Utterly Moderate Podcast

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are going to tackle a very sensitive topic, the debate and controversies surrounding gender affirming care for minors who display signs of distress at an incongruence between their gender identity and their biological sex. In several countries, including places like Finland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand, governments and clinics are either ba...

Did you know that President Joe Biden was bussing unauthorized immigrants to a hotel near Orlando, Florida and giving them pre-loaded credit cards, hotel rooms, and clothing—all on your dime ?!? You say you didn’t know? Good, because the story was a complete fabrication. On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by good friend of the show Jim Swift from The Bulwark to discuss t...

Before we get to today’s episode, GREAT NEWS for American democracy! The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the independent state legislature theory in Moore v. Harper . If they had not ruled this way, it could have opened the door in presidential elections for state legislatures to ignore the votes of their residents and simply decide to give their state’s electoral votes to the legislature’s prefer...

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER ! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are going to discuss a topic that was back in the news recently with the debt ceiling negotiations : Social Security. A number of politicians and elected representatives have recently suggested that we make major changes to the Social Security program, changes which could have a substantial (and I...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by Lee Jussim , Rutgers University distinguished professor of psychology. He is here to discuss the questionable science behind microaggressions. If you are unfamiliar with the term, microaggressions are claimed to be “acts, often facially innocuous, that convey subtle animus or bias against someone in a traditionally marginalized group...

Another massacre in America. It feels like we are living in a nightmare—and we should refuse to become numb to it. Instead, we should use our anger and sorrow and demand that our leaders do the things that most Americans support to stop the carnage. I include links to some *extremely* graphic images of Emmett Till’s corpse as well as the corpses of the recent mass shooting victims in Allen, Texas...

On this episode of the  Utterly Moderate Podcast   we are joined by Michael Shermer from  Skeptic Magazine to discuss the rise of conspiracy theories in America.  Make sure to check out Shermer's new book on the subject, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational .  The  Connors Forum  is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newslett...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we discuss the difficult tasks of reducing extremism and radicalization in the U.S. as well as improving our political discourse. In segment one we are joined by Pasha Dashtgard, Director of Research for American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) . In segment two we are joined by friend of the show Jay Jackso...

Longtime Connors Newsletter subscribers and Utterly Moderate Podcast listeners know how concerned we are about post-truth America —that is, the fact that we now live in a time where objective facts are becoming less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how American conservatives are regularly lied to by Fox News,...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by friend of the show, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist Varoujan Gorjian , to discuss NASA’s plans for taking humans back to the Moon, setting up a Moon base, and then going to Mars. We also discuss other exciting developments in the world of science, including breakthroughs in nuclear fusion and artificial intelligence. An...

On this episode of the  Utterly Moderate Podcast , we answer your mailbag questions! Our podcast listeners and newsletter subscribers ( subscribe for free instantly! ) have been sending their questions to our website and today is the day that we answer them on the air! Visit us any time at ConnorsForum.org and subscribe to our FREE email newsletter in one click while you are there! The  Connors Fo...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are discussing women in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the U.S. According to the AAUW : "Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of...

In the fall of 2022 the Connors Forum invited our newsletter subscribers to a free live taping of this show where we talked to conservative heavyweight Bill Kristol about a variety of topics, including the meaning of conservatism today, the state of the Republican Party and its future, the health of American democracy, and more.  Because it was a live show, listeners were able to pose questions to...

The Connors Forum would like to extend both Christmas and holiday greetings to all our podcast listeners and newsletter subscribers . We hope you have a very meaningful celebration with family and friends! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by David Beckemeyer, host of the brand new Connors Forum podcast Outrage Overload . David joins the show to talk...

We're back with another episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast!   But first things first—if you missed it, on November 29th our Connors Newsletter subscribers got to take part in an exclusive live podcast taping with heavyweight political commentator Bill Kristol from The Bulwark . Our subscribers were able to pose their questions to Mr. Kristol live and be a part of the show! Don't miss out in t...

Thank you for being a valued member of our wonderful Utterly Moderate community of reasonable Americans. We hope you have a joyous Thanksgiving celebration with those closest to you! Happy Thanksgiving :) The  Connors Forum  is an independent entity from the institutions that we partner with. The views expressed in our newsletters and podcasts are those of the individual contributors alone and not...

While you listen, don’t forget to subscribe to our free email newsletter ! It takes only seconds! This is our Thanksgiving episode! Here at the Connors Forum we are deeply grateful for YOU , our wonderful community of subscribers we have built over the last few years with our podcast and newsletter . We care deeply about doing our small part to bring Americans back together again, and we are overj...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , Shippensburg University political scientist Lonce Bailey joins the show to discuss the midterm elections: Which party will likely control the House of Representatives? Which party will likely control the Senate? Which issues do voters say are most important in this election? Lonce is a friend of the show and works at Shippensburg University with po...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by University of Texas historian Jeremi Suri to discuss his new book, Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy . In addition to helping listeners understand the failures of reconstruction, their discussion focused on topics such as: How Nazi Germany used Jim Crow as a model for their...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast . . . Segment One: The Life and Times of George Washington George Washington University historian Denver Brunsman joins the show to share his insights on the life and career of George Washington, as well as his general reflections on the study of history and its place in the modern university. Segment Two: The Importance of Teaching Kids Financial Li...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast . . . Segment 1: Ukraine Momentum Shift? Paul Poast , an international relations expert at the University of Chicago, joins the program to assess the current state of the war in Ukraine. Segment 2: How Do Neighborhoods Impact Children? Utterly Moderate host and Shippensburg University scholar Lawrence Eppard is interviewed on the Bold Dominion Podcas...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by Garen Wintemute for a nonpartisan explanation of the research on reducing gun violence in the U.S. Wintemute is the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis. He is a renowned expert on gun violence and a pioneer in the field of injury epidemiology and prevention of...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , after a brief discussion of President Joe Biden's plan to forgive some student loans, host Lawrence Eppard and his guests discuss the drying up of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. You’ll remember from our previous article in our free email newsletter on the subject that satellite photos show the Great Salt Lake is much smaller than it was only a few de...

Join the Connors Crew by subscribing to our free email newsletter TODAY! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard discusses the threat of political violence, America’s slide toward autocracy, and more with guests Rachel Kleinfeld and Ken White . Articles/other stuff referenced in this episode: “The New Era of Political Violence is Here” from Tom Nichols at The Atlanti...

Join the Connors Crew and subscribe to our email newsletter today! On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , host Lawrence Eppard is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning Brown University scholar David Kertzer  to discuss his newest book, The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler. Kertzer’s book is based upon his work with the newly opened Vatican Archives documents...