Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
If an unexpected $400 charge came up, it’s estimated that 40% of Americans would struggle to pay this amount, according to data published in 2019 by the Federal Reserve. Life happens. Circumstances change. And that’s why it is so important to be financially secure with savings, an emergency fund, investments and more. We speak with financial expert, Emily …
20 million people work within the food production industry in the U.S. The pandemic has altered this sector and resulted in many pressures placed on this population. This week – we highlight the people behind these various roles and the changing landscape of this 24/7 food supply chain.
In the U.S., there are roughly 19 million people with felony convictions. For this population, finding stable work can be a tumultuous and draining process. Without a job, it can be all too easy to slide back into a past life and end up behind bars once again.
Federal student loan debt has ballooned in recent years. In 2007, debt totaled $642 billion dollars. Fourteen years later, this number has risen to close to $1.7 trillion. More than 43 million Americans have student loan debt, with the average person owing around $39,000.
In some cities, people are seeing as high as 30 percent increases on monthly rent. For middle and low-income citizens already on a tight budget, it’s impossible to make ends meet – especially as prices for food, gas and other basics keep ticking upwards. We speak with two housing experts about the complete lack of affordable housing in this country and the …
Today, there are close to 11 million vacant jobs in the U.S. – a record-breaking number. Why are more Americans not filling these positions? How is this affecting businesses? What will eventually happen if these jobs go unfilled? We explore these questions and more this week as we’re joined by hospitality entrepreneur, Ravindra Jayara, and senior labor …
Across the U.S., many teachers are simply overwhelmed. In their careers, they’re not only an educator, but a leader, listener and mentor. They play many other roles than simply teaching students the set curriculum. However, the pandemic has exacerbated these duties and some educators are perpetually stressed and leaving the field for good. We speak with two …
Being an influencer has turned into a career option for some, and today, some college students are pursuing degrees in social media to work within the industry or try their hand at becoming an influencer themselves. We discuss the state of social media education and the larger implications of this shift in modern culture.
Many libraries have stepped up and evolved during the pandemic to offer more remote classes and resources, as well as a place to work and connect with others if you need to get out of the house. The best part? It’s all free.
Imagine working for hours on end outside in temperatures exceeding 90 or 100 degrees. On top of this, there’s little shade, minimal breaks and often not enough water. This is the reality for millions of laborers who work in agriculture, construction and other industries. Why aren’t there more legal guidelines protecting these essential workers?
The average American checks their phone about 90 times a day, according to a 2019 survey from tech research firm, Asurion. How often would you say you check? Every hour? Once every 20 minutes? Do you ever panic when your phone isn’t right next to you?
Ballet requires athleticism, artistry and decades of grueling practice. It’s an extremely competitive field and few dancers manage to become principal dancers at major theaters. This week on Viewpoints – James Whiteside, a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, shares his professional ballet journey and what he’s learned about himself along the …
While this may change as COVID-19 cases rise due to the Delta variant, for now, many schools are moving forward with plans to welcome students back with the caveat of requiring face masks while indoors. We discuss the highly anticipated return.
Wondering what to do with the dozens of face masks and all of those unused yeast packets? Us too. There are several items that Americans sought after during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that help to showcase what this period in time was like. Once the pandemic is fully over, how will we look back and remember this time? How are museum curators and …
In 2019, the book publishing industry in the U.S. generated more than $25 billion dollars in revenue and employed close to 70,000 people. It’s a massive industry that publishes and generates publicity for many thousands of physical and e-books each year. Literary editor Peter Ginna joins us this week to breakdown the business and the crucial role that …
There’s much more to being a professional musician than the practice and performance aspect of the career. For independent artists, there’s an entire side of entrepreneurship to handle, including money management, marketing, networking and more. Debra Silvert, the flutist of the orchestral ensemble, Duo Sequenza, highlights the challenges and rewards of …
Unions, which are organized labor groups, are prevalent across the U.S. You’ve probably heard of the term in the media or may know someone who’s part of a union. But, have you ever heard of a worker center? It operates in similar functions as unions; however, this resource is much more community-based and is more of a guiding advocate in responsive …
The 50 richest families in the world have a combined net worth of $1.2 trillion. The Koch family, the second richest name on the list, is worth a staggering $100 billion. For many families, it isn’t just about success and business growth, but the business of building wealth through loopholes like philanthropy and loose taxation laws.
The average clothing item today is worn anywhere from seven to ten times before it’s discarded on donated. Why is this number so low, and what happens once the garment leaves a person’s closet? Maxine Bedat, a prominent voice in sustainable fashion, joins us this week to shed some light on the clothing crisis and how its impacting workers and the …
Many women today still have little knowledge on financial planning and how to make their income work for them rather than the other way around. Executive and financial expert Jennifer Barrett joins us this week to shed some light on the importance of becoming financially autonomous and advocating for yourself in your career, relationships and beyond.
Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, from the Center for Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, joins Viewpoints this week to help us understand some of the health impacts of spending time in space and the hurdles that come with longer missions like sending humans to Mars.
Physician burnout is still a very real problem in the U.S. – and the pandemic has only exacerbated these feelings in some of the hardest hit hospitals across the country. We speak with Dr. Greg Hammer at Stanford University about the pandemic’s lasting effects on mental health.
Whatever age you are, there’s always certain pressures to hit life milestones by set periods. It can mean moving out, getting married, having a family or even retiring by a ‘normal’ age. We discuss why these external pressures shouldn’t feed into personal decisions and how today’s generations and the challenges they face greatly differ from those of their …
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