Back to the Future
Every four years we have a presidential election that sets the agenda for the country for the following four years. Theoretically, the election is the culminating moment of a national dialogue. In the ideal, the vote is an expression of the nation’s opinion, not necessarily on the fitness of candidates, but on the major issues of the day. Growing up, I loved campaigns because of that Capra-esque idealism. I reveled … Read More
Fighting Misinformation and the Pandemic with Ashish Jha
Air Dates: October 19-25, 2020 Whatever the final count of fatalities is in the United States from the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost is already far too high. Dr. Ashish Jha reminds us that there are still simple things that Americans can do to stay safe, to stay healthy, and to help fight the pandemic. Jha is a practicing physician and is the Dean of the Brown School of Public Health … Read More
What If We Talked About Foreign Policy?
Presidential campaigns are rarely won or lost on foreign policy. In the last 50 years, probably only two—Ronald Reagan’s 1980 victory over incumbent President Jimmy Carter and President George W. Bush’s re-election win against my old friend then-Senator John Kerry in 2004—would qualify. In 1980, American hostages were held captive in the old U.S. embassy in Tehran following the Islamic revolution that swept the old, pro-American regime from power. In … Read More
Pell Center And Salve Regina University Partner with DHS For National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Newport, RI – For the sixth year in a row, the Pell Center and Salve Regina University are supporting the annual Department of Homeland Security’s campaign as a National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) Champion Organization, participating in a growing global effort, to promote online safety awareness with the theme: STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Now in its 17th year, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) continues to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity … Read More
Russia’s History of Covert Electoral Influence with David Shimer
Air Dates: October 12-18, 2020 Over the last four years, Americans have heard a lot about Russian interference in our elections. David Shimer says we haven’t heard the whole story about the Cold War, 2016, or 2020. Shimer is an expert on election security, U.S.-Russian relations, and covert action. He is the author of “Rigged: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference,” a New York Times Editors’ … Read More
Recap: “How Did We Get Here? A Conversation with Robert Dallek”
Polarization is a major issue in American politics, but Robert Dallek is still optimistic. On October 1st, 2020, Dallek had an in-depth conversation around his most recent book “How Did We Get Here? From Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump.” Dallek was joined by Pell Center Executive Director Dr. Jim Ludes and Salve Regina University history professor and Pell Honors Program Director Dr. William Leeman. Dallek reminded us that there have … Read More
Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the COVID-19-Era with Gayani DeSilva
Air Dates: October 5-11, 2020 Pandemic, social unrest–Americans of every age are coping with the mental health consequences of this era. Dr. Gayani DeSilva cautions that the challenges of being a child or adolescent currently poses special health risks. DeSilva has been a psychiatrist for 15 years and focusses on enhancing the mental health of children and adolescents and their families. Much of her work addresses the complex array of … Read More
The Breakdown of Politics
On the 22nd of May, 1856, Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina entered the old Senate chamber shortly after the Senate concluded its business for the day. After sitting for a moment in an empty seat on the floor of the chamber, Representative Brooks offered to a member of the Senate staff that he hoped the attractive woman sitting just outside the Senate chamber would leave. Despite such chivalrous concerns, … Read More
A Public Health Perspective on COVID-19 with Megan Ranney
Air Dates: September 28-October 4, 2020 COVID-19 has put America’s top doctors on the frontlines of a battle to save lives. Dr. Megan Ranney spends her days at the front, working in an urban emergency room where her training in public health and emergency medicine give her unique insights about the pandemic and the nation’s response. Ranney is a practicing emergency physician and researcher, focusing on the intersection between digital … Read More
Power and Values
We live in a cynical time. The president of the United States boasts that his pandemic response warrants a grade of A+ in the same week that deaths from the pandemic exceed 200,000 Americans. A GOP-controlled committee of the U.S. Senate released a preliminary report on an investigation into the son of Vice President Joe Biden that tracks with rumors spread by Russian agents the same week that the U.S. … Read More