The decline of America's middle class stems from stagnant wages, rising costs for essentials like housing, education and healthcare, technology shifts, globalization, increased income inequality and greater financial vulnerability. A New Deal to shore up the foundations of the Middle Class is long overdue.

Alex Bastian, the CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, has overseen a steady recovery of this sector from the depths of Covid shutdowns to robust financial performance. With the Super Bowl coming to the City and the Region next month and a surge in conventions and conferences coming to Moscone Center, demand for hotel rooms in 2026 is surging.

Aileen Teague is Assistant Professor at Texas A&M's Bush School of Government and Public Service, Department of International Affairs. She reviews the recent action by the Trump Administration to end Nicolas Maduro's presidency of Venezuela. What happens next ?

A six month voyage of discovery for a recently retired College Professor driving the PanAmerican Highway from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego. Discovering the fauna, flora and rich cultural tapestry of South America. But also a personal journey of self knowledge to lay the groundwork for the next chapter of life.

New economic cooperation plans take shape between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Trump Administration proposes an international roadway through southern Armenia linking Azerbaijan to its Western Exclave, bordering Turkey.

Saddleback Leather Co. manufactures high quality leather goods ranging from travel bags to belts and shoes. Located outside Fort Worth, Texas it is a family owned company with a unique mission and commitment to the highest quality.

Chris is Managing Partner with KPMG with responsibility for the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. In the interview Chris references two KPMG studies that are available to listeners :

KPMG's CEO Outlook Survey

KPMG's American Worker Survey

GPS was created 51years ago. It's ubiquity is due to a constellation of Geostationary Positioning Satellites (GPS). But any satellite signal can be jammed. Skyline's technology is not dependent on satellites and therefore cannot be jammed - a game changing technology.

In today's podcast, Professor Uehling references a letter writing campaign directed to families and other men and women in Crimea and Ukraine. If you wish to reach out by writing to the people who are often on the frontlines of the war with Russia , go to this website for more information : Crimea-Platform.org

Raising capital is a multi-phase process that brings together the entrepreneur and the investor. Scott and his team are at the nexus of that relationship. With a network of 13,000 investors, Black Dog Venture Partners is active nationwide, and is industry agnostic.