Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
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 …
The FDA is a massive organization that handles a wide variety of regulations and responsibilities. However, some critics argue that the FDA has failed to evolve with the times, spending large amounts of resources on dated measures and messaging tactics. Former FDA employee Dr. Richard Williams joins us this week to highlight some of these issues within food …
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.
Today, there are many young adults who were mere babies when 9/11 happened. They learn about the terrorist attacks from history books, television segments and documentaries as well as the firsthand stories of people who lived through the experience. Former FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer joins us this week to share his story from that morning. Pfeifer …
The news of the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan has swept news headlines this month. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens have already fled the country, but how will everyday life change for those who remain? We discuss the precarious situation in the region and the reversal of modern freedoms and economic stability for millions of men, women …
Gold mining has been a lucrative business for many generations. Today, it’s still a booming industry with global mining companies expanding into new markets each year. This week – we highlight the incredible story of activists in northern El Salvador who stood up to mining company, OceanaGold and won.
When most people imagine the early West, they picture wide open landscapes, lawlessness and sweaty men working away in mines and on farms. While this is part of the story, the other lesser known narrative is the unique opportunities the West held for women during the 19th and 20th centuries. Author Winifred Gallagher joins us this week to share how the …
The U.S. prison population has decreased during the pandemic, but the number of people behind bars is still close to two million. Some of these inmates have been in prison for decades and at a young age were deemed by the justice system to be ‘unfixable’. This week, we shed light on the cycle of youth incarceration in this country and why people like Ian …
The 50 richest families in the world have a combined net worth of $1.2 trillion dollars. The Koch family, the second richest name on the list, is worth a staggering $100 billion dollars. 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 Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employee turnover at nursing homes in an average year is 74 percent. With high rates of turnover and not enough new workers entering the caregiving field, the U.S. is deep in a senior care crisis that’s only set to get worse. Two senior care experts join Viewpoints to discuss why no one wants these jobs and how …
The birth of the space shuttle in 1981 marked a new era of space travel. For the first time ever, NASA had a spacecraft that could launch into space and come back to earth and land like an airplane. While the shuttle had many successful flights, there were also some big catastrophes that ultimately led the program to cease operations in 2011. Former chief …
How often do you buy an item from the store that’s packaged in a plastic container or wrapped in plastic? Daily decisions like these add up and are feeding into the global plastic crisis. Scientists estimate that there’s anywhere between nine to 16 million tons of plastic on the sea floor, polluting the environment, harming species and releasing harmful …
Today, the average student graduating from a four-year, public university leaves with $28,600 in student loans. On top of this, students owe interest once payments kick in, and this can range from 3 to 5 percent for federal loans and can go as high as 12 percent for private loans. For some, the large sum of these loans plus interest can take several years to …
Despite the pandemic, carbon emissions are at an all-time high, topping records over the past 3.6 million years. For years, scientists have warned of humans approaching a critical tipping point of global warming – and it’s here. Sustainability scientist Dr. Kimberly Nicholas joins Viewpoints this week to break down the current climate landscape and explain …
How has a year-long pandemic affected the U.S. economy? Will it bounce back as more people get vaccinated or will there be long-term ramifications? Economist James Rickards joins Viewpoints this week to share his insights on the post-pandemic economy.
The oil and gas industry employs millions of workers. In 2018, 6.7 million Americans worked within the traditional energy sector. Yet, when we often hear about the industry, it’s entangled in political and environmental news. Rarely does it look at the workers themselves and the challenging and physical barriers of the job. In 2013, Michael Patrick Smith …
The Jupiter moon, Europa is 390 million miles away from Earth. In 2025, the NASA Europa Clipper mission launches and is estimated to arrive in Jupiter’s orbit by 2031. Why Europa? Underneath its radiated surface, the icy moon is believed to host a vast ocean similar to Earth’s that has ample conditions for complex life. Author David W. Brown joins Viewpoints …
It’s been ten months since many schools across the nation shifted to online learning. We speak with two education experts about the changes happening in the field as technology plays a bigger role.
The world of youth sports can be incredibly stressful. Long practices, hefty investments and increasingly selective teams can add up to parents pushing their kids to the brink. We speak with Rich Cohen, a hockey dad, about the modern pressures of the competitive sport and why some parents end up caring more about the sport than their own kid does.
We know so much about the men of the Civil War, but the courageous women of this time and their contributions are seldom shown in history books. Historian Karen Abbott decided to change that. She tells the story of several women who helped their respective sides during the Civil War. These women were not just nurses and aides, but endearing female soldiers …
We speak with constitutional law expert, Professor Carlton Larson about its limited use in modern courtrooms and the public’s perception of the law versus its actual scope and definition.
Segregation not only divides cities but leads to divided people as well. It fuels biases against people who may look or act different than us, leading to generations of inequity and discrimination. Viewpoints speaks with social justice activist, Tonika Johnson about the many impacts’ segregation has had on the city of Chicago.
The northwestern coast of South Africa & Namibia has been a mining hub for diamonds since the 1900’s. Local workers labor through long shifts and hazardous working conditions in order to feed their families. The pay? Roughly five cents per carat of rough diamonds found. While some may argue that the industry stimulates the local economy, once a company …
How do professionals question people to get the information they want? We talk to an expert in interrogation and lying on this subject, and how law enforcement and job interviewers use the same tactics to find out if someone is lying.
