After a tough year of lockdowns and living through a global pandemic, many of us are looking for a sign of hope. And on December 21st, the world may get just the sign they are looking for in the night skies when Jupiter and Saturn come together to form The Christmas Star. Newt’s guest is Dr. Henry Throop, Program Scientist at NASA.

 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

After a tough year of lockdowns and living through a global pandemic, many of us are looking for a sign of hope. And on December 21st, the world may get just the sign they are looking for in the night skies when Jupiter and Saturn come together to form The Christmas Star. Newt’s guest is Dr. Henry Throop, Program Scientist at NASA. Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

Join Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House and Ph.D. historian, for the most diverse, informative, and entertaining podcast available. Every episode is an education.

Join Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House and Ph.D. historian, for the most diverse, informative, and entertaining podcast available. Every episode is an education.

Newt's World

Episode 169: A Sign of Hope – The Christmas Star

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2e282c83-ad0b-49ee-8f70-ae2800082f20/transcript

Newt talks with former Lamar Alexander, former Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Education Secretary, and Senator about his memoir, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.” He traces his public life from a 1963 Justice Department job under Robert Kennedy, where he heard Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, through the rise of “digital democracy,” social media, globalization, the Great Recession, and the Obama and Trump eras, arguing that social media and economic disruption have transformed American politics since around 2008. Alexander contrasts gubernatorial and senatorial leadership, likening governors to Moses and Senate leaders to drum majors who must recruit, align, and manage diverse “marchers,” and notes that many governors find the Senate frustrating while some senators struggle as pragmatic executives. He credits Howard Baker with teaching him to be an “eloquent listener,” to “learn to count” votes, and to remember “the other fellow might be right.” Relationships, he argues, are the essence of the Senate: he cultivated them by visiting House counterparts, maintaining courtesy, and hosting about 60 Senate couples, both Republicans and Democrats alike, at his Tennessee home. Alexander reflects on his own presidential bids, which he compares to moving from eighth-grade basketball to the NBA finals. He warns that presidential politics are increasingly dominated by “media and money,” recalling a 1999 quip predicting a Trump-like figure emerging from this environment.

Newt talks with former Lamar Alexander, former Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Education Secretary, and Senator about his memoir, &ldquo;The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.&rdquo; He traces his public life from a 1963 Justice Department job under Robert Kennedy, where he heard Martin Luther King Jr.&rsquo;s &ldquo;I Have a Dream&rdquo; speech, through the rise of &ldquo;digital democracy,&rdquo; social media, globalization, the Great Recession, and the Obama and Trump eras, arguing that social media and economic disruption have transformed American politics since around 2008. Alexander contrasts gubernatorial and senatorial leadership, likening governors to Moses and Senate leaders to drum majors who must recruit, align, and manage diverse &ldquo;marchers,&rdquo; and notes that many governors find the Senate frustrating while some senators struggle as pragmatic executives. He credits Howard Baker with teaching him to be an &ldquo;eloquent listener,&rdquo; to &ldquo;learn to count&rdquo; votes, and to remember &ldquo;the other fellow might be right.&rdquo; Relationships, he argues, are the essence of the Senate: he cultivated them by visiting House counterparts, maintaining courtesy, and hosting about 60 Senate couples, both Republicans and Democrats alike, at his Tennessee home. Alexander reflects on his own presidential bids, which he compares to moving from eighth-grade basketball to the NBA finals. He warns that presidential politics are increasingly dominated by &ldquo;media and money,&rdquo; recalling a 1999 quip predicting a Trump-like figure emerging from this environment.

Episode 981: Senator Lamar Alexander

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7ede1ca2-f222-4244-9bac-b454002bb659/transcript

Newt talks with historian Laurence Jurdem about his new book, “41: George H. W. Bush and the End of the American Establishment.” They discuss Bush’s upbringing in a patrician, duty-bound family culture shaped by his parents and elite institutions such as Phillips Academy and Yale. Bush’s wartime service as the youngest U.S. Navy fighter pilot in World War II, and other formative experiences deepened his sense of mission and sacrifice. Bush’s decision to reject a conventional Connecticut finance career and instead pursue a career in the West Texas oil industry was motivated by a desire for risk, independence and a desire for entrepreneurial achievement. They discuss Bush’s political evolution from an ambitious Senate candidate to President. In assessing Bush’s legacy, Jurdem contends that Bush represents the culmination and “end of the American establishment”: a multi-generational elite of highly experienced, institutionally loyal leaders whose credibility was later undermined by events such as the financial crisis and the Iraq War under subsequent administrations.

Newt talks with historian Laurence Jurdem about his new book, &ldquo;41: George H. W. Bush and the End of the American Establishment.&rdquo; They discuss Bush&rsquo;s upbringing in a patrician, duty-bound family culture shaped by his parents and elite institutions such as Phillips Academy and Yale. Bush&rsquo;s wartime service as the youngest U.S. Navy fighter pilot in World War II, and other formative experiences deepened his sense of mission and sacrifice. Bush&rsquo;s decision to reject a conventional Connecticut finance career and instead pursue a career in the West Texas oil industry was motivated by a desire for risk, independence and a desire for entrepreneurial achievement. They discuss Bush&rsquo;s political evolution from an ambitious Senate candidate to President. In assessing Bush&rsquo;s legacy, Jurdem contends that Bush represents the culmination and &ldquo;end of the American establishment&rdquo;: a multi-generational elite of highly experienced, institutionally loyal leaders whose credibility was later undermined by events such as the financial crisis and the Iraq War under subsequent administrations.

Episode 980: George H. W. Bush and the End of the American Establishment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0cf9a5a5-07ac-47cd-81e2-b452014f58b6/transcript

Newt talks with Steve Brusatte, paleontologist and bestselling author of “The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present.” They discuss a recent fossil discovery in China, a gigantic, long-necked dinosaur found at a construction site that may approach the largest known dinosaur sizes. Brusatte compares these massive sauropods—potentially 100 feet long and 50–60 tons—to modern aircraft. Brusatte reflects on his role advising Jurassic World filmmakers, contrasting his technical academic work with the opportunity to reach mass audiences through films and popular books. They also discuss the modern scientific consensus that birds are living dinosaurs: a surviving, flight-capable branch of the dinosaur family that flourished after the mass extinction. Brusatte likens dinosaur diversity to that of mammals today, emphasizing that many dinosaurs were small and that birds are the dinosaur equivalent of bats—highly specialized, small-bodied fliers within a larger group. He notes that while non-avian dinosaurs died out in the asteroid impact, birds represent the last remnant of this once-dominant lineage. They discuss how birds have become extraordinarily successful: while there are about 6,500 mammal species, there are likely 10,000–15,000 bird species, meaning roughly twice as many bird species as mammals today.

Newt talks with Steve Brusatte, paleontologist and bestselling author of &ldquo;The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present.&rdquo; They discuss a recent fossil discovery in China, a gigantic, long-necked dinosaur found at a construction site that may approach the largest known dinosaur sizes. Brusatte compares these massive sauropods&mdash;potentially 100 feet long and 50&ndash;60 tons&mdash;to modern aircraft. Brusatte reflects on his role advising Jurassic World filmmakers, contrasting his technical academic work with the opportunity to reach mass audiences through films and popular books. They also discuss the modern scientific consensus that birds are living dinosaurs: a surviving, flight-capable branch of the dinosaur family that flourished after the mass extinction. Brusatte likens dinosaur diversity to that of mammals today, emphasizing that many dinosaurs were small and that birds are the dinosaur equivalent of bats&mdash;highly specialized, small-bodied fliers within a larger group. He notes that while non-avian dinosaurs died out in the asteroid impact, birds represent the last remnant of this once-dominant lineage. They discuss how birds have become extraordinarily successful: while there are about 6,500 mammal species, there are likely 10,000&ndash;15,000 bird species, meaning roughly twice as many bird species as mammals today.

Episode 979: Steve Brusatte on “The Story of Birds”

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2bebe1b5-1d8e-48f8-8832-b44d000e44cb/transcript

Episode 169: A Sign of Hope – The Christmas Star

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