The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman

Latest Episodes
“You’re either a coward or complicit:” Why ex-Navy SEAL Dr. Dan Barkhuff is fighting Trump
How does a self-described “pro-life, gun-owning combat veteran” end up starring in ads against President Trump? Dan Barkhuff is a former Navy SEAL and now an emergency physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He is the founder of …
“It Was All a Lie:” Top GOP operative Stuart Stevens on renouncing his party & defeating Trump
For 25 years, Stuart Stevens was a leading strategist and media consultant to top Republican politicians, helping to elect presidents, senators, congressman, and governors. He was top strategist for 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and he
Election 2020: Democratic candidates Rebecca Holcombe & David Zuckerman make their case for being Vermont’s next governor
Former Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe and Lt. Governor David Zuckerman are vying to be Vermont’s next governor. First, one of them must win the August 11 Democratic primary to advance to the general election, where they will likely face Republican …
The fight to save abortion rights: UVM Prof. Felicia Kornbluh on the Supreme Court and reproductive justice
In June 2020, the US Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s attempt to severely limit abortions. This came as a shock to many because Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal majority, seemingly reversing an earlier stand that he took …
Is it safe to return to school in a pandemic? Pediatrician Dr. William Raszka makes the case
Should children return to school? Will this result in the spread of COVID-19? And if a vaccine against COVID 19 is developed, will people get vaccinated? Pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. William Raszka argues that depression is becoming a major
“This is not a public health crisis — it’s a political crisis:” Stanford epidemiologist Dr. Steve Goodman on the exploding COVID-19 pandemic & the abdication of leadership
Why does the U.S. now have the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world? Dr. Steve Goodman argues that public health experts “know exactly how to [manage COVID] – we just need the political will.” He notes, “It’s not politicians who …
“The Crisis of American Democracy:” WaPo media columnist Margaret Sullivan on the collapse of local journalism
Most people might assume that the greatest threat to the media is President Trump’s relentless assaults on what he falsely calls “fake news.” But Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan argues, “Another crisis is happening more quietly. Some of
“We’re on the road to something new:” Emily Bernard, acclaimed author of “Black is the Body”
Emily Bernard’s latest book of essays, Black is the Body: Stories from my Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine, was named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR and received the LA Times Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose. …
Vt. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson on COVID relief and the road ahead
The Vermont Legislature have temporarily adjourned after appropriating about $1 billion in coronavirus relief funds. The money is intended to help Vermonters, businesses, and communities survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson d
Black Lives Matter & criminal justice reform: Vt. Judiciary Chair Sen. Dick Sears
Vermont Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) discusses criminal justice and policing reform in the age of Black Lives Matter protests and police brutality revelations. He also discusses reducing Vermont’s prison population and ending the “warrior mentality” of