2019
February
19
Tuesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

February 19, 2019
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By now you’ve probably heard that 16 states are suing to stop the Trump administration from building a border wall. The declaration of a national emergency, in order to bypass Congress, is unconstitutional, they argue.

But remember the saying that “all politics is local”? It turns out that “wall” politics is local too. Cities and states are looking at the wall-funding fine print. From Fort Carson, Colo., to Elgin, Fla., schools, training facilities, mess halls, and other military building projects are now on the chopping block.

In short, building a wall by redirecting $3.5 billion from the Pentagon’s construction budget could mean lost local jobs far from the border. But an ambitious 7-year-old in Austin, Texas, is offering to help fill the gap.

Benton Stevens sold cups of hot chocolate at a strip mall this weekend to “help Trump build the wall.” His stand drew cheers – and abuse. “He supports Trump because we do, and he hears how we talk...,” says Benton’s mom, who adds she’s a member of the Republican National Committee. “Call that brainwashing, but I call it parenting, because we instill our values in him,” she says. Benton reportedly raised $1,400.

But the boy faces the same challenge Trump does: He needs the legislative branch. By law, Benton needs congressional approval for the Department of Homeland Security to accept his cocoa money.

Now to our five selected stories, including why US liberals are going populist, an American surgeon’s healing role in Sudan, and a look at Armenia’s rising pro-democracy prime minister.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Some candidates – like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who announced his presidential bid today – employ more populist rhetoric than others. But all are trying to show they are on the side of working class voters.

What’s the best path to move the United States toward an emissions-free future? For most voters, the answer has as much to do with their economic worldview as their ideas about the environment.

Vahan Stepanyan/PAN Photo/AP
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took office in May after spearheading massive protests that forced his predecessor to step down.

The Economist declared Armenia the 2018 “country of the year” for its nonviolent transition of power. But can the charismatic opposition leader who led his country’s sudden turn toward democracy bring lasting change?

“Dr. Tom,” an American physician and missionary, recently visited the Monitor newsroom. We heard firsthand how faith, courage, and resilience can make a difference in the mountains of Sudan.

Caroline Seidel/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
American luge athlete Emily Sweeney, seen here at the international luge competition in Winterberg, Germany, Jan. 26, appeared in a video urging fans to take action to combat climate change.

Sometimes athletes are better ambassadors than professional diplomats. Our next story looks at how sports can build relationship bridges and spread fresh thinking when governments fall short.


The Monitor's View

AP
A man walks with an American flag flying upside down during a protest Feb. 18 near the White House.

Perhaps never before in the history of Presidents’ Day has the power of an American president been so openly challenged as it was during the holiday on Feb. 18. Thousands rallied nationwide to protest President Trump’s use of emergency powers to take money for a border wall. In addition, 16 states declared they would sue him in court over his declaration. Many in Congress plotted countermoves. To top it off, news broke in previous days that Justice Department officials in 2017 had discussed whether to remove Mr. Trump under the 25th Amendment.

All of this, of course, fell merely by coincidence on the day to honor past presidents. Yet the challenges to Trump went beyond policy disputes, such as immigration, and raised the question of whether the United States, especially Congress, has allowed too much authority to be taken by its chief executives.

One protest sign on Monday stated “Trump is the emergency.” In recent days, historians have recounted dozens of cases in which presidents had claimed unilateral power without approval, especially in initiating foreign attacks. Over time, the accretion of power has created an “imperial presidency,” or an executive branch more and more immune to the Constitution’s checks and balances.

Outside the federal government, this type of problem is called “key-person risk.” It is the danger of relying too much on one individual to lead an organization. The risk is often applied to a company’s founder. But it can also apply to a key expert, such as a creative designer in a high-tech firm or a skilled geologist in an oil exploration firm. What if they mess up? On the flip side, what if they suddenly leave?

One recent example is Elon Musk being forced to resign as chairman of Tesla over charges of stock manipulation in relation to one of his tweets. Another example was investor concern about Apple’s future after the death of its founding genius, Steve Jobs. Similar concerns are being voiced about Jeff Bezos someday leaving Amazon or Mark Zuckerberg leaving Facebook.

Companies and their investors have long tried to get around key-person risk. They make sure a company has a deep bench of similar talent. They buy professional indemnity insurance or discount a company’s value if it is too vulnerable to having an indispensable executive.

Another avenue is to rethink leadership itself. Must it always be centralized? Can it be separated from one person’s prestige? Can it be distributed to accountable networks of employees?

At a deeper level, the common definitions of power must be questioned. The best organizations are built on attributes that can be shared widely. These include transparency in information, equality in deliberations, honesty in communications, and patience toward results. In such organizations, leaders use attraction, not fear. Their confidence is tempered by humility and listening.

Self-reflection and even self-criticism, if they lead to unity of purpose, can be a type of power. They open potential in others rather than define it unilaterally.

Reshaping the federal government along such lines may be a long way off. Companies themselves are still trying new hybrids of vertical and horizontal leadership. But as the challenges to Trump continue, Americans can judge them with an eye to redefining power in Washington. Authority need not always lie in only one person. It may lie in the self-effacing qualities a president demonstrates.


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication – in its various forms – is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church – The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston – whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

For today’s contributor, an interaction at an exercise class inspired a kinder, less fearful, spiritual way to think about one’s neighbor.


A message of love

Andy Wong/AP
A child watches a dragon dance performance during the Lantern Festival organized by the city government at a square in Yufa Town of Beijing’s Daxing District, Feb. 19. Tuesday is the Lantern Festival in China, the final day of the annual celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us. Come back tomorrow. We’ve got a juicy story about ancient eating habits. New research suggests that early humans were not picky eaters, and that helped them thrive in a variety of conditions.

More issues

2019
February
19
Tuesday

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