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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260709T190000
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UID:65964-1783623600-1783627200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:The Mind of the President: What’s at Stake?
DESCRIPTION:On Thursday\, July 9\, moderator and founder of News Not Noise\, Jessica Yellin\, and psychologist Mary Trump joined BigTentUSA live on Substack to examine how President Donald Trump’s psychological\, cognitive\, and emotional decline could shape both his presidency and the country’s future. Mary argued that decades of untreated psychiatric issues\, combined with aging and mounting pressure\, have created a “perfect storm” that makes Trump increasingly impulsive\, isolated\, and dangerous in positions of power. The discussion also explored how fear\, loyalty\, and political incentives continue to enable his behavior\, raising urgent questions about accountability and the health of democratic institutions. \nLooking ahead to the 2026 midterms\, the speakers emphasized that elections remain one of the public’s most powerful tools for checking executive power. They urged Americans to stay informed\, reject political complacency\, support independent journalism\, and remain actively engaged in civic life. Their central message was clear: democracy’s future won’t be decided by one leader alone—it will be shaped by citizens who participate. \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \nMary L. Trump is an American psychologist and author. Her first book\, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” (2020)\, which sold nearly one million copies on its first day of publication. She is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers\, “The Reckoning” (2021)\, and a memoir\, “Who Could Ever Love You” (2024). \nTrump writes The Good in Us\, a best-selling newsletter on Substack\, and is the founder of Mary Trump Media and the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel. \nJessica Yellin is the founder of News Not Noise\, a pioneering Webby award-winning independent news brand dedicated to helping you manage your “information overload.” The platform delivers substantive reporting and expert interviews giving audiences context\, not anxiety. Yellin is the former chief White House correspondent for CNN and an Emmy\, Peabody and Gracie Award-winning political correspondent for ABC\, MSNBC and CNN. Her work has been published in The New York Times\, The Atlantic\, and the Los Angeles Times. Meta has used her platform to train newsrooms around the world. A Harvard graduate\, she is also the author of “Savage News“\, available from HarperCollins. Find her work on Substack and YouTube at News Not Noise and on Instagram @JessicaYellin.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/the-mind-of-the-president/
LOCATION:https://open.substack.com/live-stream/270358?utm_source=post-publish
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Recap_Mary-Trump_Jessica-Yellin.webp
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260715T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260715T180000
DTSTAMP:20260723T194823Z
CREATED:20260708T204653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260723T194823Z
UID:66670-1784134800-1784138400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:“How to Eat An Elephant:” Restoring American Democracy
DESCRIPTION:On Wednesday\, July 15\, The Bulwark’s Will Sommer and Sarah Longwell\, joined BigTentUSA to discuss Longwell’s new book\, “How to Eat An Elephant.” \nLongwell\, a former member of the Republican Party\, and now a leading voice in the Anti-MAGA movement\, discussed the importance of engaging with voters of any party to develop a reform plan that goes across ideological party lines\, while also recognizing that change won’t happen overnight. \nDrawing on insights from thousands of voter focus groups\, Longwell explored why certain political issues resonate with the public while others fail to break through\, emphasizing the importance of clear messaging and compelling storytelling. The conversation also covered the state of the MAGA coalition\, voter reactions to recent political controversies\, the evolving political landscape\, and themes from Longwell’s forthcoming book. \nAs we head closer to the 2026 midterms\, Longwell provided viewers with a deeper understanding of the priorities driving today’s voters and the communication strategies she believes are essential for building a broad\, winning coalition. \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \nSarah Longwell is the publisher of The Bulwark\, which she co-founded in 2019\, and host of the podcast “The Focus Group“\, now in its sixth season. The Bulwark is one of the fastest-growing independent digital media companies and a home for honest\, pro-democracy news and analysis. \nA recognized expert in qualitative research\, Sarah has hosted hundreds of focus groups and spoken with thousands of voters nationwide. Her work digs into what motivates voters and how they view major political issues\, with a focus on persuadable swing voters\, including current and former Trump voters. Her insights have been featured on PBS NewsHour\, CNN\, MSNBC\, and elsewhere. \nWill Sommer is a senior reporter at The Bulwark\, where he writes the “False Flag” newsletter on right-wing media and online beliefs. Sommer’s work focuses on how conspiracy theories and disinformation shape our politics and country\, often spilling over from the internet into the real world. He previously worked for The Washington Post and The Daily Beast. Sommer is the author of “Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America.”
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/how-to-eat-an-elephant/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Recap_Sarah-Longwell_Will-Sommer.webp
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260727T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260727T200000
DTSTAMP:20260728T135920Z
CREATED:20260710T215350Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260728T135920Z
UID:66684-1785178800-1785182400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:People Over Power: Fighting Corruption\, Strengthening Alaska
DESCRIPTION:Alaska’s future is on the ballot—and this conversation made clear that the stakes extend far beyond the Last Frontier. \nOn Monday\, July 27\, in a wide-ranging discussion moderated by independent journalist Rebecca Nagle\, Senate candidate Mary Peltola and congressional candidate Bill Hill outlined a vision centered on putting Alaskans ahead of partisan politics. Both emphasized the crushing cost of living\, the need to strengthen local economies\, and protecting Alaska’s fisheries and natural resources while creating long-term economic opportunity. They also addressed the difficult balance between Alaska’s dependence on oil revenue and the accelerating impacts of climate change\, arguing that responsible energy policy must be paired with investments in sustainable industries and resilient communities. The candidates highlighted threats to the rule of law\, government accountability\, and the importance of reducing corruption\, while stressing the need to expand voter access—particularly in remote and Alaska Native communities where geographic barriers make participation more difficult. \nThe discussion closed with a call for practical leadership\, civic engagement\, and cross-partisan collaboration to ensure every Alaskan has a voice in shaping the state’s future. \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \nMary Peltola is a lifelong Alaskan\, and running for U.S. Senate. She is a mother of seven and a proven champion for all Alaska workers and families. Mary grew up in the close-knit communities of Kwethluk\, Tuntutuliak\, Platinum\, and Bethel\, where she began fishing with her father at the age of six before becoming a fishing boat captain at age 14\, and a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game during college. After being elected to the state legislature at the age of 24\, Mary chaired the bipartisan Bush Caucus which helped lower energy prices and improve public safety for rural Alaskans. \nMary has fought for Alaska by leading the coalition to secure the Willow Oil Project – which is the largest development of Alaska oil in recent history and a source of stable\, good paying union jobs; launching the fight against factory trawlers in 2022 and fighting for first-of-its-kind legislation to ban bottom trawling; organizing town halls across the state and rallying Alaskans to successfully stop the Kroger-Albertson’s merger that would have raised grocery prices and hurt workers. She has spent her life fighting for Alaskans\, and that’s exactly what she’ll do in the U.S. Senate. \nBill Hill is running for Alaska’s Congressional At-Large seat\, and grew up in a small village in Bristol Bay\, Alaska – the home of the largest salmon run in the world. He grew up subsistence fishing and hunting\, trapping\, and raising and racing sled dog teams with his family. Bill is first and foremost a commercial fisherman\, joining his dad on the family fishing boat when he was 12 and fishing every fishing season in Bristol Bay since. Bill also worked in rural construction\, from building houses\, working on remote health clinics and canneries\, environmental remediation\, and on a crew that installed the sewer system in the Bristol Bay Borough. A son of two teachers\, Bill spent nearly 25 years working as a teacher\, a principal\, and a superintendent\, and was named Alaska Superintendent of the Year in 2023. He’s a proud union guy\, having been part of both the Laborers union and the NEA. Bill is a husband\, dad of four\, and Chada (grandpa) to 7. Bill and his family have lived in Anchorage\, Fairbanks\, and Juneau. Now he and his wife Diane are back in Naknek\, population 470. \nRebecca Nagle is an award winning journalist and citizen of Cherokee Nation. She is the author of “By The Fire We Carry: The Generation-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land” and the writer and host of the podcast “This Land“. Her writing on Native representation\, federal Indian law\, and tribal sovereignty has been featured in the Atlantic\, the Washington Post\, The Guardian\, USA Today\, Indian Country Today\, and more. Rebecca Nagle is the recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize\, Women’s Media Center’s Exceptional Journalism Award\, a Peabody Nominee\, and numerous awards from the Native American Journalist Association. Nagle lives in Tahlequah\, OK.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/fighting-corruption-strengthening-alaska/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Recap_Peltola_Hill_Nagle.webp
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