Shows
Walter Jacobson's PerspectiveWalter Jacobson’s Perspective 3-20-25: Good luck, Beatriz, in the Scripps Spelling Bee
In my opinion, the easiest and most comfortable news to report is good news. And I’ve just come across some very good news that was in the news last week. You may have heard it. But even if you have, and for sure if you have not, I’m here this morning to report it again. It’s the news about a young woman being declared the winner of Chicago’s annual public school spelling bee and is now on her way to compete in the national and famously difficult Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington DC. She is Beatriz...2025-03-2000 min
Seemingly UnrelatedDid The Scripps National Spelling Bee end the Chinese Exclusion Act? There's been a buzz in the news lately about immigration causing all sorts of issues around the world. This isn't the first time that proposals to ban entire groups have been championed, and that has caused some serious problems in the past. This week on Seemingly Unrelated, find out how Spelling Bees helped bring an end to the disastrous Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and proved that diversity is a strength, not a problem needing to be solved. Anna P. Kambhampaty, “How Indian Americans Came to Love the Spelling Bee,” The New York Times, July 3, 2021, sec. Style, https://w...2025-01-2153 min
Jordan SupercastEpisode 246: She Has “A Way with Words,” Daybreak Student Competes in National Scripps Spelling Bee Championship in Washington, D.C.You could say she has “a way with words.” We’re talking about Sophia Montana, a 6th grade student at Daybreak Elementary School.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Sophia managed to win the Utah Regional Spelling Bee in a tough five-hour competition propelling her to compete in the National Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. How is she preparing to go up against the best in the U.S.? Listen and find out.
Audio Transcription
[Music]
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfre...2024-05-2317 min
Washington Post LiveHow technology is reshaping the way cancer is diagnosed and treatedSenior writer Frances Stead Sellers speaks with director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Renee Wegrzyn and executive vice president of Scripps Research, Eric Topol, about how technology and innovation are reshaping cancer care.
Conversation recorded on November 8, 2023.2023-11-0842 min
Talking TVScripps News Ramps Up Live Newscasts
Kate O’Brian, president
of Scripps News, explains how the bulk of its weekday broadcast hours will go
to live as of May 1 and how the network manages its complex web of
collaborations between its own reporters fanned out across the U.S., Scripps’
local stations, its hubs in Denver and Washington, D.C. and Scripps-owned Court
TV.
2023-04-2821 min
First Pitch07-28-22 Brewers 360: David Stearns - Washington Nationals Wand SodaWe got him! We know the secrets nowSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.2022-07-2804 min
Down to Earth with Terry VirtsEPS 26: Terry V with Craig Whitlock, reporter Washington Post (Global War on Terrorism since 2001)Craig Whitlock is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post, covering the Global War on Terrorism since 2001, and the author of the new best-selling book The Afghanistan Papers. He has won the George Polk award, the Scripps Howard award, the Robert F Kennedy award, as well as other awards for his journalism, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times. https://terryvirts.com/ Twitter: @AstroTerry Instagram: astro_terry2021-09-291h 52
The Ernie Pyle Experiment!Episode 7: Not The Washington Post MarchFinally back on the road, Ernie and Jerry stop into a favorite haunt for the night. However, it is in Ohio. Ohio is home to five newspapers in the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, Ernie’s employer, and whenever he sets foot in Ohio they harass him for stories about their cities. It is all Ernie and Jerry can do to stay incognito until they get out of Ohio. A drink and a room, that’s all they ask!2020-06-1924 minFirst Pitch10-2-19 Greg Matzek on Wisconsin's Morning News recaps Brewers/ Nationals from Washington DCGreg Matzek on Wisconsin's Morning News recaps Brewers/ Nationals from Washington DCSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.2019-10-0205 min
Center for West European Studies & EU Jean Monnet CenterUndergraduate Conference on the European Union at Scripps CollegesSession 1 of the Undergraduate Conference on the European Union at Scripps Colleges. In this section titled Extremism and Populism, Lauren Barnes (Baylor University), Austin Hudgens (University of Washington), and Austin Prather (Pamona College)discussed their research on party politics and populism.
The podcast begins with Lauren Barnes' presentation on, "The Significance of the Trends Shown in The Austrian Party System During the 1990s", which explores party politics in Austria using the Manifesto Project as a means of comparison. Next Austin Hudgens presents his research on, "The Quite Rise of the Far-Left", which analyzed the electoral success of far left parties...2018-04-2340 min
SpectrumWesley Lowery, Journalist for the Washington PostWesley Lowery covers Black Lives Matter, law enforcement and justice for the Washington Post. He has become a national expert on police shootings.
The Washington Post, for the first time in history, is keeping statistics on police shootings in the U.S. As of today, 522 citizens have been shot and killed by police in 2016. Of that group, 128 people were blacks, according to Lowery.
That is about one shooting death per day of a black person by police, Lowery says.
“Blacks make up between 12 and 13 percent of the population yet they account for nearly 25 percent of the de...2016-07-1536 min
DecodeDC147: Learning To Love The F Word: FederalismThis ain't your daddy's federalism. Heather Gerkin of Yale Law School tries to convince Jimmy that even though federalism (or states' rights) was used in the past to keep segregation in place, today it can be used to knock down discriminatory laws.2016-07-0722 min
DecodeDC146: Closet Partisans and the Myth of the Independent VoterPeople really don't like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But will that matter come election time? Probably not. Are voters ditching the parties in droves to declare themselves independents? Not really.Take everything you think you know about this election cycle and throw it out the window, says Alan Abramowitz, a professor of political science at Emory University.On the latest DecodeDC podcast, Abramowitz strikes down some of the conventional wisdom surrounding the 2016 campaign, and instead offers up some conclusions from a model that he’s built to predict election outcomes.2016-06-3022 min
DecodeDC145: Political consultants win even when they loseEvery campaign season has its winners and its losers - but there are some people who win no matter what happens. Political consultants are considered a necessity in today's elections, and about half of all money spent in campaigns is going through consultants, whether their candidate wins or loses. Adam Sheingate, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, explores the world of political consultants in his new book "Building a Business of Politics: The Rise of Political Consulting and the Transformation of American Democracy." And in today's episode, he tells Jimmy that business is booming.2016-06-2331 min
DecodeDC144: #LoveWinsNearly a year after the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land, the main plaintiff in the case, Jim Obergefell, has released a new book called ‘Love Wins.’ On the latest DecodeDC podcast, host Jimmy Williams talks with Obergefell about the book, his relationship and marriage, the legal road to the Supreme Court and other plaintiffs in the case. We should note that this interview took place before the Orlando massacre, where 49 people were killed for being gay or trans, gay allies or in a gay club. But if there’s anything to learn from Jim Obergefell, there’...2016-06-1535 min
DecodeDC143: Make conventions great againBernie Sanders isn't giving up. The Vermont senator is vying for a contested convention in Philadelphia this July, even as Hillary Clinton has reportedly reached the golden number of delegates to win the Democratic nomination.As is par for the course this election cycle, the convention this summer could be full of surprise, drama and who knows what else. In fact, it could mark a return to the very theatrical conventions of decades past, like in 1952, where both the GOP and Democrats had contested conventions -- fights broke out on the floor, and party bosses eventually picked the nominees.We...2016-06-0727 min
DecodeDC142: Pissed off millennials are taking on the DemocratsCan you feel the Bern yet? With the California primary less than a week away, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders continues to battle erstwhile frontrunner Hillary Clinton despite a clear deficit in delegates. The longtime independent has staked his campaign on grassroots support from middle and working class voters, but it's a different electorate that has kept him afloat: snake people--er, millennials.This week on the podcast, host Jimmy Williams and Scripps campaign reporter Miranda Green dig into the growing millennial support for Bernie Sanders on college campuses. Why are these millennials such fervent supporters and what does this mean for...2016-06-0231 min
DecodeDC141: The alter egos of Barack Obama and Hillary ClintonOne grew up the daughter of a Navy petty officer in 1950s suburban Chicago, the other spent formative years in Indonesia before being raised by his grandparents in Hawaii. Their experiences couldn’t have been more different but over the last eight years, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have become the twin pillars of the Democratic Party. Once rivals, then colleagues, it would seem that there’s not much daylight between the President and his former Secretary of State on major foreign policy issues.But there are differences and, as New York Times White House correspondent Mark Landler discovered in repo...2016-05-2636 min
DecodeDC140: What's behind the split in the Democratic Party?Dick Durbin is a four-term senator and the Democratic whip, whose job is to keep the party together. So what does he make of the fact that the GOP has its presidential nominee while the Democrats are still fractured? ”It’s a split that can help us,” he says. This week on the podcast, we speak with the senator about the biggest lesson he’s learned from the 2016 campaign so far.2016-05-1925 min
DecodeDC139: Big Sugar's Secret PlaybookQuick, what do these things have in common: Cocoa Pebbles and Winston cigarettes? One answer might be that Fred Flintstone is their biggest fan. Another might be that they’re highly addictive.And that’s not the only thing they share. When former dentist Cristin Kearns was told at a conference that sugary sweet tea was a healthy choice, she went searching for evidence that the sugar industry was trying to spin the science. What she found was a strategy to push products and influence policymakers borrowed straight from the playbook of Big Tobacco.In this episode, we follow up on a...2016-05-1224 min
DecodeDC138: The Trump EffectAnd then there was one. Following the Indiana primary earlier this week, Ted Cruz made the inevitable but shocking decision to suspended his presidential campaign. Less than 24-hours later, John Kasich followed suit. That makes real estate developer and reality tv star Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee.But the one remaining candidate for the GOP has divided the Republican party in two. This week on the podcast, we ask supporters on both sides what’s next for the GOP? On one side is Matt Lewis, a conservative commentator and senior contributor for The Daily Caller. On the other is So...2016-05-0529 min
DecodeDCBonus: Conversation with Norman MinetaIn 1942, Norman Mineta and his family were forced from their home in San Jose, California and into an internment camp in Wyoming. The Minetas were among tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans subjected to internment in the aftermath of Pearl HarborMineta left the camp in 1945 and went on to become the first non-white mayor of San Jose. Then, as a congressman from California, he sponsored legislation that paved the way for reparations for thousands of Japanese-Americans. And as George W. Bush's Secretary of Transport, he oversaw the FAA's response to 9/11 from a bunker under the White House.DecodeDC host Jimmy Williams...2016-04-2942 min
DecodeDC137: The Supreme Court's Loaded GunMore than 70 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision often regarded as one of the worst in its long history.In Korematsu v. United States, the court validated putting American citizens in internment camps during wartime, based on their race or ethnicity. The decision came in the wake of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, which came after the Pearl Harbor attack and granted the U.S. military the power to ban tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry from areas deemed critical to domestic security.The court has never overturned the Korematsu decision, an...2016-04-2827 min
DecodeDC136: Martina Navratilova stick to tennis? "No chance"She’s made millions of dollars, achieved world-wide fame and yet, former world number one tennis pro Martina Navratilova likes to spend her days tweeting about...politics.The tennis legend is a self-identified liberal, and two major events affected her politics and how she sees the world. At age 18, she defected from the then-Communist country of Czechoslovakia. She’s also an openly gay woman.“I was political when I came out of the womb, I just didn’t know it,” says Navratilova.On the latest DecodeDC podcast, host Jimmy Williams sits down with Navratilova to find out why someone who has enjoye...2016-04-2127 min
DecodeDC135: No taxation without....special interestsWhen Ronald Reagan signed the 1986 Tax Reform Act into law, the Republican president hoped that the law would simplify the tax code and close loopholes. Reforming the tax code had been Reagan’s number one domestic priority during his campaign and it took him more than two years of wrangling members of Congress, even pushing past a blockade by House Republicans.But according to Pam Olsen, whose résumé includes stints at the IRS and U.S. Treasury Department, says the Tax Reform Act did the exact opposite. “It made the tax code a lot bigger. It certainly made the tax co...2016-04-1423 min
DecodeDC134: Running as a WomanWhen Hillary Clinton first ran for president in 2008, forecasters and prognosticators quickly seized on what they perceived as a concerted effort to project an image of strength, in part by de-emphasizing her gender. But eight years later, her 2016 campaign seems to be embracing her potentially historic election as the country's first female president. This time, so goes the story, Clinton is "running as a woman."This week on the podcast, we sit down with Corrine McConnaughy, a political scientist professor and researcher at George Washington University, to talk about how this strategy plays among different generations and political persuasions.2016-04-0720 min
DecodeDC133: The FEC is a watchdog that doesn't biteThe 2016 presidential election is on track to becoming the most expensive campaign in U.S. history. But the the Federal Election Commission, charged with regulating how that campaign money is raised and spent, may be the least understood and most ineffective agency of them all.On the latest DecodeDC podcast, host Jimmy Williams sits down with three people who have all been part of the FEC. They explain that from the start, the agency had a built-in partisan divide that made decision making difficult.2016-03-3123 min
DecodeDC132: Who's caring for the vets?On the latest DecodeDC podcast, host Jimmy Williams sits down with Scripps Investigative Reporter Mark Greenblatt about his 6-month-long investigation into problems at the Cincinnati VA. Greenblatt teamed up with WCPO reporter Dan Monk, who together connected with more than 30 whistleblowers. They discovered that a new solution created to solve the VA wait-time scandal that left some veterans for dead back in 2014, may be causing new problems for veterans and hospital staff alike.From staffing cuts, to cost shifting, to the hospital’s acting chief of staff prescribing controlled substances to her boss’ wife, issues at the Cincinnati VA are leav...2016-03-2441 min
DecodeDC131: Is the Supreme Court too supreme?The status of the Supreme Court in American government has ebbed and flowed since the Constitution was ratified. But starting in the 1950s, the Court has had a long and unchallenged reign of extraordinary power and authority as the final guardian of the Constitution. In the sweep of history, this is a great aberration, not the norm.This week on the podcast, Larry Kramer, former Dean of the Stanford Law School and now head of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation says we have largely and regrettably forgotten or disregarded that history. Kramer thinks the Supreme Court is too supreme...2016-03-1725 min
DecodeDC130: The long view with Madeleine AlbrightMadeleine Albright describes herself as a late bloomer but boy, has she made something of that late push. After starting her political career as a Senate staffer at the age of 39, Albright went on to the National Security Council, before serving as UN ambassador and the country’s first female secretary of state.On the latest DecodeDC podcast, host Jimmy Williams sits down with the storied stateswoman as she describes her journey and how the she came to find her voice. As someone who’s been through wars overseas and on Capitol Hill, Madeleine Albright offers up her long-view on poli...2016-03-1027 min
DecodeDC129: Superdelegates, WTFSuperdelegates. Maybe you’ve heard something about them, but might not know how they came to be, how they work, who they are and why they matter. But if you want to make sense of the delegate math in this year’s Democratic contest, you need to understand what a superdelegate is.Bob Shrum was there when superdelegates were created. The long time Democratic operative says if you trace the origins of this uniquely Democratic Party invention, you’ll see a battle between the people and their party where the power to select the nominee for president has swung back and fo...2016-03-0320 min
DecodeDC128: South Carolina's unholy allianceLong ago in South Carolina, an unholy alliance was made to keep the races separate. In the second episode of our two-part series on the politics of race in the Palmetto State, we introduce you to two of the people who keep that pact going. And they hate it.So while all the talking heads and politicians turn their attention to this Saturday’s Democratic primary in South Carolina, listen to our latest episode on the real problem down in Dixie: Race.2016-02-2527 min
DecodeDCRevisiting: The Price of PrivacyRight now, a battle is being waged between Apple and the government over encryption. A federal court has ordered the tech giant to unlock an iPhone used by one of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting that left 14 people dead. Apple is fighting the order, and a huge public debate is going on about privacy and protection.A few months ago, right after the Paris terrorist attacks, we did a podcast about a Scripps News investigation into encryption. We've decided to repost that episode and take you inside the battle between law enforcement and encryption advocates.2016-02-2326 min
DecodeDC127: The black and white state of South CarolinaFrom 2010-2014, more than 200,000 people moved to South Carolina. The South is the fastest growing region of the county but unlike its neighbors, the Palmetto state seems to be stuck in time.South Carolina’s schools rank 43rd in the nation. The median income in South Carolina is $44,000 dollars a year. That's nearly $10,000 dollars less than the national average.Democrats have been hoping that the influx of Latinos and African Americans, combined with the movement of retirees might turn the traditionally red state blue. But the old order has held firm – South Carolina is as Republican as ever.So, for the...2016-02-1829 min
DecodeDC123: The new kid on the blockFrom the outside looking in, Brian Sims seems to have it all. He’s young, energetic, well liked, and his political career’s on the rise. After becoming one of the first openly gay college football players in NCAA history, Sims went on to law school and embarked on a career as an LGBT activist before becoming the first openly gay candidate elected to Pennsylvania’s state legislature. Now he’s ready to take the next step: the US. House of Representatives.Is Sims crazy? No one seems to have a kind word or thought about Congress. It’s approval rating hov...2016-01-2130 min
DecodeDCBonus: TrailMix 2016 Ep 1 - Feeling the Bern, Bill Clinton & women, endorsements and NickelbackWe thought you might enjoy a look at Scripps News' newest podcast, TrailMix 2016 - a weekly conversation about the state of the campaign.This week’s topics include: Is it time to take Bernie Sanders seriously? What about Bill Clinton and women? Do endorsements make a difference? And, what does Nickelback have to do with the campaign?Join Scripps politics reporter Miranda Green, Daily Beast social media editor Asawin Suebsaeng and Independent Journal politics editor Justin Green for insight, curiosity, a healthy dose of skepticism and some profanity.Oh, and get prepared for a rant.If you enjoy, make sure yo...2016-01-1526 min
DecodeDCMeet Jimmy Williams: DecodeDC's New HostJimmy Williams is a veteran of Washington, D.C.'s political scene, engaging in nearly every facet of American politics, as a congressional staffer then lobbyist and now, as DecodeDC's new host.Podcasting is new to Jimmy, so he sought ought the advice of some experienced pros, including Gimlet Media CEO and Start-Up host Alex Blumberg , the Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis, Adam Davidson, co-founder of Planet Money and co-host of Surprisingly Awesome, and Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers of Pantsuit Politics.2016-01-0528 min
DecodeDC115: The Price of PrivacyIn the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, the battle between privacy versus public safety has become ever more relevant. Law enforcement agencies maintain that the same encryption you use on your cell phone to keep your private information safe has become a tool for criminals and terrorists.Scripps News and the Toronto Star teamed up over the past several months, investigating how law enforcement is losing the war over access to information they need to solve crimes. On the latest DecodeDC podcast, we go inside the battle between those who say law enforcement needs access to private information...2015-11-1926 min
DecodeDC114: Budget Battle B.S.At this point, the Washington federal budget cycle is pretty well established. A stalemated federal government leads to the predictable standoff. Cue the shutdown clocks on cable news, ignore the threats lobbed between members of Congress and await the prospect of “closed’ signs at federal agencies and national parks.On the latest DecodeDC podcast, we take a look at the federal budget and try to answer the question: what’s broken about the federal budget – the process or the politicians?2015-11-1225 min
DecodeDC105: Terrified of terrorismThis week’s podcast challenges a political sacred cow. In fact, it might be the mother of all sacred cows. It is the belief that foreign terrorism is one of the most serious threats to the safety of Americans and the security of what since 9/11 we have called the “homeland.”That belief is deep. The facts supporting it are thin. But it is a premise so fundamental to our post-9/11 worldview that is rarely debated, challenged or reexamined.No one has tried harder to unsound the alarm, to show that the sky is not falling, than John Mueller, our guest this w...2015-09-1022 min
DecodeDC93: LBJ and the racial divide, 50 years laterIt isn’t often that the president of the United States opens up about America’s history of racism or about how African Americans have suffered because of it - or about how white America must accept responsibility for these wrongs. But that is exactly what happened 50 years ago this month when President Lyndon Johnson delivered the commencement address at Howard University in Washington, D.C. And those who were in the crowd June 4, 1965, say what they heard on still feels relevant today.“I think anyone could give that speech today, and with few exceptions, not recognize that it was someth...2015-06-1819 min
DecodeDC91: Congress and...the mafia?It’s no secret that members of Congress spend much of their time raising money. But here’s something you probably didn’t know: A huge chunk of the money they haul in is not spent on their campaigns. It’s funneled directly to the political parties in the form of dues.On the latest DecodeDC podcast, host Andrea Seabrook explains how Congress works a little like another organized group when it comes to money, power and loyalty — the mafia. There are no Don Corleones, of course, in the strict sense of the name, and there’s nothing illegal. Still, members are...2015-06-0522 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastGrand Finale: 2015 Spelling Bee Recap with George ThampyAnother Scripps National Spelling Bee is in the books, and remarkably, our ‘Pair of Aces’ featured in Episode 9 each walked away with their own trophy. Vanya Shivashankar took her prize on the word “scherenschnitte” and under pressure, Gokul Venkatachalam spelled “nunatak” like a true all-star.
On today’s show, we revisit this year’s exciting final and dissect this year’s drama with 2000 champion and sage-to-the-spellers George Thampy. We'll also get host Paul Loeffler’s reaction while recording in producer Dan Bloom’s car on the way to the airport. This team uses every minute for the love of the Bee.
If you enjoyed T...2015-05-3000 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastVanya & Gokul: A Pair of AcesFor spelling fans, #BeeWeek is the most wonderful time of the year. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the yearly pinnacle of linguistic competition, and this podcast is your home for all the excitement.
On today’s program, we’ll cut right to the chase and feature two of the top spellers in this year’s competition. First up, Vanya Shivashankar, younger sister of 2009 Champion Kavya and winner of the Lifetime game show “Child Genius.” This year, Vanya is relishing her fifth and final trip to the Bee, posing for pictures and interviews, and competing in the semifinals as Speller #90.
Also on to...2015-05-2800 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastUS Senator Cory Booker with words of wisdom for our young spellersSpelling fans, rejoice, for our long winter is over and #BeeWeek is finally here! On this episode of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast, we have a truly exemplary guest from the highest chamber of our country’s legislature. US Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker takes time out of his busy schedule to offer encouragement to our young competitors and to discuss the power of words in his own life.
Before holding elected office, Senator Booker enjoyed a successful football career at Stanford followed by a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford. It’s no surprise then, that a person with such...2015-05-2600 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastSameer Mishra, 2008 Spelling Bee Champ, "The Numnah Kid"Almost ninety spellers have etched themselves into history by winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and still more are remembered for inadvertently starring in ‘viral’ moments that spread to the wider culture. And then, there is the young man who did both: Sameer Mishra.
In 2008, a thirteen-year-old Mishra stepped to the microphone in anticipation of Dr. Jacques Bailly pronouncing his next word. “Numnah” is a pad of sheepskin or foam, placed under a saddle. Nothing too remarkable about that. But when Sameer Mishra replied in quizzical voice: “Numbnut?”...a star was born. Sweetening the moment, Mishra ended up winning the entire compe...2015-05-2500 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastAmber Born, The Standup SpellerHere on the Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast, we’re gearing up for Bee Week with current competitors, past champions and other masters of the English language. Today, we visit with Amber Born, a young speller who has competed four times at the National Bee in Washington, earning a top-4 finish in 2013.
Once she aged out of spelling competition, she answered the call of another mic on stage, trying her hand at standup comedy. On this episode of the Scripps National Spelling Bee podcast, Amber speaks about her time at the Bee, offers advice to today’s spellers, and contrasts the...2015-05-2300 min
DecodeDC89: Revisiting 'Under the Radar'There’s been a major development in the wake of a Scripps News Investigation featured in a DecodeDC podcast last December.Congress has now passed legislation that requires the Department of Defense to register sex offenders directly with an FBI database available to civilian law enforcement agencies and the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website prior to an offender’s release from a military prison.A Scripps News Investigation found hundreds of convicted military sex offenders flying under the radar who did not appear on the sex offender registries created to alert the public and prevent repeat crimes.Of 1,312 case...2015-05-2226 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastSpelling Champion Evan O'Dorney: A Beautiful MindWhen you’re watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee, pay close attention to the competitors, because if today’s podcast guest is any indication, you’re observing some of the brightest young minds in the country.
Since winning the Bee in 2007, Evan O’Dorney has been on quite a roll. As a 9th grader, he began taking college math classes at UC Berkley. Four years ago, he enrolled at Harvard, where he studied mathematics and music. Today, he’s on the cusp of graduation, then it's off for a year to Cambridge University, with plans to complete his PhD at Princeton...2015-05-2100 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastThe Magisterial Ray Hudson, Soccer's BardEach May, the Scripps National Spelling Bee lines up shoulder-to-shoulder with the NBA and Major League Baseball on ESPN. For this special week, the world of sports throws a burly arm around the spelling bee and marvels at our young spellers’ performance under pressure.
Today on the Scripps National Spelling Bee podcast, we’re returning the favor by speaking with one of the most loquacious lovers of language in the world of sports: soccer commentator Ray Hudson.
A former professional player and coach, Hudson knows the beautiful game inside and out. But what really sets him apart is his seemingly unen...2015-05-2000 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastSophia Hoffman & The Second ChanceSophia Hoffman was just 11 years old when she competed in last year’s Jackson-Clay County spelling bee. She had spelled her way past all her competitors but one, seventh grader Kush Sharma. The showdown between the two would be a fateful one, and not for the faint of heart. These two mental gladiators both spelled without error for sixty-six rounds, exhausting the approved word list. Two weeks (and 29 additional rounds!) later they locked horns again and when the dust settled, Sophia had finally found her match.
But that didn’t dissuade the young competitor, who is already known as one of t...2015-05-1900 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastDan Feyer, The American Crossword NinjaWhat’s a four-letter word for “anticipatory excitement?”
Buzz!
That is certainly the word on our minds as #BeeWeek and the Scripps National Spelling Bee draws ever closer. On this special series of podcasts, our host Paul Loeffler offers his unique perspective from both sides of the bright lights of the finals. A contestant himself at age 13, Loeffler is all grown up and now hosts the live television broadcast of the Bee.
People love the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the incredible intelligence on display, an endless appreciation for letters, and competitive drama you could cut with a knife. Our guest...2015-05-1600 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastJacob Williamson, the world's most exuberant speller, "King Kabaragoya"#BeeWeek and The Scripps National Spelling Bee is just around the corner, and this special series of shows, the Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast, is your home for insider info and conversations about the Bee, language and life.
When considering whom to invite as our inaugural guest, we had three criteria: The guest had to be a former successful competitor in the Bee, someone who had made an impact, and, most importantly, someone with a passion and zest for life.
“I know it! I totally know it!” That was the exclamation from 8th-grader Jacob Williamson in last year’s Bee finals...2015-05-1400 min
Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastWelcome to the Scripps National Spelling Bee PodcastThe Scripps Washington Bureau proudly presents a special series, The Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast. Our host is none other than Paul Loeffler, ESPN Spelling commentator and a finalist himself in 1990. This year, Scripps has created this show as a way for the entire spelling community - or the orthograsphere if you will - to feel like insiders. We’ll have conversations with this year’s competitors, notable spellers from the past, and people in culture who use language in interesting ways.
Sophia Hoffman missed out on a trip to Washington last year after a grueling 66 round dead-heat final in her...2015-05-1300 min
DecodeDC87: The New WildFor the past 20 years, Dr. M Sanjayan has devoted his life to environmental policy and the protection of wildlife. After decades in the environmental movement, Sanjayan has come to realize that you can’t separate humans from the natural environment around them.That’s a pretty radical idea in the environmental movement and a theme that pervades his new PBS series, "Earth: A New Wild." On this week’s podcast, host Andrea Seabrook speaks with Sanjayan about his television series, his views on preservation and what Washington can and must do about its environmental policy. “When I started in the environm...2015-05-0824 min
DecodeDC85: The Changing Face of MarriageA little thing called marriage is about to have a big day in court. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on state bans against same-sex marriage. This is such a huge case that DecodeDC recently teamed up with the Scripps television station in Cincinnati, WCPO, for a multi-platform event to explore the changing face of marriage.On this week’s DecodeDC podcast, we bring you highlights from that event, from the incredible history of marriage to the dramatic shifts in public opinion about same-sex couples to the legal arguments that are now before the U.S. Su...2015-04-2332 min
DecodeDC84: Nerd PromWhen someone asks what the most important event in Washington is every year, you’d hope that the answer would involve a key piece of civic action or an instance of Americans making their voices heard.In reality, D.C’s biggest event is an altogether different affair - a weeklong extravaganza of lavish parties where journalists rub shoulders with the very people they’re supposed to hold accountable. It all leads up to one night in particular, the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, or as it has come to be known within insider circles — Nerd Prom.As a reporter for Poli...2015-04-1623 min
DecodeDC82: Lessons from LBJ and the Great SocietyThe Voting Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act. Medicare. Vietnam. The 1960s were a transformational time for America and at the center of much of it was Lyndon B. Johnson. This year marks the 50th anniversary for landmark legislation that would not have been possible without one of Washington’s most heralded legislators.On this week’s podcast, host Andrea Seabrook sits down with Julian Zelizer, author of “The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress and the Battle for the Great Society.” Zelizer says yes, Lyndon Johnson was an incredible legislator. But in order to really understand how he was able...2015-04-0228 min
DecodeDC81: The ultimate insider's tour of the U.S. SenateFor spring break, we are going to take you on the ultimate insider’s tour of the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol. Your guide: Senate historian Donald Ritchie, who will retire in May after nearly 40 years in the Senate Historical Office.The office serves as the Senate's “institutional memory,” according to its Website, collecting information on important dates, precedents and statistics. But it is so much more. Movie set designers, mystery writers and biographers have depended on Donald Ritchie to answer the serious and the trivial questions about everything from carpet color to whether this is actually the most d...2015-03-2624 min
DecodeDC80: U.S., Russia and Ukraine: A web of complexityIt isn’t every day that Democrats and Republicans are on the same side of anything, so it may come as a surprise that the nation of Ukraine has not only brought them together, but brought them together in opposition to the White House. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle feel the United States should send lethal weapons to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The White House does not.Only minutes before the 113th Congress was about to adjourn in December, the Ukraine Freedom Support Act passed unanimously. Four days later President Barack Obama signed it into la...2015-03-1923 min
DecodeDC79: The six words behind the case against Obamacare“What did they know and when did they know it?”It’s Washington’s favorite question for scandal, for mystery or subterfuge.Senator Howard Baker coined “what did they know and when did they know it” back in the Watergate hearings. It’s what lawmakers are asking about politics within the IRS, what regulators asked bank executives about the financial crisis and, of course, what EVERYONE wants to know about Hillary Clinton’s emails.But it also is the question at the heart of the current challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the ACA, also known as Obamacare. That’s the challenge the...2015-03-1225 min
DecodeDC77: Inside House of Cards 5We are only hours away from the release of season three of House of Cards, the dark, cynical world of Washington politics as ruled by Francis Underwood. It’s a world that series showrunner Beau Willimon is well familiar with. As a playwright, he tackled similar themes with Farragut North, later adapted into the film Ides of March, starring George Clooney. And it’s a world Willimon has also lived as a former campaign staffer during several elections.In the final installment of our special series of podcasts, “Inside House of Cards,” Willimon tells us that working on the series and work...2015-02-2728 min
DecodeDC76: Inside House of Cards 4Francis Underwood has finally made it to the White House. The character, played by Kevin Spacey, spent the first two seasons of “House of Cards” scheming, murdering and blackmailing his way from Congress to the vice presidency to the Oval Office. Together with his equally conniving wife, Claire, played by Robin Wright, they knock down every conceivable barrier, using any means necessary, in their quest for power.The show is filled with a lot of people willing to do almost anything to get what they want – but among the sleaziest characters in the series are a couple of female political report...2015-02-2517 min
DecodeDC75: Inside House of Cards 3It’s “House of Cards” week on DecodeDC.We are helping get YOU ready for the release of Season 3 of the Netflix series with a five-podcast special series, “Inside House of Cards.”Today’s installment – the third – is all about the business, or maybe the bloodsport, of lobbying and politics.One day, you’re an elected official or a political staff member. The next, you’re a member of a K Street firm trying your best to influence the very same government officials and legislators you just worked with.That’s the revolving door Jimmy Williams spun through when he went from Senate staff...2015-02-2421 min
DecodeDC74: Inside House of Cards 2In the second installment of our DecodeDC special series, “Inside House of Cards,” we go into the world of journalism and politics. Our guide, Matt Bai, spent years as a Washington political reporter for The New York Times Magazine and is now a political columnist for Yahoo News. He has a particularly interesting perspective on how “House of Cards” depicts his profession, because Bai plays himself in several episodes of the second season of the series. While Bai thinks journalism in “House of Cards” is much darker than what really happens in Washington, D.C., he says there still is a lot that r...2015-02-2325 min
DecodeDC73: Inside House of Cards 1February has been a brutal month for most of us – snow and cold and ice and kids home from school and trips cancelled. Perhaps the only thing that redeems this month is the release of season three of “House of Cards” on Feb. 27.Perhaps it is our fascination with the dysfunction of Washington that makes the Netflix drama so irresistible. Perhaps it’s the fact that the series takes you where no journalist is allowed to go - into the fantastical and not so fantastical political wheeling and dealing going on all around us – with a large dose of dramatic license.Wh...2015-02-1933 min
DecodeDC69: Obama's Legacy on RaceSo, here’s a question. When is it too early to assess a president’s legacy? How about two years before his term ends? Not for David Haskell, an editor at New York magazine, who polled 53 historians and asked them how they thought we’d remember President Obama 20 years from now.On this week’s DecodeDC podcast, we talk with Haskell about his piece and what he learned. When asked what the president's legacy might be, the overwhelming response, according to those Haskell spoke with: Obama’s status as the first African-American president will be the defining aspect of his legacy. Ye...2015-01-2214 min
DecodeDCEpisode 63: Under the RadarLike any parent might, one Wisconsin mom wanted to make sure her adult daughter’s new boyfriend was a decent guy. So she went online and and searched for his name, Matthew Carr. What she found was nothing -- which, in retrospect, is incredibly shocking.A few years earlier, while serving in the Air Force, Carr had been court-martialed for posing as a doctor and luring women into “gynecological exams.” The Air Force convicted Carr of “indecent assault" of seven women and sentenced him to seven years in prison.But none of this came up in the Wisconsin mom’s search. Ca...2014-12-0523 min
DecodeDCEpisode 61: Exit Interview with Rep. Bill OwensSome politicians slide into Congress after a boring, predictable, easy win as the predestined candidate. Others practically stumble — like Congressman Bill Owens, who was the last man standing in the dust of a political nuclear war back in 2009.In this week’s podcast, host Andrea Seabrook sits down with the Democratic congressman from upstate New York as part of DecodeDC’s Exit Interview series. Owens announced his retirement in January of this year.Congressman Owens is one of the most endangered species in Washington—the rational pragmatist.“My view of the world is that there is a band of rational thought th...2014-11-1920 min
DecodeDCEpisode 60: Polarized America: How'd we get here?There was a time when Americans weren’t so intensely divided as we are today. In fact, says journalist and writer Bill Bishop, from World War II to the mid 1970s, Americans’ attitudes about culture, family and politics grew more alike.Then things started to change, says Bishop. Politics split us up, became harsher and more polarized. At the same time, economic forces and rising standards of living sparked a huge increase in people’s mobility; it’s no longer common to spend your life in one town, one church or one company.That new mobility added to Americans’ separating political...2014-11-1413 min
DecodeDCEpisode 59: GOP wins BIG...but there's more to the storyThere’s really only one story to tell about the 2014 midterm elections, right? Only one story, that is, if you rely on the constant stream of chatter from 24-7 cable TV, election-obsessed political rags, and the twitterverse for your news. The story? Republicans won – BIG TIME.And it’s true. Not only did the GOP swoop in and seize more than enough seats to take control of the Senate, in the House they likely* increased their majority to a margin Republicans haven’t enjoyed since Harry Truman was in the White House (*likely because vote-counts aren’t complete in a handful of...2014-11-0719 min
DecodeDCEpisode 54: Disaster Prone: What you get may depend more on where you live than what you lostThis week on the DecodeDC podcast we’re talking to Scripps national investigative reporter Lee Bowman about his story on the disaster behind federal disaster aid.When your house or town gets destroyed by a hurricane or a tornado, you may expect the federal government to step in and help. But whether you get money from the feds may depend more on where you live than on the extent of the damage.The original idea behind federal disaster aid was to help only when the damage and scope of an event exceeded state and local resources. Now we have something ca...2014-10-0313 min
DecodeDCEpisode 48: The Changing Front Lines in the Battle Over GunsIt has been twenty years since Congress passed federal gun control legislation. That’s two decades in which America has seen some of the most horrific massacres in our nation’s history.But despite DC's gridlock on the issue, America’s debate over gun rights and gun regulations has gained energy. Just not in Washington.That’s just one conclusion of an in-depth, eight-month reporting project by this year’s News21 team. Student journalists tackled the issue of guns in America, turning out dozens of stories from the new, changing front lines of the debate.We here at DecodeDC have featured s...2014-08-2221 min
DecodeDCEpisode 47: Meet the Marketer of Ideas, Arthur BrooksThis week’s podcast is a conversation with Arthur Brooks, who runs the American Enterprise Institute, a big conservative think tank in Washington and our chief Washington correspondent Dick meyer. It didn’t turn out to be the podcast we expected.Brooks is a very smart, very passionate, very articulate guy. He always has a take on things that is fresh so we wanted to hear his thoughts on the world of Washington think tanks. We in the news business use the phrase “think tank” all the time but we rarely look inside them as Washington players worthy of examination. We call...2014-08-1414 min
DecodeDCEpisode 46: A "Border Crisis" Far from the BorderTens of thousands of children have crossed into the United States this year, fleeing desperate conditions in Central America. The news media have dubbed it a “border crisis,” though none of these kids stays at the border for very long. And in Washington, Congressional leaders seem more focused on who to blame rather than what to do about it.In this week's podcast, host Andrea Seabrook goes straight to the front lines of the crisis. No, not the border but an elementary school just a few miles from the U.S. Capitol.Susan Holiday, the principal at Gladys Noon Spellman Elem...2014-08-0817 min
DecodeDCEpisode 45: How one bill passed in the aftermath of 9/11 is still shaping U.S. modern warfareIt was three days after the attacks —September 14th, 2001 -- that Congress gathered in Washington to respond to the vicious blow America had sustained. Every member of the House and Senate, save one, voted to give President George W. Bush the authority to capture or kill those responsible. The bill they passed that day is called the AUMF -- The Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Terrorists. Many predictions were made that day, of the coming war, the stamina and depth of the commitment it would require of American citizens. But what no one knew, what no one co...2014-08-0217 min
DecodeDCEpisode 43: Executive OrdersHouse Speaker John Boehner, the country’s most powerful Republican, says he’s going to sue President Barack Obama on behalf of the Congress for alleged misuse of executive orders.Is Boehner's threat more of the same partisan Washington theater or a real constitutional crisis? "The House leadership is scrambling so hard to try to reassert some kind of actual leadership, that it’s I think awfully hard for most Americans to see really this in serious way as the Congress trying to defend its authority," says political science professor Phillip J. Cooper of Portland State University, and author of “By Order...2014-07-1820 min
DecodeDCEpisode 42: Exit Interview: Rep. Jim MoranMembers of Congress are notorious for being tight-lipped about the details of the legislative process -- especially when they’re talking to journalists. In part this is because of the intense polarization of our day. It's also because lawmakers are wary of describing the kind of compromise and flexibility it takes to actually get legislation passed. At the same time, the two-year election cycle in the House of Representatives and the narrow margin of control in both chambers makes for an environment in the Capitol of constant campaigning. Sound depressing? It is for us, too. But luckily there are exceptions to...2014-07-1024 min
DecodeDCEpisode 41: Critical Infrastructure and The Next WarEpisode 41: Critical Infrastructure and The Next War by The Scripps Washington Bureau2014-07-0321 min
DecodeDCEpisode 38: Why hardball tactics have led to the most polarized Congress everPop Quiz: Which was the most polarized time in American history?The Civil War? Prohibition? The Civil Rights Movement?Nope, no, and nyet. Well, if you gauge by the House and Senate, that is.Political Science professor Sean Theriault tells us that, though the American public has been extremely divided at times over the course of the nation’s history, today’s Congress is more polarized than any before it. Despite the fact that the public is much less so.Theriault teaches and conducts his research at the University of Texas at Austin, and says that unlike in the past, the...2014-06-1224 min
DecodeDCEpisode 37: Cracking open the government: On the front lines of making Washington transparentThere’s a quiet movement afoot in Washington; one you won’t hear about on cable news or flashy political blogs.It is the 21st century iteration of a classic American ideal: radical transparency in government.The modern pursuers of this goal include non-profits and business titans, hobbyists and hackers. They have formed a kind of nerd-corps of cyber-civics - designers, computer programmers, hackers and political activists - all working to build technology that makes government more accessible to people.Every year, a non-partisan, open-government group called The Sunlight Foundation hosts a kind of conference for this nerd-corps, it’s called...2014-06-0520 min
DecodeDCEpisode 36: Can Spelling Bee kids spell better than members of Congress? A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y"Can you spell logorrhea?" That's what DecodeDC asked Members of Congress and their constituents -- specifically those whiz-kid spellers who are in the nation's capital for the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. Turns out, the answer is N-O; just about every US Representative we spoke with had no idea what logorrhea means (excessive wordiness), and not a single one spelled it correctly. Most admitted to relying heavily on spell check and their smartphone to pick the right word at the right time.Contrast that with this fact: when we spoke with dozens of kids in the Scripps National Spelling Bee...2014-05-2922 minDecodeDCEpisode 33: Future CongressWe have always been innovators. It is in our nature as Americans. Heck, democracy itself was born here, as part of what the 19th century French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville called the Great American Experiment.But with the average age in Congress at around 60, plus a legislative process that has come to a grinding halt in the past several years, could the United States be losing its experimental edge?Sure, it may feel like our civic lives are advancing with the Internet age, what with the massive proliferation of ways you can contact your representatives in Washington -- email, Twitter...2014-05-0822 min
DecodeDCRepost Episode 1: House of (Mis) RepresentativesThis is it, folks — DecodeDC is relaunching next week! Keep an eye out for our new logo, and enjoy multimedia content on our daily blog, which will be posted on all Scripps websites. Thanks for sticking with us as we’ve been preparing for the all new DecodeDC and reposting some of our favorite podcasts.For the final repost, we’re going back to the very beginning of DecodeDC to Episode 1: House of (Mis) Representatives. This very first podcast focuses on a feeling many people get when dealing with Washington: “My voice isn’t being heard.” Why do they feel that way? It...2014-05-0113 min
The Wolf Den56 Ellen Weiss, VP of E.W. Scripps Co.'s News BureauEllen Weiss is vice president and bureau chief for E.W. Scripps Company's multimedia news bureau. She joins Jeff from Washington DC to discuss podcasting's new frontiers in journalism. They talk about Ellen's distinguished career in news at NPR and the Center for Public Integrity and how that led to her taking over Scripps' digital newsroom. Then she explains the strategy behind Scripps's acquisition of the DecodeDC podcast--founded and hosted by former NPR correspondent Andrea Seabrook--and reveals what she thinks is the most exciting thing happening in podcasting today.
2014-04-2445 min
DecodeDCRepost Episode 15: What's Wrong?It’s a question that never seems to go away or have a clear-cut answer: What’s wrong with Washington? For an answer – or some answers – we’re turning to former Rep. Lee Hamilton this week. We’re reposting a June 2013 podcast with Hamilton, who, with a resume that includes decades representing Indiana’s 9th District and vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission, knows a thing or two about Washington.In this episode, Hamilton reads his essay “How Politics Has Changed.” He argues that in the current political climate, it’s much harder to do the basic work of politics, which, according to Hamilton, is find...2014-04-1112 min
DecodeDCEpisode 32: Inside the InvestigationSometimes the journey is as interesting as the destination. That’s what our colleague at Scripps News, investigative reporter Mark Greenblatt, discovered as he pursued what he thought was a straightforward news story. Greenblatt got a tip: NASA was spending a boatload of money on first-class and business-class airfares.That set Greenblatt off on a quest worthy of Camelot, through mazes of bureaucracy, mountains of Freedom of Information requests and dungeons of unreturned phone calls. We thought the story of the story said a lot about the government – and about trying to report on the government. So we debriefed him for...2014-04-0420 min
DecodeDCRepost Episode 23: Morality 2.0The Obama administration called for an end Thursday to the National Security Agency's bulk collection of data about phone calls made within the United States. The proposal, which would have to be approved by Congress, stems from the uproar following NSA contractor Edward Snowden's disclosure of details about the federal government's intelligence gathering. Disclosures by Snowden and others, such as Bradley Manning and Julian Assange, raise the question of which is worse: breaking the law to leak classified secrets, or keeping quiet about what could be a violation of Americans' constitutional rights?We've gone back to the DecodeDC archives to...2014-03-2926 min
DecodeDCRepost Episode 18: The Paperwork Reduction ActIt’s that time of year again, where flowers are budding, the grass is growing greener, people are shedding their winter layers, and taxes are due—sorry for the reminder.Have you ever wondered why there’s so much burdensome paperwork associated with taxes? In fact, Americans spend more than two billion collective hours filling out income tax forms. To provide some clarity, we’ve gone back to the DecodeDC archives to re-present our episode on The Paperwork Reduction Act.This episode from August 2013 features Clay Johnson, a tech CEO and former Presidential Innovation Fellow. He explains how the implications of the P...2014-03-2115 min
DecodeDCEpisode 31: Fear and loathing in gay WashingtonHe was an influential figure in one of the biggest social changes the country has seen in decades --x the growing acceptance of gay Americans. But, you've probably never heard of him. So we've gone back to the DecodeDC archives to bring you this encore podcast from June of 2013, featuring Rich Tafel. Tafel opened the first office in Washington for the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest organization representing gay conservatives. Tafel provides stunning behind-the-scenes insight of an early 1990s Washington. He describes a vibrant, underground network of gays working in politics that cut across party lines. But Tafel tells...2014-03-1417 min
DecodeDCEpisode 30: Follow the money to understand WashingtonJust a few years ago, it was a big deal when the president unveiled his spending proposal, but “budget day” this week was kind of a snore.That may be because President Barack Obama’s $3.9 trillion proposal for fiscal year 2015, which begins Oct. 1, isn’t likely to have much impact. Why? Lawmakers last December passed a two-year spending plan. Still, the annual ritual does highlight the president’s vision for the coming year – and for the coming election. It's already providing fodder for Democrats and Republicans gearing up for the campaign trail. But to understand just about any argument or issue in Was...2014-03-0819 min
DecodeDCEpisode 25: The Greatest Show on EarthIf you’ve ever watched or heard a State of the Union address, you might think the event starts like this: “Mr. Speaker! The President of the United States!”But, as is true with so many things in Washington, there’s more to the story. A lot more.The State of the Union address – SOTU as it’s known in Washington – is a mass media event that takes hours, no, make that days, no, make that months, of preparation.The SOTU is highly orchestrated by the White House, by members of Congress, by the news media.For many reporters, the speech itself...2014-01-3114 min
DecodeDC22: Open and Shut CongressThe government shutdown may be over, but has anything really changed? Andrea talks to Patti Daniels of Vermont Public Radio about the problems that caused the shutdown and which still plague Washington.Special thanks to Vermont Public Radio (www.vpr.net) for this episode.2013-10-1917 min
DecodeDC21: Justice in Shut DownBudget battles. Sequestration. And now, shut down. The political mess in Washington has consequences far from Capitol Hill. Andrea talks to a Chief Federal Judge, Loretta A. Preska, about our system of Justice, teetering on the brink of dysfunction.Read Chief Judge Preska's letter to Congress here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/160532510/Funding-Letter2013-10-0419 minDecodeDC15: What's WrongAndrea Seabrook introduces America's best pUNdit -- a man you'll rarely hear from on the daily news, but who knows more than almost anyone about what's wrong with Washington.2013-06-2614 min
DecodeDC11: Paint By NumbersLet's start from the beginning. To understand what underlies every argument in Washington these days, you have to know the basics of the federal budget. Problem is, most of us don't.2013-03-2820 min
DecodeDCDDC5: The UnshowWhat We're NOT Covering and Why. DecodeDC explores the interplay of politics and the media, and how press coverage can feed into the negative, partisan bickering in Washington. Case in point: The Fiscal Cliff.2013-01-0415 minDecodeDCDDC4: The DecodeDC Voter GuideDDC4: The DecodeDC Voter Guide by The Scripps Washington Bureau2012-11-0521 min
DecodeDCHouse of (mis)RepresentativesEver have that sinking feeling that your voice isn’t heard in Washington? It could be because it isn’t.2012-09-1414 minDecodeDCDecodeDC: Andrea Seabrook IntroductionWashington is broken. You are not.DecodeDC is for smart, engaged, and busy people like you. Through the podcast and blog, DecodeDC will decipher Washington's Byzantine language and procedure, sweeping away what doesn't matter so you can focus on what does.2012-07-1901 min