​'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

​"What really blinds people on both sides is thinking that it's either or: either we do nothing and put up with the horrendous tolls of firearm deaths and mass shootings, or we take all the guns away." That's public health expert and former CDC research director Mark Rosenberg, speaking to one of America’s most polarizing issues. Our country's fierce gun debate pits "both sides" against each other — proponents of stricter firearm regulation against gun rights advocates. But when it comes to finding solutions everyone can get behind, we have a major roadblock: there's been no federally funded scientific research on gun violence since 1996. That's when Republican Arkansas Congressman Jay Dickey, the NRA's so-called 'point man on the Hill,' spearheaded a bill that stripped the CDC of $2.6 million — the amount that had been funding Mark Rosenberg’s gun violence research.

Mark Rosenberg and Jay Dickey were on diametrically opposed sides of the gun debate, but fate took a twist. Their story a microcosm of what's so vitally needed in the arena of gun control, and our political arena beyond.

Friendly hint: listen til the very end and then enjoy this Daily Show sketch.

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​There's so much that goes on behind the microphone, and I'm going to start bringing you back here. This is the inaugural 'Behind The Mic' piece, stay tuned for more. For this first one: what is Reckonings, and why did I create it?

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