Jonathan Wharton studied at Rutgers, where he received his Masters degree in history and wrote a book about urban America called "A Post-Racial Change Is Gonna Come: Newark, Cory Booker, and the Transformation of Urban America." He has also served as the chair of the Republican city committee in New Haven, CT, making him a timely guest on What Divides Us. Wharton teaches politics at Southern Connecticut State University, where he is associate professor.

On this week's episode of What Divides Us, we delve into the perspective of a 22 year firefighter and 5 year union local president from Connecticut to hear his thoughts on how the protocols of hiring and firing of public sector employees is complicated by unions. Frank Ricci led a personnel case that went to the Supreme Court - Ricci v DeStefano - which was the focus of a play about the case, performed at Yale called, "Good Faith: Four Chats about Race and the New Haven Fire Department."

Learn more about Frank Ricci and the lawsuit here: https://www.ctinsider.com/news/nhregister/article/Ricci-a-strong-fire-union-advocate-who-sued-the-15324432.php

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Frank-Ricci-re-elected-fire-union-president-13452262.php

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Jared McClain is an attorney with a non-profit in Washington called NCLA - the New Civil Liberties Alliance. NCLA has sued the federal government over how the enhanced federal unemployment benefits under the Covid bailout have been denied to people with criminal pasts. As Todd and Jared talk through the nature of the government's regulations, a familiar story of abuse of power unfolds.

Steven Greenhouse retired from the NY Times a few years ago, where for 31 years he covered labor issues. He joins us to discuss the political debate that has followed the killing of George Floyd last month - i.e. police unions - and unions, public and private, more broadly speaking. The conversation turns into one heavily focused on the American education system.

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If you listen to their talking points and knew nothing more about our Constitution, the proponents of the National Popular Vote might convince you that the Electoral College is bad - it's undemocratic, they'd argue, usurping the popular vote so the people don't get to choose the president. It gives too much power, they'd add, to small states with tiny populations, and strips power away from bigger states like California - even weakening the voices of minority voters. But Dr. Robert Hardaway argues that the reason JFK spearheaded the opposition and succeeded in blocking the destruction of the Electoral College in 1956, as pursued by power hungry Republicans, in order to defend democratic values. Dr. Hardaway's book is "Saving the Electoral College: Why the National Popular Vote Would Undermine Democracy." He is this week's guest on What Divides Us.

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What is the nature of unity narrative that we believe holds America together, the story of the forces that bind us. And where did that story originate? Colin Woodard, author of "Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood," joins us on this week's What Divides Us to talk about the divisions that have percolated beneath the surface since our founding. Plus, he tells us, specifically, who created the American story and what motivated them.

A casual glance at the recent events around the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd make the average person think the nation is spinning out of control. Is it? And if so, why? We talk with Gary Wolfram, who teaches economics at Hillsdale College on this week's What Divides Us.

John Tamny from AIER and editor of Real Clear Markets joins us on What Divides Us to discuss the left/right divide. John has harsh reviews for both political parties. His book, released last year, is called "They’re Both Wrong: A Policy Guide for America’s Frustrated Independent Thinkers."

We have a fascinating conversation with Jerome Corsi, author of many books since 2004 and one of the right leaning political figures who got caught in the sites of the Mueller investigation. Corsi goes into great detail regarding how he beat back that investigation, into what has happened to the American system of government and why it's been largely dismantled by those who swear an oath to it, and why despite the sorry state of America today, he remains optimistic that the corruption we see today won't survive. Learn more about Dr. Corsi at CorsiNation.com.

Dr. John Huber is a Clinical Forensic Psychologist from Texas who provides intriguing insights into a variety of issues from his unique perspective as a non-doctor who works in hospital settings. Because of this, Huber says he is often asked to provide expert witness testimony in court and to do commentary on issues with strong overlaps into the medical profession. We talk with Dr. Huber about a range of issues related to the Covid virus and get his opinion on the politics, medicine, and psychology of the pandemic on this week's What Divides Us.

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