Month: June 2019

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What to look for on Smart Talk, June 7, 2019:

Founded in 1783 by Dr. Benjamin Rush, Dickinson College was the first college chartered in the new United States of America. Today, the Carlisle liberal arts institution has just over 2200 students to whom the college seeks to provide a “useful” education. 

Some of Dickinson’s current areas of focus are campus sustainability, student recruitment, and major fundraising. 

Dr. Margee Ensign took office as Dickinson’s 29th president in July 2017. Ensign served previously as President of the American University in Nigeria and is an international political economy scholar whose work focuses on challenges of international development, as well as on the implications of development assistance. 

She joins us on Friday’s Smart Talk to discuss her vision for Dickinson College and her thoughts on current issues facing the higher education landscape. 

Also, a push towards specialization is prevalent in arenas ranging from managing the economy to raising children. In his new book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, author David Epstein argues that, for successful individuals from Nobel laureates to professional athletes, specialization is the exception, not the rule, and that dabbling and failing can be keys to success. He appears on Smart Talk to discuss these ideas. 

Finally, Montana Governor Steve Bullock is one of 24 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential election. He joins Smart Talk to discuss his positions on the issues and his path to the nomination.

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Seventy-five years ago today, General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s order set in motion a massive ground, sea, and air invasion of Europe called Operation Overlord. As the Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces in WWII, he spearheaded the planning and eventual success of the invasion that would turn the tide of the war.

Eisenhower returned to civilian life after the war until conflict on the Korean Peninsula brought him back into uniform for a time. In 1952, Ike, as he would become known, turned to national politics and was eventually elected the 34^th president of the United States.

President Eisenhower bought a Gettysburg farm in 1950, but his association with the town and battlefield actually began while he was a West Point cadet.

Today, Smart Talk takes a road trip to the Eisenhower National Historic Site and the home and farm of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Appearing on the Smart Talk to discuss the site and the D-Day anniversary are John Heiser, historian at Gettysburg National Military Park, Tim Lambert, WITF News director and D-Day story producer, Alyce Evans, National Park Service guide, and Michael Birkner, professor of history Gettysburg College.

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What to look for on Smart Talk, June 5, 2019:

Pennsylvania exported $10.3 billion worth of products to Canada in 2017. Chemicals and machinery led the way.

A year ago, trade relations between the U.S. and Canada had reached a critical phase.

Canada had imposed tariffs on some American imports in retaliation for President Trump ordering tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from Canada.

Now a new trade agreement is on the table.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada have reached an agreement to update the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

The Consul General of Canada in New York Phyllis Yaffe is on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss how the new agreement impacts Pennsylvania and the U.S.

Also, commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day are taking place this week around the country and the world. This remembrance on June 6 has been called the “final salute,” as few if any veterans from WWII will live to share the 100th anniversary.

In The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II, historian Alex Kershaw provides a new take on one of the most important days of the 20th century. He joins us on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the book.

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What to look for on Smart Talk, June 4, 2019:

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman recently concluded a listening tour that made 70 stops across 67 counties to hear the opinions of Pennsylvanians on legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes.

Recreational marijuana has been legalized in 10 states and decriminalized in 15 more, but federal law still makes possession illegal across the country.  Pennsylvania legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 2016, but recreational use remains unlawful across the Commonwealth.

The 2019 Pennsylvania Health Poll found that 51 percent of Pennsylvanians favor the complete legalization of marijuana, the first time in the history of that poll.

Lieutenant Governor Fetterman joins us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to discuss his takeaways from the tour.

Also, Pennsylvania recently joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of states working to implement policies to uphold the United States’ commitments to reduce emissions that were part of the Paris Climate Accords. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement soon after taking office.

As part of this effort, Pennsylvania has adopted a Climate Action Plan, and, in January, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order to set Pennsylvania’s first statewide climate goals, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050, compared with 2005 levels.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the Commonwealth’s approach to climate policy is Patrick McDonnell, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

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What to look for on Smart Talk, Monday, June 3, 2019:

Philadelphia made national headlines when it implemented a tax on sugary-sweetened beverages, known more commonly as the “soda tax.”

In defending the tax, Mayor Jim Kenney argued that it would not only benefit the city’s bottom line, but it would encourage people to reduce soda consumption and create a revenue stream that would support the very neighborhoods in which soda consumption is highest. 

A team of researchers recently studied what would be the optimal soda tax if it were to be implemented nationwide and recommended a levy of 1-2.1 cents per ounce. They say the resulting reduction in soda consumption would reduce the prevalence of a host of diseases such as diabetes, which could help both consumers and the government and funds programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss the research findings is Dr. Benjamin Lockwood, Assistant Professor of Business Economics & Public Policy in the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Also, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration told all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties that they need to have new voting machines in place by the 2020 election.

PA Post reporters Emily Previti and Ed Mahon recently looked at who stands to profit from that requirement. Ed Mahon appears on Smart Talk.

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