While we often think of the epidemic of gun violence as happening on the streets of America, it is even worse in the countries south of us in the Americas.  The source of the supply is the same, primarily United States gun manufacturers. How those guns start as legal products and become entwined with drug cartels and illegal sales is a fascinating, and little understood, story.  Yet it has an impact on illegal drug sales throughout the United States and often results in crises at the U.S-Mexico border.  Ioan Grillo chronicles the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico for use by the gangs and cartels in his book ‘Blood Gun Money’.  He writes “America’s “iron river” of guns, millions of weapons that flow from the legal industry to the black market, feeding criminals across the nation and drug cartels across the continent…At the heart of the iron river is the relationship between guns and drugs’.  It is that disturbing relationship we explore with him on this podcast. You must hear what he tells us separates what happens on our streets in the U.S. from what happens south of the border, where over 2 million people have died in this gun infested, drug fueled environment since the beginning of the century.  

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America’s Second Amendment is summed up in just a few words and yet massive amounts of ink have been spilled trying to explain it, massive amounts of blood spilled in defense of it and massive sums spent on legal efforts to try and curtail it and still gunfire rings out across our land like never before.  This controversial subject divides the members of our two political parties, already fractured, like no other issue, including abortion.  Instead of turning to a partisan in the debate, we chose to reach out to a legal scholar on the subject.  Joseph Blocher is a professor at the Duke University Law School and co-director of the Center for Firearms Law at the university.  Our conversation runs the gamut examining what the Second Amendment means, the importance of the Heller vs. D.C. opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court, state and federal laws applicable to guns and what the early efforts of the Biden Administration signal as to the direction of the debate.  In fact, America may be at an inflection point regarding guns as pro-gun groups, like the NRA, face new challenges and groups wanting more controls gain strength and public support.  And then there’s the matter of turning on the news each night to learn of a new mass shooting, which the President reminds us is an ‘international embarrassment’.  This week we will focus on guns in two separate podcasts with two remarkable presenters.

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  Neither terrorist attack, financial meltdown, devastating hurricane or a pandemic can shake New York City from its perch as America’s most unique and vital city.  While some say it’s teetering now in the wake of COVID-19 it is hard to bet against this city because of the resilience and strength of its people.  And it’s the people of New York, in all five boroughs, who author Craig Taylor talked to to amass his great book, ‘New Yorkers: A City and Its People in Our Time’.  These are everyday New Yorkers, not celebrated ones, who go about their day trying to negotiate their lives in the toughest testing ground of all.  No matter your pursuit or career, you have got to perform it well to do it on the biggest stage in America.  In this podcast, Craig and I discuss what makes New Yorkers so different and how navigating its many challenges itself can be viewed as a great accomplishment.  The New York experience is unmatched and we will take a vicarious trip into the city today on the podcast.

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It’s the same old song as the Russian spy machine keeps rolling along.  Who would know better than Jack Devine who formerly served as acting director and associate director at the CIA  and was in charge of the CIA’s largest and most successful covert action operation, which drove the Russians out of Afghanistan? In his new book, ‘Spymaster’s Prism’, he describes how Russian interference in the 2016 election actually was a step up in boldness as the Russians had a carefully planned assault on our internal politics.  In the lexicon of what he calls ‘Moscow Rules’, this effort represents a step beyond what has commonly been practiced by both  the U.S. and Russia. Tampering with the conduct of our democratic process could be viewed as a hostile act testing the limits of what each country can tolerate in an espionage racket which has retained certain norms.  He provides a series of guideposts in evaluating what Vladimir Putin has done to  achieve his objective of restoring Russian to its domination in its sphere of influence.  Devine sees Putin as a high stakes gambler and a formidable opponent.  You will be fascinated by his insights.

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There is a growing concern that capitalism, as presently practiced in the United States, is not working in the best interest of the majority of our citizens.  The growing income inequality gap is just one measure of how the ideal of The American Dream is becoming an illusion to a growing sector of our population.  In his book, ‘At What Cost’, Nicholas Freudenberg, public health expert and City University of New York distinguished professor, demonstrates how the impacts of a virulent form of capitalism is affecting everything from the food we eat to education we receive to the medical care we can obtain.  While the benefits of the capitalist model were best demonstrated in the mid twentieth century, corporate interests have dominated our national politics for the last forty years and the results are concerning.  Americans consider themselves less happy, healthy, or freer than in the past.. And our confidence in the future is waning.  How do we right this ship?  We look at the data to back these conclusions and offer solutions going forward.                                  

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‘Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from their swift completion of their appointed rounds’ has been the mantra of the United States Postal Service since its roots in 1775 before our country was formed.  It is one of the few government agencies explicitly referred to in the U.S. Constitution.  While the USPS remains a vital service its finances are in jeopardy because of a requirement that it forward find its pension obligations, competition from private deliverers like UPS and Fed Ex as well as the internet’s impact on the quantity of first class mail.  With no operating funding from the federal government, it has looked into ways to stay afloat as politicians wrangle about its continuing role in our society, particularly in the wake of the 2020 elections.  Dave Lewis, president of Snailworks, discusses a range of issues affecting its ongoing importance and its future.

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 Red hot is a good way to characterize the recent housing boom in America.  Fortunately the fundamentals seem better aligned to avoid the crash which we experienced a little over a decade ago.  Mortgages are stricter, down payments are higher and the tight supply of housing is supporting prices.  Ken H. Johnson is a real estate economist at Florida Atlantic University.  On this podcast we explore the reasons behind the rush on properties with ‘for sale’ signs in the front yard to better understand the market and what it means for you as either a prospective seller or buyer.  The conversation is punctuated by Professor Johnson’s insights as to how to look at real estate as an investment and judge what your strategies should be.  This podcast is perfect for an experienced homeowner or a first time buyer.

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 We have mythologized crime labs to such a degree in America that they have become a staple on television given a seal of authority that is not justified upon serious scrutiny. Duke Law Professor, Brandon Garrett, chapter by chapter in his book, ‘Autopsy of a Crime Lab’, debunks the rigor, quality controls and the science behind expert testimony in a range of cases.  Pick your favorite forensics-hair, fingerprints and DNA, to a lesser extent, and each has problems when it comes to the infallible reliability generally assumed by the public.  The whole field of forensics certainly demands greater critique and oversight given the stakes involved.  In some cases it’s a matter of life or death.

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Movie theaters were in trouble before the pandemic and have been for years.  While megascreen complexes were still being built, consumers were gearing up their equipment at home to receive an abundance of movie choices by way of cable and streaming services.  The idea of going out to a movie requires many conscious decisions, while staying at home and flipping around requires few.  And then, of course, with cell phones and obnoxious patrons, the choice was getting easier by the year.  Scott Higgins, Director of the College of Film and the Moving Image, at Wesleyan University, believes there still will be a place for the movie theater, albeit in a much more competitive environment.  Many movie studios are competing internally to accommodate both large screen extravanagas and a regular aray of films to populate their own streaming services.  While movies have outlasted other eras in which newcomers were said to spell their demise, the new landscape is still emerging and exciting to imagine as choice abounds.  We talk movies, too.  He weighs in on the best picture of all time.  It will surprise you.

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On many levels, the elaborate system of food banks feeding into food pantries in America works quite well. That’s until you consider the possibilities that these centers can become more client driven, more nutritionally based and can provide a range of wraparound services that they do not at this time.  Katie Martin, the Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute on Hunger Research and Solutions, in Connecticut, and the author of ‘Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries’ believes that the scarcity mentality surrounding our messaging about hunger limits the many possibilities for a new strength based approach empowering clients to use these programs as the basis for greater growth and development.  She argues persuasively for a new paradigm in our approach to feeding the millions of Americans in need.  Food insecurity, income inequality and  poverty are all intertwined.  We discuss what the future might look like if we develop new tools to end hunger on today’s podcast.

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