Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

Ben Jealous

"We've shut down 65,000 American factories in 30 years."

"Eight out of 10 black men will vote for Kamala Harris."

Chapters

00:00 The State of American Manufacturing and Economy
01:25 Political Landscape and Predictions
05:14 Voting Trends Among Black and Latino Men
08:05 Perceptions of Progressivism and Liberalism
10:00 Kamala Harris: A New Kind of Leadership
12:23 Environmental Challenges and Global Production
14:23 Conclusion and Call to Action

Takeaways

65,000 American factories have shut down in 30 years.
Economic mobility is a significant issue for most Americans.
Donald Trump's support has grown due to populist talking points.
Poverty affects more white Americans than many realize.
Voting trends show a shift among black and Latino men.
Perceptions of liberalism can alienate centrist voters.
Kamala Harris represents a new kind of leadership.
Environmental issues are intertwined with national security.
Voter turnout is crucial in a polarized political landscape.
The current political climate is marked by anxiety and uncertainty.

American economy, manufacturing, political predictions, voting trends, Kamala Harris, environmental issues, progressive politics, civil rights, grassroots organizing, electoral college

War and Peace | Lynsey Addario

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

11/25/24 • 29 min

War photographer Lynsey Addario captures moments in history that are difficult to witness. She talks to Robyn Curnow about being an American during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and what it is like to face danger head-on. Her path to the frontlines was an unlikely one; her parents were hairdressers and she grew up in a small Connecticut town in a large Italian-American family.

http://www.x.com/lynseyaddario

Standup comedy, politics, and being Reasonably Happy | Paul Ollinger and Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

03/18/25 • 43 min

He was one of the first employees at Facebook, and then retired at 42 to follow his passion for stand-up comedy. Paul Ollinger talks to Robyn Curnow about his time at Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and what his secret is to telling jokes in divided times.

http://www.instagram.com/searchingforamericapod

http://www.paulollinger.com

PAUL OLLINGER

Goat rodeos and space nukes | Jeffrey Lewis and Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

01/15/25 • 31 min

Robyn Curnow spoke to Jeffrey Lewis, pre-eminent American nuclear expert, State Department security advisor and a self-described ‘arms control wonk. ’

Robyn has known Jeffrey ever since he tweeted during President Trump’s first term that the administration’s nuclear plans were a ‘goat rodeo.’ But this time around, the world is different and Trump's team is different. They talk about non-rational actors, paranoid leaders and nuclear realities. And how Pres Trump has a great opportunity to use his power to get China and Russia to sign up to new arms control agreements for missile defense and other things.

Robyn asked him what crazy weapons some countries were testing and where he thought nuclear proliferation was a problem for 2025.

Jeffrey explains why he’s worried about the Russians going all sci-fi with a space nuke which can take out satellites and a long-range nuclear-armed underwater drone, which the North Koreans copied. He’s also concerned that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon (highly likely) then the Saudis, the Turks and the UAE will want to pony up too. And there’s the worry that Burma (Myanmar) is looking to build up its nuclear capability, alongside Taiwan and South Korea.

Saddle up, listen up!

Robyn Curnow
http://www.x.com/robyncurnow
http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow
http://www.searchingforamericapod.com

PODCAST IS NOW ON YOUTUBE at http://youtube.com/@searchingforamericapodcast

Jeffery Lewis.
http://www.x.com/armscontrolwonk
http://www.armscontrolwonk.com
http://www.x.com/middlebury

Wizard of Oz and Singing Angels | Kevin Sullivan

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

10/01/24 • 10 min

Every week Robyn Curnow asks her guest the same questions in this bonus episode. Where would you go if you could time travel? Dream Thanksgiving dinner guest (dead or alive)? What does it mean to be an American? Why is the country polarized? Favorite movie?

Kevin Sullivan lists his favorite things

02:49 Time Traveling
06:09 The Role of Social Media in Polarization "It's amplified the worst of us"
09:00 Patience, listening and being a decent person

The Hundred Year Old President | Kevin Sullivan

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

10/01/24 • 25 min

"I think the race is a toss up," says Kevin Sullivan, "Trump has really captured the Republican Party." In this episode of Searching for America, Robyn Curnow talks with Washington Post journalist Kevin Sullivan about all the president's he has interviewed. They discuss the enduring influence of Donald Trump, the dynamics of the Biden administration, and the role of Kamala Harris as a progressive leader. Sullivan shares insights from his experiences covering American politics and reflects on the legacy of Jimmy Carter who turned 100 on Oct 1.

#America #Trump #Biden #Kamala Harris # Jimmy Carter #carter100

Chapters

00:00 Searching for America: Our Kevin Sullivan is NOT Kevin Sullivan the wrestler
01:47 Trump's Influence on American Politics and what he was like to interview
05:57 The Dynamics of the Biden Administration and Biden's long stories
10:08 Kamala Harris: A Pragmatic Progressive and what DC thinks of her
13:57 Reflections on Jimmy Carter's Legacy and his humble house in Plains, Georgia
18:10 The Global Perception of America where not all Americans are 'loud and stupid.'
21:48 The Role of Journalism in Society and being hired by Watergate editor Ben Bradlee

But You Don't Look Arab | Hala Gorani and Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

12/17/24 • 29 min

Gorani Street, Aleppo, Syria is where Hala Gorani's family lived for generations. As an American-born child of Syrian immigrant parents she and her extended family across the world are watching what is happening in Syria with a personal interest. As a journalist, Hala is reluctant to make predictions on how a post-Assad Syria will play out because she says disappointment is baked into the Syria expat experience.

Hala Gorani and Robyn Curnow were correspondents and anchors together at CNN for over twenty years. When Hala left CNN she wrote a memoir called You Don't Look Arab and other Tales of Unbelonging. Now she is an NBC correspondent and avidly watching events in Syria.

Robyn and Hala talk about about covering the Middle East, Hala's great, great grandmother who was kidnapped as a child and raised in a Constantinople harem and why they're both happier since leaving CNN.

http://www.x.com/halagorani

Why is Jesus on the ballot? | Doug Heye

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

09/24/24 • 22 min

Unlike other Western democracies, America's politics are infused with religion. Why is God part of the get-out-and-vote plans? Republican strategist Doug Heye says Republicans and Democrats have used religion to attract voters in the past but evangelical fervor for Donald Trump has turbo-charged the Republican ticket in different ways.

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Three-day weekend in NYC in 1951 | Doug Heye

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

09/24/24 • 15 min

In this bonus episode, Republican strategist Doug Heye shows his foodie side by listing his favorite restaurants and imagining his dream dinner party with Julia Child, Thomas Jefferson and Hank Aaron. When Robyn Curnow asks him about his favorite Presidents, Doug Heye gives a surprising answer.

Favorite piece of music or movie: Frank Sinatra singing

What makes him cry? Maybe a few tears were shed' seeing Bruce Springsteen sing "Thunder Road"

Favorite American landscape: Yellowstone

Favorite President; Ronald Reagan. George Washington. Richard Nixon.

Sports team: Tar Heels.

First job: Mr Barbecue, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "I'll never forget the customer who returned his french fries because they tasted like potatoes."

http://www.x.com/dougheye

The Son of a Rabbi, LBJ and the Grateful Dead | Julian Zelizer

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

10/23/24 • 17 min

What are the current American leaders like? Princeton historian Julian Zelizer tells Robyn Curnow his perceptions of Trump, Biden, Vance, Harris and other leaders he's interviewed.

Three words to describe America right now? Fractured, divided and fragile.

Time travel? Oval Office, 1960's during Lyndon Johnson Presidency

Music? Grateful Dead

Ideal dinner guests? Ella Backer, Martin Luther King, FDR, Jerry Garcia.