Utterly Moderate Podcast

This is part one of our Christmas episode! We are joined on this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast by SNL legend Rachel Dratch to discuss her funny new movie A Clüsterfünke Christmas , which she co-wrote and co-starred in with Ana Gasteyer . You can watch A Clüsterfünke Christmas on Comedy Central , Hulu Live , or iTunes ! Throughout this episode we also feature beautiful...

Rosalind Wiseman joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast to discuss her work promoting dignity and civility among young Americans. Wiseman is the author of a number of books, including Defending Ourselves , Queen Bees & Wannabees , and Masterminds & Wingmen . The movie Mean Girls , which starred Lindsay Lohan and Rachal McAdams, was actually based on Queen Bees & Wannabees. Wiseman is the c...

In America, we talk so much about freedom as it is a central part of our identity. When it comes to what freedom entails, most Americans would agree that there are political, social, and economic dimensions. Most agree that in a free society there is a need for order, justice, security, opportunity, and fairness. There is a shared sense that freedom requires the absence of harm and undue interfere...

October was National Book Month, and to celebrate we were joined on the  Utterly Moderate Podcast   by children's book publishing expert Heather Lennon to talk about the industry she loves and the joys of reading. Episode music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes Music (creative commons) “Steppi...

American democracy is facing very serious challenges, as we have noted in much of our work (see just a few examples here and  here and here ). One of the greatest threats is that posed by misinformation and disinformation, as many Americans turn away from credible news and information sources and instead rely on low-quality outlets. With this in mind, on November 2, 2021, we hosted a panel to...

Wedding and event planner/coordinator Amy Thunell and Kalero Vineyard owner Ann Fortin join the Utterly Moderate Podcast to discuss the ins and outs of the wedding industry.  Episode music/audio clips: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes Music (creative commons) "Canon in D Major” by Chamber Music Soc...

University of Baltimore law professor Kimberly Wehle joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast to discuss the various ways in which American democracy is under serious strain as well as actions we can take to turn things around. Read more from Wehle here . Episode music/audio clips: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes...

It's fall and football season is in full swing, so what better time than now to talk sports on the Utterly Moderate Podcast ? On this episode we are first joined by Mickey Thompson, head football coach at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, VA, where he has won a whopping 83% of his games, 16 district championships, 13 region championships, and 2 state titles! He gives great insight into running...

Sarah Coefield -- who is an air quality specialist at the Missoula City-County Health Department in Missoula, Montana -- joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast to talk about wildfires, air quality, and public health. We also talk about her cat, and it gets weird. Episode music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes Mu...

Amy Fried and Douglas Harris join the show to discuss their book, At War with Government: How Conservatives Weaponized Distrust from Goldwater to Trump. Episode music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes Music (creative commons) "Reading by Lamplight" by Maarten Schellekens (creative commons) “Happy Trails...

Happy Labor Day everyone! On this holiday we are celebrating American workers here on the Utterly Moderate Podcast ! We are joined today by Chad Stone , the chief economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities , and Emily Guendelsberger , author of  On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How it Drives America Insane . We discuss the plight of American workers today with a spe...

Utterly Moderate listeners have been submitting their guesses to UtterlyModerate@gmail.com for weeks and the day has finally arrived! Who is today's mystery guest?!? A guest that Lawrence booked specifically for Ali? Tune in to find out! Thank you to Melissa Folds, Mario Zangla, and Neil Connelly for their help producing this episode. Episode music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar...

Eric Trimble joins the show to explain all things funeral to Utterly Moderate listeners. Eric is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Illinois and Iowa, heads the Trimble Funeral Home & Crematory in Coal Valley, Illinois, and has over 50 years of experience in the industry. Eric says that, “I truly find meaning in helping people at a time when no one else can help them. My father...

Judy Kurtz and Jason Adrians join the Utterly Moderate Podcast to discuss the ins and outs of journalism. Judy Kurtz has worked as a newspaper columnist and television commentator and is currently an entertainment reporter for the Hill . She has worked at and/or contributed to a number of outlets during her career, including HLN, Sky News, E! News, Canada's Sun Network, SiriusXM satellite radio, W...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , Lawrence and Ali interview conservative political commentator, nationally syndicated columnist, and Bulwark policy editor and podcaster Mona Charen . Their discussion covers the work of the Bulwark , the problems of misinformation and disinformation , the meaning of conservatism, the decline in decency, extreme partisanship, the “Big Lie&rdqu...

Kathleen Romig joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast   to discuss the future of the Social Security program . Romig is a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities . Her research focuses on Social Security, SSI, paid leave, and other government budget issues. Romig has previously worked at the Social Security Administration, Social Security Advisory Board, Congressional...

Play along at home and see how well you score (and if you beat the hosts!) as political scientist Lonce Bailey quizzes Utterly Moderate   hosts Ali and Lawrence about their U.S. government knowledge!   Episode music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes Music (creative commons) “By Grace” by...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by economists Heidi Hartmann and Ariane Hegewisch to discuss the gender pay gap in the U.S., including its definition, size, causes, and possible solutions.    Episode music: “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (creative commons) “Make Your Dreams Reality” by Scott Holmes Music (creative commons) &ldqu...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researcher Varoujan Gorjian and New York Times columnist and science author Carl Zimmer . We discuss black holes, the value of science, the importance of good teachers, the work of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the nuclear age, duck and cover drills, the Castle Bravo nuclear bomb test and its afte...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast  we are joined by actress and best-selling author Hilarie Burton Morgan to discuss her childhood, breaking into Hollywood, MTV, One Tree Hill, The Walking Dead , her new podcast Drama Queens , Mischief Farm , Samuel's Sweet Shop , and much more! P.S. Always consume credible information - our democracy depends on it!   Episode music: “...

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast , the hosts are joined by Lee McIntyre , author of the forthcoming book How to Talk to a Science Denier , to discuss the process of doing science, the importance of scientific and information literacy, how conservatives AND liberals deny facts, flat-Earth conventions, the debunked vaccine-autism link, the problems of misinformation and disinformation...

On this special Juneteenth 2021 episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by Dr. Rodney Coates (Miami University of Ohio) to discuss the Juneteenth holiday, racial inequality in America, prospects for future progress toward equality, and much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast   we are joined by cognitive scientists Steven Sloman (Brown University) and Philip Fernbach (University of Colorado) to discuss the cognitive biases that we all have that get in the way of rational thinking -- and the implications of this for our post-truth era in the U.S. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode the hosts are joined by Alka Gandhi, an economist from the University of Maryland, to discuss the field of economics, worries about inflation, the future of the minimum wage, GameStop, income inequality, and more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode Ali and Lawrence salute the U.S. Armed Forces by remembering those who have fallen, celebrating veterans and those currently in the armed forces, and discussing the U.S. Special Operations Forces with retired SOF member Bill Fleser.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.