The goals of the Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) were to free candidates from the influence of lobbyists and big money, and also enable candidates from more diverse backgrounds to run for office. However, the program is plagued with imperfections — and even notorious kickback schemes. Connecticut Inside Investigator’s Katherine Revello explores the abuses and shortcomings of CEP in a multiple-part investigation “Examining Connecticut’s Clean Election Program.” Read part one here. 

Marc Fitch — Connecticut Inside Investigator’s senior investigative reporter — is the new master of horror and suspense with the release of his latest novel, “Dead Ends.” He explains his creative process and gives insights into the chilling tale of four lives being thrown into chaos. “Deads Ends” is out August 15 and available wherever books are sold. Pre-order it here. 

What makes a city or town livable? And how are lawmakers addressing housing and transportation concerns to the improvement or detriment of Connecticut’s municipalities? Dr. Jonathan Wharton — associate professor of political science and urban affairs at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) — discusses these critical issues with YI President Carol Platt Liebau, and explains how lawmakers can incentivize Nutmeggers from leaving the state during their prime earning years. Learn more about him here and follow his writings at CT News Junkie and Hearst Media.  

Thinking about leaving the union or know someone who is considering it? Well, they only have the month of August to decide! Mike Costanza — a public school teacher in North Stonington and founder of the Facebook group “Constitution State Educators" — returns to the show to discuss how teachers can opt out of their union, and debunks the myths perpetuated by the unions if a teacher decides to leave. To learn more about Constitution State Educators, visit here.

Sometimes good people can do a bad thing. This was a lesson John Santa — former CEO of Santa Energy — learned when a friend went to prison for embezzlement. After visiting his incarcerated friend, John was inspired to found the Malta Justice Initiative (a former Catholic ministry) to educate and bring the sacraments to prisoners, which proved challenging. He soon discovered that the best way to help prisoners re-enter society was a job. Since then, he has advocated both for criminal justice reform, as well as for providing education for prisoners in order to prevent recidivism. Currently, John is the vice president of the Sentencing Commission of Connecticut and board chairman of H.J. Baker & Bros. He also co-authored a book called “The Justice Imperative: How Hyper-Incarceration has Hijacked the American Dream.” Find it here.

It has been five years since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME, where the Court held it violated the First Amendment for unions to compel government workers to subsidize them. But what led to the case? What were its consequences? What was it like to argue before the Justices? Bill Messenger — vice president and legal director for National Right to Work and one of the nation’s foremost labor advocates — represented plaintiff Mark Janus. He shares his insights and his thoughts about the “next frontier” in the fight to protect free speech against politicized unions. Learn more about National Right to Work here.   

How did major crises like the Great Depression and World War II — and government interventionism through the New Deal — shape the economy of the 20th century? And how did corporations come to dominate this period? Richard Langlois, a professor at UConn, offers a nuanced reframing and reassessment of the economic, institutional and intellectual history of what’s been called the “managerial century” in his new book, The Corporation and the Twentieth Century. Learn more here. 

Roger Sherman was more than “just a simple cobbler from Connecticut,” as sung in the musical, “1776.” He was a true statesman, earning the distinction of being the only Founding Father to sign all four great documents of the United States: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution. Connecticut’s Founding Father did more than sign those papers, however,  shaping the very fabric of the republic, says Prof. Mark David Hall — author of “Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic.” Hall explains Sherman’s impact on the founding and his legacy today. Learn more about our guest here. 

Frank Ricci, Yankee Institute’s Labor Fellow, has had a storied career not only as a New Haven firefighter — retiring as Battalion Chief — and serving as the union president, but also being lead plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Ricci v. DeStefano (2009). He is also an accomplished writer, authoring the new book Command Presence: Increase Your Influence, offering readers lessons on how to lead when everyone is watching, strengthen your negotiating tactics, and develop a media presence. This ‘three books in one’ is out now wherever books are sold. Find it here. 

So what happened in the 2023 Legislative Session? Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-36th) provides an analysis of the biennial budget that cut income taxes, fair share housing, the benefits of the 2017 fiscal guardrails, pushing back on other ‘bad’ bills, and the importance of localism and civic engagement. Learn more about Sen. Fazio here.