Month: April 2025

In this episode of the Progress Report, Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas dig into some seriously overlooked good news. Brazil and South Korea have both pushed back against anti-democratic power grabs—and won. From Bolsonaro facing trial to South Korea's president getting the boot after a wild six-hour martial law stunt, democracy is holding its ground. Emma also pulls a gem from a dense World Bank report: more people than ever now have some form of social protection, like pensions or cash transfers. Plus, a surprising stat from Nepal shows extreme poverty has plummeted—though the story behind it is a bit complicated. It’s a reminder that while progress doesn’t always make headlines, it’s definitely happening.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork

And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boston Globe columnist Carine Hajjar and The Commercial Break’s Bryan Green debate whether Joe Rogan’s platforming of antisemitic conspiracies signals a deeper rot—or just the cost of open conversation. Plus: should Harvard be defunded? And will Kilmar Abrego Garcia stay in a Salvadoran prison? In Goat Grinders, we take aim at student driver bumper stickers, White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood’s biting critique of SNL, and nothing left to stream.

Theme by Max Kerman

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM

Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• CNBC on Chris Krebs leaving his company after being targeted by Trump
  
  
• Boasberg's probable cause finding to hold the goverment in criminal contempt
  
  
• Tim's 2019 Bulwark piece that he referenced 
  
  
• Support Lawfare
  
  

Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it’s finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address. 

The bigger, gnarlier and more all-encompassing a conflict grows, the more we naturally rush right to its epicenter to try to break it up.  It demands so much attention it’s hard to look away. But we’re going to give you our hottest tip for handling the most difficult conflicts — do it indirectly. Named by our very own Bill Mattox (this episode's guest), who may or may not know a lot about a carom shot in billiards (hitting a ball to hit another ball into the pocket), but he certainly knows a lot about human beings.

The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Featured in this episode: A reference to the Heineken Worlds Apart ad, which is well worth a watch.

Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Branch is nominated for a Webby! Vote for Killing Justice for Best Partnership/Collaboration: https://bit.ly/killingjustice