On this week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage, we revisit the first of two 41st anniversary shows, which were recorded at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia in December 2024. Guest host and CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton welcomes Stephen Kellogg, Jill Sobule, Mindy Smith, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, and The David Mayfield Parade.
Us & Them: Bridging Divides After A Brutal Election
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In the aftermath of Election Day 2024, Us & Them host Trey Kay reflects on the increasingly divided American landscape and how the tone of political campaigns has changed since 2016.
In this special episode, he recounts the heightened polarization marked by unprecedented events like two assassination attempts and a last-minute nominee switch. Kay considers the “us versus them” rhetoric that defined Donald Trump’s campaign and what his victory could mean for American unity.
Us & Them host Trey Kay speaks at an event on the campus of Marshall University to hear from Generation Z voters in the leadup to the 2024 election.
Drawing on past experiences, Kay considers how Us & Them’s aim of bridging divides by fostering empathy and understanding might continue during a second Trump administration.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the CRC Foundation.Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
“There’ve been three presidential elections since Us & Them first launched and Donald Trump has been a candidate in every one. With each cycle, the sense of division in our country only seems to deepen. Each time I reflect on this, I recall the words of my producing partner after Trump’s first election. He said, “I think our stock just rose.” And in a way it’s true. Again, this year, with a narrow margin of victory in races across the country, we need to find a new way to help the part of the nation who feel they’ve lost. Maybe part of that is to encourage those who have won to listen with empathy.”
West Virginia is aging faster than the rest of the nation. More than 1 in 5 residents are over 65, and as young people leave the state, the gap between those who need care and those who can provide it keeps growing. At the same time, elder care has shifted from nursing homes to home-based support — but there aren’t enough workers to keep up. Us & Them explores the looming caregiving crisis and what it means for families, workers and the future of care.
Appalachian Power customers may be seeing another price hike, caregivers are under stress, particularly during the holidays, and a new mountain roller coaster is a destination for fun seekers in Mercer County.
People who buy health care through the federal marketplace are set to see their premiums rise 40 percent or more. It depends on whether Congress extends the 2021 enhanced subsidies that help people pay their premiums. Ruby Rayner is a reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press who’s been covering this story in Tennessee. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Raynor.
We're an aging nation, and the cost of care is lower the longer people stay in their homes. The trend has led to an explosion in home-based support and care services. On the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay focuses on the challenges of care for our growing elderly population.