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
2020 Fall Event Series Announced
The Pell Center is pleased to announce its 2020 fall event series. Tickets to these events are free and will be available about two weeks prior to the event date. Please RSVP for each event on the Pell Center’s Eventbrite page and call 401-341-2927 or email [email protected] with questions. Scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for our email list and be notified when tickets become available. All events will … Read More
Reporting on the Portland Protests with Noelle Crombie
Air Dates: August 31-September 6, 2020 While national media coverage often swoops in to cover local stories with national significance, local reporters are typically there from the beginning. They know the details. They know the sequence of events. And they know the community in which they are reporting. Noelle Crombie knows Portland as well as anyone and she’s been reporting on the protests and violence in that beautiful city. Crombie … Read More
R.I.P. GOP
Born of a righteous conviction that no person should be enslaved, the Republican Party died this week, a victim of its leaders’ lust for power and abandonment of the Union which Lincoln fought to save. At its zenith, the GOP advanced a freedom agenda derived from the ideals of the American experience and the European enlightenment. A commitment to free labor, free markets, free trade, and free institutions provided the … Read More
Brent Scowcroft and the U.S.-UK Special Relationship – A Legacy Lost?
Retired Air Force Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft died August 6th at the age of 95. Since his death, there have been numerous tributes to him by those who knew him and served with him. Those remembrances have highlighted his over six decades of service to this nation, as a military officer, as National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George H. W. Bush, and as a strategist and … Read More
Crafting Stories of Empathy with Paul Tremblay
Air Dates: August 24-30, 2020 Empathy is a recurring theme on “Story in the Public Square,” because it is central to the crafting of compelling stories—whether set in fiction or non-fiction. Paul Tremblay uses empathy to draw readers in to the strange and often terrifying worlds that he imagines. Tremblay is one of the best writers of horror and psychological thrillers today. He is the author of “The Cabin at the … Read More
The Democrats’ “Radical Agenda”
Like a lot of Americans, I’ve been watching the Democratic convention this week. On the first night, I was flipping between the three major cable networks just to take stock of how each was covering the proceedings. When I got to Fox News, I learned that the Democrats were in the midst of unveiling their “radical agenda” to “change America.” And my first reaction was, “holy cow, did I dose … Read More
Narratives of Illegitimacy
American politics are awash with narratives of illegitimacy. We’re not just questioning the judgment of our rivals, we’re questioning their loyalty, their commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution, as well as their patriotism. In other words, we’re questioning whether our political opposites are, truly, American. It’s difficult to imagine a more serious threat to the American experiment. The playbook is familiar at this point. Republicans—including then-citizen Donald … Read More
Pell Center to Debut Virtual Cybersecurity Training at IRS Nationwide Tax Forum
Newport, RI—For the third-consecutive year, the Pell Center will provide cybersecurity awareness training for tax preparation professionals at the annual IRS Nationwide Tax Forum–this year, in an advanced virtual session on the most pressing cyber threats to both individual tax preparers as well as small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the tax industry. The Pell Center’s presentations are made possible by a generous grant by the American Coalition for Taxpayer … Read More
Irresponsible or Tyrannical?
Every week, I try to share some insights from history, from my scholarship, or from my experience working in Washington. I am mindful that it would be easy to look at my resume and dismiss me as a partisan. And so I try to be careful about the language I use and the points I make. The truth is that I’m actually a passionate moderate—if that’s not an oxymoron—who is … Read More