novelist and playwright
Jonna Ivin is a playwright and the author of three books, including the memoir Will Love for Crumbs.
PROFILE
Jonna Ivin
Guest
FROM Jonna Ivin
To the Point
Does the "American Dream" still have a future? Dr. Martin Luther King famously had a "Dream" — and it's related to the "American Dream," a phrase first used back in 1931. It's when children make better pay, own more property and enjoy life's comforts more than their parents. Now, the "American Dream" can actually be measured. The numbers are not encouraging. The odds for children exceeding their parents' standard of living have dropped like a stone for the poor and the Middle Class. And the concentration of wealth has increased by orders of magnitude. On this MLK Day we hear what that means for the "American Dream."
To the Point
The 'American Dream:' Does it have a future? The "American Dream" has been defined as an increased standard of living from generation to generation. It's when children make better pay, own more property and enjoy life's comforts more than their parents. Now, the American Dream can actually be measured. The numbers are not encouraging. The odds for children exceeding their parents' standard of living have dropped like a stone for the poor and middle class, and the concentration of wealth in the economic stratosphere has increased by orders of magnitude. We hear what that means for the "American Dream."
Recommended
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?