Politics, the concept not the American spectator sport, comes from Ancient Greek politiká or 'affairs of the cities' and is defined as “a set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups.”
Little is known about the lead up to the July First joint rally of Virginia’s three state-wide candidates, Winsome Earle-Sears the nominee for Governor, John Reid for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Jason Miyares running for re-election. Many insiders expressed concern over the media coverage of allegations of scandalous photographs or the nation-wide coverage that Reid was a gay would put a rift in the party.
However, one thing is sure, after rally after rally of standing room only crowds, the former George Allen aide proved that he had learned well from the former Senator and Governor how to focus on the positives ahead of them as he sits down with us on the eve of this kickoff rally.
America is turning 250. And we’re throwing a yearlong celebration of the greatest country on Earth. The greatest? Yes. The greatest.
We realize that’s not a popular thing to say these days. Americans have a way of taking this country for granted: a Gallup poll released earlier this week shows that American pride has reached a new low. And the world at large, which is wealthier and freer than it has ever been in history thanks to American power and largesse, often resents us. We get it. As journalists, we spend most of our time finding problems and exposing them. It’s what the job calls for.
But if you only focus on the negatives, you get a distorted view of reality. As America hits this milestone birthday, it’s worthwhile to take a moment to step back and look closely at where we actually are—and the reality of life in America today compared to other times and places. That reality is pretty spectacular.
Could Thomas Jefferson and the men gathered in Philadelphia who wrote down the words that made our world—“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”—ever have imagined what their Declaration of Independence would bring?
The Constitution. The end of slavery—and the defeat of Hitler. Astonishing wealth and medical breakthroughs. Silicon Valley. The most powerful military in the world. The moon landing. Hollywood. The Hoover Dam. The Statue of Liberty (a gift from France). Actual liberation (a thing we gave France). Humphrey Bogart and Tom Hanks. Josephine Baker and Beyoncé. Hot dogs. Corn dogs. American Chinese food. American Italian food. The Roosevelts and the Kennedys. The Barrymores and the Fondas. Winston Churchill (his mom was from Brooklyn). The Marshall Plan and Thurgood Marshall. Star Wars. Missile-defense shields. Baseball. Football. The military-industrial complex. Freedom of religion. UFO cults. Television. The internet. The Pill. The Pope. The automobile, the airplane, and AI. Jazz and the blues. The polio vaccine and GLP-1s, the UFC and Dolly Parton.
The list goes on because it’s really, truly endless. Ours is a country where you can hear 800 languages spoken in Queens, drive two hours and end up among the Amish in Pennsylvania. We are 330 million people, from California to New York Island, gathered together as one.
Each of those 330 million will tell you that ours is not a perfect country. But we suspect most of them would agree that their lives would not be possible without it. So for the next 12 months, we’re going to toast to our freedoms on the page, on this podcast and in real life. And we’re doing it the Free Press way: by delving into all of it—the bad and the good and the great, the strange and the wonderful and the wild.
And today—on America’s 249th birthday—we’re kicking off this yearlong event with none other than Akhil Reed Amar. Akhil has a unique understanding of this country—and our Constitution. Akhil is a Democrat who testified on behalf of Brett Kavanaugh, is a member of The Federalist Society, who is pro-choice but also anti-Roe—and these seeming contradictions make him perfectly suited to answer questions about the political and legal polarization we find ourselves in today.
Akhil is a constitutional law professor at Yale and the author of the brilliant book The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760–1840. He also hosts the podcast Amarica's Constitution, and you might recognize his name from his work in The Atlantic. I ask him about the unique history that created our founding document, the state of the country, our political polarization, the American legal system, and what this country means to him.
The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article.
Ukraine fears US suspension on weapons deliveries could "encourage" Russia. Also: Trump says Israel has agreed to a 60 day ceasefire in Gaza and tells Hamas to accept. Plus, the killer whales offering food to humans.
After being passed by the Senate, President Trump's bill returns to the House. We speak to rural healthcare provider Karen White on its possible impact on healthcare for poorer people.
Also in the programme, the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has confirmed that he will have a successor; renewed talk about a ceasefire in Gaza; and the composer who has written a piece of music based on the movements of moths.
(Photo: The U.S. Capitol building in Washington; Credit: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
The House of Representatives could vote as soon as today on President Donald Trump’s big tax and spending bill. Trump says the legislation gets rid of taxes on Social Security benefits, but it’s not quite that simple. We'll unpack. Then, we’ll discuss this morning’s surprisingly weak private payroll data. And, we'll travel to London ahead of the city's Pride festival, which has been hit by declining corporate sponsorship.
The Boston Tea Party was an opening act in what came to be a violent culture war and war of national liberation. And it helps us understand how America in 2020 could become as bitterly divided as America during the revolution.
Another president, another “strike for peace.” Trump’s assault on Iran wasn’t about safety. It was another step in the long tradition of unchecked executive power and endless war waged without consent.
The U.S. Supreme Court didn’t rule on the constitutionality of birthright citizenship, a legal challenge closely watched by Native Americans. But their related decision in that case significantly changes the current practice in how all Americans can keep the federal government, corporations, and others from continuing actions with questionable constitutionality. We’ll review what’s at stake in the fight over birthright citizenship and how the High Court’s ruling preventing further nationwide injunctions will alter how lawyers tackle Native issues from now on.
We’ll also learn about a legal settlement in Montana that aims to ensure schools adequately teach Native American history.
GUESTS
Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the “Turtle Talk” blog
Danny Chrisney (Maya Q’eqchi’ descent), managing attorney of Wilner and O’Reilly Phoenix office
Lenny Powell (Hopland Band of Pomo Indians), Native American Rights Fund staff attorney
Mark Carter (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), Native American Rights Fund attorney
Break 1 Music: Take Your Troubles to the River (song) Vincent Craig (artist) Self-titled Release (album)
An ADP report providing a reading on the strength of the job market comes out today. Meanwhile, another measure shows the labor market treading water: job churn. Do we have the confidence to leave and take a different job? Amid continued economic uncertainty, many workers seem to be staying put, and employers seem hesitant to let workers go. Also on the show: the financial burden of deployment for military families.
President Trump's budget bill goes back to the House after Senate changes. Back to work for jurors in the Sean Diddy Combs case. Massive fireworks blast. CBS News Correspondent Steve Kathan has today's World News Roundup.
