Lex Listen

One of the reasons why I started this show was because I found listening to be an effective tool in softening hearts and minds, especially my own. I think this attribute is particularly important in politics. When philosophers, political scientists, and other thinkers sat down to come up with their ideas on democracy – debate, and listening were kind of the whole point. I know in my own life, I have changed my mind on several topics simply because I was able to hear a sit-down conversation or long explanation on the matter as opposed to a headline or a 60-second news clip.

Today’s guest I think really embodies this sort of listen-first politicking. Although reactionary politics makes more headlines, there are rising leaders such as our guests today who are combatting the status quo through empathy, open-mindedness, and listening. I’m a firm believer that these traits are not just reserved for the few, but instead, they are usually mended and formed through intentionality and experiences that form these leaders into becoming an effective listener and in turn bridgebuilders.

It’s clear that our nation is in a pivotal place for reframing its approach to US-China relations. One of the ways that I see this manifested in policy is with the influx of TikTok bans that have been occurring around the states. On today’s episode, I brought on Michael McLaughlin to discuss the bans and what U.S. politicians are really trying to get at with them.

Michael is a cybersecurity attorney and policy adviser. Before his time in law, he served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy for over 12 years. While assigned to United States Cyber Command, he also served as Senior Counterintelligence Advisor to the Commander. Michael also served as a cyber policy research affiliate for the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, where Michael advised senior government officials on the integration and expansion of Department of Defense cyberspace capabilities. Michael is also the author of a new book called: Battlefield Cyber: How China and Russia are Undermining Our Democracy and National Security. 

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The US House of representatives is absolutely bonkers right now. It holds a slim majority; it just went through an unprecedented speaker election, and it is full of *unique* members who are often winning by slim majorities.

Today’s episode deep dives into a potential solution to the House’s craziness called “proportional representation.” Proportional representation is the popular democratic system where a party shares the percentage of seats in a legislature equals its share of the popular votes nationwide.