Our National Conversation

📅 Published: May 15th, 2025 🎙️ Host: Sam Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC). 👤 Guest: Jeff Hall, CEO, Our National Conversation (ONC). Tania Ruedas Ortiz, Director of Community, Our National Conversation (ONC). Pope Francis definitely showed us that the Catholic Church is not afraid to talk politics --- and even call out specific politicians and policies. Last week,...

📅 Published: May 8th, 2025 🎙️ Host: Sam Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC). 👤 Guest: Connor Chung, Director of Policy Content and Strategy, Our National Conversation (ONC). Canada's elections took an unexpected turn as the Liberal Party managed to hold onto power. Many say this is Canada's reaction to Trump's tariffs and rhetoric. Connor, a self-described conservati...

📅 Published: April 24th, 2025 🎙️ Host: Samuel Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC). 👤 Guests: Jeff Hall, Chief Executive Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC). Eric McElveen, Policy and Opinion Writer, Our National Conversation (ONC). The Trump Administration is making major moves on immigration in America, and much of the rhetoric underlying these moves focuses on...

📅 Published: April 17th, 2025 🎙️ Host: Samuel Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC). 👤 Guest: Samson Crouppen (SecretServiceSam), Comedian and Influencer. Americans don't feel like they can talk to "the other side" about politics. Many commentators, influencers, and politicians feed into and benefit from this division, stoking hatred and refusing to engage with alterna...

📅 Published: April 9th, 2025 🎙️ Host: Samuel Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC). 👤 Guests:  Connor Chung, Director of Policy Content and Strategy, Our National Conversation (ONC). Eric McElveen, Opinion Writer, Our National Conversation (ONC). Are conservatives united behind Trump's tariffs? Connor and Eric, both self-described conservatives, have different views on...

📅 Published: April 3rd, 2025  🎙️ Host: Samuel Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Our National Conversation (ONC).  👤 Guests: Connor Chung, Director of Policy Content and Strategy, Our National Conversation (ONC). Tania Ruedas Ortiz, Director of Community, Our National Conversation (ONC). Is the Trump Administration infringing on the rights of visa/green-card students? Students like Mahmoud Khalil...

Is the pro-Israel lobby too powerful? Are Trump's Israel-Palestine policies useful? Sam and Connor talk about American-Israeli relations and their influence in Washington. Connor, a self-described conservative and Trump supporter, finds himself more in agreement with the Left on this issue. Sam tries to understand the nuances of Connor's cross-cutting perspective. The pair discuss whether the Isra...

Tania and I talk about the MASSIVE changes we're seeing in the DOE: ~50% slashes to the workforce, cuts to research, and layoffs in the Office of Civil Rights. Is this government efficiency in action or cause for great concern? Both? Tania presents her worries while I articulate some conservative views. We aren't established policy experts: we're just students committed to respectful dialogue, und...

In this episode, Jeff Hall, host and CEO at Our National Conversation, speaks with experts and local leaders on how to address California's fire problem in the wake of the Palisades. Jeff and citizens from Brentwood (right next to Pacific Palisades) ask two experts whether salt water could be used to supplement traditional water supplies, which failed during the recent fires. After all, San Franci...

Sam, host, is joined by Eric McElveen, ONC writer and self-described conservative. The two have a conversation about America-Europe relations. Is the Trump administration right to pressure Ukraine and diminish ties with Western Europe? Are Trump, Vance and Musk's critiques of European speech policy justified? How do these critiques factor into security policy? Sam and Eric focus on trying to under...

Sam, host, is joined by a mix of progressive, moderate and conservative student writers. The group discuss Trump's first full month in office. How is the new administration doing? How effective are its policies? Where is there cause for concern? Connor gives us a conservative, pro-Trump perspective, while Alexis, Maelyn and Nirati provide progressive to moderate views. During the conversation, our...

In this podcast, Eric and Sam, host, discuss whether DOGE represents a threat to the U.S. Constitution or American democracy. The pair explore where they disagree and where they can find common ground. Sam and Eric then discuss America's foreign policy and Trump's actions with respect to Ukraine.

Sam, host, discusses healthcare policy with Tania Ruedas Ortiz, ONC's Director of Community. Tania works in the public sector to research the effects of health policies on the state level (we cannot disclose further details). The pair talk about RFK Jr., Trump's executive orders, and gender-affirming care. They try to work through conservative takes on the issue and present what they wish conserva...

In this ONC podcast, Eric walks Sam (host) through the pros and cons of Trump's tariffs. The pair have a conversation about trade policy.

This week on "Our National Conversation", host Chris No is joined by guest host Connor Chung, director of policy at ONC. We dive into Connor's thought-provoking article, "Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition," where he calls for a return to traditional religious values in response to what he sees as the moral decay of modern society. We also break down Kamala Harris' first interview with CNN since...

In this episode of "Allow Us to Explain," Christopher No discusses Project 2025, a controversial political initiative by The Heritage Foundation, centered around their viral publication,  Mandate For Leadership: The Conservative Promise . While Heritage claims it aims to dismantle the administrative state and restore self-governance, critics have labeled it a threat to civil liberties. Joining the...

This week on "Our National Conversation", we're joined by special guest Ryan Dulaney, a policy writer for ONC, and Jeff Hall, the founder of ONC. We dive into Ryan's latest article, "Kamala's Koup," discussing the recent surge in support for Vice President Kamala Harris and the ongoing dysfunction within the Trump campaign and the Republican Party. We also explore the latest New York Times poll hi...

 In this episode of "Allow Us to Explain," we look at the labor movement and its impact on Gen Z. Join host Makayla and ONC Policy Content Writers Alison and Mason as they discuss how labor organizing has evolved over time, the significance of social media, and the future of unions.   Follow Our National Conversation on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ournationalconversation/   ...

This episode of Allow Us to Explain focuses on artificial intelligence and Generation Z. Join host Chris and ONC policy content writer Greta (Justice and Public Safety) as we explore how AI is transforming Gen Z's experiences, viewpoints, and opportunities. We'll talk about how AI is affecting Gen Z, from its involvement in politics to its influence on the labor market, and see what the future hol...

LAPD officer, Tom Datro, and Morehouse College Activist, Deavan Rector discuss police reform, th Atlanta PD "Sick Out," and making Juneteenth a national holiday. In this week's episode, the focus is on solutions, not finger-pointing.  This is a reupload of a podcast from June 20th, 2020. 

Our National Conversation's podcast team will be on a brief hiatus as we prepare for the summer semester. We'll be airing some episodes from our sister podcast – The Latest – from the vault in the meantime. --- In this segment, Tom Johnson discusses his years as publisher of the Los Angeles Times. These were years of unparalleled highs, followed by a paralyzing blow that left Tom deeply depressed....

Our National Conversation's podcast team will be on a brief hiatus as we prepare for the summer semester. We'll be airing some episodes from our sister podcast – The Latest – from the vault in the meantime. --- In this segment, Retired President of CNN Tom Johnson focuses on his experiences at CNN and his take on the media scene today. He discusses misinformation, media bias, the difficulties faci...

ONC's podcast team will be on a brief hiatus as we prepare for the summer semester. We'll be airing some episodes from our sister podcast – The Latest – from the vault in the meantim ONC's podcast team will be on a brief hiatus as we prepare for the summer semester. We'll be airing some episodes from our sister podcast – The Latest – from the vault in the meantime.   ---- Tom Johnson, retired pres...

In this week's episode of 'Allow Us To Explain', we're diving deep into the concept of 15 Minute Cities. We'll demystify what exactly a 15 Minute City entails, discuss the crucial role of reliable transportation in making these cities work, touching on the challenges faced by metropolises like Los Angeles infamous for their traffic woes, and explore what changes such cities would need to undergo t...

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Allow Us To Explain! Today, our focus is on exploring the complex relationship between the country's military and members of Generation Z. We start by delving into the motivations behind why someone from Gen Z might opt for military service over pursuing higher education. Additionally, we tackle the challenge of reconciling pride in being American with c...