Us & Them

In the past, President Trump has called climate change a hoax. Then this week, Trump told 60 Minutes that he believes the climate is changing — but that the change isn’t caused by humans, and it will probably change back. Trump said the economy is more important than the climate, so trying to fight climate change makes no sense. He said it would cost jobs, and for no good reason.

These two related issues – climate change and energy jobs – get very different reactions in California and Appalachia. You’ll hear those reactions in this installment of “Red State, Blue State,” our weekly chat between Trump Country and the Blue Bubble.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court. Manchin was the only Democrat in the Senate to cross party lines, and he did it in a very public way. Manchin’s vote didn’t surprise many Mountain State voters, but it left a lot of people in other states asking, “Why is he even a Democrat?”

That question came from listeners.

“Red State Blue State” is a collaboration between Us & Them and KCRW in Santa Monica, California. Each week until the midterm election, we’re presenting a new segment co-hosted by Trey Kay in West Virginia and Chery Glaser in Southern California.

Why did rural Americans love Donald Trump so much in 2016? Some say they’ve felt left out of the economic recovery. Others say the culture is changing in ways that makes rural people feel uncomfortable. Others say it was simply because Trump made rural people feel like they mattered. Trey talks with three journalists who live in rural places and report on rural issues talks with three journalists who live in rural places and report on rural issues. Trey asks what they're hearing from the people they talk with every day. Trey is joined by Tim Marema, editor of “The Daily Yonder,” Madelyn Beck, a reporter at Harvest Public Media, and Mason Adams, a freelance writer based in Appalachia.

There have been times time when the U.S. Supreme Court seemed to be apart from the partisanship that’s infected other government institutions. But President Trump’s choice of Kavanaugh -- and the sexual assault accusations against the him -— have sent Americans on the Left and the Right running to their corners. “Red State” host Trey Kay went to a Trump rally to talk to supporters and “Blue State” host Chery Glaser brings us the voices of fearful protestors.

If you really listen, we sound like two different countries: Red America and Blue America. Then again, most of us aren't listening. As we head into the midterm elections, WVPB and KCRW are teaming up to try to change that. “Red State, Blue State” is a weekly conversation between West Virginians and Californians about the issues that divide us. Trey co-hosts the series. Over the next six weeks, we’ll bring you “Red State Blue State” as an Us & Them extra.

We’re excited to announce that West Virginia Public Broadcasting has invited Us & Them to be a regular part of their radio programming. Starting this week, West Virginia audiences are going to hear stories about America’s culture divides -- many that our devoted podcast listeners have been enjoying since 2015 – but now… On The Radio!!! Can you tell that we’re excited?

The Village Voice and Billboard Magazine have compared Stephan Said to Woody Guthrie because uses his music to bridge divides between people. He's taken his guitar to war zones in Iraq, refugee camps in the Mediterranean and to ravaged Houston after Hurricane Harvey. When he gets to these places, he sits down with local folks to play music and help the healing begin.

The start of the football season has once again, seen players standing up, kneeling down or not showing up for the national anthem. Some see this as a question of patriotism, others as an issue of free expression. If it seems football has, perhaps unwillingly, become a platform for civil rights issues, well, keep it mind that didn’t start with Colin Kapernick but with James “Shack” Harris, the first African American to be named in the NFL as a starting quarterback.