Category: Podcasts/Vodcasts

POLITICS: Buy American, Hire American

by Anna Friesen, Alison Cuevas, Johnny Kraft–

On April 18, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Buy American, Hire American” during his visit to Wisconsin. Ironically, he chose to sign the order at headquarters of Snap-On Tools, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer.

This order has two initiatives. The first being “Buy American.” Buy American is intended to raise the standard of American products with stricter laws and more reviews. Trump’s goal as President is to make America great again and he intends to through making better quality and the best quality products America can make.

The second initiative is “Hire American” which direct American companies away from hiring workers with H-1B visas. Companies tend to hire these workers because they are willing to be paid for less than American workers which Trump considers “fraud.” The H-1B visa is often used by immigrants coming work in America and achieve a better life for their families. In 2016, The number of applications for H-1B visas fell to 199,000 this year from 236,000 in 2016. Many immigrants are now losing these opportunities.

SCI/TECH: Era of cyber warfare

by Sidney Cook, Johnny Kraft, Richard Chumney–

For decades the threat of cyber warfare has been on display in movies and television. Now, well into the 21st century cyber warfare has become a disturbing reality of modern life.

After investigations into the high profile hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Sony Pictures Entertainment authorities determined the attacks were directed by foreign governments. Vladimir Putin and the Russian government, according to FBI officials, weaponized the information gathered from the hack of the DNC in an effort to disrupt the 2016 presidential election in the favor of Donald Trump. North Korea backed the hack of Sony to intimidate and embarrass the American corporation.

Experts believe Russia is likely to strike again. Putin’s government is expected to target U.S. communication and information technology infrastructure but not conduct attacks which could trigger a military response.

In the meantime government agencies and multibillion-dollar corporations will have to find ways to strengthen their digital infrastructure to prevent future attacks.

Digital News Delivery: Trump and Twitter

by Johnny Kraft and Becky Shumar–

President Donald Trump’s use of Twitter is changing the way Americans get their news. While it gives the American people a personal connection with their president, it has also brought a fair share of controversy and backlash for our new president.

Twitter allows Donald Trump to communicate directly with the people on his own terms rather than through traditional media, similar to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats in the 1930s. However, this has its pros and cons as Trump’s brutally honest, but unfiltered tweets can be seen as inappropriate and controversial.

President Trump is held to a different standard than almost anyone in the world as everything he says or does will be analyzed and judged by the public. That is why his unfiltered tweets can, not only lead to issues for him, but also the country he runs.

This trend has started to spread to other nation’s leaders as last week Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced on Twitter that he would not attend the meeting scheduled with President Trump on January 31.

So while Trump is changing the game with his use of twitter, it is his twitter game that may have to change if he wants to avoid more controversy as president of the United States of America.