Connie arranged for the Kenya staff to take me to various locations where PFC provides services. While most of our trips were centered in Nairobi, PFC's presence extends to other counties across Kenya.

The trip made me reflect on a comment by NYU professor Scott Galloway, who said the best decision he ever made was to be born in the United States. For me, growing up in a well-resourced neighborhood with supportive parents meant the path to success was always clear; all I had to do was apply myself.

In contrast, life in Nairobi's informal settlements, or slums (a word used by Kenyans), is a daily struggle, almost beyond words. Despite the hardships, the people served by PFC are genuinely grateful and do not take anything for granted.

On our first stop, we visited individuals who rely on mobility carts to get around. These are three-wheeled carts, powered by handles connected to the front wheel that the owner rotates. Kenyans face significant challenges with polio and cerebral palsy and collisions that result in a higher percentage of mobility-impaired people than in the US.

These simple, U.S.-built wooden carts allow people who cannot walk to move about and earn a living—for example, by selling candies and ice treats. One cart recipient told me he earns about 7,000 shillings per month (approximately $55 US), enough to cover his expenses.

We also visited a preschool. Over 300 youngsters, all in uniform and smiling, greeted us. What joy! We visited the school to see that it uses WaterSafe packs PFC distributes. Most water in Kenya is undrinkable, and even when people have access to safe water, they often don’t have a safe way to transport it. The WaterSafe packs solve the problem.

We visited a remote village to see how PFC is helping mothers treat their children for parasitic fleas and how mosquito nets provide protection at night. After that, we visited a PFC computer school and visited with women who have learned to sew and earn a living by making clothes.

Excessive use of social media can lead to changes in behavior, such as withdrawal from family and friends, poor academic performance, and increased anxiety when devices are removed. The American Psychological Association recommends limiting screen time to three and a half hours per day; exceeding this limit doubles the risk of mental health issues.

Early and frequent use of digital devices, even for toddlers, can interfere with the development of emotional regulation and problem-solving skills. Additionally, eye and ear strain are becoming more prevalent.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has emphasized the need for regulatory action for social media platforms because of the harm they present. Author Jonathan Haidt discusses in his book, “The Anxious Generation, the mental illness epidemic caused by social media.

Social media can be used for cyberbullying, which can be relentless and overwhelming, with some teens receiving hundreds of harmful messages daily. A particularly concerning trend is “sextortion,” where teens are manipulated into sending explicit images and then blackmailed for money. Unlike traditional bullying, which might have involved a few individuals, social media can amplify the number of bullies to hundreds, making it difficult for teens to cope and seek help. Cyberbullying and sextortion have led to children committing suicide.

Families should openly discuss the role of technology and set clear parameters for its use. Pediatric psychologists recommend that parents only provide smartphones when they are prepared to actively participate in and monitor their child’s online life. This means staying curious, engaging in regular conversations about online activities, and respecting the importance of these devices to children’s social lives.

This business model for social media is likened to the addictive qualities of tobacco, with young people specifically targeted for their vulnerability. Legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act seeks to impose a “duty of care” on social media companies, requiring them to prevent harm rather than simply acting as neutral platforms.

Listen to the conversation.

The pardons Trump issued to the 1500 people who took part in the January 6th insurrection have rightfully generated outrage. Those pardons are unprecedented and deeply troubling—particularly in light of the injuries suffered by more than 140 Capitol Hill police officers during the insurrection.

Some have argued the pardons were warranted due to supposed unfair prosecution by the Biden administration. But the Department of Justice handled the cases appropriately: charges were brought, trials were held before judges and juries, and juries found guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. There is no evidence federal prosecutors fabricated or suppressed evidence or lied; claims of unfair treatment have not been substantiated.

Even though the videos we have all seen of the insurrection show lawless violence, the White House has stated the insurrectionists were actually “peaceful patriotic protesters.”By pardoning the insurrectionists, Trump shamelessly abandoned and showed no concern for the Capitol police officers.

Beyond the January 6th cases, over half of the other pardons granted were for white-collar crimes committed by business executives, politicians, and a few billionaires. Court-ordered restitution to victims was wiped out, leaving the victims to pursue civil action on their own.

Examples include Trevor Milton, who defrauded investors of $675 million but contributed $1.8 million to Trump's campaign, and Paul Waze, who failed to pay millions in taxes and was pardoned, erasing court-ordered restitution. Other pardons involved individuals connected to Trump's business interests or political allies, raising concerns about the integrity of the process.

The pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former President of Honduras convicted of drug smuggling, is particularly perplexing given its contrast with U.S. actions against other foreign leaders. The underlying motivations remain unclear, and the transparency of the process is lacking.

While questionable pardons are not new, what sets President Trump apart is the sheer volume. President Biden granted 80 pardons, Trump 144 in his first term, Barack Obama 212 over two terms, George W. Bush 189 over two terms, and Bill Clinton 396 over two terms. Trump surpassed all by granting 1500 pardons on his first day in office in his second term.

Other presidents have also issued controversial pardons. Clinton pardoned Mark Rich, whose ex-wife donated sizable sums to Democratic causes, and George W. Bush commuted the sentence of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Liz Oyer of the Department of Justice, who oversaw the pardon process, resigned in protest over controversial Trump’s decisions and is now an outspoken critic of Trump

Good policing requires standardization and training. The lack of standardized training nationwide is evident. Police academies across the nation vary significantly in required training hours, with the national average being about 800 hours. For context, a cosmetology license requires 1,500 hours of training. In contrast, Nordic countries train their police for two to three years and continuously monitor candidates to ensure they possess the necessary characteristics for success.

Often a department’s culture may not align with its standards. Law enforcement policies are only as effective as the culture that enforces them. Training must be assessed, and officers must be held accountable for their actions.

Proper police response requires self-awareness, both of the situation and how an officer’s actions can escalate or de-escalate an incident. Officers must ensure that any force used is proportional to the threat and the severity of the crime. Alternatives to force should always be considered, and training should instill this mindset rather than defaulting to force as the first solution. But there is often a disconnect between policy, practice, and culture—what Jeff refers to as the "policy-practice divide."

Many officers are not fully aware of the legal standards by which their use of force will be judged. Organizations should be responsible for ensuring their officers are not just trained, but competent and able to justify their decisions under stress.

Despite clear guidelines, the culture within some departments may foster a mentality where disobedience is met with excessive force—a “contempt of cop” attitude. This underscores the need for good judgment and accountability, both at the individual and organizational levels. Agencies must hold officers to high standards and not simply defend their actions because they are found to be legally justified.

Post-incident debriefs, modeled after those used by the Blue Angels, are critical for learning and improvement. These debriefs should happen soon after incidents and involve honest self-assessment and peer feedback.

Unfortunately, some leaders undermine trust by publicly defending officers before investigations are complete. True professionalism in law enforcement requires transparency, honest evaluation of incidents, and accountability at every level.

Our guest, Courtney Teasley, a criminal defense lawyer, emphasizes the responsibility that defense attorneys have in contributing to incarceration rates. Some lawyers fail to communicate with clients, push plea deals without proper consultation, and neglect to use available court resources or file necessary motions.

This lack of diligence can result in missed opportunities for discovering evidence that could change the outcome of a trial. Courtney stresses that defense lawyers should fight for their clients and not simply “go along to get along,” especially in smaller counties where maintaining good relationships with judges is common practice.

Courtney described the DAMM community—Disproportionately Affected Marginalized Minority—as the primary demographic impacted by incarceration. Systemic factors such as inadequate education in financial literacy, criminal justice literacy, and civics contribute to this problem. Many individuals are not taught their rights or how to hold government officials accountable, nor are they given the tools to pursue financial stability beyond low-wage jobs.

These gaps leave people vulnerable to crimes of poverty and ill-equipped to navigate the legal system if accused. Having financial means, legal knowledge, and civic understanding provides leverage and empowerment, but these advantages are often unavailable in marginalized communities.

Courtney’s initiatives focus on legal literacy, financial literacy, and civics. She teaches these subjects through mock trial programs at high-priority schools and at HBCUs, aiming to address the lack of foundational legal knowledge. Her business, MFN, stands for Mindset, Finesse, and Non-Negotiable Boundaries, and is dedicated to advocacy training and lawyer coaching.

Courtney also discussed the school-to-prison pipeline, which refers to the disproportionate punishment of Black students in schools, which leads to higher rates of suspension and disciplinary actions that can lead to the juvenile justice system.

She advocates for empowering students through education in legal literacy, civics, and financial skills, noting that access to such knowledge and opportunities is often limited. Programs and curricula she develops aim to bridge these gaps and provide students with tools for legal and financial empowerment.

Ultimately, the need for competent, passionate lawyers in criminal defense is critical. The goal is not necessarily to achieve acquittals for all clients, but to ensure the state proves its case and to minimize negative impacts on individuals’ records and communities. Creative solutions, rehabilitation, and strategic partnerships are encouraged to address root causes of crime and support long-term positive outcomes.

We talk with two of the educators, Amanda Piovezani and Elaine Berges. Tracy Najera, a previous podcast guest and Rotarian, joined us.

Amanda and Elaine observed that while multilingualism is common in Europe due to proximity to various countries, it is less prevalent in the United States. They were impressed by several aspects of American education, particularly in career schools where hands-on learning and partnerships with community organizations and companies are emphasized.

One standout observation was the prevalence and integration of the arts in American schools. Amanda admired how art is used to cultivate critical thinking and emotional intelligence, especially among younger students. Both Amanda and Elaine discussed how engaging in art allows students to think creatively and empathetically, fostering essential soft skills such as teamwork and communication.

In both countries, there are legal requirements to provide support for students with special needs. In Brazil, an assistant is assigned to any student with a diagnosed disorder, particularly in public schools, to ensure personalized support. The Brazilian visitors were struck by the smaller class sizes in American public schools compared to Brazil, particularly at the elementary level.

Both countries face challenges with student distractions, particularly regarding cell phone use. Recent legislation in Brazil has prohibited cell phones in primary and high schools, with exceptions for health-related needs. This change was credited with improving students’ social and motor skills, as they engaged more in physical activities and social interactions during breaks.

While it is common in Ohio for schools to have uniformed police officers present, this is not the practice in Brazil. There, police may patrol school neighborhoods but do not typically enter schools unless there is an emergency. The Brazilian educators expressed surprise at the American practice of arming teachers and the prevalence of discussions around gun violence in schools.

The educators discussed how American schools are funded primarily through property taxes, a system that often results in wealthier areas having more resources. In contrast, Brazilian elementary and high schools are funded by municipal governments, while colleges are supported by state or federal funding. Public education in Brazil, including universities, is entirely free.

Research has shown that simply increasing patrols or random police presence does not effectively deter crime in the long term. While deploying military personnel with visible weapons might have some immediate effect, it fails to address the root causes of criminal activity.

While some police departments have units dedicated to crime analysis and proactive strategies, most resources are devoted to reactive policing. Problem-solving policing targets the root causes of crime and focuses on small groups or specific neighborhoods responsible for a disproportionate share of criminal activity.

Professor Dugan cites research indicating that providing healthcare, family planning, education, and providing support to low-income pregnant women reduces criminality in the long term. She advocates for meeting the basic needs of vulnerable populations, emphasizing that social services offer alternatives to criminal behavior and provide necessary safety nets. These approaches, however, are often viewed with skepticism by certain political groups, despite their past bipartisan support.

Has President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard had any measurable effect on crime reduction? Professor Dugan is skeptical, noting that crime rates have been declining nationally, echoing patterns seen in the 1990s, and cautions against attributing recent declines to the deployment of the National Guard. She acknowledges that visible law enforcement may be useful for specific events like Mardi Gras but warns that deploying military personnel in communities with existing tensions can exacerbate problems. She underscores the importance of strategic use of resources and building relationships between law enforcement and communities.

Listen to the conversation.

Today, we talk with Catherine Turcer, executive director, and Mia Lewis, associate director, of Common Cause Ohio about dark money and its role in politics.

Dark money refers to undisclosed or secret financial contributions, often routed through various nonprofits to obscure the funding source. With the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, corporations and nonprofits were permitted to make campaign contributions under the rationale they were exercising their First Amendment rights. The result is that more money is now poured into campaigns.

Though the Supreme Court recognized the public benefit of disclosure, both federal and state governments have been slow to implement effective transparency measures. The lack of disclosure allows unethical practices to thrive in secrecy, emphasizing the need to identify and reveal the true sources of campaign funds.

Political action committees, also known as PACs, are required to file with governmental agencies like the Secretary of State or the Federal Election Commission and provide official records of their activities. In contrast, other nonprofits can be formed for short-term political advocacy and not register.

Effective disclosure laws can reduce the amount of money in politics and ensure that political advertisements and campaigns are held to higher standards. Corporate donors, for example, might avoid contributing to contentious issues if their support is made public, which can influence the tone and integrity of political messaging. Disclosure empowers voters by revealing who is attempting to sway elections and why, fostering informed decision-making.

Professional journalists adhere to a clear ethical code: never knowingly publish false information. This principle is at the core of responsible journalism and shapes the profession’s commitment to truth. Intellectual honesty and a commitment to factual reporting are key.

We talk with Marty Schladen, a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal, about the challenges the press faces.

With the reduction of local news outlets and mainstream newspapers, a void has emerged, filled by individuals who lack professional training and oversight. This “fog machine” of misinformation makes it challenging for the public to distinguish reliable news from opinion or falsehoods.

In today’s media landscape, anyone can reach a large audience, making it difficult to discern professional journalists from amateurs. The lack of a regulatory body means that the honor system and personal credibility are vital for maintaining standards in reporting. Journalists must rely on their reputation and adherence to ethical guidelines to build trust with the public.

The Trump administration seeks to suppress or delegitimize the press, such as restricting access and publicly shaming specific journalists and outlets. Personal attacks and refusal to answer questions have created barriers to information, both at the national and state levels.

Reporters regularly face personal attacks and efforts to undermine their credibility. Despite these challenges, maintaining professionalism and composure is key, so that journalists can keep politicians and businesses accountable.

Efforts to restrict journalists’ access to government information, such as requiring loyalty pledges or excluding major news organizations, are particularly concerning. These actions undermine the press's role as a public watchdog and threaten the decentralized power structure that is fundamental to American democracy.

Most recently, Republican state reps. Gary Click and Mike Dovilla introduced Ohio House Bill 486, also known as the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act, which promotes teaching in public schools the positive impact Christianity has had in America.

“What it does is it removes the invisible shackles that often hinder a full transparency in the teaching of American history,” Click said during his sponsor testimony. “We are not inviting instructors to teach doctrine or to proselytize … we’re simply affirming what is already in the law that exists.”

Well, maybe, but it's if not as if these legislators are advocating to educate students about the positive impact of all religions or the negative impact of all religions. They'll deny it, but these legislators are promoting Christianity, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.

The problem is that legislators are pushing to promote only the positive aspects of Christianity, which means their message is not neutral, and if the message is not neutral, it means the message is promoting a certain religion, and that’s not permitted by the First Amendment.

The bill lists some 20 items that teachers should feel free to teach in their classrooms—all positive, nothing negative such as, how the Bible was used to justify slavery or indigenous children were taken from their families and raised in group homes where they were forced to adopt Christianity.

The first is Trump’s effort to stifle dissent, something we haven’t seen before with other presidents. The Associated Press has been denied access to the White House because the AP prefers the name “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”

To get access to the Pentagon, journalists have been told they must sign a pledge that limits their access to information. Even Fox refused to sign.

Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, has been threatened with court martial for stating publicly that service members are not obligated to obey unlawful orders.

Trump has usurped Congress’ right to tax by setting tariffs on just about everything. If you don’t think tariffs are taxes, ask yourself who pays tariffs in the end. Consumers do. All the while, Congress stays quiet; our senators and representatives are more concerned about keeping office then speaking out against Trump and getting primaried.

Same thing for Trump directing the military to sink boats that supposedly running drugs in the Caribbean. What’s going on certainly looks like an act of war that only Congress can declare but, once again, Congress sits by and says nothing.

Trump has turned the Department of Justice into his own personal law firm, something no former president ever did.

And then there’s the matter of misinformation and disinformation that comes from the White House, and Trump always changing the narrative to suit his needs. 

Trump has created a national police force of sorts—ICE agents—that conducts raids and wear masks and rounds up people without explanation simply because of skin color and accent.

And there’s more that is equally frightening. Listen to the conversation.

This isn’t a new concept. Historically, it was used for urgent matters like death penalty appeals, but its use has expanded significantly in recent years. The shadow docket now addresses a variety of urgent issues, many of which have been triggered by unprecedented actions taken by President Donald Trump.

The shadow docket allows the court to issue stays or injunctions, often altering the course of ongoing cases, but with little to no explanation, meaning lower courts are left with little guidance and struggle to interpret the decisions.

Critics argue that the shadow docket lacks transparency, as decisions made through the shadow docket can have lasting effects without the usual scrutiny of full court hearings. This raises questions about accountability and fairness in the legal system.

The Supreme Court has also been moving steadily to the right on a variety of issues and seems to a proponent of the “unitary executive theory” that gives the president broad authority over the executive branch in a way never before exercised.

Listen to our conversation with Mark Brown, professor of constitutional law at Capital Law School, who ends our conversation by predicting how the court will rule on four upcoming cases.

Let’s begin with Cracker Barrell updating its logo. The C suite execs thought it would be a good idea to ditch the old guy who’s leaning on a barrel. You would have thought Cracker Barrell was promoting sorcery. People were in arms. No surprise that President Trump weighed in. It’s just a logo. Who cares?

How about Sydney Sweeney, lying on the floor in a somewhat provocative pose, zipping up her American Eagle jeans and telling us that it’s our genes that give us our physical characteristics and then telling us her jeans (genes?) are blue. A cute play on words? Absolutely not! This is a reference to eugenics for which much criticism and bitterness are warranted!

Bad Bunny will be doing the halftime show at the Super Bowl. You would have thought from some of the criticism that the NFL had invited Beelzebub himself to dance on stage. It’s just a 20 minute show. Everybody, relax! Apparently, the NFL wants to draw a younger crowd. Maybe next time the NFL will sign up a Lawrence Welk tribute band.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth doesn’t think our military has sufficient warrior “ethos.” How do you fix that? Simple, you change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—all at the cost of millions of dollars. That ought to do it! Why didn’t somebody think of this earlier?!  By the way, who says our military doesn’t have a sufficient warrior ethos?

The population of Dearborn, Michigan, is 39 percent Arab, and so the police and mayor—the mayor is of Arab descent and supported President Trump—thought it a good idea to include a brief Arab script on the shoulder patches police wear. You know what that means? Sharia Law is overtaking Dearborn. Just ask right wing and extremely vocal influencer Laura Loomer.

Sometimes, it’s just better to be silent. None of this stuff matters, except to the conflict entrepreneurs who thrive on outrage.

Terence Lester was born into a two-parent household, but his parents later separated. In search of safety and stability, his mother moved Terrence and his sister from place to place. Carrying the weight of that early trauma, Terence turned to gangs, became a juvenile delinquent, experienced homelessness, and at one point lived out of his car. He dropped out of high school.

But Terence’s story doesn't end there. He eventually returned to school, graduated from college, and defied the odds by earning five degrees, including a Ph.D in public policy.

In “From Dropout to Doctorate,” Terence unveils the realities of educational injustice and the profound impact of unjust policies and systems on Black communities. He shows how poverty disrupts the lives of Black families, leading to homelessness and perpetuating the school-to-prison narrative.

Drawing from his own personal narrative and scholarly research, Terence names the complex challenges faced by Black children in under resourced and socially dense environments. As a public scholar and nonprofit leader, he advocates for equitable access to advanced education and addresses the systemic barriers that limit opportunities for Black people.

Terence’s advocacy encourages us to envision a world rooted in justice and inclusivity. Offering remedies of community involvement and mentorship, Terence charts a hopeful pathway that cultivates potential and provides opportunities for Black youth to thrive.

In his podcast, Imagine Dignity, Terence focuses on homelessness and interviews people who live on the streets. His goal is to spread kindness, inspire empathy and help to create a world where no one is invisible.

Jack and Gonzo talk with Terence his personal experiences and his call on educators, nonprofit leaders, and community influencers to confront educational inequity and inspire systemic change. Listen to the conversation.

And the man best known for creating the Sandy Hook conspiracy is conflict entrepreneur and InfoWars star, Alex Jones, who called the massacre a “fake” and a “hoax.”

Josh Koskoff, the lawyer for the families of the Sandy Hook victims, who obtained a $73 million settlement, also brought a successful legal action against Jones, who profited from the false narrative he created. Jones is a skilled communicator who knows how to communicate to a certain core of people who see him as the sole truth teller and everyone else as part of the deep state.

Jones isn’t short on charisma, and he isn’t short on showmanship.

The InfoWars stage is flashy and has a high tech look. If you didn’t know better, you would think you were looking at a legitimate major news broadcast system.

Trial testimony showed that Jones relied on a business model that was based on building a belief system with his audience so that he could sell a variety of products—male enhancements, t-shirts and more. He’s a master at seducing people with his talk so that he can get them to buy his wares. Jones couldn’t stop talking about Sandy Hook because of the amount of traffic it drove to his store.

Not surprising, Jones monetized the trial. After every day in court, Jones would be on InfoWars, making belittling comments about the court. Of course, those comments would be used in court against Jones the following day.

Jones created harm beyond his lies. It wasn’t unusual for his listeners to accost the families of the victims in public and accuse them of pretending to have lost a child.

In part 1 of our conversation with Josh, we talk about the lawsuit. In part 2, we talk with Josh about the lawsuit he brought against Alex Jones of Info Wars, who said the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax.

The massacre occurred on December 14, 2012. Before driving to the school, Adam Lanza, the gunman, fatally shot his mother. He killed himself after killing the 26 students and staff members. The incident is the deadliest mass shooting in Connecticut history and the deadliest at an elementary school in U.S. history.

In December 2014, nine families filed suit in Connecticut against Bushmaster, Remington Arms, Camfour, a distributor of firearms, and the store where Lanza's rifle was purchased. The case was brought as an exemption under the 2005 Federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which generally prohibits lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

The families claimed that the AR-15 was suitable only for military and police use and that Remington inappropriately marketed it to civilians. Filing the complaint in Connecticut was the beginning of a seven-year saga. Remington tried to move the case to federal court and to have the case dismissed. There was much legal maneuvering. Eventually, Remington persuaded the trial court to dismiss the case.

The families appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court. The court decided in a 4–3 vote to reverse parts of the trial court's rulings and sent the case back to the trial court for additional hearings. Remington asked the Supreme Court of the United States to review the decision, but the Supreme Court declined.  

In July 2021, Remington again asked the trial judge to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge denied Remington’s request. The next day, Remington offered $33 million to be shared by the nine families. In early 2022, Remington agreed to settle for $73 million.

No doubt, adequate funding is important, but other factors are equally important, such as whether a child’s basic needs in order to thrive and succeed in the classroom are met. Many children are part of families that live in a van or perhaps in abandoned buildings. Not all children have what many take for granted, like electricity, running water or heat. Some may not eat regularly and aren’t clothed properly.

And then there’s the matter of social capital, that is, those community connections a family has. Steubenville provides a good example. Based on an audit of the Ohio Department of Education conducted by the state auditor, published in 2021, Steubenville ranks in the top 10 percent of all Ohio school districts in terms of performance. And it does so spending far less money per student than Upper Arlington.

The reason Steubenville is able to spend less money on education and still achieve high performance scores is strong community fabric. When you have social capital and those close connections that exist when adults take an interest in the life of students and teachers, students perform well.

One rural district has a practice of ensuring that all new teachers ride on the school bus to get a sense for how their students live. Think about what that level of understanding does for a teacher.

Listen to our conversation with Tracy Nájera, Ph.D., and Howard Fleeter, Ph.D.

Tracy has committed her professional career to improving the lives of children and their families, especially those most vulnerable in society. Her experience spans research, program management and implementation and public policy. For most of her career, Tracy has worked in education policy, tackling issues such as school funding, professional learning and human capital in education.

Howard has worked extensively for more than 25 years with Ohio education policy-makers to improve the state's school funding system and is the owner of the state and local government finance and tax policy consulting firm Howard Fleeter & Associates. He serves as a research consultant on education finance and policy issues for the Ohio Education Policy Institute.

How do the wrongly convicted win their freedom? It’s a long and arduous process that begins with a committed attorney and, often, those attorneys are assisted by the nationwide organization, the Innocence Project.

One of those committed attorneys is our guest Charlie Weiss, a long time civil law lawyer in St. Louis, who later in his career was drawn to this work. Often the wrongfully convicted have been in prison for 20 years or more, and their families have exhausted all of resources to help with the person’s defense, and they’re all exhausted from the stress and frustration.

It takes great resources to handle these cases, and it helps if you’re part of a large firm that can commit manpower and has the assets needed to hire experts, conduct DNA testing, etc. And it takes years to cross the finish line. Perseverance is the order of the day.

The process is challenging for two reasons. The first is the judicial system’s reluctance to reevaluate a case. It's as if the system is saying, “We've tried this case. We’re done. We must have gotten it right.” Finality matters, and, besides, what trial judge wants to admit that an error was made in his court? Which is to say, it’s often an appellate court that orders a trial court take a second look at a case.

And there’s the matter of politics. Prosecuting attorneys get elected based on the convictions they win. Assisting someone getting released from prison doesn’t result in votes. The Missouri Attorney General's office has a policy that it will oppose every habeas corpus case brought—post trial proceedings to seek to overturn a conviction—regardless of how good the evidence is. “They just automatically oppose it,” Charlie told us.

Listen to our conversation with Charlie.

The concept of the "First 100 Days" refers to the early period of a U.S. president’s new term, typically seen as a symbolic window to set the tone, push key policies and demonstrate leadership. It represents a kind of political version of a first impression.

In the United States, no one talked that much about the importance of a president’s first 100 days—until Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933. He took swift action to calm the nation’s crippling financial panic (cue the Emergency Banking Act and the “fireside chats” that became Roosevelt’s signature) and began rolling out the programs that made up his New Deal, including 15 major pieces of legislation in the first 100 days. FDR’s extraordinary productivity translated into enormous popularity, and he set a first 100-day standard against which all future U.S. presidents would (perhaps unfairly) be measured.

We talk with Chuck Cordak, an ardent MAGA supporter, about why he thinks Trump's first 100 days have been successul, and, of course, we offer our view. Spoiler alert: Chuck is positively impressed; we're not.

What seems to matter to MAGA followers, like Chuck, is the volume of activity that surrounds the Trump administration. The question is, what does all that activity do for the good of the country?

Chuck is a father of six, five who serve in the military. He has been deeply involved with Ohio, Illinois GOP politics for over 40 years. A former ROTC Midshipman at Ohio State University, Chuck is a native Ohioan and says he was raised as a Truman Kenndy Democrat with conservative Catholic education and traditional values. He has worked all over the Midwest, as well as the Northeast. Chuck resides in Columbus and is currently working on releasing a thought buster book. Chuck is also a segment contributor for Sirius XM and TNT Radio and writes for AFNN.us.

So what does it take for a MAGA faithful to offer any criticism of Trump? Listen and find out.

Are we just locking up people without adequate attention being paid to things like education, drug treatment, mental health treatment and cognitive therapy? Our guest, Gary Mohr, former Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, wanted to know, and so he called on the late Edward Latessa, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Criminal Justice to find out.

Latessa spent three years visiting every prison in Ohio, collecting data and examining every program prisons offered to inmates. He concluded that an inmate’s pursuit of a GED, drug treatment and other self-help programs resulted in a statistically significant difference in terms of violence and recidivism.

After Latessa completed his research, the Ohio legislature delved into revising the criminal code and created a panel of 23 individuals, consisting of legislators, defense attorneys, prosecutors and corrections staff. After a year and a half, several recommendations were made, all of which were endorsed by a legislative committee, and then—nothing. No legislation was introduced.   

If Ohio’s prison population has increased from 8,400 to 51,000, while the general population has remained fairly stable, that means, Mohr explains, there’s either a staggering increase in crime, or we're not doing what we need to do to reduce criminality and the amount of time people spend in prison, or some combination.

Crime didn’t increase significantly during Mohr’s tenure, but the criminal code increased, and sentencing changed. Now we have more mandatory sentencing, which is a disincentive for inmates to engage in those programs that Latessa proved were beneficial in reducing the prison population.

Add to this that politically it’s popular to be tough on crime. Sentencing offenders to long jail time is more popular than pushing for rehabilitation. Listen to the conversation.

There's been a longstanding problem in rural Ohio suffering from inadequate healthcare. Some counties have just a handful of doctors. Some counties don’t have a single doctor or hospital. What if you live in, say, Vinton County, and you need an oncologist? Well, like they say in the mob, “Fuggetaboutit.” You’re pregnant and need prenatal care? Same thing.

Who picks up the slack in these counties? EMT crews, but their services are only a stopgap.

The absence of medical care for these communities means the people in these areas are not as healthy as those who live in metropolitan areas, and they have shorter life spans.

To get more medical professionals in rural Ohio, we need a concerted recruiting program. And that means recruiting from the counties that are underserved, because the people who would want to practice in those counties will most likely come from those counties and not from the large metropolitan areas.

And here’s the challenge. If kids in those counties don’t see doctors and don’t see their friends becoming doctors, they’ll never even think about becoming doctors.

And for those few who might aspire to practice medicine, they likely don’t have the same life experience or education as others and, thus, face barriers when tested and suffer from the negative stereotype many have about rural Americans.

As Dr. Graber points out, if we want to start getting students in rural Ohio interested in and practicing medicine, we have to start thinking about how we find these young people. Focusing on test scores alone won’t get us where we need to be. We need targeted recruiting, and that’s DEI.

As a community leader, Bhuwan has worked with the Reynoldsburg Police Department and residents ever since he moved to the city. He believes education is the most important tool to bridge the gap and build trust between those in public safety and the community. Since 2015, Bhuwan has been a manager of interpretive services for Primary One Health, which operates 10 clinics in Central Ohio, and he also serves on the Board of the new Reynoldsburg YMCA. He has also served as President of the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO). For Ward 3 residents and all of Reynoldsburg, Bhuwan’s plans include: helping keep Reynoldsburg residents safer by fixing sidewalks, roads and infrastructure and improving lighting, increasing the number of code enforcement officers in the City, boosting communications and transparency between City Council and citizens by using modern technologies, and making City government work better for the people of Reynoldsburg by holding regular town hall forums with constituents.

Bhuwan, who has a Bachelor of Science degree from North Bengal University in India, and the City of Reynoldsburg made history in November 2019 when he became the first Bhutanese American to be elected to public office in the United States.

After he and 120,000 fellow Bhutanese-Nepali’s were forcibly pushed out of Bhutan and their civil, human and political rights stripped away, Bhuwan says he will “always be grateful to this nation for giving me a second chance to live my life and enjoy these freedoms in the greatest country in the world.” Bhuwan deeply values his American citizenship and its inalienable protected rights, and he now works to “pay it forward” and create new opportunities for the people of Reynoldsburg.

Joining us in this discussion is our friend and fellow lawyer, Jim Meaney.

The targeted firms are guilty of simply representing causes Trump can’t stand and represent some of the largest businesses in America, many of which do business with the federal government. These firms are given a choice: either do legal work for free—for groups that Trump likes—or be barred from entering federal buildings and lose their security clearances, while the government terminates its contract with their clients.

What’s the misconduct?  Trump accuses the Paul Weiss firm of engaging in “harmful activity,” Perkins Cioe firm of “dangerous and dishonest activity,” and Susman Godfrey of working to “degrade the quality of American elections.”

What did Paul Weiss do? A partner in the firm brought suit against the individuals who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Perkins Coie represented the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, and Susman Godfrey represented Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation case against Fox Corp.  

What’s going on here is part of a much bigger plan—a unified attack on everything Trump hates. He is attacking universities and free thought. He is attacking the judiciary by approving the idea of impeaching judges who have ruled against his immigration policies. He’s dismantling multiple federal agencies.

At last count, nine firms have capitulated and struck deals with Trump. Four have filed suit in federal court and attacked his executive orders and have been successful in the early stages of litigation. In street parlance, we have nine “cavers” and four “fighters.”

The issue is, don't law firms have an obligation to see beyond themselves, to see beyond their own interest, and to see beyond their clients’ interests when the system itself is at risk? Nine firms have said no. Four have said yes.

Danielle Sidner, CEO of Rise Together Innovation Institute, explains that RISE is on a mission to harness the collective power of people and systems to overcome structural racism in Franklin County that contribute to poverty. RISE was created by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and business and community stakeholders and seeks to achieve equity for everyone.

Danielle talks with us about the challenges low-income residents face, but let’s look at just one issue here: medical debt. Low-income residents are ham-strung by medical debt they can’t afford to pay, and for fear of incurring more, they don’t see a doctor when they need to, which means they end up having worse health outcomes. And, of course, not seeing a doctor can mean an illness, which means time away from work and the loss of employment.

During the pandemic, we saw many organizations coming together and looking at innovative ways to relieve some of this debt. Locally, the Ohio Hospital Association in collaboration with the City of Columbus and some others, helped pay the medical debt of low-income residents and then forgave the debt.

Based on a study by Kaiser Permanente, once individuals are relieved of that debt, they go back to the doctor and then live healthier lives. They can contribute to society in the way that we all desire. But the process of medical forgiveness is largely a function of nonprofits, and while it works well for a limited number of people, it’s not a solution that remedies problems with our healthcare system

Want to learn more about RISE? Visit its website at https://www.rtiico.org/

Those orders range from tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada, to pauses on foreign aid and crackdowns on illegal immigration to bans on transgender people serving in the military and the use of federal funds for gender-affirming medical care for minors.

Court challenges to Trump’s policies started on Inauguration Day and have continued at a furious pace since Jan. 20. The administration is facing some 70 lawsuits nationwide challenging his executive orders and moves to downsize the federal government.

The Republican-controlled Congress is putting up little resistance, so the court system is ground zero for pushback. Judges have issued more than a dozen orders at least temporarily blocking aspects of Trump’s agenda, ranging from an executive order to end U.S. citizenship extended automatically to people born in this country to giving Musk’s team access to sensitive federal data.

Executive Actions: 108, Executive Orders: 73, Proclamations: 23, Memorandums: 12

Mark Brown, Constitutional Law expert and professor at Capital University Law School talks with us about the constitutionality of executive orders. Mark holds Capital's Newton D. Baker/Baker & Hostetler Chair. He joined the faculty in 2003 after having taught at Stetson University, the University of Illinois and The Ohio State University.

Mark has authored and co-authored works in various books and academic journals, including the Boston College Law Review, the Cornell Law Review, the Hastings Law Journal, the Iowa Law Review, the University of Illinois Law Review, the Ohio State Law Journal, the American University Law Review, and the Oregon Law Review, as well as others. Prior to academia, Mark clerked for the Honorable Harry Wellford, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He also served as a Supreme Court Fellow under the Chief Justice of the United States during the 1993 October Term.

Mark's research interests include Constitutional Law and Constitutional Litigation, courses he also teaches. He has also taught Civil Procedure, Administrative Law, Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure. His public interest litigation presently focuses on public access to the political process.

Sure, pastors are citizens, too. And so in other venues, such as op-eds, blogs, books, and other places of influence, a pastor may speak his mind. Even so, he must jealously guard that influence and always speak winsomely. As a gospel minister, he shouldn’t make politics more important than his pastoral duties. 

The tax code prevents religious institutions from serving as political machines, a concept in keeping with the separation of church and state our founding fathers envisioned. Pastors cannot make declarations to favor or oppose any candidate from the pulpit. They cannot take money from the collection plate and give it to support a candidate. And if they want to participate in any partisan activity in their personal capacity, they must make sure it is done in a manner indicating it is separate from their religious institution.

The Rev. Dr. Timothy C. Ahrens began his ministry as Senior Minister of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in downtown Columbus on January 23, 2000. A church known for its witness to social justice since its birth as an abolitionist congregation in 1852, Rev. Ahrens is the fifth consecutive senior minister from Yale Divinity School and is a lifelong member of the United Church of Christ. 

Rev. Ahrens is a 1980 graduate of Macalester College with a double major in Religious Studies and Political Science. Since January 2000, under his leadership, First Church has doubled in membership during an era when seven downtown churches have closed their doors. Rev. Ahrens earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in May 2015. His thesis was entitled: “Young and Growing Stronger: Creating a Model of 21st Century Prophetic Witness Leaders with a New Generation.” He is currently working on two books.

If a convicted person is able to come upon new evidence that wasn’t available during the trial, no matter how significant the evidence may be, the process of getting a new trial is slow and doubtful. There’s no guarantee a new trial will be granted.

The first step is for the trial court judge to just agree to a hearing on whether a new trial is warranted. And judges have the discretion to deny that hearing. Shouldn’t it be mandatory that a hearing on new evidence be granted?

Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly has been an advocate for improving the system. He questions why prosecutors oppose a mandatory hearing. “They should welcome legislation like this because if the claim doesn't have any merit, they can demonstrate that at the hearing. So it's not something that should be feared.”

Justice Donnelly also advocates a more transparent approach to plea agreements. Generally, these discussions are held with the attorneys and the judge in the judge’s chambers. No record is made, and the judge is not bound by anything agreed to by the attorneys. So, while the attorneys may think they reached an agreement on sentencing and that the judge is onboard with their agreement, the judge can award something completely different at the sentencing hearing.

Perhaps worse is the disparity that exists in sentencing. “With the same lawyers and the same facts, you can conduct a sentencing hearing and walk out with an outcome of probation,” Justice Donnelly explains. “You could take those same lawyers and walk 15 feet across the hall in front of another judge, do it again, and have an outcome of 30, 40, 50 years in prison. And that's just a fact.”

“It was an insult to demand that I restrict my comments to not include equity and inclusion, I can’t separate diversity from the memory of Dr. King,”

Kevin Boyce believes that the opposite of poverty is justice. With funding provided by Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the City of Columbus, the Rise Together Innovation Institute is on a mission to harness the collective power of people and systems to disrupt structural racism and issues of poverty.  

Kevin’s father was killed when he was just 7 years old. He credits his mother and grandmother for inspiring his success – and thanks teachers, coaches and his grandmother for convincing a judge to give him a stern warning, not time in juvenile detention, after a street fight landed him in court. He was 16. The brawl began with Kevin defending a bullied friend but ended with a charge of aggravated rioting. His unblemished record, accolades from teachers and coaches and a heart-felt letter from grandmother, resulted in a second chance.

Today, Kevin's oldest son attends Brown University on a scholarship. “When I think that I grew up in a house that didn’t always have electricity or running water, and now I have a son attending an Ivy League school, I hope I can use my abilities to help other kids get the opportunities they need to succeed,’’ he said.

Kevin became the first in his family to earn a college degree – a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toledo. It’s there he met political science professor Jack Ford, who would later serve as minority leader of the Ohio House of Representatives. Seeing Kevin’s affinity for public policy and passion to improve his community, Ford talked Kevin into coming to Columbus with him. He eventually rose to become Ford’s chief of staff. 

In 1980, the income of one percent of Americans was 23 times that of the other 90%. In 2022, the income of the top one percent was 69 times the income of the bottom 90%. In 1965, CEO compensation at the 350 largest publicly traded firms was 21 times the typical worker's compensation. In 2023, CEO compensation was 290 times a typical worker’s compensation.

Some of the big differences between then and now was a much higher tax rate and more economic regulation. And then, things changed. Big business argued it was being hamstrung by regulations and persuaded Congress to loosen those regulations. Plus, we saw the birth of the trickledown theory, which benefitted the wealthy and did nothing for those of low income. The rich got richer, and the poor got left behind.

Contributing to wealth inequality is the legacy left by discrimination. Low-income neighborhoods, largely populated by minorities, were redlined by banks, making it impossible to buy homes and accumulate wealth. Though redlining was  declared unlawful in the 1960s, its vestiges remain. The neighborhoods that were subjected to redlining are often the same neighborhoods that remain impoverished today.

Politicians don’t help. They’re influenced by those who can write checks, a luxury well beyond those at the bottom of the economic ladder.

Adding to the problem: low-income workers are often maligned as either lazy or living off the government dole, when, in reality, many are disadvantaged because of their zip code; they live in neighborhoods that lack resources, opportunities, safety and other benefits most of take for granted.

Listen to our conversation with Bill LaFayette.

As we moved into the mid-20th century, the wealthy wanted to hide their wealth—as if they were like everyone else. When Fortune magazine first published its list of the wealthiest Americans in the 1970s, the people listed weren’t happy about it. They wanted that information kept private.

Things are different now. Society, it seems, is on a new wave of revering people of great wealth, and wealth is seen as an indicator of wisdom and intellect, and men like Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy act as if they know everything, even when it comes to running the federal government.

But the difference between running a business and running the government is huge. With a business, there is one goal: profitability. With government comes the obligation of doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people. It's rare to see a business person who can make that kind of transition.

Men like Musk and tech moguls Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen exhibit a libertarian ideology. They seem to think they don’t owe anything to anybody, never mind how they may have made their money or who helped them get their start. And they don’t want to be hampered in any way in how they do business, and so they resent government interference.

These titans of business are poised to exert their influence in ways we haven’t seen before. Just take a look at who was seated closest to President Trump during his second inauguration.

Listen to our conversation with Steve Conn, professor of history at Miami University.

We talk with Flannery Rokey-Jackson of Community Refugee & Immigration Services here in Columbus, Ohio, about two classes of immigrants. Because of the crisis in Haiti, the Haitians were granted temporary protection status by the U.S. government. Other immigrants have fled their homes because of race, religion, nationality, membership in certain social groups, or political opinion, and have met the criteria set by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to merit refugee status.

Whether we’re talking about temporary protected status or refugees, these are people who want to integrate into society, educate their children and become productive citizens.

Here’s a snippet of the conversation with Flannery:

“So first, your first question about criminality, I've personally never experienced. Helping a family resettle here and then seeing them turn to any kind of crime, especially with refugees who … are required to apply for their green card after one year in the United States, and if they are commit any kind of crime, even a misdemeanor, that could jeopardize that ability to get their green card.

“So, I have worked with families who won't even jaywalk across the street with me because they don't want to break the law. They're also so excited to start their new lives, and to join the workforce, get jobs, go to school, and become contributing members of society.

“And of course, we see refugees using benefits more earlier on in their resettlement and then once they're, you know, 10 years after resettlement, they are paying back into the system quite significantly.”

We talk with retired police officer Bob Meader, who served as a commander at the Columbus Police Academy, about the challenges that come with police work.

As Bob puts it, how many skills do you need to have to play a certain sport versus how many skills a law enforcement officer must have? Officers are tasked with dealing with myriad situations, ranging from intervening in an emotional domestic dispute to stopping an armed robbery in a convenience store.

And then there’s the matter of stress… “You have the epinephrine dump, the heart becomes quicker, the breathing becomes more shallow, the pupils become constricted, and what goes is your finite motor skills, which you need to hit that target 50 feet away.” That’s a different situation than just shooting at paper targets.”

Bob calls police work “the hardest job in America, and everything officers are doing today is recorded, and then guys like you and me get to sit in a temperature controlled office and hit rewind.”

Complexities of the job aside, there are shootings where you scratch your head and say, “What in the world was that cop thinking? I didn’t see anything close to a threat.” Sure, officers face prosecutions for bad shootings and incarceration, but still we’re left with someone dead who shouldn’t be dead. And these are the stories that make the news.

Do we judge police shootings fairly? Do we expect too much? Do we give officers more deference than we should. Listen to the conversation.

If the casinos in Vegas took bets on how SCOTUS were to decide a case, the odds makers probably wouldn't give long odds, because you pretty much know how the justices will rule by their political affiliation. Oh, sure, the justices are supposed to look at each case objectively, but we’re all subject to subliminal inclinations and beliefs that guide us. Even the justices.

Jack and Gonzo take a look at two cases to explain.

The first concerns Marcellus Williams, a black man of humble means, who was convicted of murder. His attorney asked SCOTUS to stay Williams’ execution (legal speak, for temporarily stopping the execution) because of multiple problems with the case. It wasn't a matter of asking the court to overturn Williams’ conviction, just a pause. SCOTUS was asked to intervene so as to avoid the very real possibility that the state of Missouri might execute an innocent man.

Even the prosecuting attorney for the county where Williams was convicted was advocating for a stay, and the family of the person who was murdered stated that Williams should not be executed.

But a majority of justices (all appointed by Republican presidents) couldn't be bothered and didn’t grant the stay. And Williams was executed.

The second case concerns how SCOTUS handled the Trump immunity case. With nothing in the constitution about presidential immunity—literally, not a single word or even an inference about immunity—the court held that presidents have immunity for just about everything they do. Respected constitutional lawyers were stunned.

The court couldn’t be bothered to stay the execution of a black man who grew up in an impoverished and dysfunctional household, but the court went out of its way to protect a man of privilege. The two cases really make you question where the court is.

Founded in 1999 as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, FIRE has worked to advance the cause of free speech and the values of the First Amendment at our nation’s colleges and universities. In 2022, FIRE changed its name to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression to reflect its broader effort to protect and promote these values off campus as well. 

FIRE educates Americans about the importance of free speech and promotes a culture of respect for this right and provides the means to preserve it. FIRE’s mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought—the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE recognizes that colleges and universities play a vital role in preserving free thought within a free society.

To this end, FIRE places a special emphasis on defending the individual rights of students and faculty members on our campuses, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience. In 2023, FIRE’s Policy Reform team won 43 victories at 22 schools affecting more than 215,000 students.

Our guest, Nico Perrino, was Co-Director and Senior Producer of “Mighty Ira” (2020), a feature-length film about the life and career of former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser. He also worked as a consultant on “Can We Take a Joke?” (2015) and "The Coddling of the American Mind" (2024).

Listen to our conversation with Nico and for more information, visit FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (thefire.org).

McCracken’s client, Alvin Ridley, who suffers from autism, was charged with murdering his wife in the late 1990s, only to be found innocent thanks to overlooked, peculiar evidence and the persistent efforts of his lawyer. Decades later, McCracken is retelling the story as a warning about prejudice, a rush to judgment, and how Americans who are different can be swept up unfairly in our justice system.

Listen to our conversation with Morris Pearl, former managing director of the investment firm BlackRock, who serves as the chair of Patriotic Millionaires.

Dr. James explains that achieving equity will require at least three things: (1) respecting all individuals and populations the same, (2) recognizing and rectifying past historical injustices, and (3) taking a targeted or proportionate universal approach; providing the most assistance to the groups experiencing the worst outcomes. A race-neutral approach will not result in achieving equity. This means we must improve the maternal and infant mortality rates for Blacks and other minorities at a faster pace while working to improve those rates for other groups, without slowing down our efforts to achieve the best birth outcomes for everyone. Listen to our conversation with Dr. James.

The result: we spend much time arguing about things that may not be true and trying to convince others how wrong they are. Instead of seeking to learn from the other and figuring out a solution, we focus on suppressing the other person’s point of view. And with this comes resentment, distance, a breakdown in personal and professional relationships and ineffective government.

Richard Rohr said it best: “Those who know, know they don’t know.” Listen to what Jack and Gonzo have to say.

Huckleberry House provides safety for teens in crisis. No matter the issue, teens receive shelter, counseling, compassion and hope. Listen to our conversation with Sonya Thesing, executive director of Huckleberry House. 

Somehow, these people—endowed with resilience and grit—get by and largely because of a county health department that advocates for them. Margaret Demko, the county’s Family & Children First Coordinator and Help Me Grow program manager talks with us about how she identifies needs and then finds ways to provide the means to address those needs. It’s not easy work. Listen to what it takes to provide public health care in a county that has little.

Donna M. Zuiderweg, chief community engagement officer for the Columbus Metropolitan Library, explains the process libraries use to select books and decide where to shelve them and how challenges can be made. She reminds us just how valuable a resource our library system is and how important it is to maintain it.

And then at age 21, it came to an end. A competing drug seller told the police what was needed to send Buddy to prison for 30 years. After thinking about life for the first 20 years, Buddy obtained a GED, studied technical courses, and aligned himself with Kindway, a prison ministry that helps inmates transition to life outside the walls. Released in 2023, Buddy says with joy, “I paid for my sins” and is gainfully employed. Buddy may earn less than he did back in the day, but he’s at peace.   

O’Connor explains why the 2024 proposed amendment will be the most important issue on the ballot for Ohioans, perhaps even more than who becomes president.

Jack and Gonzo discuss the proposed constitutional amendment protecting a woman’s right to have an abortion, and the citizen initiative proposing a statue to legalize recreational marijuana. Why are these issues on the ballot, and what are the pros and cons being advanced by special interest groups? Listen to the conversation

Rachel explains that forgiveness is a refusal to harbor ill will, anger and bitterness. It is an act of will that requires determination and the only way to achieve inner peace.

For Rachel, justice is not a matter of exacting vengeance. Yes, the killers had to be held accountable, but justice for Rachel means trying to bring back the goodness that was lost when Brian’s life was taken, and she does that by helping inner-city children get the attention and love and support that Brian’s killers never had. And so Rachel started the Brian Muha Foundation, based in Columbus, Ohio.

Listen to the conversation between Rachel.

Maybe people don’t want to live in a democracy. They want what they want and don’t care how they get it. Manipulating the system to achieve a goal is an acceptable strategy—do anything necessary to defeat the majority view. The proponents behind Issue 1—those who favor gerrymandering, gun right zealots and the anti-abortion groups—were willing change the rules to get what they want.

Listen to the conversation between Jack and Gonzo.

Never concerned about hypocrisy, the Republican-controlled Ohio statehouse earlier this year banned August special elections because of the expense and low turnout. Now, all of sudden, an August special election is a good idea. Why? Because the proposed amendment will supposedly make it harder for special interest groups to get constitutional amendments passed. But the Ohio constitution was amended in 2015 to take care of that problem.

Now the program is tied to income. Any family earning up to 250% of the federal poverty level ($75,000 for a family of four) is eligible, and there is a proposal to make EdChoice available for families earning up to 450% of the federal poverty level ($130,000 for a family of four), and another that proposes to eliminate any income limits. Is public education at risk? Listen to our conversation with Mark Weiker.

Why do people, mostly politicians it seems, behave this way? Because it works. Regardless of whether false statements are made knowingly or not, too many people rely on a speakers’ veracity and don’t bother to doublecheck what they hear. The result: people get duped. Spreading falsehoods is a divisive business and undermines the nation’s unity. Listen to the conversation between Jack and Gonzo.  

It all comes down to an individual’s moral stance, doesn’t it? And if that’s true, then why should the government get involved?

Listen to our conversation with Mike.

Listen to our conversation with Connie about Partners for Care.

Our guest, Melissa McLaren, has a teenage child, Connor, who was born a boy but has identified as a girl from age 3 or so. Melissa explains the challenges that come when a child identifies with a gender that doesn’t match the child’s sex assigned at birth and the depression and anxiety that arise if a trans child doesn’t feel safe and secure. Without that safety and security, a child won’t thrive and learn.

Melissa puts it well. “I’m really tired of legislative bodies trying to legislate bodies.”     

Ohio lawmakers have also proposed in HB 616 that teachers be prohibited from teaching “divisive or inherently racists concepts.” That sounds like a good idea, except the bill defines divisive or racist topics to include critical race theory and the 1619 Project. But these are theories that expose the dark side of our history and explain the racial divide America faces. Why are lawmakers trying to suppress honesty in education?

Listen to our conversation with Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association.

In addition, our guest, constitutional law professor Mark Brown, tells us the founding fathers didn’t intend future generations to be bound by their intent. It’s for that reason, they never disclosed their notes.

John Glenn is one of the last great American heroes—combat veteran, astronaut, senator, statesman and a gentleman in every respect. Regrettably, the days when he served in the senate—when the paradigm was that country came before political party—are long gone. Political party demands now dominate, a problem exacerbated by Constitutional provisions enacted over 200 years ago to appease the southern states. Listen to our conversation with Dale Butland, who served as Glenn’s chief of staff in the senate. 

Does the Second Amendment provide unbridled gun rights? Can limits be imposed without running afoul of the Second Amendment? Why doesn’t the background check system cover private sales? Why are legislatures putting the obligation of school safety on teachers? Does the ownership of more guns nationwide in and of itself lead to more gun violence?

Listen to what Jack & Gonzo have to say. 

Listen to our conversation with Mark Godsey, a former federal prosecutor and now a law professor and author of “Blind Injustice.” Mark co-founded the Ohio Innocence Project in 2003, which has won the release of 34 men and women, who had been incarcerated for 665 years for crimes they didn't commit.

State legislatures, guided only by partisan politics, control the maps for congressional and state voter maps, meaning representatives pick their voters, instead of voters their picking representatives. States are passing laws to restrict voting access under the false premise that voting security is at risk. When confirming justices for the U.S. Supreme Court, senators are more concerned about a candidate’s political views than qualifications. And now, state legislatures are passing laws restricting what can be taught in schools. Is democracy at risk? Podcast hosts Jack and Gonzo give their assessment.  

We talked with former board president Laura Kohler about how politics are getting involved in education. And it’s not for the better.

libraries, YMCAs and community centers. How do we engage the residents of those communities to consolidate their voices to gain access to more resources, and how we get those in more affluent neighborhoods to be empathetic and get involved? Duane Casares, CEO of Directions for Youth & Families, and Michael Wilkos, Vice President of Community Impact at the United Way of Franklin County, talk about these challenges. Listen to the conversation.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief audience survey for listeners of the podcast, as the show continues to evolve and expand. If you’ve been listening to Lawyer Up for a year, a month, or even just the latest episode, we’d love to hear from you. Head to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey to share your thoughts on the podcast. Thank you.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

We’re running a brief survey for our listeners, and we’d love to hear from you.  Go to lawyerupcolumbus.com/survey and give us your input. It takes just two minutes–literally.

Jen discusses all things voting—voter guides published by the League, how our voting system is protected against fraud, and what Ohio is doing to get ready for the November 2020.    

Jim McNamara has prosecuted civil actions throughout the state of Ohio on behalf of citizens who have suffered from police abuse. Based on the cases he’s handled over the course of 40 years, Jim explains why police abuse exists, the breadth of the problem, and what it takes to effect … Continue reading Police abuse—a few bad apples or a systemic problem? →

Jon Saia’s practice is focused on OVI defense. He’s one of the most knowledgeable attorneys in Ohio on this area of the law. Not only an accomplished attorney, Jon is certified by The National Highway…

For years, DuPont had been dumping in a landfill in Parkersburg, West Va., a man-made chemical commonly known as PFOA, which was recently linked to cancers and other diseases. But DuPont knew as far back as…

If you have 13 children by nine women and fall behind on your child support payments, can a court order you to not have more children? A trial court in Lorain County, Ohio, thought it had the power to issue such an…