The Debrief with Major Garrett

Washington, D.C. has a language all its own. Words that mean something here in the nation's capital mean something completely different or nothing at all everywhere else. We're talking about sequestration and reconciliation, fiscal cliffs and super-secret SCIFs. Even SALT, COLA and iced tea - things normally found in your kitchen - have alternate definitions in the federal city. It's the accumulated language of legislating and regulating, the vernacular of those in power. There's also another language native to Washington, D.C., a city with vibrant culture, history and diversity. Ordinary Washingtonians living just blocks from these centers of federal power speak it fluently. So get cised, Moe, and gavel in the season one finale of The Debrief with Major Garrett, featuring Dave Dildine of WTOP Radio, Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, co-author of Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes Chuck McCutcheon and Grammy-nominated artist and DC-native Kokayi. A note to our audience: The Debrief will return with new episodes this fall. We thank you for listening and can't wait to bring you season two. The Debrief is produced by Jamie Benson, Sara Cook, Arden Farhi, Jake Rosen and Ellee Watson.

Without question, 2020 was a remarkable and remarkably miserable year for so many. It had a little bit of everything: disease, fire, political upheaval, social unrest, economic devastation. Oh, and murder hornets. More than 340,000 Americans died from covid-19. Unemployment reached nearly 15% and hunger in America surged. But there's another year in relatively recent human history that surpassed the suffering and significance of 2020. 1945. Between April and October that year, an American president died, the US dropped two nuclear bombs, a world war ended, the United Nations was founded and George Orwell published Animal Farm. And in the 5 other months that year, 75,000 Americans perished in the Battle of the Bulge. Auschwitz was liberated. US forces took Iwo Jima. The Nuremberg trials began. And the first computational computer comes online. Major Garrett looks back at 1945, a year that devastated and shaped the world. Interviews with historians and authors Jay Winik, A.J. Baime and Michael Kimmage, director of the Harry Truman Library, Kurt Graham, and director of the Franklin Roosevelt Library, Paul Sparrow.

100 days is an unusual unit of measurement for anything. Normally, we'd just say "about three months." Is there anything besides a president's time in office we measure in 100-day increments? Candidates make pledges for steps they will take once in office during that timeframe. Pundits, political scientists, and historians count the bills signed, executive orders issued, promises kept and promises broken in those first few months. First coined by former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "the first 100 days" have been used as a yardstick for all presidents since. They are a lens through which we measure a president's style, the success of their transition, the mettle of their leadership, and their sway over Congress. As we approach President Biden's 100th day in office this week, Major Garrett examines the beginning of Biden's administration -- his handling of compounding pandemic, economic, climate, and immigration crises, the legislative battles waged in Congress, and executive actions uprooting the policies of his predecessor. Major also embarks on a historical comparison of this benchmark for all modern presidents since FDR.

Even climate change skeptics agree global temperatures have risen and ice sheets are melting in the arctic and Antarctic. But they disagree that weather patterns are becoming more extreme and downplay the role of human activity on our warming planet. As Earth Day approaches, the second episode of our two-part series examines the impact of climate change not only on the planet but on people, and the debate over what to do about it. This week, Major Garrett speaks with experts in national security, the automotive industry, and climate research.

The Earth is changing at a faster pace than at any point in the history of human civilization. Industrialization and increased carbon emissions have caused the global temperature to rise by over a degree Celsius since the turn of the last century. This seemingly small increase has had a massive impact. Melting ice sheets are causing sea levels to rise. The oceans are warming due to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Extreme weather events are becoming more and more frequent. Species are dying at record rates. This may sound dire -- and the calls for greater immediate action are growing louder. But there's cause for hope. In part one of our two-part series, Major speaks with climate experts, policymakers, and advocates who see the climate crisis as a unique opportunity for equality and a greener and more prosperous future.