How Do We Fix It?

President Trump's rejection of the Iran nuclear agreement and Israeli  military attacks  on Iranian sites in Syria are among the latest signs of rising tensions in the Middle East. The threat of war is ever-present. Twenty five years after the signing of the  Oslo Accords , relations between the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority are at a low point. There has been no signi...

The growing #MeToo movement has exposed many cases of sexual harassment and retaliation in the workplace. Among the latest examples is an upheaval at Nike. Female employees, fed up with years of gender discrimination, insensitive behavior and crude comments by male colleagues, took action . Covertly, they surveyed female peers, asking about their experiences. The findings led to changes, with...

When we focus on the future, we usually look at the big things: Will the current crisis with North Korea be resolved peacefully? Is President Trump likely to face a big setback in the midterm elections? When will the next recession hit? Our guest, political consultant  Mark Penn , argues that the future is not shaped by broad forces, but by quiet changes-- Microtrends-- within narrow slices o...

The  National Week of Conversation  is a bold attempt to reduce the yawning gap between Republicans and Democrats. More than 100 groups across the country are involved in online and in-person events from April 20th to April 28th. We look at how the project works and why it can make a difference. With American politics increasingly dominated by personal insults, name callin...

From internet giants Facebook, Amazon and Google to telecom titans AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, American capitalism is increasingly dominated by huge and politically well-connected business behemoths. We look at the case for reform, including stronger anti-trust regulations, innovative use of the Interstate Commerce Clause, better pay for government regulators, and reform of the tax code. Our gu...

The facts are hard to deny. We live longer, infant mortality continues to fall, we are richer, less subject to violence-- and despite uneven progress, the world is more democratic than it was 50 years ago. And yet so many people are gripped by pessimism and fear. Donald Trump was elected President after repeatedly claiming "our country is going to hell." A recent poll found that just three-in-ten...

With turmoil and never-ending drama in the White House, and  record numbers of departures  from top levels of the Trump Administration, it is safe to say that America is facing a leadership crisis. According to recent polls, a  solid majority  of US voters disapproves of Trump's leadership. In corporate America, the once-celebrated Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is facing ...

Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, or Google; internet platforms are a huge force in our daily lives. The recent scandal over the Steven Bannon-affiliated Cambridge Analytica is the most recent example of the downside of data. This episode of "How Do We Fix It?" is about search, and how it can condemn former inmates to a life sentence without work. In their case, the internet is a "help not w...

What do Mark Zuckerberg, hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and best-selling novelist Lee Child all have in common? They all worked to make luck happen for them. In this episode with award-winning author, editor and journalist, J anice Kaplan , we learn about the exciting ways you can grab opportunities and improve your life.   There is a clear difference between random chance and luck. The cas...

The debate over gun violence is deeply polarized, but almost everyone agrees it's an urgent problem and that far too many people are being killed and injured by firearms in the United States. The toll is more than 100 deaths per day-- a much higher rate than in other wealthy nations. Unlike the appalling killings in Parkland, Florida, Newtown, Connecticut, and at other schools, most gun murders in...

Within four days of the mass shooting at Margaret Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead, Never Again was born. In this episode, we ask whether young millennials, who grew up after 9/11 during a time of school lockdowns, will become effective advocates for lasting social and political change. Digitally savvy students-- survivors of the massacre-- turned to social media...

The impressive launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket by SpaceX from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the touchdown of two boosters back at Cape Canaveral minutes later, are the latest milestones in a thrilling comeback story. Space is becoming sexy again and the pace of innovation is remarkably fast. Not since the days of John Glenn,the Apollo moon launch, and the Space Shuttle program has spa...

Wouldn't it be great if consumers could access all their personal medical records quickly and share them with doctors, family members and others they trust? This could lead to revolutionary changes in patient outcomes with less bureaucracy and fewer medical mistakes and unnecessary tests.  In recent weeks, major announcements by Apple and Google, plus a new healthcare alliance by Amazon, Berk...

It's time to put the brakes on the hype about self-driving cars. Despite industry and media forecasts, it may be more than a decade before many fully autonomous vehicles are on the road.  Lawsuits and patent disputes are among the many hurdles that face auto manufacturers and tech firms. But this doesn't mean that technology is being thrown into reverse gear. Semi-autonomous cars with vehicle...

The U.S. stock market has soared about 40% since the Trump election. But is it over-valued and ready for a meltdown? Shortly before the worst one-day crash in history in November 1987, the market had been charging ahead, with a 40% rise that year. The economy was on a roll, just like today.  What would happen if giant investment funds bailed out of stocks at the same time? Would there be anot...

From the recent government shutdown to strict partisan votes on taxes and healthcare, official Washington lurches from one fight to the next, with no end in sight. But the American public is not as polarized as the pundits say. While elected Republicans and Democrats appeal to their base, and are more divided than ever, the electorate has not changed dramatically in recent years. According to Pew...

By overwhelming majorities, human beings have faith in the afterlife. While fewer Americans believe in God, as many as 80% still believe in life after death. Surprisingly, this includes one-in-three agnostics and atheists. According to the Roper Center for Public Opinion the numbers have stayed stable in recent decades. Does this human refusal to accept that all we have is the here-and-now lead to...

The fight against sexual harassment was the hot topic in Hollywood at the Golden Globes Awards, with outspoken and inspiring remarks by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and others. But allegations of bullying or inappropriate behavior by powerful men are still being made almost every day. Despite widespread outrage, little focus has been given to effective measures that can be taken by employers t...

2018 is certain to bring surprises. In this episode, Jim and Richard bravely venture out onto the high diving board of ideas and plunge into the pool of predictions. We also asked listeners and "How Do We Fix It?" guests for their forecasts of the year to come. Well-known author and skeptic Michael Shermer says "2018 will be the best year in the history of humanity as measured by health, longevity...

It's time to shift the narrative about food and health from fear to facts. Popular culture promotes all sorts of anti-scientific myths, from astrology and conspiracy theories to vaccine denial and misinformation about GMOs. On this episode our guest is "Science Mom" Kavin Senapathy, one of five mothers of young children who decided to collaborate on communication and push back against a conspirato...

Billions of people use Facebook and YouTube. But do social media platforms threaten our privacy and our freedom? The problem goes well beyond hate messages and other forms of inappropriate content, or fake news and "dark posts"— targeted ads not visible to the public.  "The crucial problem here is we have no protections about the data that's collected," says our guest, Professor Zeynep T...

Once again the alarm bells are ringing. A new study by the McKinsey Global Institutes estimates that within 12 years, up to 800 million of today's workers may be replaced by robots or some other form of automation.  Other recent research reports on the impact of technology are even more disturbing. A survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the professional services company, claims 38% of U.S. jobs...

What do you think of when you hear the word “refugee” or “migrant”? If over-crowded rafts or vast tent encampments come to mind, you are not alone. But there’s a very different— and much more positive side to migration. Across the world, record numbers of people are on the move in search of new opportunities and a better life. One solution to the vast increase in global migration is to gain a deep...

We discuss the American Revolution through six different pairs of eyes with acclaimed historian and journalist, Russell Shorto, author of the new book, "Revolution Song." This episode examines the meaning of freedom in a fresh new light and has special resonance during the week of Thanksgiving.  As he did with "The Island at the Center of the World," which looked at the Dutch impact on Manhat...

This week we dismantle the myth that American manufacturing is in a death spiral. It’s not. Our guest is MIT-trained engineer and tech entrepreneur Krisztina “Z” Holly, host of the podcast, “The Art of Manufacturing." Even as factory jobs have declined, manufacturing growth has surged during the past three decades. Manufacturing production grew 2.9% in October compared to 2016, according...