The year 2020 marked an inflection point in U.S. history that tested the mettle of its citizenry, its government and the soul of the republic itself. On this edition, host Jane Whitney takes a look back at the most important issues impacting ou

The Way We (Were) Are

Nov 14th, 2021 56m 20s

A panel of guests join Jane Whitney for a discussion of the state of the country in the shadow of the pandemic but through an intensely personal lens, a series of vignettes with influencers and thought leaders that, like a jig-saw puzzle, provi

Rebooting the GOP

Oct 24th, 2021 56m 16s

The defining political question of the moment, many pundits claim, probably is: Whither the GOP? When Donald Trump was sworn into office, the GOP held both houses of Congress and was considered untouchable. Two years later, the Democrats won ba

Climate Change: Sunrise or Sunset?

Oct 10th, 2021 56m 16s

“We’re the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we’re the last that can do something about it” has become something of a cliché, a summary of the existential threat posed by global warming. As climate change moves from an i

Women’s Rights Rollback: The New Frontier

Sep 26th, 2021 56m 17s

A century after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote, the uncertainty that foreshadowed the suffrage victory foreshadows the precariousness of women’s rights. “Finish the Fight!”, a rallying cry from the s

The Threat Within: Homegrown Terrorism

Sep 13th, 2021 56m 32s

In the wake of the January 6 insurrection, probably the most serious threat to our constitutional government since the Civil War, leaders of the FBI and law enforcement authorities have repeatedly warned that the threat of domestic grown terror

Global Remix: America & the World

Aug 23rd, 2021 56m 29s

Has America lost its preeminent place in the world? Emerging from World War II as the first among equals, the United States became the architect and leader of a series of overlapping international alliances and agreements that relied on coopera

Superstars of Tomorrow

Aug 9th, 2021 56m 18s

Since the Kardashians became America’s royalty – famous for being, well, famous – celebrity has defined the country’s culture, an essential element to win power and influence. Donald Trump took celebrity to new heights, using it to become the m

SCOTUS: Breakpoint?

Jul 25th, 2021 56m 13s

The Trump administration’s signature achievement was the expansion of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority and the confirmation of hundreds of lower court judges, the capstone of conservatives’ 30-year mission to restructure the courts in

Democracy in Color

Jul 11th, 2021 56m 19s

Although race and identity always have shaped U.S. politics, they reemerged four years ago with new intensity. In what was supposed to be Obama's post-racial America as the pivot point of the election, they became the unapologetic driver of Don

Does Democracy Need a Facelift?

Jun 28th, 2021 56m 18s

The battle to sustain democracy, which many historians and pundits consider this century’s preeminent challenge, is the heart of the third show slated to air this season. Once considered democracy’s bedrock, a proud model for the world, the Ame

Is Unity the Impossible Dream?

May 31st, 2021 56m 15s

Common Ground’s second show of the season focuses on whether the widespread longing for compromise and civility is nothing more than the vestigial dreams of a bygone era – or if the country can recapture the unity of spirit and purpose that has

Life Beyond the Pandemic

May 25th, 2021 56m 16s

The opening show in Common Ground’s season, “Life Beyond the Pandemic,” explores what we’ve learned about the pandemic and its profound impact of how we live, think and play. The expert panel, lead by Dr. Anthony Fauci, discuss how the ongoing

Trailer

May 13th, 2021 30s

Common Ground with Jane Whitney is a new series that features deep-dive conversations with the nation’s leading thinkers, leaders and experts around the nation’s most important issues. The 12-episode series explores national public affairs issu

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