On Shifting Ground World Affairs
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Geopolitical turmoil. A warming planet. Authoritarians on the rise. We live in a chaotic world that’s rapidly shifting around us. “On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez” explores international fault lines and how they impact us all. Each week, NPR veteran Ray Suarez hosts conversations with journalists, leaders and policy experts to help us read between the headlines – and give us hope for human resilience. A co-production of World Affairs and KQED.
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Could AI Swing the November Election?
In May, Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, presented a sprawling “road map” for regulating artificial intelligence. The report called for $32 billion in spending to put guardrails on the rapidly evolving technology. But tech experts have called the plan “pathetic”, and many critics believe Washington is out of touch.
This week, in our latest special election series, why AI may be the big bad “X Factor” of the upcoming presidential election.
We’ll hear from Josh Lawson, Director of AI and Democracy at the Aspen Institute. Then, US Congressman Ted Lieu and Dr. Gary Marcus, Founder of Robust AI and Geometric AI, join Ray Suarez to talk about the future of AI, and whether it can be regulated in time.
Guests:
Josh Lawson, Director of AI and Democracy at the Aspen Institute
US Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA 36th District)
Dr. Gary Marcus, Founder of Robust AI and Geometric AI
Host:
Ray Suarez
If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you. -
David Brooks on Solving Social Isolation and Fixing Democracy
Hate crimes, gun violence, political polarization…. to New York Times’ columnist David Brooks, these are signs that America is undergoing a new epidemic: social isolation. He joins Ray Suarez to discuss his new book, “How To Know A Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen,” and to unpack how we can rebuild trust and empathy “for the opposition”... by getting to know our neighbors.
Guest:
David Brooks, Op-Ed Columnist at The New York Times and author of “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen”
Host:
Ray Suarez
If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you. -
Secretary Robert Gates on Israel’s Retaliation, and What Biden Does Next
Thousands have been killed in the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas, and a ground invasion into Gaza appears imminent. Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates predicts how war could ripple through the Middle East.
Guest:
Robert Gates, former US Secretary of Defense
Host:
Ray Suarez
If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you. -
The Death of the “Butcher of Tehran”: What’s Next for Iran and Israel?
On May 19th, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter accident, and his death brings an uncertain future to his country. This comes weeks after Iran traded missiles with Israel.
Ray Suarez speaks with Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, about what Raisi’s death will mean to Iran… and the rest of the Middle East.
Guest:
Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Host:
Ray Suarez
If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you. -
2024 Election Special: Isn't There a Better Option?
We all get a vote...but do we really get a choice?
In the second part of our special election episode, political scientist Lee Drutman joins Ray to talk about the future of ranked choice voting and third party politics in the US.
Then, Ray sits down with Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt to talk about whether Robert Kennedy Jr. will play spoiler in the 2024 Presidential Election... and for which party. -
2024 Election Special: The Place Beyond Two Parties
Can two parties really represent America?
This week, in our latest special election series, we’ll hear from Michigan voter, Greg Stempfle, and former Ferndale city council member, Kat Bruner James, about how a suburb of Detroit is trying to reform elections... and make politics less bitter along the way.
Guests:
Greg Stempfle, Ferndale, Michigan voter
Kat Bruner James, former Ferndale, Michigan city council member
Host:
Ray Suarez
If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.
Customer Reviews
Really Interesting Talks, Usually Foreign Policy
Super interesting discussions with experts will deepen your understanding of what’s happening in the world.
Rays knowledge is encyclopedic
In depth, global coverage
Ray and Reza
This week’s episode is, as always, fascinating, but also fun, as Ray, who is a wonderful storyteller, interviews another great storyteller, Reza Aslan about the history of an earlier revolution in then, Persia, in which a young Christian missionary English teacher in Persia leads his students in a revolt in the besieged city of Tabriz…and dies. A serious subject, pleasurably told.