Episodes
-
On this -- the final episode of Indivisible -- we're focusing on what we've learned over 100 days of talking with Americans in this time of change.
After nearly 100 dizzying news cycles, dozens of expert guests, hundreds of insightful calls from listeners around the country, we've only just started the conversation. From our perspective on the show, the best moments were not about politics. They were about hearing how people's life experience and the connection to the places we live. We heard honest -- sometimes surprising -- connections between work, faith, family, and politics. All of it gave us an appreciation for the parts of the American identity shared across politics... as well as the real differences that have left us so polarized.
On this episode of Indivisible, we'll hear some of the most memorable moments from the show, and ask what you have learned about American identity -- from us and from others -- in this first 100 days of the Trump administration. And we do it with a guest who helped us kick off the show in week 1: Jose Santos, an anthropologist at Metro State University in St. Paul, Minn.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 14: Thanks For The Memories
-
For his last night on Indivisible, conservative host Charlie Sykes gets a visit from some of his earliest guests to look back on what’s happened since they last spoke. Stephen Hayes, Editor in Chief of The Weekly Standard, joined us on week 2, soon after the travel ban was instated, when we asked listeners on both sides of the aisle whether or not they felt like they were losing their country.
Also, Karen Tumulty, national political correspondent for The Washington Post and week 4 guest, will join to speak about her paper’s role in exposing the Michael Flynn story that led to his resignation, as well as the challenges of covering the Trump administration as a member of the media.
They’ll be joined by first-time Indivisible guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold, who won a 2017 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Donald Trump’s charitable practices.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 14: Looking Back on Trump’s First 14 Weeks
-
Missing episodes?
-
On our first week of Indivisible, CNN host Fareed Zakaria helped establish a set of democratic norms against which the Trump Administration’s actions could be measured.
"Many of the things that make democracy what it is are not written in stone,” he told Brian Lehrer, explaining that what worried him most about a Trump presidency was a breach of what he called “informal norms.” Mocking the press, for example, “is not unconstitutional, but it violates a norm. It’s an attempt to intimidate,” Zakaria said.
On this episode of Indivisible, Zakaria returns to answer and evaluate whether other norms, informal or not, have in fact shifted during Donald Trump’s first days in office.
Plus Indivisible and StoryCorps have been asking you keep the conversation going by volunteering to talk to someone in your own life with whom you disagree with politically. Dave Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, is joined by a husband and wife whose opposing political opinions are causing marital stress. One is a political scientist and the other a rocket scientist. Can you guess who voted for Trump?
Want to take part in our social experiment with StoryCorps? Here's how: email [email protected] with the subject line "Indivisible Interview." Tell us who you want to talk to, why, and what you want to ask them.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 14: How Has Trump Challenged Our Democratic Norms?
-
Listeners are the guests on this episode of Indivisible. The whole hour will be open for callers to tell the hosts, Kai Wright, Anne McElvoy, and John Prideaux, how they’re feeling almost 100 days into Trump’s presidency.
Whatever you may have thought on Inauguration Day -- have you changed your mind about President Trump in these past 14 weeks?
Military families, do you feel you’re in good hands with this commander in chief?
Democrats, Republicans and anyone else, let us know what issues you wish would be prioritized that so far have not been.
Has @POTUS met your expectations so far in office? Call us and answer our poll below. 844-745-TALK #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) April 25, 2017Here are some Tweets from this show:
Indivisible Week 14: Join The Conversation
-
When GM idled its plant in Janesville, Wisconsin in 2008, the town became emblematic of a crisis facing many communities in middle America. When traditional manufacturing leaves – for whatever reason – economies are turned upside down, the collective identity changes, and very often depression sets in. While it may seem outdated to some that a community will identify with a corporation, that’s just what happened for decades. Losing the plant left many in Janesville searching for a future.
This week, President Trump signed an executive order to bring jobs back to towns like Janesville, but the question is -- is it too little too late?
On this episode of Indivisible, host Kerri Miller talks with Amy Goldstein, author of “Janesville, An American Story,” and Linda Tirado, author of “Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America,” about the realities of the company town and what the future holds.
Here's the @AliaHanna story from Buzzfeed that @KerriMPR just mentioned on #indivisibleradio: https://t.co/avchqTimnj
— Jeff Jones (@JeffMPR) April 21, 2017Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 13: How Do We Get America Back To Work?
-
Last month, President Donald Trump established a federal commission tasked with combating the use of drugs in America. Opioid deaths have tripled since 2000 and many communities are trying to figure out what to do.
Trump often spoke about the opioid crisis on the campaign trail, and perhaps that’s why people living in towns greatly impacted by addiction turned out for him in the presidential election.
On this episode of Indivisible, host Charlie Sykes invites listeners to call in who are affected by the crisis and how it may or may not have influenced their vote. We’ll also discuss Jeff Sessions’ recent statements on drugs in America, and whether or not the Justice Department is setting a course that will lead to success in the war on drugs.
Charlie will be joined by Christopher Caldwell, senior editor at The Weekly Standard, who’s called the opioid crisis the real “American Carnage.”
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 13: How The War On Drugs Affects Politics
-
The White House Press Room has had a storied history since it was created under President Nixon. Today, it's no longer just a source of news updates for journalists -- it's also good at generating its own headlines.
President Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer has caught a lot of flack in his new post. last week he got in trouble for saying Adolf Hitler didn't use chemical weapons during the Holocaust. And there are his frequent attacks on the media. And Dippin' Dots.
On this episode of Indivisible, April Ryan, a White House correspondent for 20 years for the American Urban Radio Network, speaks with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer about life in the briefing room.
Plus -- is Donald Trump keeping his campaign promises? Do his recent changes on Syria, China and the U.S. economy indicate he’s not the "America First" president he said he would be? Brian asks award-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and talks your calls.
Do you think @POTUS is keeping his campaign promises? Call us 844-745-TALK and answer our poll #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) April 19, 2017Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 13: Life In The White House Press Room
-
On this episode of Indivisible, we’re talking about feminism in the age of Trump. Are we all seeing politics and life through the lens of gender more than before the election?
Collier Meyerson from The Nation and Soraya Chemaly from the Women’s Media Center join hosts Kai Wright and Anne McElvoy to talk about the status of women according to the new administration and what that reflects about our culture.
We’ll also discuss global feminism and what signals Trump’s election sends to women around the world.
Has the way you think about gender and politics changed under Trump? Call us 844-745-TALK and answer our poll #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) April 18, 2017Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 13: Feminism In The Age Of Trump
-
For decades, a majority of Americans were considered middle income. But in the last few years, the incredibly rich and the extremely poor became the majority -- surpassing their middle-class peers.
Economists broadly define the middle class as an income between $42,000 to $125,000 for a family of 3. But the financial pressures on families in this range are mounting – from day care to health care to higher education.
Is America's middle class still thriving? Call us with your story 844-745-TALK & respond to our poll #IndivisibleRadio
— MPR News (@MPRnews) April 14, 2017On this episode of Indivisible, MPR News host Kerri Miller asks how a shrinking middle class will change our social structure and our identity as Americans.
Kerri speaks with Vanderbilt Law School's Ganesh Sitaraman and Michigan State University Economics Professor Lisa Cook about the history and the future of the American middle class.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 12: America's Shrinking Middle Class
-
From Syria to North Korea, the Trump administration in the last week has started flexing its military and foreign policy muscles around the world. And on Tuesday, the president pulled back on his stance against NATO, saying after a meeting with the Secretary General that the military alliance is "no longer obsolete."
Great meeting w/ NATO Sec. Gen. We agreed on the importance of getting countries to pay their fair share & focus on the threat of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/e3ACOOOb0y
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2017Tom Nichols is a person who’s thought about how to make tough foreign policy decisions. In fact, he’s a professor of national security affairs in the National Security Decision Making Department of the United States Naval War College and is the author of “The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters.” On this episode of Indivisible, he joins conservative host Charlie Sykes to walk us through some of those decisions.
Do you think Trump is sticking by his "America First" stance? Call us 844-745-TALK and respond to the poll below #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) April 13, 2017Charlie continues the conversation with attorney, Iraq veteran, and National Review staff writer David French to talk about partisanship in America and the trends he feels are tearing America apart.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 12: Trump's Ever Changing Military Policy
-
A new civil rights era seemed to be rising in the last few years before the 2016 election. Under Obama, Black Lives Matter became an international activist movement and the shooting of young black men by police officers became a cause for outrage. Then Donald Trump became president and the national focus changed from forgotten black Americans to forgotten white Americans. Can we address the problems of both at the same time?
Fordham University professor Christina Greer, author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, sits down with host Brian Lehrer to take your calls.
Then Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, is back to talk about our mission to get you out of your political bubble. We’re asking you to volunteer to have a conversation with a stranger who is your political opposite. StoryCorps will record the conversation and you could come back on Indivisible to talk about the experience live on the radio.
Here’s how to take part: email [email protected] with the subject line “Indivisible Interview” and describe who you think is your political opposite. StoryCorps will try to match you up, and facilitate a conversation.
Modeling the process are two Indivisible hosts—Charlie Sykes and Kai Wright— who talked with StoryCorps about their ideological differences. They join Brian Lehrer to reflect on the conversation.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 12: The Future Of Race In Trump's America
-
Last week President Trump exercised his military muscle for the first time, ordering a missile strike of an airfield in Syria. The Trump administration says that Assad’s regime was responsible for a chemical attack and that the missile strike was a proportional response to a violation of the laws of war that prohibit chemical weapons.
But why is this so significant? This is the first time the U.S. has attacked Syria and the Assad regime since the civil war started over 6 years ago.
If you voted for Trump because he ran on prioritizing America first, what do you make of an escalation of military involvement in Syria? Also, military families or active duty personnel, do you have confidence in our Commander-In-Chief in this situation?
Do you support Trump's choice to launch airstrikes on Syria? Call us 844-745-TALK #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) April 11, 2017On this episode of Indivisible, Kai Wright and John Prideaux talk to NPR’s middle east correspondent Deb Amos and Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies about the implications of this military action.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 12: The Fallout From Trump's Strike On Syria
-
Our ethos – the American Dream – has propelled generations of immigrants to pursue a better life. The promise of success and prosperity through hard work or even luck brought many to our shores and borders and still does.
But does the American Dream still exist for their descendants, the once robust middle class, or the new immigrants? And what about the less quantifiable metrics of the American Dream, like happiness? After all, it’s not just the economics of upward mobility that inspires us to wake up each day with renewed hope for our country and our future.
On this episode of Indivisible, host Kerri Miller asks: what does the American Dream mean anymore? Kerri is joined by historian and writer Elizabeth Catte and Rami Nashashibi, executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network.
Here are some tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 11: Week 11: Is The American Dream Still Alive?
-
Paul Ryan joins host Charlie Sykes. The two Wisconsin conservatives have known each other for decades -- but find themselves in very different places in the Trump era. Charlie will be asking listeners for questions, then select his favorites to pose to the Speaker. They’ll also discuss tax reform, health care, and more.
On this episode, Charlie also sits down with former Congressman Reid Ribble. The Republican represented Wisconsin’s 8th District for 6 years and was, for a time, a member of Freedom Caucus. Ribble will discuss the role and importance of bipartisanship, which he thought about a lot while in office, and continues to think about today as he watches what’s going on in Washington.
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 11: Ask Paul Ryan Anything
-
On Day 75 of Donald Trump's presidency, conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt and progressive MTV news correspondent Ana Marie Cox compare notes with host Brian Lehrer on a breathtaking list of ways the Trump administration is challenging norms. In just the last week, he's pushed the limits – from praising the authoritarian Egyptian president to proposing an end to pre-existing condition protections in health care reform.
Do you think @POTUS is steering the country in the right direction? #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) April 5, 2017Then, Indivisible and StoryCorps introduce a new experiment for getting us out of our political bubbles. We're asking listeners to volunteer to interview someone in your life with whom you disagree politically. StoryCorps will help record the interview and preserve it for generations to come. You might even be invited to tell your story on air!
Here's how to take part: email [email protected] with the subject line "Indivisible Interview." Tell us who you want to talk to, why, and what you want to ask them.
And if you don't have someone in your immediate circle - friends, family or otherwise - with a different political point of view, we still want to hear from you. StoryCorps will also be setting up conversations (not a debate, we promise!) with strangers who are political "opposites."
Here are some Tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 11: Introducing a New Social Experiment
-
On this episode of Indivisible, we look ahead at President Trump's upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. And considering Trump's comments about China in the past -- that we need to balance the trade deficit, and that China needs to be a better watchdog for North Korea -- this looks to be a contentious meeting.
China is not our friend. They are not our ally. They want to overtake us, and if we don’t get smart and tough soon, they will.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2013Hosts Kai Wright and Anne McElvoy talk about China policy with Michael Auslin, author of the book, "The End of the Asian Century," and what President Xi’s visit is likely to signal about U.S./China relations.
Plus, Andrew Revkin, senior reporter on climate issues for ProPublica, discusses the Trump Administration’s effort to roll back Obama-era environmental policies and what it means for the future of leadership on climate change. What are the financial stakes of this legislation for people across America?
Here are some tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 11: What Do We Have To Gain From China?
-
More young Americans than ever are in a group called the “nones”— or the religiously unaffiliated – and fewer of us are attending any sort of organized religious services. Still, many Americans self-identify as religious and, in fact, white Evangelical voters were instrumental in the success of Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
How does faith identity influence political beliefs? Are Americans more or less engaged with their faith communities now?
On this episode of Indivisible, host Kerri Miller talks with the host of public radio’s OnBeing Krista Tippett and the Reverend Jennifer Bailey about the intersection of faith identity and politics.
Does your faith inform your politics? Call us 844-745-TALK and answer our poll below #IndivisibleRadio
— MPR News (@MPRnews) March 31, 2017Here are some tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 10: Religion And The Voting Booth
-
Last week, the GOP failed to earn the number of votes required to pass their “repeal and replace” solution to the Affordable Care Act. The president and the party seemed to be ready to move on and set their sights on their next agenda item.
ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2017But on Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan affirmed that the effort to provide the American people with a new and different health care solution would continue.
On this episode of Indivisible, host Charlie Sykes will discuss what the fate of the health care bill means for the Republican Party -- and what may come next. He’ll be joined by Weekly Standard editor at large William Kristol, who will also discuss the latest in the investigations over Russia and more.
Charlie will also speak with E.J. Dionne, Washington Post opinion writer and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. His latest piece in the Washington Post is titled, "The lessons Trump and Ryan failed to learn from history."
Here are some tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 10: The GOP Fight For Health Care Reform Lives On
-
Until last week, Andy Slavitt’s job was to run Obamacare. Now he’s trying to save it.
On this episode of Indivisible, Brian Lehrer talks to Slavitt, the health care executive who headed the Affordable Care Act under President Obama, about what it will take to preserve portions of Obamacare (Hint: Compromise).
Brian will also talk to Martha Kuhl, who works as a nurse at a Children's hospital in Oakland, CA and is Secretary-Treasurer at National Nurses United, about why we can’t compromise when it comes to seeking Medicare for all.
Then Brian talks to Geoffrey R. Stone, the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, constitutional scholar and author of 'Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America's Origins to the Twenty-First Century,' about the nation’s shifting attitudes toward sex and sexuality and the impact of those attitudes on politics and law, and takes calls from conservatives about how they square government involvement in issues relating to sex.
Also, where do your elected officials stand on the health care bill? Check out our tracker here.
Here are some tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 10: Can Obamacare Be Saved?
-
On this episode of Indivisible, historian Francis Fukuyama discusses with hosts Kai Wright and Anne McElvoy what the inability to repeal Obamacare means for President’s Trump’s ability to achieve his agenda – and whether a president who projects strength can continue to withstand failures.
Plus, the Takeaway’s Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, offers his take on how President Trump is perceived in Washington.
Listeners are invited to call-in especially if you supported Trump because of his pitch of strength. What do you think of him almost 70 days into his presidency?
Do you think Trump has lived up to his 'strongman' image? #IndivisibleRadio
— WNYC 🎙 (@WNYC) March 28, 2017Here are some tweets from this episode:
Indivisible Week 10: Can Trump Bring 'The Art Of The Deal' To The Presidency?
- Show more
