The State of Us

President Trump recently announced the United States' official support for the opposition leader in Venezuela. Russia and China both have interests in the country. Could a civil war be exactly what Venezuela needs? tags: russia, china, united states, usa, civil war, president, trump, opposition, rebels, rebellion, democracy, dictator, military, freedom, guado, muduro, truechat

SCOTUS overturned several lower courts' rulings on President Trump's transgender military ban. Did the court make the right choice and is this even something the supreme court should be dealing with? Justin and Lance take a look at the bigger issue and discuss the legality of the ruling. tags: scotus, supreme court, legal, lgbt, case, community, gay, trans, transgender, military, ban, government,...

HUD will spend about $20 billion to rebuild some of the 90,000 homes that were destroyed by the hurricanes in 2017. Is this the best way to spend the money? Justin and Lance explain the situation and propose some solutions for all of the United States. tags: politics, puerto rico, government, citizen, american, poverty, hurricane, disaster, flood, relief, help, news, debate, republican, democrat,...

Nearly one in three Americans live in a rural community, but healthcare continues to be a struggle for people in these areas. Jamie Houseman is the President of Mercy Health Urbana Hospital and joins Justin and Lance to share what Mercy is doing to combat these challenges. tags: health, care, healthcare, hospital, rural, urban, america, american, mercy, women, issues, community, local, urbana, ohi...

More than 800,000 Americans are still going without pay because of the longest government shutdown in history. Justin and Lance discuss the economic implications, what will happen if the shutdown continues, and who's to blame. tags: economy, shutdown, government, congress, politics, house, senate, republicans, democrats, americans, work, pay, wages, coast guard, donald, trump, president, truechat

Some schools are nixing homework while others are teaching resilience. The number of hours doing homework for middle and high schoolers has been increasing in contrast to lower test scores and increasing academic anxiety. Justin and Lance talk about the importance of homework and failure. tags: education, politics, school, college, university, higher education, high school, middle school, homework...

There is a lot wrong in the world, but it is crucial to also know what is going right. Hundreds of millions of people gained access to basic necessities in 2018. Justin and Lance highlight some of the positives from last year to keep them motivated for 2019. tags: politics, humanitarian, aid, syria, middle east, yemen, poverty, hunger, water, clean, vaccine, health, improvement, positive, news, tr...

President Trump's address to the nation made several claims. Justin and Lance share information on the Coast Guard, illegal drugs, immigration, and crime. The facts are important in understanding these critical issues. tags: border, wall, immigration, immigrant, patrol, violence, crime, facts, illegal, coast guard, information, government, congress, senate, mitch McConnell, trump, donald, presiden...

From Medicare shortfalls to the Wall and the United States role in Syria, a lot happened over the past week. Justin and Lance make sure that nothing was missed and discuss the importance of each issue. tags: politics, news, medicare, healthcare, costs, insurance, company, companies, premium, syria, middle east, turkey, president, trump, emergency, wall, donald, immigration, border, southern, truec...

The United States has seen a 700% increase in our incarcerated population since the 1970s. What is the problem and how can we fix it? The Last Mile is a non-profit working to address these problems and has a proven track record of success. Tulio Cardozo joins Justin and Lance to share his experience as a formerly incarcerated person and how The Last Mile made is possible for him to realize success...

The state of California has a number of new legislative measures taking effect this year that make significant changes to gun rights, sexual assault policies, straws in restaurants, what kids get in their fast food meals, and more. Historically, California acts as a testing ground for many laws that ultimately affect us all. Justin and Lance review the implications of these policies.

From US-China relations and the Mueller Probe to Parkland Shooting and Tensions Over Immigration, there was certainly no shortage of news this year. Our team is going to break down the most significant events and review some things you might have missed. Justin and Lance are joined by an education veteran, Mike Mays. tags: syria, middle east, war, government, politics, tax, border, wall, security,...

Over Christmas, President Trump remained steadfast in his position on the government shutdown and also stood by his criticism of the Fed raising interest rates. Justin and Lance discuss Trump's decisions and tactics while also examining the United States' role in the killing of more than 4,600 civilians in Yemen. tags: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Middle East, policy, Donald Trump, President, Congress, wa...

Nearly 60 million Americans live in small towns and rural areas. The problem is that these places are dying, both economically and culturally. Is rural America worth saving and, if so, what needs to be done to make it happen? Justin and Lance both live in rural America and share their unique perspective on the future of small towns. tags: politics, america, government, tax, incentive, small, town,...

Universal or unconditional basic income has started an interesting conversation about the future of our society. Basic income may hold the answers to simplifying the tax code, fixing unemployment, healthcare, social security, and more. Scott Santens rejoins Justin and Lance to share his experience living with a basic income. tags: basic, income, universal, unconditional, medicare, medicaid, social...

A district judge in Texas struck down the Affordable Care Act last week and the decision has raised some interesting questions. Is the individual mandate constitutional? What do Democrats and Republicans in Congress need to do to fix healthcare? Tags: healthcare, health, care, judge, texas, obama, obamacare, president, trump, democrat, republican, ruling, supreme, court, truechat, bipartisan, legi...

Is the iPhone to blame for the gig economy? What will the future of jobs on demand be? Justin and Lance discuss the economic, political, and cultural ramifications of the gig economy. tags: politics, economy, economics, gig, job, jobs, millennials, generation, future, technology, tech, truechat, justin t weller, lance jackson

The House of Representatives may get more bipartisan starting in 2019. Ryan Clancy, Chief Strategist for No Labels, explains what Nancy Pelosi has agreed to change and why it will make a difference. tags: politics, government, speaker, house, representatives, democrat, republican, nancy pelosi, paul, ryan donald trump, president, bipartisan, truechat, no labels, congress

A recent study indicates that the best predictor of a child's success is whether they did chores as a young kid. How can you make your child do chores and what does that have to do with voting? Justin T. Weller and Lance Jackson discuss the answers to this question. Politics, kids, parenting, future, generation, parent, child, chores, chore, house, family, study, tips

In the wake of the G-20 summit, President Trump says that progress has been made with China. Global growth is recoiling, but was this all part of Mr. Trump's plan? Justin and Lance explore whether or not Trump's trade war is being successful so far.

The television "news" media has been in an uproar this week. Justin and Lance share their insight on the situation at the U.S. and Mexico border. They also discuss the GM Ohio plant closing and what it might mean for Republicans in 2020.

With podcasting on the rise, household names like Spotify and Pandora are looking for ways to improve the industry and monetize the effects. How will they help podcasting and what new challenges might come to the surface as a result? Justin and Lance discuss the answers.

How should Disney and other entertainment organizations handle the current conversations around how women are portrayed? Justin and Lance discuss the challenges and best solutions for these kinds of organizations.

Justin and Lance share their Thanksgiving traditions and some insight into great food.