The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has been had. Or was it? You could be forgiven for not counting the 90 minute shouting fest and deluge of name calling, a debate. Moderator Chris Wallace had no control over the process and a certain President of the United State had an outsized role in that. Young Voices' panel reacts to the debate.  Follow on Twitter: Amy Lutz Sam Benson Hugo Dante 

Underscored Podcast

Chris Wallace and America's 90 minute visit to Hades

We finally know more about Trump's taxes, and he didn't pay much. The NYT got their hands on Trump's tax returns and point to his 2016 federal income tax bill of only $750. Travis Nix joined Stephen Kent on Underscored to react to the news and explain how someone like Trump might end up in this situation on his taxes. 

Donald Trump's lucky number is 750

"The 2020 Republican National Convention lasted four days and featured over 70 speakers. The wide range of topics addressed included immigration, education, health, housing and policing. And yet, no speech proposed a single policy designed to combat climate change, arguably the single most politically and electorally significant issue of our time," wrote Jason Reed in the Deseret News. He argues that the Republican Party, long mired in denialism on climate, is giving away a generation of voters who care about this issue above most other things.  Stephen Kent and Jason discuss this and more on Underscored.  Jason Reed is digital director at the British Conservation Alliance and a Young Voices contributor. He writes for the Times of London, the Independent, the Telegraph and several others. Follow him on Twitter: @JasonReed624.

Can the GOP thrive without young voters who care about climate?

It's not an easy choice. Go back to college under the shadow of COVID-19 & often higher cost of attendance....or forego the semester to pursue other things? Justin Corbin is a junior college, but is not going back to school this fall. He outlined his thinking and larger issue in an op-ed for the Deseret News, and joined Underscored to speak about it. 

Getting an education & when to hit pause

A police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin reignited rioting across the country. Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer, and now a 17-year old has been arrested for shooting and killing a handful of people on the streets on Kenosha during the chaos. Shaun Cammack and Aaron Andrews of Young Voices join Underscored to discuss and break down how polarized media/activist narratives are shaping the way people understand the story. 

Shootings in Kenosha and a clash of narratives

Hugo Dante joins Underscored to lay out how China's encroachment into the previously autonomous Hong Kong will take a sledgehammer to financial investments in the region.    Stephen Kent and Aaron Andrews review the great USPS Freakout of August 2020. 

Hugo Dante on the ripple effect of Hong Kong's fall

This week on Underscored:  Young Voices' Editors, Aaron Andrews and Emma Ayers join the show to talk about the 2020 race and Kamala Harris' ascendance to the VP (or VEEP) spot. Then we're joined by contributor Brian Bensimon to hear about his latest piece in the OC Register "There’s nothing new about federal meddling in protest movements" who breaks down the FBI's long history of overstepping civil liberties for political ends. 

Kamala Harris gets the VEEP spot, DNC goes digital and Brian Bensimon on FBI meddling

The coronavirus has led inevitably to more time spent at home, a huge increase in home cooking and by extension, grocery store shopping. Grocery stores have been making a killing. Back in March the industry was up 90% from 2019 and that trend has continued throughout the summer. But there’s a problem. Supply isn’t keeping up with demand. Prices are surging. Particularly in the meat industry. The WaPO reported today that red meat is up 20% in price, and it’s only looking like it’ll continue to rise as we head into the fall. What can be done about it? Price controls? Increasing the minimum wage? What about breaking up the meat company monopoly? That’s the subject of a new piece at FreeThePeople.org by Tamineh Dehbozorgi of Young Voices. Tamineh wrote about the PRIME Act, a new bill put forward by Rep. Thomas Massie. She joined Underscored to break it all down. 

How the PRIME Act would break up the meat monopoly and lower prices

Christos Makridis is a Assist. Professor at Arizona State Univeristy, a Young Voices contributor and writer recently in Forbes, on how the COVID-19 pandemic experiences has varied depending on where you live. He joined Underscored to explain and break down polling from Gallup on perceptions about the virus. 

Christos Makridis and the "Tale of Two Pandemics"

A bipartisan commission, convened by the Academy of Arts & Sciences that recommends 31 steps to strengthen America's institutions and civic culture to help a nation in crisis emerge with a more resilient democracy. Our republic feels very unstable. So Young Voices' gathered some of its best contributors to discuss the report. Nate Hochman (YV, The Dispatch) Alexandra Hudson (Novak Fellow, YV) and Alex Muresianu (Young Voices). 

Does America need to reimagine its democracy to survive?

Libertarians are a fractious bunch, like any ideological movement there are various camps and tensions between the big ideas and practical politics. In this moment of loud calls for policing reforms, it is worth noting that the libertarian movement has long been on the correct side of the issue. The coalitional problems arise when the far-left get involved and when riots, random violence or looting occur. Some libertarians harbor deep conservative sensibilities when it comes to law enforcement, the military and civility. Caleb Franz of Young Voices and The MilLiberty Initiative spends a lot of time thinking about this, so he was a perfect guest to join Underscored and break it all down. 

Where libertarians fall in this moment of calls for police reform

In the wake of Minneapolis PD murdering on of their own citizens, George Floyd, the world is aflame in calls for police accountability. Calls for reform range from the minor to the radical. Young Voices' Molly Davis and Christian Watson join Underscored to talk through the issue of policing accountability and where reforms can make the most immediate impact.  Follow Christian Watson on Twitter @OfficialCWATSON and check out his podcast: PENSIVE POLITICS And find Molly Davis on Twitter @_molly_davis_

Reforming policing in America will take more than Executive Orders

Young Voices' contributors Michael Rieger and Nate Hochman discuss the merits of televising Supreme Court proceedings. Rieger argued on GlennBeck.com in an op-ed that it was past time for the American people to be able to see what happens in the highest court in the land. Seeing how decisions are made would help maintain the legitimacy of the court during a time of crisis for trust in government. Hochman argues the opposite, the CSPAN approach to government transparency had degraded the process and outcomes of Congress and should not be replicated.    Read Rieger's op-ed here: https://www.glennbeck.com/young-voices/time-for-the-supreme-court-to-be-televised and Follow our guests on Twitter: @EagerRieger and @NJHochman 

A worthy debate on whether SCOTUS should be televised

James Czerniawski (Libertas Institute) and Jennifer Huddleston (American Action Forum) join Underscored to assess the state of American's access to quick and stable Internet during the Coronavirus lockdown. Internet usage is way up and across the board, speeds online have slowed....but our guests look at how the American response has differed from that of the European Union, and why the latter's strategy has fallen short. 

Are Americans getting good Internet during a worldwide pandemic?

Why are Federal agencies rushing to remove regulatory barriers in multiple sectors of the economy during the Coronavirus scare? It could be because what advocates of lighter regulation have always argued is true...that red tape slows down business, healthcare and is often more about protecting established industry than it is public safety.  Shoshana Weissmann of R Street joins Underscored along with Alex Muresianu of Young Voices to break it all down. 

Covid-19 and deregulating all the things ft. Shoshana Weissmann

There is a so much news out there, but what really matters? On Underscored, join Stephen Kent and guests in a discussion of what's important this week in politics, policy and journalism. Featuring insights from expert guests and interviews with Young Voices writers, you'll get a clear picture of what's trending in the news and why. Young Voices is a non-profit focused on amplifying the perspectives and work of independent-minded, millennial policy and politics writers around the world.

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Underscored Podcast

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