The News Items Podcast

Election Security, with Dr. Charles Stewart (Episode 20)

John Ellis talks with MIT political scientist Charles Stewart III about the mechanics, vulnerabilities and public perception of American elections. They revisit the disputed 2000 contest, the administration of the 2020 vote, and the reasons false claims of fraud gained traction despite extensive verification. Stewart explains why machine counting is generally more reliable than hand counts, why California takes longer to certify results, and how election officials measure performance. The conversation then turns to the 2026 midterms, including federal efforts involving voter files, mail ballots, and identification requirements. Stewart warns that close races could produce widespread challenges, pressure on local officials and disputes over seating members of Congress. He also discusses AI, election funding, and why he remains confident in the country’s fact-based institutions today. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Regime Change, with Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan (Episode 19)

John Ellis talks with The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan about their book, Regime Change, an account of Donald Trump’s second presidency. They discuss how power operates inside a White House built around speed, instinct, and direct access to the president, often with little traditional process. The conversation covers Stephen Miller’s influence, Trump’s tariff decisions, the role of tech executives, the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, and the path to war with Iran. Haberman and Swan also describe the unusual figures who shape Trump’s information flow, the limits of internal dissent, and the tension between his visible stamina and questions about his age and health. It is a detailed look at an administration moving quickly, personally, and with few institutional brakes. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Hollywood's Stress Test, with Richard Rushfield (Episode 18)

John Ellis talks with Richard Rushfield, founder of The Ankler, about a Hollywood business model under stress. Rushfield traces the industry’s troubles back to the end of fin-syn rules, the rise of Netflix, and a wave of consolidation that has left studios bigger, safer, and more risk-averse. They discuss Disney’s parks-first future, Paramount’s high-stakes tie-up with Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox’s Roku bet, YouTube’s dominance, AI anxiety, China’s fading promise, and why horror still works while comedy has nearly disappeared. It’s a tour through Hollywood’s money, politics, technology, and creative exhaustion. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] The Ankler [https://theankler.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Germany in the World, with David Blackbourn (Episode 17)

John Ellis talks with historian David Blackbourn, author of Germany in the World: A Global History, 1500-2000, about five centuries of German history viewed through a global lens. They discuss Germany before there was a German state; the role of merchants, soldiers, missionaries, commodities and culture; the rupture of 1914; the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust’s international machinery; and the country’s postwar rebuilding, division and reunification. The conversation then turns to the German model today: dependence on America, Russia and China, Merkel’s legacy, Ukraine, the AfD, Europe’s economic sclerosis, and whether Germany can still attract talent and reinvent itself. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Episode 16: Russ Howard

John Ellis talks with retired Brigadier General Russ Howard about the wars in Iran and Ukraine, why modern warfare is changing faster than most militaries can adapt, and a much bigger problem that could be coming down the road. Howard argues that food, fertilizer, water, and supply chains are becoming national security issues in their own right. They discuss the real-world effects of conflict on agriculture, growing concerns over global water shortages, and a project at Arizona State University that asks what the world might look like in 2040 if current trends continue. A conversation about the risks that sit just beneath the headlines.  News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]