With A 50-50 U.S. Senate Split, One Man Stands Out September 26, 2021 – West Virginia Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin serves a state that former Republican President Donald Trump won by 39 percent. That puts the former governor’s political life at risk when voting on every piece of legislation. “He’s described as a centrist or conservative Democrat, “ The Washington Post’s Paul Kane said. “He can be best described as a Joe Manchin Democrat.”

U.S: 5 Percent of World Population, 25 Percent of Prisoners September 19, 2021 – Why does the United States have five percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of its prisoners, with two out of three returning to jail after being released? “It’s complicated,” veteran national Corrections Administrator Gary Maynard said. “We are a second amendment nation and a prosperous nation and that attracts drugs and organized crime.”

The Politics of Infrastructure Spends a Little on a Lot, Not a Lot on Much September 12, 2021 – The U.S. Congress is ready to spend $1 trillion on American highways, bridges, railways, wastewater treatment plants, and the national electric grid. Is it enough? “This is something presidents have wanted to do for some time,” CQ Roll Call Reporter Jessica Wehrman said. “But the needs are really, really vast...There are wastewater systems that date to the 1800s.”

Unions Struggle Despite Popularity September 5, 2021 – A new survey shows six in 10 Americans prefer labor unions. So why is the movement still struggling to survive? “I think people are very hopeful this Labor Day,” said Steven Greenhouse, former New York Times labor reporter. “But also very frustrated,”

House Democrats Fight Instead of Unite August 29, 2021 – Despite a perilous two-vote margin, U.S. House Democrats are squabbling as the chamber loss to Republicans seems inevitable. “I think a lot of Democrats are looking at this moment and saying we have to get everything we can right now,” said Chief New York Times Washington Correspondent Carl Hulse.

Afghanistan, Afghanist-gone August 22, 2021 – The Taliban’s swift Afghanistan conquer showed the tenuous American hold on the nation despite 20 years of war. “It was ultimately going to happen because the American mission failed,” Los Angeles Times Foreign Editor Jeffrey Fleishman said. “They don’t call Afghanistan the Graveyard of Empires for nothing.”

Now, the “not so Secret Service” August 15, 2021 -- In her new book, “Zero Fail,” Washington Post Pulitzer prize-winning report Carol Leonnig exposes failures of America’s elite agency. “It was a culture, the service had partied hard for decades,” Leonnig said. “They had worked hard and partied hard.” Join us, listen, learn, and share.

Cuba in Turmoil -- Again August 8, 2021 –Recent Protests in Cuba continue a history of turmoil from Columbus to Castro. And once again eyes are on the United States to respond. “The Cuban economy is in free fall,” said Dr. James Lopez, co-director of the Center for Jose Marti Studies at the University of Tampa. “There is great economic hardship, food shortages, the collapse of the medical system, COVID cases are on the rise.” Join us, listen, learn, and share.

Save the Postal Service Now August 1, 2021 –The nation’s foremost postal service expert believes Congress has an opportunity to right the financially struggling agency established in 1775 by adopting a business model that separates its tasks. “You’ve got something that is expected to do things that are service oriented but not necessarily profitable, while at the same time keeping yourself reasonably balanced financially,” Leo Raymond said. “You’re going to end up in a self-conflicting...

Who was the Best --- and Worst? July 18, 2021 –Howard University history professor, Dr. Edna Greene Medford, discusses the best and worst presidents in American history. Trump detractors thought finish last in the C-SPAN poll. Guess again. “When we’re looking at them, we are looking at more than just what is happening in the four years or eight years that they’re leading the country,” Greene says. “We’re also looking at what they did when they got into the presidency and certainly what they...

American Voting System Upended through New Laws, Courts   July 18, 2021 –New voting rights laws in several conservative states combined with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding them have thrown the American voting system into disarray, a Florida Supervisor of Elections said.   “The irony is that the 2020 election was the highest turnout in our country,” said Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles. “As an elections...

The Politics of the Supreme Court Highest Court in the Land Didn’t Steer Right July 11, 2021 –Despite the hue and cry over Donald Trump creating a 6-3 conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority, the justices ruled more moderate than detractors and supporters anticipated. “For the vast majority of the term, that’s right,” said USA Today Supreme Court reporter, John Fritze. “That definitely didn’t happen.”

The Politics of George Former President, Commander, Also Skilled Politician July 4, 2021 –Though George Washington was America’s first president and Commander, he also stands out as one of the greatest political figures in the nation’s history, winning four key elections without having a single vote cast against him. “The man was incredibly successful politically, and that’s not how we think of him,” said biographer David O. Stewart, author of the new book: George Washington:...

The Politics of Violent Crime Murders Spike in America Post George Floyd Protests June 27, 2021 –Murders across the nation have reached their highest in a half-century, and many blame the demoralization of American policing in the wake of the George Floyd killing a year ago. “They’re doing the job that elected officials and some communities want them to do,” Gary McLhinney, former president of the Baltimore Fraternal of Police, told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields. ...

The Politics of Ransomware U.S. Ill-Prepared for Cyber Hijackers June 20, 2021 –A U.S. Defense Secretary once ranked the United States a three out of 10 in its ability to stop computer hacker cyber-attacks. That number hasn’t changed much in a decade; an NBC News reporter told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields on Sunday Computer hijackers are extorting tens of millions of dollars from American businesses handcuffed by the seizure of their technical operations. “There really...

The Politics of Ethics Past Committee Chairman: House Ethics Not Contradictory Terms June 13, 2021 – The former Republican chairman of the U.S. House Ethics Committee found most members honest but recalls the greatest hit list of our generation’s most ridiculous congressional scandals. Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania also admonished House Trump supporters for blocking the establishment of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and Trump’s attempt to...

The True House Speaker Prayer Before Congress Older than Bill of Rights June 5, 2021 – As C-SPAN spokesman Howard Mortman watched a lot of congressional footage before one daily tradition caught his eye: the prayer before each session. Mortman has written the definitive history of congressional prayers with his book When Rabbis Bless Congress. “The very first thing that Congress does, both chambers, is open with a prayer,” Mortman tells the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry...

Remembering Those Who Died – And Those Who Survived Many Silently Carry Physical and Psychological War Wounds May 30, 2021 – Though Memorial Day honors those lost in the war, the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields took time to remember and reflect on the wounded who survived. “It isn’t just the 378,000 Americans who died in wars over the last 80 years,” Shields said. “But, also, the one million wounded, many who came home crippled without limbs carrying emotional and...

The Monopoly on American Reading Big Five Publishers Dominate While More Books Published Than Ever Before May 23, 2021 – Despite more books published in the 5,000-year history of the printed word, America’s five largest publishing companies continue to dominate the market, an industry expert told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields. “These big New York houses account for a large majority of what gets published in the U.S.,” said Jane Friedman, publisher of The Hot Sheet...

California Scheming A Bear, Porn Queen and Transgender Run for Governor May 16, 2021 – What does a bear, porn star and transgender celebrity have in common? They’re all seeking to be California’s next governor. Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez discusses the bizarre election to recall and replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom. One candidate is touring the state with a bear, calling himself the “beast” who will rein in California spending. “I’m not embarrassed to say, I was...

Biden: Shows Ability Needs Agility Mid-term Loss of the House in 18 Months Could Sink Presidency May 8, 2021 – President Joe Biden is off to a fast start, remaining focused on vaccinating the country and restoring the economy, but faces monumental challenges in working with Congress on issues such as immigration and guns, the former editor of Congressional Quarterly Weekly magazine told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields. David Hawkings said the possible loss of Democrat...

Kennedy: Treat Mental Illness Like Cancer American Mental Health, Addiction Treatment “discrimination” April 25, 2021 – Former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy kicks off national Mental Health Awareness Month on the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields stating that America’s failure to adequately treat mental illness and addiction is driving overdose deaths and mass shootings. The son of former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy discusses his own mental illness and addiction to deadly...

The Persecution of Asian Americans has a Hidden, Horrible U.S. History. April 25, 2021 – Americans should enroll in racial sensitivity training and financially support anti-hate groups to combat the alarming rise of attacks on Asian Americans. A former journalist and Asian history scholar told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields. Linda Chong, a former China correspondent, blamed the 3,800 reported incidents of assaults and harassment reported since the start of the COVID 19...

A House Divided Americans Being Cheated by Stymied U.S. House Undermined by Political Selfishness, Renegade Posturing, and the Disappearance of Bipartisanship April 18, 2021 – The U.S. House of Representatives is paralyzed by growing political factions wielding disruptive power and the lack of bipartisanship that once made the American legislature respected, a longtime Republican House staffer told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields. “The idea of reaching across the aisle is...

American Police in Polar Peril Capitol Police Officer Death, George Floyd Officer Trial Puts Police Back in the News April 4, 2021 – The testimony of eight Minneapolis police officers against colleague Derek Chauvin will likely doom the officer accused of murdering George Floyd, a veteran police analyst told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields. “If I put myself in the seats of the jurors, I think it’s pretty damning,” said Gary McLhinney, former president of the Fraternal...