For the last episode of Reckonings, none other than: Donald Trump.

This episode is part of Deep Reckonings — a series of explicitly-marked deepfake videos that imagine Mark Zuckerberg, Brett Kavanaugh, and other public figures having a reckoning. Here, an imaginary Donald Trump concedes the 2020 election. Watch the video and access the transcript: www.deepreckonings.com/trump

Want to see Trump give a real concession speech? Tweet: .@realDonaldTrump here's some actual fake news. Only you can make it real with @stephlepp: www.deepreckonings.com/trump

Continue the journey beyond Reckonings: bit.ly/influnch

If Brett Kavanaugh, Alex Jones, and Mark Zuckerberg had a crisis of conscience, what would they say? Reckonings presents Deep Reckonings — a project that uses deepfakes to take Reckonings in a *fictional* direction, and imagine public figures having a reckoning. Watch the full series and learn more about the project: deepreckonings.com

This is the last Reckonings episode for a while, and maybe...the last episode.

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​Transcript: Right here

How do we cover the communications of a president who lies, especially when those lies can be fatal? The traditional rituals of journalism don't really work with a president who doesn't tell the truth, and so, what can we do instead? Reckonings presents Infinite Lunchbox on the topic of how to tackle Trump's lies — aka *post-truth jujitsu*.

NOTE: Infinite Lunchbox is better viewed than heard — watch this episode on YouTube: bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu

Show Notes:
• Jay Rosen on switching to an emergency setting: https://pressthink.org/2020/03/today-we-switch-our-coverage-of-donald-trump-to-an-emergency-setting
• Dan Froomkin on live fact-checking: https://presswatchers.org/2020/03/how-to-turn-trumps-daily-virus-misinformation-show-into-a-vector-for-the-truth
• Matt Yglesias on Trump being a master showman: https://www.vox.com/2020/3/23/21190362/trump-daily-coronavirus-briefing-fox-cnn-msnbc
• Jay Rosen on sending the interns: https://pressthink.org/2018/06/its-time-for-the-press-to-suspend-normal-relations-with-the-trump-presidency
• Neighbors podcast: http://neighborspodcast.podbean.com

Connect:
• Infinite Lunchbox: https://www.youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephlepp

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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musicians + Tracks: Tannhauser's Rock Off

How do we change our hearts and minds? What moves us to shift our political worldviews, transcend extremism, and make other kinds of transformative change? That's the $64 million dollar question that gave birth to Reckonings. And that's the question I explore with lessons learned *from* Reckonings -- in this bonus episode with Inflection Point's Lauren Schiller.

Check out additional interviews featuring yours truly: reckonings.show/press.html

Connect:
• Inflection Point — a show about how women rise up: https://www.inflectionpointradio.org
• Neighbors — a podcast showcasing our common humanity: neighborspodcast.com
• Infinite Lunchbox — Reckonings’ sister show: https://www.youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephlepp
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​Transcript: Right here (scroll down)
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​Musicians + Tracks: Tannhauser's Rock Off

Joe Biden stands accused of sexual assault. And the Democratic Party leadership, which had been loud in its support for #MeToo, is suddenly……..silent. But, is it possible to support Biden without abandoning MeToo? Can we take Tara Reade's allegation seriously while deeming Biden a worthy candidate for president??

In this bonus episode of Reckonings -- alas, no -- we're not doing a restorative justice dialogue between Joe Biden and Tara Reade. What we're doing is being introduced to Reckonings' new sister show: Infinite Lunchbox! And we're going to hear an Infinite Lunchbox episode on Biden, #MeToo, and the prospect of growing in public.

NOTE: Infinite Lunchbox is better *viewed* than heard — watch this episode on YouTube: https://bit.ly/350RJmG

Show Notes:

• Rebel Wisdom — let them know you want Reckonings to LIVE on their platform
• Reckonings episode #23 — featuring restorative justice for clergy sex abuse
• Biden's 2019 not-quite-apology video
• Michelle Goldberg's 2020 NYT opinion on Tara Reade's allegation
• Strong Feelings podcast

​
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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musicians + Tracks: Tannhauser's Fin de Año and Rock Off

He built Facebook’s business model. Then he went on to become the President of Pinterest. And then he realized: he was addicted to his phone. And later: he was complicit in his own — and all of our — addictive relationships with technology. 

How does an architect of Facebook’s business model grapple with the impact of what he built? What is he doing to help us renegotiate our relationship with technology? This is the odyssey of Moment CEO Tim Kendall.

SF BAY AREANS: Tim and I will be speaking at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto on September 26th from 6:30-8pm. Get your ticket on Eventbrite!

If you're looking for help with technology addiction, check out reSTART.
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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1
• Tannhauser: Ötzi, Fin de Año, Rock Off
• David Sestay: Mountains, Ladybird's Theme​

'In writing this apology, I moved him from monster to apologist…and in doing that, he lost power over me.'

That's Eve Ensler, talking about her recent *masterpiece* of a book, The Apology. In it, she imagines the apology her father never gave her for the abuse he inflicted on her as a child. It echoes the imaginary Pope in Reckonings episode #22 — except that Ensler did it for her own father.

Ensler was recently interviewed about the book by Lauren Schiller on Inflection Point, and their conversation had SO MUCH resonance to Reckonings, that I'm bringing it to you right here, in the feed.

Enjoy!

And when you're done, please tell Eve that she'd enjoy Reckonings — on Instagram @TheApology :)

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​Transcript: Right here

​Let's take a peek behind the curtain on three things: what happened with Anwen and Sameer from episode #21, what was up with the imaginary Pope in episode #22, and where is Reckonings going?

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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musician + Track:​ David Sestay's Mountains

As a young priest, he sexually abused boys in his parish. 

In high school, she was sexually abused by her Catholic teacher, a former nun.

Buckle your seat belts for an uncommon conversation about clergy sex abuse.

Enormous gratitude to the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice, and to The Gilead Project — a 501(c)3 devoted to healing and preventing sexual abuse.

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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 2
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi, Fin de Año
• David Sestay: Mountains
• Rob Voigt: Outro

If the Pope had a reckoning, what would it sound like?

And then after you listen.....if you're curious *why* this was made, go to episode #23.5 and scroll to 01:18 for an explanation.

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​Transcript: Right here
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​Tracks:​ Outro by Rob Voigt

 Sameer met Anwen freshman year. He was into her, and they started seeing each other. Then one night, after a fraternity party, Sameer convinced Anwen to come home with him — which is when he coerced her into sexual activity. Their senior year, Anwen invited Sameer into a process of restorative justice.

This story features *both* Anwen and Sameer, talking about how they worked through sexual assault using restorative justice.

What does it sound like for a survivor to get her needs met? What does it sound like for a perpetrator to take responsibility for his sexual abuse of power?

Heartfelt thanks to the Friend Foundation, Varda Rabin, and David Karp at the Campus PRISM Project, which helps universities explore the possibility of applying restorative justice to sexual assault.

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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi, Fin de Año
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme, Mountains
• Rob Voigt: Outro

Alternative facts. Fake news. How are journalists grappling with this moment?? Dive into one journalist’s reckoning with truth.

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​Transcript: Right here
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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi, Fin de Año
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme, Mountains
• Rob Voigt: Outro

​'Behind The Mic' is a series of short pieces I produce periodically, to bring you behind the microphone and reveal a bit of what's going on back here. This time, I'm pulling the curtain on three things: a new creative adventure, the *kinds* of change Reckonings is interested in, and how to bring you more stories more often.

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Transcript: Right here

Musicians + Tracks:​

• Tannhauser: Ötzi
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme, Mountains

​'I could have been a left-wing guerrilla in Columbia. Whatever would have grabbed me at the right time, I was ready for.' What ended up grabbing Frank was neo-Nazism. What ended up grabbing Jesse was jihadi extremism. What happens when we look beyond ideology?

This episode was produced with generous support from the Gen Next Foundation, which leverages a venture philanthropy framework to build paradigm-shifting social ventures with a wide footprint of impact. Their partnership with ISD and Google Jigsaw created the Against Violent Extremism (AVE) network. It is the first and only network of former extremists and survivors of terrorism. Leveraging their powerful and authentic voices, this peer-to-peer solution disrupts radicalization and hate group recruitment.

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Transcript: Right here

Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi, Fin de Año
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme, Mountains
• Rob Voigt: Outro

​
"Very earlier on, Roger called me Ailes Junior. He told my dad, 'I've never met anyone more like me than Joe.'" As the protégé of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, Joe Lindsley was closer to the man who built Fox News than any Fox executive. He helped write Ailes' speeches, sat next to him at executive meetings, and went to church with his family on Sundays. What moved the ambitious twenty-something to abandon the conservative media titan? 

For a deeper dive into his epic odyssey, check out Joe's memoir — Fake News / True Story.

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Transcript: Right here

Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1, Matope 3
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme
• Rob Voigt: Outro

'I can say to climate skeptics on the right, I used to believe what you believe. Hell, I wrote your talking points, and for 20 years, I was there! But let me tell you why I'm not there anymore.' As the head of the Cato Institute’s climate and environmental policy shop, Jerry Taylor was a leading spokesperson for climate skepticism. He waged TV battles against climate activists on the likes of CNN, NBC, and Fox, and says he won all of them. As the only paid climate skeptic who’s ever flipped, why did he shift not just his views on climate change, but his relationship with his views more broadly? 

This is a joint episode with Inquiring Minds, a podcast exploring where science, politics, and society collide. Check our previous joint episode about worldview transformation in the 2016 presidential election right here. 

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​Transcript: Right here

Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 
• Rhian Sheehan: Inquiring Minds theme​​
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme
• Rob Voigt: Outro
• Mattia Cupelli: Background Cartoon Music Loop, Action Cartoon Music ​

​'When I'm angry and I don't know how to get it out, I take it out on other people. I call people names, I say they're ugly, I talk about the way they dress. And when I get into fighting mode, I just start swinging.’ When she was in high school, Halley built a reputation for herself as a bully. So did Chris, who even bullied his teachers, going so far as to break one teacher's jaw. Why do we bully? And what moves us to stop?

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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• Rob Voigt: Outro
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme

'I was getting people to make decisions based on misleading information that could have life or death consequences.' That’s Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations for CIGNA. As the executive spin doctor for one of the biggest health insurance companies in the country, he was responsible for concocting tales that enabled CIGNA to deny coverage, discredit critics, and otherwise cast the corporate health insurance machine in a positive light. That was until the numbers in his spreadsheets became actual people with real lives. 

What happens when a health insurance PR executive confronts the consequences of his spin? Dive into one man's odyssey from health insurance spin doctor to activist truth teller.

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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 1, Matope 3
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• Rob Voigt: Outro
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme

 
​'Behind The Mic' is a series of short pieces I produce periodically, to share what's going on behind the scenes. This time, I'm bringing y'all behind the microphone on two things: 1) an event Reckonings hosted back in December, inviting voters to take a post-election stroll in each other’s shoes (short video here), and 2) the wondrous reason the show has been on hiatus.

With that, Reckonings is BACK, and the next episode is imminent…

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'You have all these plans, all these dreams, and then it hits you: my daughter's no longer a daughter, she's a son.' In struggling to accept her daughter as a transgender man, Rita DiNicola had to surrender dreams of wedding dress shopping and biological grandchildren. Similarly, in accepting her son as a trans woman, Catherine Hyde had to reckon with the fact that — as a tomboy from a young age — she'd always wanted, and believed she'd gotten, a son as her only child. Together, Rita's and Catherine's stories provide a hopeful window into what might help other parents, and other people more broadly, overcome transphobia and expand our understanding of gender.​

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​Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• Rob Voigt: Outro
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme
• Brak Okzu: Pozytywizm, Zmienność

​In the leadup to election day, Reckonings collaborates with Inquiring Minds on an episode about political worldview transformation in the 2016 election season. It features an interview with brilliant 'sociologist of emotion' Arlie Hochschild, along with the stories of two voters who transformed their views during this election — young voter Alex Mamach from episode #9, who's voting in his second presidential election, and longtime political insider and Republican lobbyist Bob Schneider, who's been voting for over 40 years. For more detail on the episode, an insightful writeup is on Mother Jones.

The 2016 election season has been unique in many ways — one being that it might be challenging Americans to reckon more deeply with our party affiliations, and with our political worldviews more broadly.

Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• Rob Voigt: Outro
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme

Episode: iTunes || Stitcher || SoundCloud

​Remember the bombastic black intellectual Glenn Loury from episode #5, and his story of sex, drugs, politics, and religion? Voilà another round with him, in collaboration with the venerable podcast Love + Radio.

iTunes || SoundCloud

​'I was taught that money is not something you talk about, because once people know you have it, you’ll get taken advantage of.' Like many young members of the 1%, Michelle inherited immense wealth at an early age. In a separate but parallel tale, so did Abe. For many years, they didn't talk about their wealth or know what to do with it, and ultimately denied its existence. Being involved in cross-class relationships only thickened the plot. Then Michelle and Abe discovered Resource Generation, an organization mobilizing young people with wealth around redistribution.

How is learning to talk about wealth essential to doing something with it? How do we navigate wealth disparity within the context of cross-class relationships? And how might that be a microcosm for alleviating wealth disparity in our country? Tune in for a rich, two-story episode.

CORRECTION: This episode refers to Abe's trust, but he doesn't actually have a trust.

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​Transcript: Right here

Musicians + Tracks:

• Chris Peck: Matope 
• Brak Oczu: Zmiennosc, Pozytywizm
• David Sestay: Ladybird's Theme
• Tannhauser: Rock Off, Ötzi
• Rob Voigt: Outro

​"When my son said, 'dad, I'm gonna vote for you, but you're going to clean up your act on the environment,' it wasn't a threat. It was my son saying, 'dad, I love you, and I want you to be what you can be.'" The force that propelled then-Republican South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis to shift his position on climate change was, indeed, love. His son and family created a safe environment for him to explore the possibility of changing his views, and loved him unconditionally through what he calls his 'climate metamorphosis.' Which is why Inglis uses this same strategy to mobilize fellow conservatives around climate change: his organization RepublicEn avoids judgment, and leverages love.

For his courage on climate, Bob Inglis won the 2015 JFK Profile in Courage award. Today, he stands at the forefront of America's conservative movement on climate change.

This episode includes excerpts from Inglis' 2013 TEDxJacksonville talk.

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​'I don't know if I can convey how comforting it is to believe that you possess the secret to how everything in the universe works. And as a consequence, we had this amazing bonus: we were going to heaven and everyone else was going to hell.' That's how Chris Ladd describes his upbringing in a fundamentalist Christian home in East Texas. But that sense that he possessed the secret to how everything in the universe worked? Well, it eventually cracked, shifting his views on women's rights, homosexuality, race, and everything else in the delicate mobile we call a "worldview." The cost of ideological transformation has been painfully high, but Chris concedes, it's been worth it.

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