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Podcast: Village SquareCast celebrating 15 years & 50 episodes

Podcast: Village SquareCast celebrating 15 years & 50 episodes

Think it's impossible to bridge today's divisions? We beg to differ. Join politically diverse Village Square moderators looking back on the "best of" fifteen years—and now 50 podcast episodes— of bringing people together who don't look or think alike to discuss the thorniest issues of our time, while actually having fun. You'll hear about what made them laugh and cry, what inspired them, and other behind-the-scenes moments they've been mum about (until now, that is). Bill Mattox, Vita Woodrich, and Liz Joyner take a trip down memory lane while the rest of us pull out our notepads and soak up their wisdom.

This 50th SquareCast episode is packed with practical tips used by our guests as they navigate the challenges and joys of building bridges in their personal lives and with their beloved Village Square family.


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Hey Bro! Do You Think Trump Has Your Back?

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Hey Bro! Do You Think Trump Has Your Back?

This is an open letter to all bros. You're angry. You're disillusioned. And you have every right to be. The question is, what do you do about it? How do you do something that's going to improve your life, your future?

Does the answer lie in a political party? Both Republicans and Democrats certainly want your vote. However, you don't feel that you can look to the Democratic Party for help. They seem to be particularly interested in women, people of color, and immigrants. They haven't spoken to you or done anything for you.

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President Donald Trump reacts as he speaks to the media while signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on September 05, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Promise Presidency: How Trump Rewrote the Rules of Political Accountability

In the theater of American politics, promises are political capital. Most politicians make promises cautiously, knowing that if they fail to fulfill them, they will be held accountable

But Donald Trump has rewritten the script. He repeatedly offers sweeping vows, yet the results often don't follow; somehow, he escapes the day of reckoning.

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Screenshot from a video moments before US forces struck a boat in international waters off Venezuela, September 2.

The Return of American Imperialism

The Trump administration’s recent airstrike on a small vessel in the southern Caribbean—allegedly carrying narcotics and members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang—was not just a military maneuver. It was a signal. A signal that American imperialism, long cloaked in diplomacy and economic influence, is now being rebranded as counterterrorism and narcotics enforcement.

President Trump announced the strike with characteristic bravado, claiming the vessel was operated by “Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists.”

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Countering Trump’s Alternate Reality

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Countering Trump’s Alternate Reality

It is common in non-Trump circles to describe Trump as an inveterate, congenital liar. Throughout his campaigns and his presidency, his distorted perspective on facts—or outright lies—have been the underpinning of his combative arguments, And his forceful, passionate statements, whether distortions or lies, have become the truth for his followers. All real news and truth is regarded as "fake." Such is the power of "the big lie."

There is no need to site examples; they are legion. Most recently, though, this was observed when he fired the Director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, claiming that the numbers were fudged. He felt he knew what the right numbers were.

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