JK

Biden’s Big Move on Infrastructure; Also, Global Trends and Future Challenges

The Biden Administration’s infrastructure proposal is quite ambitious, and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss both the timing of it and the approach being taken to improve the nation’s infrastructure and increase the nation’s potential (01:23).  The guys also take a look at the US National Intelligence Council’s recent Global Trends report and the types of challenges facing the world in the near future (31:56).
Here’s what’s in Biden’s infrastructure proposal (CNN)
With His Legacy In Mind, Biden Seeks U.S. Transformation With Infrastructure Plan (NPR)
Biden wants to go big on infrastructure. History says that’s the right call. (WaPo)
Biden to meet Monday with bipartisan lawmakers about infrastructure (The Hill)
U.S. Intelligence Report Warns of Global Consequences of Social Fragmentation (NY Times)
The global future is looking dark and stormy (Axios)
Global Trends 2040 pdf (DNI.gov)

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Biden’s Big Move on Infrastructure; Also, Global Trends and Future Challenges
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COVID Vaccines Bring New Technology & Old Skepticism; Also, Parenting Styles & Correlated Outcomes

Seeing the strikingly fast development and roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the new mRNA technology that is driving two of the vaccines and also at some of the skepticism of the vaccines amongst the public (01:13).  The guys also discuss some recent research into how different parenting styles may predispose people to falling into certain traps as adults (44:36).
How mRNA Technology Could Change the World (The Atlantic)
Few Facts, Millions Of Clicks: Fearmongering Vaccine Stories Go Viral Online (NPR)
What Parenting Styles Set Kids Up for Emotional Abuse? (Psychology Today)

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COVID Vaccines Bring New Technology & Old Skepticism; Also, Parenting Styles & Correlated Outcomes
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Election Interference Appears to be the New Normal; Also, the Fight Over Women’s Sports

Alarmed by the U.S. Intelligence Community recently released a declassified assessment of foreign threats to the 2020 U.S. election, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss whether the significance of the escalating efforts to undermine our democracy from abroad, often with assistance from domestic actors, is being underplayed (01:30).  The guys also take a look at the fight over whether transgender women should be able to compete in women’s sports (36:08).
Intelligence Community Assessment on Foreign Threats to the 2020 U.S. Federal Elections (DNI.gov)
US intelligence: Russia tried to help, and Iran tried to hurt, Trump’s 2020 reelection (Vox)
A New Report Adds Evidence That Trump Was a Russian Asset (Slate)
Russia and Iran tried to interfere with 2020 election, U.S. intelligence agencies say (CNBC)
Banning trans women from sports is not about fairness — it’s about transphobia (Mic)

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Election Interference Appears to be the New Normal; Also, the Fight Over Women’s Sports
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Political Disputes Becoming Like Religious Ones; Also, Boosting Civics in Schools

It has been observed that political interactions have increased in intensity as markers of religious faith have declined, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at how religious and political approaches to interacting with others can differ and affect outcomes (02:00).  The guys also discuss a recent push to improve civics education in schools (40:10).
America Without God (The Atlantic)
Massive investment in social studies and civics education proposed to address eroding trust in democratic institutions (WaPo)

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Political Disputes Becoming Like Religious Ones; Also, Boosting Civics in Schools
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The Stimulus and the Politics of Unpopularity; Also, Finding a Champion to Save Daylight

A third stimulus has been signed into law in the United States, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider what it appears to be trying to accomplish and the political strategies around its passage (01:32).  The guys also take a look at daylight savings time around the U.S. and wonder who will step up to save daylight all year round (36:21).
60% of Republicans Support Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus: Poll (Newsweek)
Broad Public Support for Coronavirus Aid Package; Just a Third Say It Spends Too Much (Pew)
Covid stimulus bill passes as Republicans use cancel culture to hide their obstruction (NBC News)
Why Republicans Don’t Fear An Electoral Backlash For Opposing Really Popular Parts Of Biden’s Agenda (538)
Daylight saving time begins Sunday: 8 things to know about “springing forward” (Vox)

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The Stimulus and the Politics of Unpopularity; Also, Finding a Champion to Save Daylight
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BLM’s Organizational Successes and Challenges; Also, a Step Towards IRL Inception

With Black Lives Matter establishing itself as a potent fundraiser, and local activists beginning to question its use of funds and demand financial support, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the organization’s growth and successes as well as some challenges it may face moving forward on its current trajectory (01:12).  The guys also take a look at some research experiments where scientists were able to have two way communication with people who were sleep (36:52).
Ferguson activists demand $20 million from Black Lives Matter (Fox News)
Michael Brown’s father, Ferguson activists request $20 million from Black Lives Matter (Revolt)
BLM Responds to Demand From Mike Brown Sr. and Ferguson Organizer for $20 Million to the Site of 2014 Uprisings (The Root)
Killings by Police Declined after Black Lives Matter Protests (Scientific American)
Scientists Talked To People In Their Dreams. They Answered (NPR)

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BLM’s Organizational Successes and Challenges; Also, a Step Towards IRL Inception
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The Economic and Social Implications of Raising the Minimum Wage & Aggressive Manhood

The fight over raising the federal minimum wage in the U.S. looks to be heating up, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider the extent to which most of the economic and the social questions being debated have already been answered (01:56).  The guys also take a look at recent research on what makes men more likely to respond aggressively to threats to their masculinity (as opposed to physical threats) (42:13).
How raising minimum wage to $15 per hour could affect workers and small businesses (CNBC)
Republicans Grapple With Raising the Minimum Wage (NY Times)
Why the U.S. needs a $15 minimum wage (Economic Policy Institute)
‘Be a Man’: Why Some Men Respond Aggressively to Threats to Manhood (Duke.edu)

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The Economic and Social Implications of Raising the Minimum Wage & Aggressive Manhood
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Leadership in Times of Rolling Blackouts & a Look at Prince Hall

The crisis in Texas involving an overwhelmed power grid and millions being left in the cold presented a challenge and an opportunity for the state’s leadership, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the approach that has been taken and what is need for our society to better handle matters like these (01:23).  The guys also take a look at Prince Hall, founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry and a fascinating but an underappreciated figure from the time of our nation’s founding (42:54).
Texas Blackout: How the Electrical Grid Failed (Bloomberg)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott falsely wind turbines, Green New Deal for power grid outages (WaPo)
How Texas’ Drive for Energy Independence Set It Up for Disaster (NY Times)
Why some Texans are facing catastrophic electric bills after a winter storm (Vox)
Texas Power Outage Underscores Looming Climate Tests (Scientific American)
Millions of Texans wake up without safe drinking water after winter storm (NBC News)
Texas Is a Mess (Atlantic)
A Forgotten Black Founding Father (Atlantic)
Prince Hall Freemasonry: A Resource Guide (Library of Congress)

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Leadership in Times of Rolling Blackouts & a Look at Prince Hall
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Streaming Between the Lines – Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s “Reconstruction: America After the Civil War” documentary series, which originally aired in 2019 on PBS, provides a deep dive into an immensely impactful yet often overlooked time in American history, and James Keys, Tunde Ogunlana, and Rick Ellsley discuss their biggest takeaways from the series and how what happened during this time period still influences much of contemporary American culture, politics, and economics.
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War (PBS)
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War (Amazon Prime Video)

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Streaming Between the Lines - Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
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Facebook Bans “False Claims” About Vaccines & Managing Procrastination as an Emotion

Facebook’s decision to ban vaccine misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a major departure from its normal handling of misinformation, so James Keys and Rob Richardson discuss their reaction to this effort, the good and bad could come from it, the extent to which this kind of simple approach can work for our society’s complex problems (01:06). The guys also take a look at some recent research into how and why people procrastinate and discuss how they try to minimize procrastination in their own lives (30:21).
Removing More False Claims About COVID-19 and Vaccines (FB.com)
Facebook bans misinformation about all vaccines after years of controversy (Guardian)
With the Election Over, Facebook Gets Back to Spreading Misinformation (Vanity Fair)Trump’s Twitter and Facebook bans are working (Vox)
‘Why Do I Spend Weeks Avoiding Tasks That Will Take Me 10 Minutes to Do?’ (Vice)

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Facebook Bans “False Claims” About Vaccines & Managing Procrastination as an Emotion
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