Aspen Ideas to Go

Latest Episodes:

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, Featuring Kurt Andersen Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

Has the great American experiment in liberty gone off the rails? Kurt Andersen’s latest book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500 Year History, is a provocative chronicle of magical thinking and make-believe. It provides a new paradigm for understanding the post-factual present, where reality and illusion are dangerously blurred. He and journalist Jeffrey Goldberg discuss the history that religion plays in America’s roots and world view. According to Andersen, history shows Americans have a peculiar knack for believing the unbelievable — for being suckers for those who want to sucker them.

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National Security in the Age of 'America First' Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

The Trump Administration has said it’s “committed to a foreign policy focused on American interests and American national security.” Critics have said Trump is isolating the US by withdrawing from the Paris agreement, waffling on a commitment to NATO, and abandoning the TPP. But, this month the president deepened American involvement abroad by announcing the US would deploy more troops to Afghanistan. It’s a conflict he once called “futile,” reports the New York Times. What is the Trump doctrine on foreign policy? Featuring Julia Ioffe, reporter for The Atlantic, David Petraeus, former CIA director, Peter Feaver, Duke political science professor, and David Rothkopf, CEO of The Rothkopf Group.

This week’s recommended companion episode is “Combating Kleptocracy.” Find it here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com.

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CRISPR: A Crack in Creation Aug 22, 2017

Show notes

CRISPR is the cheapest, simplest, and most effective way of manipulating DNA. It has the power to give us the cure to HIV, genetic diseases, and some cancers. It could even help address the world’s hunger crisis. But, it may result in unforeseen consequences. The technology could lead to intentionally mutating embryos to create “better” humans. Jennifer Doudna, whose research helped create CRISPR, speaks with Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson about the latest technological developments in gene editing and the unthinkable power to control evolution. Doudna wrote the book A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution with her fellow researcher Samuel Sternberg.

This week’s recommended companion episode is “Should We Design Our Babies?.” Find it here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com.

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Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White Aug 18, 2017

Show notes

What role does faith play in bringing people together? Reverend Adam Hamilton pastors the largest United Methodist church in America. Within his Kansas congregation, he observes deep divisions that reflect the larger disunity in our nation. These divisions, he thinks, are tearing at our social fabric. His plan: to get people to think differently by focusing on influencing, not irritating, and seeing the humanity in others — even those we strongly disagree with. He speaks with David Brooks, New York Times op-ed columnist and commentator on the “PBS Newshour.”

This week's recommended companion episode is "Faith and the Public Square." Find it here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com.

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Hate on the Rise Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

Hate groups are growing and the number of hate-fueled incidents is spiking in America. The latest incident was in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists violently clashed with anti-fascist groups and other protesters. In the first month after Donald Trump won the presidency, the Southern Poverty Law Center catalogued 1,051 acts of intimidation and hate. Is hate on the rise? How do the events of today compare to other periods of extremism in America? Featured speakers are Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Wajahat Ali, New York Times op-ed contributor, and Matt Thompson, deputy editor of The Atlantic.

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The Opioid Tsunami Aug 11, 2017

Show notes

It’s been called the most perilous drug crisis ever and it was generated in the healthcare system. The epicenter of the opioid crisis is the United States, where overdose deaths have quadrupled since 1999. President Trump has pledged to step up law enforcement and prevention. In this episode, a panel of experts discuss what’s being done, what needs to be done, and what we know works and doesn’t. Featuring Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, Vivek Murthy, former US Surgeon General, Perri Peltz, director of the HBO documentary Warning: This Drug May Kill You, Yasmin Hurd, director of the Addictive Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, and Jackie Judd, special correspondent for the “PBS NewsHour.”

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Securing the Homeland, Featuring John Kelly Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, you’ll hear from the nation’s new White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly. Kelly spoke in July at the Aspen Security Forum. At the time, his job was Homeland Security Secretary. In his conversation with Pete Williams, justice correspondent for NBC News, Kelly talks about Putin’s Russia, cybersecurity, and immigration. You’ll also get a glimpse of his leadership style. How will it apply to his new role as Chief of Staff?

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The Roots and Future of Populism Aug 04, 2017

Show notes

The confluence of globalization and the information revolution has primed the United States, and the world, for a resurgence of populism. Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” explains how the populist ideology helped President Trump win the White House. Trump’s message of cultural anxiety connected with voters. It’s not an unfamiliar ideology. In this episode, Zakaria opens the history book and explains how past trends are re-emerging today. He also reflects on the rise and root causes of populism from his own experience, as an immigrant.

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Millennials and Motivation, Featuring Simon Sinek and Adam Grant Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

Millennials shoulder a lot of stereotypes. They’re called entitled and in need of instant gratification. They’re not committed to their work and expect a work-life balance at their very first job. Do these labels actually define them? Are they really any different than the generations before them? In this lighthearted and informative conversation, organizational psychologist Adam Grant and inspirational teacher Simon Sinek sit down with Katie Couric. Couric is an award-winning journalist. They explore what motivates Millennials at work and how the digital world is impacting their productivity.

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Under Assault, Featuring John Brennan and James Clapper Jul 28, 2017

Show notes

What are the most pressing external and internal threats to the United States? Two former US Intelligence officials discuss Syria, Russia, ISIS, and President Trump’s embattled relationship with the Intelligence community. John Brennan, former CIA Director, and James Clapper, former US Director of Intelligence, sit down with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Their conversation was part of the Aspen Security Forum, held in July 2017.

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