Trump's Speech to Congress, Cost of Raising a Newborn
Trump Speech to Congress Guest: Jeremy Pope, PhD, Professor of Political Science, BYU For just over an hour on Tuesday night, President Trump outlined his accomplishments in office thus far and gave a broad outline of how he hopes to fulfill the big promises that helped him win the White House: namely, to “make America great again.” The President’s speech was striking for a number of reasons, including the optimistic tone and the fact that he stuck almost entirely to the teleprompters. The Costs of Raising a Newborn During the First Year Guest: Beth Mattingly, PhD, Director of Research on vulnerable families, Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire Expectant mothers want nothing but diapers and wipes as shower gifts. Just keeping an infant stocked with those basics is costly. Then you add food and doctor’s visits, clothes and car seats and strollers and cribs – and that doesn’t even include the childcare so many new parents rely on in order to keep their jobs. According to government estimates, the cost of raising a newborn through the first year of life costs more than $10,000. Company Politics: The Social Impact of Businesses Taking Sides Guest: Joseph Ogden, Professor of Public Relations and Communications, BYU President Trump called for an end to “trivial fights.” What’s trivial and what’s not, though? In this polarized political climate we’re in right now, virtually anything can be interpreted as a statement. That’s complicating things for companies. Take Nordstrom, which got a tongue-lashing from Trump on Twitter for dropping Ivanka’s fashion line – even though the company said the decision was based purely on flagging sales. Or the rideshare company Uber, which ended up at the center of a customer boycott for failing to join a taxi strike to protest Trump’s travel ban. What’s the best way for companies to handle a situation like that? And why are some companies like Starbucks willing to take very public political positions while others aren’t? Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne, Host of BYUradio's "The Apple Seed" Sam Payne joins us live from the Weber Storytelling Festival. Eat Less, Live Longer Guest: John Price, PhD, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, BYU Most of us know the many subtle ways aging shows up – in the texture of our hair, the wrinkles on our skin, the settling of weight in new areas of the body. There’s the aching and creaking and changing stamina level. Aging happens on a cellular level, too. If scientists can figure out how to slow aging at that level, all the anti-aging creams and supplements on the market would just be band aids by comparison. US Foreign Policy Not Making Us Safer Guest: William P. Ruger, Vice President for Research and Policy, Charles Koch Institute, Vice President for Research, Charles Koch Foundation During his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, President Trump reiterated his “America First” approach to US foreign policy. Some have called Trump’s foreign policy “nationalistic,” even “isolationist.” We spoke with William Ruger who advocates what he calls a “realistic” approach to US foreign policy. What we’ve been doing the last decade or so has not made America safer, he says. Interestingly, Ruger is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.