The Rob Burgess Show

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 43rd episode, our guest is Jonathan Fowler.

You first heard Jonathan Fowler on Episode 2, Episode 10, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 34, Episode 35 of the podcast. Jonathan graduated with a BA in history from Indiana University in 2006. He is an unabashed left-wing political junkie. He has lived and worked in South Korea for over 9 years, trying to help the citizens of that great nation, hopefully, "talk pretty one day."

If you enjoy this podcast, there are several ways to support it.

I have a Patreon account, which can be found at www.patreon.com/robburgessshowpatreon. I hope you'll consider supporting in any amount.

Also please make sure to comment, follow, like, subscribe, share, rate and review everywhere the podcast is available, including iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Facebook, Twitter, Internet Archive, TuneIn and RSS.

The official website for the podcast is www.therobburgessshow.com.

You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.

Until next time.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 42nd episode, our guest is John Di Domenico.

John Di Domenico is a professional actor, writer, performer, host, creative and celebrity impersonator. For the last 25-plus years he has been recognized as one of the busiest and versatile corporate entertainers in the industry. He has worked all over the world for some of the largest production companies and their end clients by creating a unique form of infotainment.

John is originally from the Philadelphia area and now lives in Las Vegas. John attended East Stroudsburg University and graduated from Temple University with a BA in speech communications. John spent a year as PR Intern for U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. He overcame a severe speech impediment to become an actor, impersonator and performer.

John has written and performed at national and international sales meetings, product launches, trade shows and award shows around the globe for AT&T, SAP, SONY and SC Johnson, to name a few.

John’s specialty is seamlessly integrating his ever-expanding cast of celebrity and original characters into any meeting element by writing content-driven comedy that delivers and amplifies the key messages of the meeting.

John has appeared in the feature films “Meet the Spartans,” “Disaster Movie,” “30 Days of Paranormal Activity” and “Not Another Celebrity Movie” as Doanld Trump, The Love Guru and Dr. Phil. John is the official Donald Trump on “Conan” (12 appearances),“Red Eye” on Fox News (21 appearances), “Trumpcast,” “Fox & Friends” and “Chelsea Lately.” He has appeared on the “Today” show, “Inside Edition,” “Good Day New York,” and many more. John is the only Donald Trump impersonator in the world to appear on the “Today” show Australia, the “Today” show Ireland and “This Morning Britain.”

Di Domenico’s Trump has been profiled on ABC News Nightline, NBC News, Vice Media, CNN, CNN Money, CBC, USA Today, Yahoo News, BBC Business Matters, Channel 4 (Britain) and has been covered by several major print and online news outlets in the U.S. including New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Adweek, McClatchy, The Hill, Miami Herald, Philly.com, NJ.com, Star-Ledger and many more.

Di Domenico is the only Trump impersonator to appear in multiple segments of “Fox & Friends” for a cross promotion between “The Apprentice” and Embassy Suites with the approval of the Trump Organization. John's Austin Powers impression has been recognized as the best by People magazine and has been profiled on MSNBC.

John also sent me an extensive annotated list of his many media appearances as Donald Trump, which I'll be posting under this episode on the podcast homepage.

And now, on to the show.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 41st episode, our guest is ... me!

Rob Burgess is a five-time award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in print, radio, online and television. He is currently City Editor and Editorial Board Member at the Kokomo Tribune, and previously as a reporter at WFHB, Times-Mail, The Reporter-Times, Ukiah Daily Journal, Ukiah Valley Television and NUVO Newsweekly.

Oh yeah, and he's also the proprietor of the podcast, The Rob Burgess Show.

If you enjoy this podcast, there are several ways to support it.

I have a Patreon account, which can be found at https://www.patreon.com/robburgessshowpatreon. I hope you'll consider supporting in any amount.

Also please make sure to comment, follow, like, subscribe, share, rate and review everywhere the podcast is available, including iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Facebook, Twitter, Internet Archive, TuneIn and RSS.

The official website for the podcast is www.therobburgessshow.com.

You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.

Until next time.

I am experimenting with being otherwise ad-free, and I have instead created a Patreon account, which can be found at www.patreon.com/robburgessshowpatreon. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 40th episode, our guest is “Freeway” Rick Ross.

I should say at this point, if you haven’t heard it yet, go back and listen to Episode 25 with guest Marc Levin. This episode will make much more sense if you do so.

I first interviewed Marc, and the subject of his documentary, “Freeway: Crack in the System,” “Freeway” Rick Ross, last year. The film premiered on Al Jazeera America and I was lucky enough to screen the film prior to its release. Here's the movie's trailer:

I first became aware of the story of “Freeway” Rick Ross in 2008 when it was revealed that not only was the rapper calling himself Rick Ross was actually named William Roberts, but Roberts had also been a correctional officer in Florida. I then went on to read the late Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb's seminal series, “Dark Alliance,” in which he connected the dots between Ross, who was being supplied with cocaine by Nicaraguans raising money for the Central Intelligence Agency -backed Contras through drug sales. (Webb's story was also told the Jeremy Renner-starring dramatic film “Kill the Messenger,” based on the book of the same name.) July 21, Levin's film, was nominated for an Emmy award in the Outstanding Investigative Journalism: Long Form category.

According to the Oakland Tribune, “In the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine nationally, and made more than $600 million in the process. Counting inflation its $1.6 billion comparing 1986 to 2010.” Now, he has applied the passion that helped him build an empire to helping the youth, Ross has been given a second chance to uplift his community by giving back through mentoring and sharing his story. He plans to inspire many of today’s youths to achieve their greatest successes without following in his footsteps.

Recognized as a pawn in the CIA drug game, Ross was a pioneer in the crack cocaine trade in Los Angeles, as well as other parts of the U.S. A renowned drug dealer, Ross harvested millions as an unknowing participant of CIA and Drug Enforcement Agency operatives, who provided him with unlimited amounts of cocaine.

As a youth, Ross moved to South Central Los Angeles with his mother with the intent of playing tennis. He pursued a scholarship while attending high school. Unfortunately, his coach would later find out he was illiterate and removed him from the school. Ross then attended Los Angeles Trade Technical College and again pursued tennis, reaching the third spot on the team. Shortly after, at the early age of 19, Ross said a teacher, who taught at a job center, turned him on to cocaine. Because he looked up to him, Ross started selling cocaine for him. The money was good so he ended up starting his own business. His operation grew and he soon became one of the biggest cocaine dealers in South Central.

During the height of his drug dealing, Ross was said to have made $2 million to $3 million a week. In 1996, he was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to purchase more than 100 kilograms of cocaine from a federal agent. Ross became the subject of controversy later that year when Webb’s “Dark Alliance” series brought to light a connection between one of Ross’s cocaine sources, Danilo Blandon, and the CIA as part of the Iran-Contra scandal. The decision in his case was brought to a federal court of appeals where his sentence was reduced to 20 years and then reduced further for being a model inmate. He was then moved to a halfway house in California in the spring of 2009 where he was released on Sept. 29, 2009.

And now, onto the show

This is normally the time I’d tell you about our sponsor. But, because I want to experiment with being otherwise ad-free, I have instead created a Patreon account, which can be found at www.patreon.com/robburgessshowpatreon. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 39th episode, our guest is Ash Burgess.

You first heard Ash Burgess on Episode 16, Episode 26 and Episode 27 of the podcast.

Ash Burgess has a dusty degree in Religious Studies, an obsession with pineapples and an appetite for both high and low culture. She cuts her own hair, bakes her own sourdough bread and spends most of her time at home with her young son. Sometimes, she blogs at burgessbaby.blogspot.com.

And now, on to the show.

Today's podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Over 250,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this our 38th episode our guest is Robert Cohen. Robert Cohen is a community photojournalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He can be found in schools, at parades, in restaurants and on baseball fields, or wherever a story about St. Louis and its people asks to be told. Cohen’s images of unrest following the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, were part of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photogra¬phy awarded to the photo staff. He has been a finalist for the prize twice – in 2010 for feature photography for a body of work about suburban homelessness, and in 2009 for breaking news reporting as a member of the team covering a city hall shooting. He has been named eight times as Regional Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographer’s Association and is a member of the Scripps-Howard Editorial Hall of Fame. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he began his career at the tiny Sun-Tattler newspaper in Hollywood, Florida, now home to a Holiday Inn.

I had the honor of meeting Robert on Saturday at the Indianapolis Marriott North during the 50th Annual Hoosier State Press Association Newsroom Seminar and Better Newspaper Contest Awards Luncheon. I attended his presentation, “Capturing Moments In Time When Time and Moments Are More Fleeting Than Ever,” which was described this way: “Today’s visual journalists are pulled in so many different directions, that our core mission of reaching readers with captured moments of time is eroding. Robert will talk about wearing too many hats and the pitfalls of navigating that new reality.”

One final note: Since Robert is a photographer; most of what we’ll be talking about will involve his amazing photographs. I’ve provided links to these on the show’s website page for this episode if you want to see what we’re talking about.

And now, on to the show.

Today's podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Over 250,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this our 37th episode our guest is Ashleigh Jennifer Parker. Ashleigh Jennifer Parker, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, is the head of press and media for Veterans Stand for Standing Rock.

And now, on to the show.

Today's podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Over 250,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 36th episode, our guest is Heidi Beirich.

Heidi Beirich leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, “one of the most respected anti-terror organizations in the world,” according to the National Review. She is an expert on various forms of extremism, including the white supremacist, nativist and neo-Confederate movements as well as racism in academia. She oversees the SPLC’s authoritative, yearly count of the nation’s hate and hard-line, anti-government groups and is a frequent contributor to the SPLC’s investigative reports and speaker at conferences on extremism. Prior to joining the SPLC staff in 1999, Heidi earned a doctorate in political science from Purdue University. She is the co-editor and author of several chapters of Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction, published by the University of Texas Press in 2008.

And now, on to the show.

Today's podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Over 250,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 35th episode, our returning guest is Jonathan Fowler.

You first heard Jonathan Fowler on Episode 2, Episode 10, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32 and Episode 34 of the podcast. Jonathan graduated with a BA in history from Indiana University in 2006. He is an unabashed left-wing political junkie. He has lived and worked in South Korea for over 9 years, trying to help the citizens of that great nation, hopefully, "talk pretty one day."

And now, on to the show.

Today's podcast is brought to you by audible.com – get a FREE audiobook download and 30 day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Over 250,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Check out the podcast's homepage at www.therobburgessshow.com. Check out my website at www.thisburgess.com.

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 34th episode, our returning guest is Jonathan Fowler.

You first heard Jonathan Fowler on Episode 2, Episode 10, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31 and Episode 32 of the podcast. Jonathan graduated with a BA in history from Indiana University in 2006. He is an unabashed left-wing political junkie. He has lived and worked in South Korea for over 9 years, trying to help the citizens of that great nation, hopefully, "talk pretty one day."

And now, on to the show.