Election Expectations, Good Sleep, Better Business

When Does the American Public Have a Right to Know the True Scope of a Threat? (0:33) Guest: Ryan Vogel, Director, Center for National Security Studies, Utah Valley University As early as February, President Trump knew that the novel coronavirus was a serious threat. Bob Woodward revealed that information while releasing portions of interviews with Mr. Trump as publicity for his new book. The interviews happened throughout the spring of this year. On the tapes, President Trump repeatedly talks about how dangerous and deadly COVID-19 is, but publicly he was downplaying the threat, tweeting that the virus will soon disappear and criticizing states for overreacting with lockdown and face mask orders. When is a President obligated to tell it straight to the American people? When is it ethical for a President to downplay a threat for the sake of calm and national security? Why Gender Reveal Stunts Are Getting Riskier (19:01) Guest: Jenna Drenten, Associate Professor, Marketing, Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago One of the wildfires currently burning in California was started by a gender reveal stunt gone wrong. A smoke bomb was supposed to puff pink if the baby is a girl, blue if it’s a boy. But it also sparked a blaze that’s burned nearly 18,000 acres and forced thousands of people to evacuate. Most wacky stunts to reveal the gender of an expected baby don’t end in disaster–just popped balloons filled with colored chalk or glitter. Frosted cakes with blue or pink inside is a popular one. But that’s hardly flashy enough for our social-media-obsessed world. One Instagram-famous couple learned the gender of their baby recently by watching the world’s tallest building–it’s in Dubai–light up in blue. There's a video of a guy place a melon between the snapping jaws of an alligator–an actual alligator. The melon exploded and splashed colored jello. Hasn’t this gender-reveal thing gotten a little out of hand? This Election Will Be Different. Let’s Adjust Our Expectations Now. (33:17) Guest: Douglas Spencer, Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of Connecticut, 2020-2021 Distinguished Faculty Fellow at The Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law, University of Colorado, Boulder We’re still a month and a half from Election Day, but early and absentee voting has already begun in some states. This presidential election is expected to break all records for the number of ballots cast early and by mail. That means the entire process will likely play out differently from what we’re used to–and we best start adjusting our expectations now. Apple Seed (52:45) Guest: Sam Payne, Host, BYUradio's Apple Seed People might have a go-to comfort food, but what about a comfort story? Restless Nights Around the Globe During COVID-19 (1:04:24) Guest: Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Postdoctoral Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School Sleep has been a mixed bag for people during the pandemic. Some are getting lots of it. Others ought to be getting lots of it–since social activities are cancelled and working from home saves commute time–but are struggling to fall asleep and feel rested come morning. B-Corps and Building Values in Business (1:24:07) Guest: Christopher Marquis, Professor of Sustainable Global Enterprise, Cornell University, Author of "Better Business" Lots of businesses tout their social or environmental responsibility, but how sincere are they about it? There is a way for businesses to prove they’re concerned about more than just profits. They can get certified as a “B Corp.”