Gridlock Break

Gridlock Break Signing Off

Gridlock Break is signing off. Thank you to all our guests and thank you to our audience for listening. Continue following No Labels on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sadek Wahba Discusses the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework

Sadek Wahba is the founder and managing partner of I Squared Capital, an independent multi-billion dollar global infrastructure investment company. In this episode, he discusses how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework will create new jobs, as well as the economic impact of both the bipartisan agreement and the Democratic spending package.

An Inside Look at the IRS with Commissioner Charles Rettig

Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

No Labels National Co-Chairs Discuss a Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Steve Hanke Discusses the True Cost of the First 100 Days of Spending

Steve Hanke is a professor of applied economics and founder and co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise at the Johns Hopkins University. He is also director of the Troubled Currencies Project at the Cato Institute and a senior fellow at Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. He discusses what he feels the true cost of President Biden’s first 100 days of spending to be and how it will impact the economy. 

Ben Ginsberg on New Voting Bills

Ben Ginsberg is a nationally known elections lawyer. He served as national counsel to the Bush-Cheney presidential campaigns in the 2000 and 2004 election cycles and played a central role in the 2000 Florida recount. He was also appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as co-chair of the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration. In this episode he discusses the voting bills that are being considered in the states. 

Philip K. Howard on Biden's Infrastructure Plan

Philip K. Howard is a lawyer and author who has written extensively on government and legal reform. He is also the founder of Common Good, a nonpartisan national coalition dedicated to restoring common sense to America by simplifying government. In this episode, he discusses President Biden’s proposed infrastructure plan.

Thomas Kahn Discusses the Budget

Thomas Kahn is a Faculty Fellow at American University, an adjunct professor at George Washington University, and a senior consultant at the Cormac Group, a Washington public affairs group. In this episode, he discusses the federal budget, his area of expertise after serving for twenty years as staff director and chief counsel of the House Budget Committee. 

Mark Zandi: A Conversation on Economic Outlook

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, where he directs economic research. He is also the lead director of Reinvestment Fund, one of the nation’s largest community development financial institutions, which makes investments in underserved communities. He discusses the rising risk of inflation and upcoming spending bills. 

John Hope Bryant: A Conversation on Building America

John Hope Bryant is an accomplished author, entrepreneur, and the founder of Operation Hope. The organization is the largest not-for-profit and best-in-class provider of financial literacy, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment tools and services in the United States for youth and adults. In this episode, he discusses his thoughts on the economic challenges facing disadvantaged communities across America. 

Warren Mosler: Modern Monetary Theory

Warren Mosler is an economist and the father of Modern Monetary Theory. His best-known contention is that a sovereign government operating in an environment without fixed exchange rates can never become “insolvent” because they can always provide more of their currency to pay their debts. It leads to the conclusion that budget deficits and government borrowing are not in and of themselves causes for concerns. It’s a controversial view that challenges most conventional economic thinking. In t...

Steven Pearlstein Discusses the Left's 'Progressive Paradise' and the Partisanship of Covid Relief

Hear from Steven Pearlstein, who recently wrote his final column for the Washington Post, where he had spent three decades. He devoted his final column to discussing the growing belief on the left that the old rules of economics no longer apply and why he worries that America may learn the hard way, that they do. He also talks about why the current COVID-19 relief negotiations are unfolding in such a partisan fashion. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Lawrence H. Summers on the COVID Relief Bill

Lawrence H. Summers is an economist who previously served as Chief Economist of the World Bank, Secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton Administration, and director of the National Economic Council in the Obama Administration, as well as president of Harvard University, where he is now a professor. In this episode, he discusses the COVID-19 relief bill, potential infrastructure spending, and his recent Op-Ed in the Washington Post. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook...

John Anzalone, Lead Pollster for Biden 2020

John Anzalone is one of the nation’s top pollsters and messaging strategists. He was most recently the chief pollster for President-elect Joe Biden, marking his fourth presidential campaign. In this conversation, he discusses the latest thinking from the White House on a COVID-19 relief bill, and some recent results of opinion polling. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Frank Luntz: This is the Moment for the Problem Solvers

Frank Luntz is an American political and communications consultant, pollster, and pundit. His focus groups often highlight the use of language, as his book 'Words That Work' did, in conveying a message. Today, he’ll discuss recent polling he has done and why he believes this is the best opportunity the Problem Solvers Caucus has to accomplishing anything in Congress. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Moving Forward with Bipartisanship with Ari Fleischer

Ari Fleischer was previously the White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. In this episode, he discusses the role the media is playing in pushing Americans apart and what No Labels can do to bring us back together, especially as Congress debated a new COVID-19 relief deal. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Dr. Michael Osterholm Provides a COVID-19 Update

Dr. Michael Osterholm is the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota and one of the country’s top infectious disease experts. In this episode, he’ll discuss the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and recent spikes in infection numbers. 

No Labels Round Table: What's Next for Congress?

In this episode, we hear from leaders of No Labels and others as they discuss what is next for Congress. We’re joined by: Bill Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, former Congressman Tom Davis, Steve Pearlstein, a business and economics columnist with the Washington Post, and AB Stoddard, columnist and associate editor at RealClear Politics.  In a broad consensus that this is No Labels’ moment. Because the new House and Senate will be governed by such small margins, bipartis...

Thomas Friedman Thinks 'We are in a Third Promethean Moment'

Tom Friedman describes this as a “Promethean Moment,” a moment that destabilizes and changes the world around us. He says the Right/Left party politics that have existed for 250 years are in the process of becoming obsolete as globalization and technology have sped up exponentially.  Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • ...

No Labels Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago, No Labels began a journey to build the bipartisan governing coalition capable of solving America’s toughest problems. In this episode, hear from the leaders and elected officials who built this movement. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach Answers Your Vaccine Questions

Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach is president of Samaritan Health Initiatives, Inc. and an adjunct professor at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He was formerly the Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration from 2006–2009. In this episode, he will discuss COVID-19 vaccines and answer questions on their development, implementation, and impact.   Dr. von Eschenbach marvels at the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were created. Where it could previously take 15 years...

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Former Commissioner of the FDA

We hear from Dr. Margaret Hamburg, an internationally recognized leader in public health and medicine. She currently serves as foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine and chair of the NTI | bio Advisory Group. She is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), having served for almost six years. In this episode, she discusses the development of COVID-19 vaccines and the distribution and access to those vaccines once they have been developed.  Dr. Hamb...

What Should Happen in the First 100 Days of the New Congress?

In this episode, we open up the conversation to No Labels’ members to discuss what they think should be the top priorities for No Labels in the first hundred days of the new Biden Administration and the new Congress. It will be no surprise that the new president’s first task will be the containment of COVID-19, but No Labels is in a unique position to help determine what comes next.  In the next Congress No Labels’ bipartisan coalition in the House and the Senate could emerge as the pivotal...

Divided We Stand: Democrats and Republicans Diverge on U.S. Foreign Policy

Dina Smeltz and Craig Kafura are both experts on public opinion and foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. They will discuss their recent report about American views on foreign policy in the age of COVID-19.  Smeltz and Kafura say voters do not generally choose a candidate on the basis of foreign policy, but that’s starting to change amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. As indicated by the title of their report, Divided We Stand, Democrats and Republicans do not generally ...

The Responsibility of State Governance with David Crane

David Crane is a lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University and the founder and president of Govern for California, which is working to bring a more pragmatic approach to state government. In this episode, he discusses the work of Govern for California and the critical, but often under-appreciated, effect that local and state government has on our lives. David Crane explains that when he began in state government advising Arnold Schwarzenegger, he was stunned by how little he knew abo...

A Look at America's Foreign Policy with General H.R. McMaster

In this episode, we’ll hear from General H.R. McMaster, who served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018, after which he served as President Trump’s National Security Advisor. He is now a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Today, he will discuss his recent book, Battlegrounds, which examines the most critical security and foreign policy challenges facing the US.  General McM...

Challenges to Scientific Consensus on COVID-19 with Dr. Arturo Casadevall and Dr. Nigel Paneth

Dr. Casadevall is the chair of the Molecular Microbiology & Immunology department at Johns Hopkins University. And Dr. Panth is a Professor of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Pediatrics at Michigan State University. Today, they will discuss their recent Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal, in which they explore why it is often so hard for scientists to reach consensus about COVID-19.  In their Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, the doctors asked two questions: What are the standards of evidence in me...

A Lesson in Negotiation with William Ury

William Ury, a co-founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and one of the world’s leading experts on mediation discusses his impression of the country's current problem-solving methods and what needs to change. William Ury notes that a key to productive problem solving is finding solutions that work for both parties, and in the case of national issues, he calls it a “win-win-win” - a win for both sides of the aisle is a win for the country as well. He believes achieving these win-win-win...

Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic with Johnese Spisso, President of UCLA Health

Johnese Spisso is the President of UCLA Health, CEO of UCLA Hospital System, and Associate Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences. In this episode, she discusses her experiences managing a major hospital system through the COVID-19 crisis, and her outlook for the fall.  Ms. Spisso explains that successfully managing a pandemic relies on the three S’s: sufficient staffing of hospitals and healthcare facilities; the right supplies or PPE to keep patients, staff, and families safe; and a hosp...

A Conversation with Howard University President Wayne Frederick on the Changing Landscape of Higher Education

Dr. Wayne Frederick was appointed president of Howard University in 2014, before which he had served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer of the university. He is also the Chair of Surgery. Today, he will discuss the role Howard University is playing in the racial climate in the country and in higher education.  Dr. Frederick discusses the unique challenges and objectives of Howard University in representing the black community and educating students who might otherwise not have access to ...

Dr. Mark Duggan and Dr. Andrew Johnston Discuss the Hidden Tax Bill Approaching for Businesses

Dr. Mark Duggan is a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, focusing much of his research on the healthcare sector. And Dr. Andrew Johnston is an assistant professor of economics at University of California, Merced. Today, they will discuss the Op-Ed they recently co-authored in the Wall Street Journal on a big and hidden tax bill that could be coming for businesses at the worst possible time.  Earlier this year, COVID-19 crushed the US economy and caused our ...

General David Petraeus Discusses Strategic Leadership

David Petraeus is a retired United States Army General, having served in the military for 37 years. During that time, he was commander of U.S. Central Command and led combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the service, he served as director of the CIA during the Obama Administration. He is now chairman of the KKR Global Institute. Today, he discusses what kind of strategic leadership is needed to run and manage successful organizations.  General Petraeus identifies f...

General George W. Casey Discusses Civil-Military Relations

George Casey retired as a four star general after having served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army and Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq. Today he will discuss the state of civil - military relationships, and the stress they are currently under in America.  General Casey reminds us that American democracy has always necessitated a separation of military command and civilian control. He also notes that there is a misconception of the military's role in domestic ...

Political Reporters Eleanor Clift and Joe Concha

Eleanor Clift is a political reporter, a columnist for The Daily Beast, and a contributor to MSNBC. And Joe Concha is a reporter for The Hill. Today, they will discuss the upcoming election, Supreme Court nomination, and the role that news consumption and bipartisanship play in our nation’s discourse.  Both Eleanor Clift and Joe Concha look back wistfully to times of compromise, during the Carter and Obama administrations. Concha notes that politicians on the fringes get the most air time o...

No Labels Youth Congress

No Labels convenes a group of young Americans looking to unite those who would rather solve problems than endure toxic partisanship. This is the first of many meetings with young people to hear their voice and share their concerns with other future leaders of America. Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

Larry Diamond Examines the Threats Around the World to Democracy

Larry Diamond is a professor of Sociology and Political Science at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He also supervises the democracy program at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford. Today, he will discuss the global assault that has continued for several years on liberal democracies everywhere.  Larry Diamond warns against the dangers of political parties delegitimizing their opponents. He explains that these are warning sig...

Former Congressman John Delaney Discusses Overcoming Divisiveness

John Delaney represented Maryland in the US House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. In 2017, he launched a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Before running for Congress, he co-founded two publicly traded companies focused on making loans more readily available for small businesses. Today, he discusses the need for bipartisanship at this uniquely divisive and difficult moment in American history.  As awful as the current crisis is, John Delaney believes it will produce...

Arthur Brooks on Leadership and Happiness

Arthur Brooks is a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. He served as president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank, for ten years before that. He is the author of 11 books, including two New York Times best sellers, The Road to Freedom, and The Conservative Heart. Today, he discusses his work at Harvard, specifically his class entitled, “Leadership and Happiness.”  Before joining AEI, Arthur Brooks was a behavioral social scienti...

Dr. Mark McClellan Provides an Update on COVID-19

Dr. Mark McClellan is the director of the Robert J Margolis Center for Health Policy and a professor of Business, Medicine and Health Policy at Duke University. He was previously  with the Brookings Institution and the commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration under President George W. Bush. Today, he will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and how health agencies are responding the crisis.  Dr. McClellan discusses the innovation currently happening in both the public and pr...

Dr. George Rutherford Discusses Trends in COVID-19 Transmission

Dr. George Rutherford is the director of the Institute for Global Health and the head of the Division of Prevention Medicine and Public Health at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. He is also a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of California Berkeley. He has also been very involved in California’s COVID-19 response, and has published a number of articles on the topic. Today, he will discuss the trends in COVID-19 transmission.  Dr. Ruther...

Frank Luntz Focus Group

Frank Luntz hits the ground running by asking the No Labels group whether they believe this presidential election is the worst this country has seen. Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes. He then goes on to ask whether those assembled would support a “Clean Campaign Pledge” on the Presidential or Senate level. The responses given are mixed, but the majority of responses seem to be pessimistic about the candidates’ abilities or willingness to abide by a pledge even if it is promised.   Go to No...

POLITICO Cofounder John Harris on the 2020 Election

John Harris co-founded the news organization Politico in 2007 and served as its editor in chief until 2019. He was previously a political reporter for The Washington Post and the author of an acclaimed book about President Bill Clinton. Today, he will give his insight into the upcoming presidential election. John Harris notes that congressional Democrats had electoral success in the 2018 midterms by focusing on issues and raising up their rhetoric. But he sees the current Democratic preside...

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Shares His Perspectives on COVID-19, Economic Recovery, and Social Unrest

Sylvester Turner is serving in his second term as mayor of Houston, after first being elected in 2015. Turner served for 27 years in the Texas House of Representative and ran his own boutique law firm, Barnes and Turner. Today, he will discuss how political priorities have shifted since he took office five years ago, how Houston is combating its COVID-19 outbreak. Mayor Turner notes that pension and budget issues were a huge priority in Houston when he took office, but with Hurricane Harvey...

Former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin on the Economic Recovery after COVID-19

Robert Rubin was the Secretary of the Treasury and Director of the National Economic Council under President Bill Clinton. He had a distinguished career in finance, joining Goldman Sachs in 1966 and eventually becoming co-chairman. Under the Clinton Administration, he served as the  He is also a founder of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy think tank out of the Brookings Institution. Today, he will discuss the economic outlook in the post-COVID world. Secretary Rubin says it might ta...

Update from No Labels Leadership

As election day nears, any of the three possible results - a Democratic sweep, a Republican sweep, or a split government - could be problematic. No Labels is committed to the maintenance of a bipartisan partnership to avoid gridlock. Today, leaders within the No Labels organization will discuss how the mission of No Labels is changing with the field, plans to continue their work in November and beyond, and how  the organization can support those in office. As No Labels continues their strat...

Tim Phillips, CEO of Beyond Conflict, on the Science Behind Polarization

Tim Phillips is the founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict, a non-profit organization that works with leaders to address conflict and promote social change around the world. Since its founding in 1992, Beyond Conflict has worked to support peace talks and paths to democracy in 75 countries. The organization has also become a leader in the effort to catalyze the field of Neuroscience and Social Conflict. Today, Tim will discuss the work Beyond Conflict is doing to combat polarization.  Tim Phill...

David French on the Polarization in America

David French attorney, political commentator, and author. A fellow at the National Review Institute and a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019, French currently serves as senior editor of The Dispatch, a fact-based digital media company, that endeavors to provide both sides of any given position. In 2020, he published Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. Today, he will discuss the polarization he studies in his book and why short-term solut...

Admiral William McRaven on Leadership

Admiral William McRaven is a retired United States Navy SEAL and four-star admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command. Following that, he was the chancellor of The University of Texas System from 2015 to 2018. Today, he will discuss leadership in a time of great crisis and American national security concerns for the future.  Admiral McRaven believes that leadership in a time of crisis is no different than in calmer times: You need to set a...

Former Attorneys General Doug Gansler and Jon Bruning

Bruning served as Attorney General of Nebraska from 2002 to 2014, the youngest Attorney General in the nation when he took office. He is now the Managing Partner of Bruning Law Group. Today, they will discuss the role of the Attorney General, specifically in the upcoming election.  There are three unusual factors to the upcoming election: (1) the dangerous level of polarization (2) COVID-19’s impact on voter turnout; and (3) the impact of the racial unrest and protests, specifically on Joe ...

Dr. Art Laffer on Taxes, the Government, and the Economy

Dr. Art Laffer has been called the Father of Supply Side Economics. He was a member of President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, and is perhaps best known for developing the Laffer curve, an illustration of the idea that there is some tax rate between 0% and 100% that will result in maximum tax revenue for the government. He served as economic advisor to Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019. Today, he will discuss how the e...