7/23/2024 RTIR Newsletter: Joe Steps Aside, Hottest Olympics Ever, Cringeworthy Confessions

01. Veteran Journalist: Who is Kamala Harris?
02. What Comes After “Step Aside Joe?”
03. Olympic Athletes Prepare for Hottest Games Ever
04. The Greatest Female Filmmaker of All Time
05. Cringeworthy Confessions of a Tabloid Bad Boy
06. Do Polls Still Matter? Are They Accurate?
07. Why This Black Pastor Supports Donald Trump
08. Success Lessons From History’s Most Notorious Leaders
09. High-Flying Adventures of an International Flight Attendant
10. Another Way to Battle Age Bias
11. Think YouTube is for Kids? Meet a Middle-Aged Mom With 1M Subscribers
12. Is Your Ego Destroying Your Life?
13. 5-Time Survivor Reveals Why She’s Glad She Had Cancer
14. Can a Marriage Survive Sex Addiction?
15. This Guest Knows What Takes Place in Spaceships

1. ==> Veteran Journalist: Who is Kamala Harris?

President Joe Biden and numerous Democratic leaders have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the 2024 ticket. Looking for a refresher on the woman who could face off against Donald Trump? Invite journalist Dan Morain to discuss Harris’ career from its beginnings handling child molestation cases and homicides for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office. Hear about her early embrace of a then little-known Barack Obama and how she negotiated her rise to the US Senate. He’ll also analyze her failure as a presidential candidate in 2020 and describe the behind-the-scenes campaign she waged to land the Vice President spot. Dan Morain is the former editorial page editor of “The Sacramento Bee” and spent 27 years at “The Los Angeles Times.” He is the author of “Kamala’s Way: An American Life.” Contact him at dmorain@calmatters.org; @DanMorain

2. ==> What Comes After “Step Aside Joe?”

The online grassroots advocacy group RootsAction.org sponsored the “Step Aside Joe” campaign 20 months ago, urging President Biden to get out of the 2024 race. Today, after Joe Biden has indeed “stepped aside,” cofounder Jeff Cohen says, “We’d hoped he would withdraw early enough for there to be an open primary process like in 2020, allowing the Democratic Party to consolidate behind a candidate strong enough to repel Donald Trump’s neofascism. While time is now short, we still hope that the Democrats will find a candidate who will animate the same kind of multigenerational, multiracial coalition of working people and grassroots activists that defeated Trump in 2020.” Cohen supports an open selection process. Regarding Vice President Kamala Harris, he notes parallels with 1968. “We’ve been here once before in history. I was 16 when LBJ shocked the political world and announced he wasn’t running again. It was over Vietnam. Vice President Humphrey couldn’t separate himself from LBJ on the war — until it was too late and he’d lost credibility.” Cohen is a retired journalism professor at Ithaca College and founder of the media watch group FAIR. He was a Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Contact him at jeff@rootsaction.org, @Roots_Action

3. ==> Olympic Athletes Prepare for Hottest Games Ever

The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 were the hottest in history, but the upcoming Paris games could top that record. For elite athletes, training for the games is as much about how well they can handle the heat as it is about their strength and speed. Dr. Jason Zaremski, a team physician for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, says training for extreme heat usually starts with spending increasing amounts of time in a sauna after workouts. From a “marshmallow suit” to ice vests, and frozen balloons, Zaremski can discuss the many ways athletes prepare for the heat and how they deal with it while competing. Jason Zaremski is a sports medicine doctor at the University of Florida. Contact him at (352) 273-5206; zaremjl@ufl.edu

4.==> The Greatest Female Filmmaker of All Time

You may not recognize her name, but Agnès Varda wrote and directed some of the most acclaimed films of her era and is arguably the greatest female filmmaker of all time. Invite former “Philadelphia Inquirer” film critic Carrie Rickey to discuss the legacy of the French filmmaker, hailed by Martin Scorsese as “one of the Gods of cinema.” Rickey will explore the “complicated passions” that informed Varda’s charmed life and indelible work, and how she helped to define the French New Wave, inspired an entire generation of filmmakers, and was recognized with major awards at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice Film Festivals, as well as an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards. Carrie Rickey is an award-winning film critic, art critic, and film historian. Her new book is “A Complicated Passion: The Life and Work of Agnès Varda.” Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 646-5137 (o); (703) 400-1099 (c); johanna@jrbpr.biz or Reigan Wright at (703) 646-5188

5. ==> Cringeworthy Confessions of a Tabloid Bad Boy

William Keck spent three decades as a Hollywood reporter, working for the “National Enquirer,” “People,” “Entertainment Weekly” and many more publications and media outlets. Now he’s sharing his most memorable celebrity encounters that—for one reason or another—went horribly wrong. Invite him on your show to discuss the hundreds of public personalities he reported and spied on, the famous and infamous who feared or hated him, and those who transitioned to admiration or friendship. Hear how he engaged in dangerous, high-speed pursuits of Britney Spears and Elizabeth Taylor, infiltrated celebrity weddings, funerals and hospital rooms to land exclusive scoops and photographs and uncovered the dirty laundry of TV’s “Desperate Housewives.” His upcoming book, “When You Step Upon A Star: Cringeworthy Confessions of a Tabloid Bad Boy,” chronicles the repentant author’s own evolution from a lonely only child obsessed with Hollywood stars, to an eager tabloid snoop keeping personal secrets of his own, to a well-respected journalist who ultimately learns from his mistakes, changes his wicked ways and befriends the celebrities he’d once wronged. Contact Harlan Boll at harlan@bhbpr.com

6. ==> Do Polls Still Matter? Are They Accurate?

The media and politicians still use them daily and rely on them to make decisions about policy and whether a political contest is close or not, but are polls still useful? And are they accurate? Scott Keeter, senior survey advisor at Pew Research Center, has been conducting surveys of all kinds for about 40 years and can answer all your questions about this frequently misunderstood field. Ask him: How does polling work? What’s the deal with election polls? Is accurate polling becoming harder to do? He’ll discuss how polling has changed over the years as well as how to become a good poll consumer. What can you do to make sure you’re getting reliable information? How do you know which polls to trust? And if you want to understand what the public thinks about a particular issue, what is the best way to use polls to inform yourself? Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan ‘fact tank’ that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. Contact Nida Asheer at nasheer@pewresearch.org; (202) 419-4313 or Talia Price at tprice@pewresearch.org; (202) 419-3697

7. ==> Why This Black Pastor Supports Donald Trump

With his long history of racism dating back to the 1970s, it’s not surprising that the majority of black voters aren’t fans of Donald Trump. But African American author and pastor Frank Tull supports the controversial former president and encourages others in the black community to do the same. “Trump does have rough edges,” he says. “But he’s what’s best for us economically, socially, and from a faith-based standpoint.” Frank has received a lot of backlash for his allegiance to Trump. “I lost a close friend of 25 years because I voted
for him,” he reveals. Nevertheless, he remains steadfast in his support of the former president and will explain why he believes voting for the convicted felon aligns with Christian principles. He is the author of “8 Biblical Reasons to Vote Republican,” and is the co-founder and senior pastor at the World Church in Texas. Contact Frank Tull at (469) 609-1385; ftull@rtirguests.com

8. ==> Success Lessons From History’s Most Notorious Leaders

The long-held conventional belief in the business world is that leadership can only be learned from positive role models. However, Steve Williams claims that we have it backward. “We can learn a lot about effective leadership from the likes of Atilla the Hun, Al Capone, and Genghis Khan,” he says. “Although they were ruthless, they were some of the most brilliant leaders of all time.” Steve can share the specific practices and tactics that made these infamous characters such effective head honchos, and how to apply these to one’s own path to success. He is the author of six books including ” Notorious: Leadership Lessons from History’s Most Notorious Leaders,” and a certified leadership coach and QMS expert. Contact Steve Williams at (920) 280-1068; swilliams@rtirguests.com

9. ==> High-Flying Adventures of an International Flight Attendant

During her nearly 40-year career as a flight attendant, Tania Anderson has met everyone from Elizabeth Taylor and the mega rock band U2 to the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Britain’s Prince Philip and five U.S. presidents! She’s also flown into war zones, including Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, created a side gig as an actor, working as an extra on such hit TV shows as “The West Wing,” and Spielberg’s popular film, “Catch Me if You Can,” and more. “I have been to 79 countries and lived in seven,” she reveals. Tania can share innumerable fascinating anecdotes about her high-flying life, the many memorable individuals she’s met along the way, and personal experiences that most people only dream about. She is the author of the memoir “On Butterflies’ Wings: An Anthology of International Escapades,” and the upcoming “Synchronicity – the Escapades Continue.” Contact Tania Anderson at (213) 513-6099; tanderson@rtirguests.com;

10. ==> Another Way to Battle Age Bias

According to AARP, the country’s leading advocate for older Americans, today’s corporate culture is doing a poor job of addressing age bias in the workplace. Author Sara Ting agrees, “There are more older people in the workplace than ever before, but despite their valuable experience and work ethics, there continues to be a lot of bias against them.” Ting, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) educator, speaker and consultant, can discuss how to make workplaces more inclusive, how younger workers feel about older officemates, and the ways workplace culture has changed in recent years. Sara Ting is the author of “Small Book with a Big Idea: 5-Minute Training to Empower and Transform the World.” Contact her at (508) 715-3370; Sting@rtirguests.com

11. ==> Think YouTube is for Kids? Meet a Middle-Aged Mom With 1M Subscribers

Most people associate YouTube with cool music, comedy, and how-to videos, as it’s primarily considered a bastion of young trendsetters. But author and English language educator Jennifer Lebedev is living proof that you don’t have to be a 20-something hipster to become a YouTube star. “I reached the 1 million subscriber mark on the channel when I was nearing 50,” she says. “I believe it’s important to step outside your comfort zone, especially in mid-life.” She can share how mid-lifers can successfully set and attain personal and professional goals, despite their hectic lives. Jennifer is a long-time educator and author of the book “Being a YouTuber: One Creator’s Bumpy Road to 1M Subscribers.” Contact Jennifer Lebedev at (617) 668-1804; jlebedev@rtirguests.com

12. ==> Is Your Ego Destroying Your Life?

Do you take everything personally? Do you experience extreme fear and anxiety when you believe that you’ve been wronged? According to psychologist and award-winning author Melody Krafft, those are signs your ego is taking over your emotions, which is very destructive. “Contrary to popular belief, having a big ego is not good,” she says. “The ego’s purpose is to keep you stuck in the past.” Melody will explain how to get unstuck and the difference between confidence and having a big ego. She’ll also illustrate how many of the problems plaguing the world today stem from egos run amok. An experienced media guest and public speaker, Melody is the author of “Get Me Out of Here! What’s Beyond This Madness.” Contact her at (703) 951-4735; mkrafft@rtirguests.com

13. ==> 5-Time Survivor Reveals Why She’s Glad She Had Cancer

The very thought of cancer strikes terror into the hearts of most people. But after surviving four bouts with lymphoma and one with a rare digestive tract cancer, Shariann Tom considered her experiences a gift. For one, she discovered her true passion. “I left the unfulfilling corporate world to launch the Cancer Journey Institute, which trains coaches to work with cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers of all ages, cancer stages, and walks of life to discover their inner strengths,” she says. She also devised a “cancer road map,” which eases the journey. Shariann is the author of “The Call of Cancer: A Loving Pathway to Wholeness, Healing, and Transformation.” She has been featured on KGO-TV in San Francisco and in the Wall Street Journal and Stanford Medical Magazine. Contact Shariann Tom at (415) 480-3264; stom@rtirguests.com

14. ==> Can a Marriage Survive Sex Addiction?

Infidelity is a leading cause of divorce in the U.S. But while many marriages do not survive such betrayal, author and marriage therapist Marsha Means claims that there is hope. “In a number of cases, cheating is a result of sex addiction,” she says. “The problem is the same with any form of addiction, be it sex, heroin, or alcohol, which often is the result of unresolved childhood trauma.” Marsha can share how to address past trauma to break sex addiction for good, and how couples can survive the pain. She is the author of the critically acclaimed books “Learn Empathy: Help Your Betrayed Wife Heal” and “From Betrayal Trauma to Healing & Joy: A Workbook for Partners of Sex Addicts.” Contact Marsha Means at (520) 341-6002; mmeans@rtirguests.com

15. ==> This Guest Knows What Takes Place in Spaceships

Alien abduction has long been the stuff of science fiction. According to author and long-time licensed hypnotherapist, Kryste Andrews, such occurrences are real. While relaxing into the hypnotic state of consciousness called theta, some of Kryste’s clients have reported interacting with life on other planets. “Thousands of people are certain they’ve been abducted by aliens,” she says. “I’ve worked with a few who have ‘beamed up’ to a space ship during our sessions and reported details about what goes on there.” Her upcoming book, “31 Conversations With An Alien,” is based on a recent client’s extraordinary life and reveals the living room chats between Kryste and an extraterrestrial named Fred. Contact Kryste Andrews at (201) 801-4551; Kandrews@rtirguests.com

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