President Donald Trump wields enormous power, but he doesn’t operate in a vacuum. He has a green light to engage in reckless actions. Presently, Trump encounters few stop signs or red lights.

Especially during Trump’s second term in the White House, there has been little or no pushback from key institutions, namely the Supreme Court, The Republican Party, and Right-wing Mass Media. Those institutions are not restricting Trump; they are emboldening him.

Why have those institutions failed the public? This program suggests answers.

Globalization is the idea that progress comes when countries, economies, cultures, and peoples become more connected and dependent on each other.

Of course, many people are not gung-ho about this idea. Anti-globalism inspired Donald Trump’s trade and tariff wars, and resistance has been strong in other countries, as well. Protests grew because globalization brought rapid change. It created unemployment and uprooted communities.

Why has globalization expanded greatly in recent years, despite this resistance? Which lessons can we draw from the historical record of progress and problems?

Globalization will remain a powerful force, because technological progress is constant. Resisting technology-driven change is not an effective strategy. Adjusting to changing conditions has greater potential for producing satisfactory outcomes.

Presidents of the United States typically refer kindly to their predecessors, but Trump frequently denigrates Barack Obama. Trump has been doing this for years. He was the most outspoken proponent of the false Birth Certificate conspiracy theory. Trump's Truth Social account posted a video that featured a clip showing the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama superimposed onto the bodies of apes.

What explains this outrageous behavior?

There is considerable evidence that prejudice toward African Americans generally and Barack Obama specifically influences Trump’s behavior. Much of Donald Trump’s flawed, dangerous, consequential decision-making in domestic and foreign affairs appears to be generated by racial prejudice.

June 2026 marked the tenth anniversary of Brexit -- a vote that eventually pulled the United Kingdom out of the European Union. Numerous economists and political analysts discussed Brexit’s impact on that tenth anniversary. Most of their opinions were sharply negative. They said Brexit had been a political and economic disaster.

At first glance this comparison sounds flattering for the USA. If Mississippi is in better economic condition than most of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Americans have a lot to boast about.

But American society isn’t immune to forces that motivated the British to leave the EU. Important political and cultural factors that energized support for Brexit are present in the USA as well.

How did Trump, a deeply flawed candidate who stumbled often during the 2016 campaign, win the presidential election?

There are familiar explanations for the outcome. Analysts point out that Trump blamed China for the decline of manufacturing in the USA and he criticized immigration. Trump excited voters with promises to create new jobs and “Make America Great Again.” Also, Clinton failed to give adequate attention to voters in the northern “Rust Belt.”

But you hear almost nothing about the point explored in this podcast – that just five men effectively undermined Hillary Clinton’s campaign. They played major roles in delivering the 2016 election to Donald Trump.

The Supreme Court ‘s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v FEC declared the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent financial contributions. In subsequent years wealthy individuals, large corporations, and special interest groups poured billions of dollars into political campaigns. Candidates that received those hefty donations often dominated political communications. They overwhelmed the voices of ordinary citizens.

What ‘s the story behind that decision? How did five justices in the majority and four in the minority argue their case?

This personality-based history focuses on the role of a few key individuals whose ideas and actions played major roles in the leadup to Citizens United v FEC. The program also shows how that controversial ruling made an impact in recent elections.

The guest is Steve Bevis. He is a communications professional who met and worked with presidents, senators, representatives, governors, and corporate executives.

Bevis recalls the racial injustices he saw growing up in Alabama. He discusses important changes in race relations in the South from the Civil War to the present. There was considerable progress in the 1960s and later, he notes, but setbacks in recent years are concerning. Bevis points especially to the recent Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v Callais that significantly weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That controversial ruling can made it difficult for blacks to win elections in the South, even though African Americans constitute a large portion of the population in many southern states. After the Court’s ruling, leaders in several Republican-led southern states moved quickly to redraw congressional maps through partisan gerrymandering.

Lord Acton gave us a memorable sentence that you’ve heard many times. He said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Lord Acton’s statement resonates now, because it pretty much describes Donald Trump’s modus operandi. President Trump cannot get everything he wants in America’s constitutional political system, but he’s certainly trying hard to dominate America’s domestic and foreign affairs.

One of his most serious abuses of authority occurred when he launched the Iran War. President Trump ordered unilateral military strikes on Iran without seeking prior authorization from Congress. The consequences of his action are already severe. Trump’s war of choice created economic and humanitarian crises throughout the world.