With his latest book, WHY BUDDHISM IS TRUE (#4 NYT Best-seller), ROBERT WRIGHT, who’s been asking big questions for at least three decades, asks another: What can mindfulness offer people trying to make sense and justice of contemporary politics, culture, and economics? We talk evolutionary psychology, confronting cognitive delusions, tribalism, and Trump.

www.meaningoflife.tv
www.bloggingheads.tv
www.meaningfulresistance.net

The Republican party’s beliefs and policies – while passionately hailed by millions – are no longer those of the majority of Americans, and so the only way they can dominate government as they do – White House, both houses of Congress, Supreme Court, and the vast majority of state legislatures and governorships – is by gerrymandering legislative districts and making it harder for millions to vote. Trump’s Election Integrity Commission aims to take it to the next level in 2018 and 2020. I talk about this with Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.

http://ari-berman.com

Naomi Klein (No Logo; Shock Doctrine; This Changes Everything) makes it very clear that even successful resistance is not enough. We must seize this moment to pursue nothing less than the world we long for – successfully confronting climate change and inequality while rebuilding our sense of human community. In addition to No, we need to offer a compelling, inviting, and just Yes. She offers the example of The Leap Manifesto, that she helped hatch in Canada, which commits to building a society in which we care for the earth and each other.

www.naomiklein.org

I turn to constitutional scholar ERWIN CHEMERINSKY to talk about legal issues raised by the Trump administration. How far is this Supreme Court going to go in weakening the separation between church and state? Is Trump violating the law by making money – including taxpayer’s money – from his businesses and properties? Who’s going to enforce that law? How bad is it that he belittles and scapegoats the judiciary? Is it too early to think about impeachment? We’ve only got a half hour, but we cover a lot.

https://www.law.berkeley.edu

What will Trump do if there’s a terror attack? MARK DANNER points out that it’s been 16 years since the attacks of 9/11, and thanks to Bush, Cheney, and Obama, “Donald Trump inherited a government on a permanent wartime footing, actively fighting in six countries, using means both public and secret – including drone strikes and attacks by covert special forces – and doing so with the benefit of never-ending war powers granted by Congress.” What could go wrong?

http://www.markdanner.com