine last fall to limit super PAC contributions. Super PACs have challenged the restrictions as unconstitutional—an argument that’slikely to end up in front of the Supreme Court.

Hosts: Anne Kim and Garrett Epps

Guest: Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Law School

Chapters

00:00 The Rise of Super PACs and Their Impact on Democracy

06:35 Legal Challenges Against Super PACs: The Maine Initiative

12:07 The Argument for Regulating Contributions to Super PACs

17:37 The Role of Amicus Briefs and Evidence of Corruption

22:37 Future Steps: Reviving Campaign Finance Reform

28:48 Engaging Citizens in the Fight Against Super PACs

Billionaires have become a uniquely destructive force to both democracy and the planet, says author Chuck Collins. Collins' new book, "Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet," argues that the rise of the billionaire class has profoundly damaging impacts on ordinary Americans’ lives and on the functioning of democracy. Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits Inequality.org, and is the author of several books on inequality and wealth, including Wealth and Our Commonwealth, co-authored with Bill Gates, Sr. Host: Anne KimGuest: Chuck CollinsChapters00:00 The Rise of the Billionaire Class02:59 Impact of Billionaires on the Planet05:41 Billionaires and the Housing Crisis08:38 Billionaire Influence on the Economy11:28 Billionaires and Political Power14:08 Proposed Solutions to Wealth Inequality16:58 Grassroots Movements and Citizen ActionSubscribe to the Washington Monthly's podcast:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLonp7h9esu5hYFpElBTi8uC8HT5bSqpFQ&si=VMM10M3WJpqDN3RqRead the Washington Monthly:www.washingtonmonthly.comSubscribe to the Washington Monthly's PolicyFix playlist:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLonp7h9esu5j_rTTHx-0Vv_T_AyQqoRaO&si=AANgMFJ6G2_cOUM4

It’s slow, inefficient and sclerotic. Here’s a progressive blueprint to fix it.

President Donald Trump’s unrelenting assault on the federalworkforce has prompted many progressives to leap reflexively to government’s defense.  

Some progressives, however, are acknowledging the need for reform. “The truth is, Trump and Elon Musk alone didn’t break our governing institutions,” write Hannah Garden-Monheit and Tresa Joseph in a new report for the Roosevelt Institute. “Unfortunately, for most Americans, the federal government is distant, abstract, labyrinthine."

Garden-Monheit and Joseph interviewed 45 former officials from President Joe Biden’s administration, many of whom conveyed the frustration of ambitions thwarted by risk aversion, red tape and a cumbersome civil service system.  Based on these conversations, they offer more than 160 fixes to make government more efficient and responsive.

Rebuilding public trust, Garden-Monheit and Joseph argue, demands bold action that delivers visible benefits to Americans’ lives.

Host: Anne Kim

Guest: Hannah Garden-Monheit, former director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission

Democrats are riding high after this year’s special elections,but that still doesn’t mean they’re popular with voters. Strategist Simon Bazelon has advice on what to fix.

Less than a year into his second term, President DonaldTrump is already hobbling toward lame duck status. His approval rating has plummeted to 36 percent, according to Gallup’s latest survey, including just a 25 percent thumbs-up among independents. He’s squandered his gains with Latino voters, with nearly 80 percent now telling Pew that his policies are more harmful than helpful.

Democrats, meanwhile, are enjoying an uptick in theirelectoral fortunes. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill cruised to victory in Virginia and New Jersey, while generic Congressional ballots have begun to show commanding leads for Democrats hopeful of capturing the House.

But don’t mistake Trump’s unpopularity with newfoundaffection for Democrats, warns strategist Simon Bazelon, a Research Fellow at the Democratically-aligned organization Welcome. Democrats have increasingly shifted leftward in recent years, Bazelon argues, and are perceived as too liberal and out of touch.

Bazelon is the lead author of Deciding to Win, an exhaustive,data-driven autopsy of the Democratic Party recently published by Welcome. He advocates a new brand of “moderation” among Democratic candidates, defined not by old models of compromise and “triangulation” but by the dictates of popular opinion. Host: Anne Kim

Guest: Simon Bazelon, Research Fellow, Welcome

We go behind the scenes with Angela Kuefler, the pollsterwho helped engineer the historic victories of governors-elect Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill.

Earlier this month, Democratic gubernatorial candidates AbigailSpanberger and Mikie Sherrill notched blockbuster victories in Virginia and New Jersey. 

Spanberger trounced her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by a 15-point margin, while Sherrilldefeated businessman Jack Ciattarrelli by 13-points.

The Virginia and New Jersey campaigns relied on similar tactics:A core message on affordability; an emphasis on the national security backgrounds of both candidates; and a willingness to stand up against Trump. One of the chief strategists who devised this approach is pollster Angela Kuefler, a partner at Global Strategy Group who worked with both candidates. Kuefler also brought to both races her perspective as the rare female pollster in a male-dominated field.

Hosts: Anne Kim and Matt Cooper

Guest: Angela Kuefler, Partner, Global Strategy Group

The Trump administration’s policies have damaged the economies of both countries, says former U.S. Ambassador to Canada James Blanchard.

A month after President Donald Trump abruptly ended trade talks with Canada over an anti-tariff ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan, the two countries have yet to resume negotiations.

The rift between America and its ally to the north is in fact “the worst in modern history,” says former US Ambassador to Canada James Blanchard. And it’s no wonder. Trump has threatened to annex Canada as the “51st state,” and mocked former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as its “governor.” He’s blamed the country for flooding America with fentanyl and illegal immigrants, though neither charge bears resemblance to reality. And he’s levied punitive tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, among other exports, all the while accusing Canada of “cheating” on trade.

Even after Trump’s eventual departure from office, these wounds will be hard to heal, says Blanchard, who served as Ambassador to Canada under President Bill Clinton. Blanchard also served two terms as governor of Michigan and four terms in Congress.

Hosts: Anne Kim and Garrett Epps

Guest: The Hon. James Blanchard

Chapters

00:50 Current US-Canada Relations

02:43 Elbows Up?

05:12 Tariff Impacts on Canadian Economy

06:54 Trump unifies Canadians against him

11:42 Carney's performance

14:04 Tariffs benefit no one

17:16 The future of US-Canada relations

The erosion—and deliberate erasure—of government data bythe Trump Administration threaten both public safety and the US economy, says former US chief data scientist Denice Ross.

Federal data are more than jobs numbers and the Census Bureau's tallies of Americans. Government data undergird everyday essentials like the weather forecasts Americans rely on, including tornado and hurricane warnings. Federal data keep track of crime and public safety, give us early warning of epidemics and help farmers plan their crops.

But all of that is under threat.

Denice W. Ross, former Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officerand U.S. Chief Data Scientist under President Joe Biden, is sounding the alarm on the degradation of America’s federal data infrastructure and the myriad risks that presents. She’s also spearheading an effort, EssentialData.us, to track and preserve disappearing data.

Host: Anne Kim

Guest: Denice Ross, former US Chief Data Scientist

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction and Importance of Federal Data
• 03:00 The US Geological Survey's Bat Monitoring Database
• 06:00 Disappearing data - SNAP Program
• 09:00 Challenges in Data Collection and Integrity
• 12:00 Public Awareness and Advocacy for Data Preservation