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A monthly reality-check on the issues Americans care about most. Host Warren Olney draws on his decades of experience to explore the people and issues shaping – and disrupting - our world. How did everything change so fast? Where are we headed? The conversations are informal, edgy and always informative. If Warren's asking, you want to know the answer.

10/03/2023

Nicholas Kristof on good news in a bad world; Steve Lopez on aging

Despite war and pandemic, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof finds good news in a “stunning” decline of worldwide poverty and “extraordinary” improvements in child mortality. Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez examines retirement options for an aging population as he finds himself getting older.

1h 5m
05/12/2022

For the first time in Iran’s history, women are leading a counter-revolution

Writer and author of The Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran, Robin Wright says that after weeks of protest on the streets of Iran, “for the first time in human history, you're beginning to see a counter revolution ignited by women. ” Later, despite the failure of the UN’s leadership conference on climate change, New York Times science reporter David Wallace-Wells says, “we're moving much faster than most analysts projected a few years ago,” and says the climate crisis is not as bad as he thought when he wrote,”The Uninhabitable Earth” five years ago.

48 min
31/10/2022

Can the news media help save democracy?

Former New York Times and Washington Post Media Critic Margaret Sullivan says America faces a threat to democracy. In her new book, “Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life,” she says it’s time to move on from “objectivity” and make reporting a form of activism. And, Scott Galloway says America is not yet lost, but it has gone adrift, and that’s the title of his latest book. In “Adrift,” he talks about income inequality, polarization, and failing young men. But he says, “I think they can be undone … the ills that plague us are fixable.”

1h 3m
06/10/2022

Will Trump run for White House again, can PG&E keep lights on?

Will Trump run for the presidency again? And in the aftermath of California’s deadly wildfires, can the state’s largest utility, PG&E, mend its ways?

57 min
08/09/2022

Diablo Canyon: Can the nuclear plant work safely for 10 more years?

What are the risks of keeping the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant open? And an atheist and Muslim agree on what happens when people find religion through politics.

1 hr
05/08/2022

Is catastrophic news coverage fit for human consumption?

Does the news really have to be all that bad, or does our addiction to catastrophe drive outlets to deliver what sells? How might today’s media be fixed?

41 min
07/07/2022

SCOTUS strikes down concealed-carry law. Is gun control in danger?

What to expect of the Supreme Court’s decision to ease conceal-carry restrictions, Biden’s new gun safety law, and the Sandy Hook lawsuit? Then, does it matter if Russia leaves the International Space Station?

59 min
26/05/2022

Baby formula crisis reveals dangers of too little competition in US economy

Why does America’s baby formula shortage continue? Also, Norm Eisen’s new book traces corruption from the Trump White House to the rest of the country.

1h 4m

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TRAILER

Introducing 'In Our Backyard'

In Our Backyard is a six-part series that explores how Southern California is changing in the face of global warming, and how we can respond.

20/04/2021

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3 min

Warren Olney

Host

A monthly reality-check on the issues Americans care about most. Host Warren Olney draws on his decades of experience to explore the people and issues shaping – and disrupting - our world. How did everything change so fast? Where are we headed? The conversations are informal, edgy and always informative. If Warren's asking, you want to know the answer.