← Real America’s Voice
Real America’s Voice
A TERRIFYING GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE AI COULD BRING US | JUST THE NEWS - NO NOISE
00:49:58
Loading summary
Transcript136 lines
- [00:00]
A
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
B
Guaranteed Human.
- [00:27]
C
Good evening, America, and welcome to the latest edition of JUST THE news, no Noise, your Thursday edition. I'm your host, John Solomon, reporting as always from the nation's capital. Tonight, we're going to move things around a little bit. We're going to give you a little headlines at the top of the show. We've got some news to cover. Then we're going to do a deep dive for the next hour into the way that AI is beginning to transform education in our country. A lot of people talk about a and it's kind of hypothetical, right? We talk about policy and numbers and data centers, but in real life, real things are happening. Tonight you're going to get a glimpse of what your children and grandchildren one day be able to do in the classroom. It is amazing. I mean, like talking with George Washington. You're going to see it in just a little bit. But first, let's get rid of some of the news business. We always try to do a little bit at the top of the show. Just a little while ago, the Tennessee legislature passed a redistricting map. It gets rid of the final Democrat district in that state. Now it'll be a 90 Republican congressional delegation going forward. It's going to the governor's desk. The governor's already made clear he's going to sign it. That's the latest in the redistricting wars. Both parties working fast to try to get as many seats in their hands before the 2026 election. Go over to justinews.com and you can check that out. One other thing we want to get to. It's a story we broke this morning. People have been talking about it all day. There are new documents that the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard has made available. They're unclassified. They show just how far the intelligence community went in 2020 to hide from the president, the Congress and the American people certain foreign intrusions into our election. Now, we're not talking about things that may have changed the outcome of the election, but we are talking about sinister things like hacking into voter registration databases, running social media campaigns. The main actors in this one were China, for the most part, a little bit of concern about Venezuela. But what these documents show this morning is that the CIA on multiple occasions tried to doctor President Trump's intelligence briefings to keep this information out. They did not want the information in the hands of the president or Congress. They wanted to keep it quiet. Now, we don't know why, though. Some of the documents do show some animosity in the intelligence community towards President Trump and his China policies. But we do know now that these things happened. In one instance, a CIA officer was asked to alter a document so that it wouldn't mention China. In another instance, a person was told he could not present information to the president. In a third instance, a CIA officer reported that he was not. That Congress was falsely informed that there was no evidence of election concerns about Venezuela, when in fact, there was an actionable piece of intelligence. Now, the sum total of this is that Tulsi Gabbard recently referred this to the Intelligence Committee Inspector generals being investigated. We'll see where the chips land on that. But over just the news, you can look at the documents, read the whole story, get up to speed. You're beginning to see a pattern here. We'll see where it ends. All right, before I get started, I want to turn to my amazing co host, Amanda. Had. Amanda, we talked a lot on the show about AI But a lot of times it just feels like numbers and policy and data and electric globe. But behind all of that debate is this transformative moment I think that America is about to experience. You. And I've had a chance to look at this video. It's kind of amazing.
- [03:41]
B
So cool. So cool. And dovetailing off of what you were saying earlier about Tennessee and their new map, I wanted to add Alabama happened last night in the midst of a tornado. You had Republican state representatives, your home state. Yes, my home state, saying I will get sucked into this tunnel cloud before I will not be voting to reflect the will of my constituents. So that was Alabama. But speaking of Alabama, you know, growing up there when I was in grade school, history was not something that was too interesting to me. I had, my teachers were fine. It's not, I'm not besmirching them, but it was an issue of excitement. And when I look at what this product is offering, what this is bringing to the table for students, because what got me interested in American history was David McCullough, who was not a tradition. He actually passed away, gosh, what? Four years ago. By now, he was not a traditional educator. He was an author. But he had an ability to bring our founding fathers and the founding events of our nation to life on the page. But this generation of Americans, they aren't necessarily learning that way. Artificial intelligence is a huge part of the way that they are learning. And when we watch that clip together of George Washington, his likeness, it is unbelievable. And I think this is going to be such a valuable asset in classrooms.
- [04:51]
C
It is something to see. And you know, my son and I have a favorite movie night at the museum, the Smithsonian version. You see Teddy Roosevelt working around, you go, oh, that's so funny. I wonder what he was like. But in the very near future, very near future, students are going to be able to experience our founding fathers and these great historical figures and interact with them and learn civics. Education goes up, history education goes up, and interactivity goes up. It is transformative. All right, we've been teasing you. I just want to remind you, was it not that long ago where the first lady, Melania Trump talked about making this a priority of the Trump administration getting AI into the classroom? Right now, we're going to show you something that happened recently in a classroom in a charter school in Boca Raton, Florida. Students were talking to George Washington about the Supreme Court. Have a one. What role does the Senate play in their process?
- [05:45]
A
Great. What was your name?
- [05:46]
D
Dian.
- [05:47]
A
Dian. That's a great, great question. These are really good questions. You guys are paying attention in class, aren't you?
- [05:59]
E
The Senate plays a crucial role in the appointment process of Supreme Court justices and other federal judges, acting as a check on the president's power to appoint. Here's how the Senate is one. Judiciary Committee Hearings after the president nominates a candidate, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings where the nominee is questioned about their qualifications, past rulings, judicial philosophy, and other relevant matters. This helps assess the nominee's fitness for the role. 2. Committee vote following the hearings, the teachers the Judiciary can vote on whether to recommend nominees to the full Senate. A positive recommendation can ease the confirmation process, but a nominee can still proceed without it. 3. Full Senate debate the nomination is then debated on the Senate floor. Senators discuss the nominee's qualifications and viewpoints, providing an opportunity for both support and opposition to be expressed. 4. Confirmation vote finally, the full Senate votes on the nomination. A simple majority, 51 out of 100 senators, is required to confirm the nominee to the Supreme Court.
- [07:02]
C
All right. That image of George Washington, which is probably how my imagination exactly would imagine he looked like back in the 1700s, was really an incredible moment. People learned from a founding father why the Supreme Court was formed. It's an interactive experience. At the end of that classroom, students were asked how many would like to learn this way? There wasn't a single hand that wasn't raised in that classroom. Joining us right now, the CEO of the company that is on the forefront of this form of education. It's called Digital DNA Labs. Its CEO is with us right now Jason and Jason, welcome to the show.
- [07:37]
A
John, thank you for having me.
- [07:39]
C
It's an amazing thing to think that you can sit there and learn about the Supreme Court from one of the founding fathers of America. What gave you this notion to do it? How far along are we in the process?
- [07:49]
A
So we believe a digital DNA labs, that history shouldn't be a static environment, that you can bring this back to life through immersive technology. And technology should also help not only just educate, but allow us to immerse ourselves in these stories, have these emotional connections. When we started with Democracy Matters, which is our initiative here, our goal was to bring education and media to the story of the American democracy so that anyone now can not just relive it and through a textbook, these kids no longer learn that way, but actually engage with it in a meaningful way so that it becomes lasting, real. And we got to understand the story and the struggle and the narrative behind civics today in America.
- [08:30]
C
Pretty impressive.
- [08:32]
B
Jason, as I was watching this video, you know, there. There are hundreds of paintings out there that show the likeness of George Washington. You guys captured it in such an incredible way. How on earth did you do that?
- [08:43]
A
That's a great question. We looked at a lot of historical archives that are out there and we use trusted sources with AI. There's a lot of debate around a high hallucinations, misrepresentation. We go to trusted sources, historical archives, and we built and recreated his image. We also looked into how he would sound at that time and used a voice that we designed specifically that's representative of the accent and the time and how he would we appropriate him being
- [09:16]
C
able to speak speak today, you really notice that like he uses the word process instead of process, which is how proper English would have done it. A little bit of a tiny British accent in there. It is absolutely stunning to watch. Tell us a little bit about how this is beginning to catch fire. You've got a pretty big pop star that is interested in this, right? Pitbull?
- [09:38]
A
We do. We're very, very blessed to have Armando Perez, Mr. Worldwide, as part of this initiative. Beyond being one of the biggest pop stars in the world, he's also very much dedicated to education and the story of America, the ability to come here, build yourself up from the ground up. And he also believes across his over 200 schools and his largest school network, to teach kids through immersive learning. So through his slam Academy and his slam schools, we are now in process of launching our pilot programs. Some of what you saw in the video is us at one of the schools in Boca Raton. And we're getting just fantastic feedback from that as well.
- [10:23]
C
Without a doubt.
- [10:24]
B
I mean, one listen to any of his songs and you can tell that he just has such a passion for this country and cares about it. So it's no surprise to me that there's this partnership. I want to bring another aspect of this into the conversation because a lot of this students who will be reached by this are scarred by Covid, and they are the types of students who, when they were in the classroom, if they were in the classroom, it was behind a mask. Their teachers were behind a mask. Talk to us about that cognitive connection that it creates for students when they can actually see George Washington's face.
- [10:53]
A
Well, when we think about civics or history in general and seventh or eighth grade, as I remember being in school, it was a very dull subject to learn. Now, being able to engage with it in a methodology that students are using today, they're on their tablets, they're on their phone, they're scrolling all day long. This is like having a FaceTime call with one of the founding fathers. And more importantly, it speaks over 30 different languages. So if you, you know, are learning English or if you're more comfortable speaking another language, and we can bring all of this together and increase learning. And when we talk about, you know, Covid and some of the things that happen, there's also social anxiety that comes along with raising your hand in class. Now you're able to go home, ask those questions, interact with it, and get meaningful curriculum aligned answers that you can use to continue to engage.
- [11:47]
C
It's pretty amazing. The you talked about the care that goes into this to make sure it's historically accurate, that it's as good as a textbook, but interactive. That wasn't fake. That is, you could ask George Washington anything and it's going to have. He's gonna have an answer for you, Right?
- [12:03]
A
Yes. We do have guardrails.
- [12:05]
C
Yeah.
- [12:05]
A
So we, yeah, we are very, very much aligned to the curriculum of the school itself. So it's built on the state curriculum, on the state's tests. It stays within the boundaries. We all know how easy it is for a student to get distracted. So this keeps them back on track. You can't ask about the latest iPhone. It will be outside of the scope. So we're able to keep it.
- [12:27]
C
That's smart. That's good. Yeah.
- [12:28]
A
So we're able to keep you aligned on track and directly focused on the subject at hand. Yes.
- [12:35]
C
Amazing.
- [12:35]
B
You should be able to ask about pit bull Tour dates, though that might be version 2.
- [12:40]
C
George Washington had a pit bull concert.
- [12:42]
B
All right, so we were enthralled by the George Washington video. But I know that there are other founding fathers and figures throughout history who are starring in this as well. Who else is there?
- [12:52]
A
So we've actually been able to recreate most of the founding fathers and all historical elements around American democracy. So as we scale up, we're now able to add this to different elements of the story of American democracy through the different time periods. We've also been able to deploy this with some of our partners, like the Wright family and the Museum of Democracy, where it's the largest archive of American historical artifacts around democracy, over a million artifacts. Our AI kiosks are now helping to power that initiative and add another layer of immersive learning and interaction for museums, for students, and for the general public at large.
- [13:33]
C
This is transformative. Later the show, I think we're going to talk to one of the museum curators who's doing this. I want to talk about the different layers where this can be injected. We saw a classroom environment where a teacher can open up a founding father to their students and interact. A parent could take this home and do it at home. When you're in an entertainment venue or a museum and learning area, you can do it. Will there be an opportunity for parents and other people down the road to have and access to this product and have continued learning at home? Is that part of the plan?
- [14:04]
A
I'm glad you brought that up. Absolutely. That is part of what we're doing. Homeschooling, state aligned curriculum, being able to log online, you know, oversee how your student, your child is learning and progressing. We're starting with civics, but we have the ability to scale into multiple verticals and different subjects. And our goal is really to be the leader, the most immersive, engaging platform for American civics across the country. We really think this is transformative and the future of learning.
- [14:35]
C
There's also a civics gap, isn't there, in America? Now, you could close it pretty quickly with something like this, right?
- [14:40]
A
Absolutely. When we look at some of the numbers, they're a little startling how much the ability to understand civics and pass the civics test across most of America. So we think this is the perfect time, especially with the 250th anniversary, anniversary of America, to reintroduce this topic in a really meaningful way and to engage with people, you know, with this, the foundation of our democracy.
- [15:06]
B
Yeah, Jason. When it comes to implementation, because our audience Loves American history. So I know that they are going to be so excited when they hear about this. But when it comes to getting it implemented in different school systems, does that happen at the state level? Does it happen at the local level? How? If we have parents out there who are saying, I want this in my kids school school, how do they get it there once it's ready to roll out?
- [15:28]
A
So right now we are working with our school partners, charter schools and private schools. We're also talking to a number of school boards and even a few governors in the states to deploy this as a solution again for civics. If you are a parent out there and you want to see this, please ask for it. You know, we are here to scale this across, you know, all 50 states and allow for this platform to be accessible and immersive and also just elevate the conversation and our understanding of civics.
- [16:01]
C
It's an amazing thing and it's transformative to watch. You're mesmerized when you watch the first time you see George Washington, the first thing I thought is that's exactly how my head would have thought he looked. And that's not a human right. That's an AI recreation, which is just stunning. What's been the reaction of schools thus far?
- [16:18]
A
We are very, very lucky that every school that we have shown this to and run a pilot program, from the principals to the teachers and most importantly the students, it has been 100% positive reaction. Interestingly enough, we've gotten some great tips from the students themselves on things and features that they would love to see us deploy. So it's great. We're getting it from the customers ourselves. And it's been very enlightening to see how receptive everyone is across the board.
- [16:44]
B
What was some of that customer feedback?
- [16:47]
A
Well, one of the things was subtitles. Can we put captions on it? I guess. Most kids today watch videos with captions on TikTok and YouTube. They ask for captions. We already have that in our text screen of our interactive George Washington, but now we're going to add it to the video as well. So little things like that that are important to the students that we will, you know, take the best ones and integrate.
- [17:12]
C
That's pretty awesome. And I mentioned Teddy Roosevelt. I'm a big sucker for Teddy Roosevelt. John Adams and Teddy Roosevelt are my two favorite figures. There is a project I think, headed towards the EPA where there could be an opportunity for people to learn about environmentalism, national park systems from Teddy Roosevelt. Is that on the table?
- [17:28]
A
Absolutely. We have applied for that project with a gentleman called Clayton Ferreira. And Clayton is spearheading that part of our initiative. And our goal again is, is to really immerse you into the life of Teddy Roosevelt, his statesmanship, his love of the environment, and bring that to life across schools, educators and organizations.
- [17:53]
C
It's a game changer. That's pretty amazing.
- [17:55]
B
Could there also be a time when this spans out into maybe like the sciences or STEM programs? You all of a sudden have Marie Curie talking to sutas.
- [18:02]
A
We already have a STEM program in place that teaches stems and robotics. That is one of our next big initiatives that is already being piloted across South Florida and a couple other states. So we will be integrating that as probably our next arm of our, of our business. Yes.
- [18:18]
C
What gave you this idea? I mean, you have, I know, background, but when did you realize I'm going to do this?
- [18:26]
A
You know, if you look back, there's a great clip of Steve Jobs saying, you know, one day, wouldn't it be great for a kid to be able to speak to Aristotle and then get an answer? And when we started digital DNA labs, our thesis was can we preserve history, memory and make it engaging for anyone to interact with that. So that started this journey. We started building the foundation of our technology and then we were able to now take this into schools. You know, we really believe that civics is something that everyone should learn about to participate in American democracy. And this was just a natural fit. The ability to take these founding fathers, to take these stories, to make it immersive and to give it to students, museums, parents. We just thought it was a perfect fit for our technology.
- [19:14]
C
We feel lucky. I feel so lucky to have met you, Jason. This is just, we talk about it always in the hypothetical. Now we're really seeing what it could eventually do in the very near future. We're probably months away from more, more larger deployments, right?
- [19:29]
A
Absolutely. We're looking at the beginning of the next school year. A pretty large rollout across multiple schools and hopefully multiple states.
- [19:36]
C
Jason, thank you for taking us into the future. That was pretty impressive.
- [19:39]
A
Thank you so much for having us.
- [19:40]
C
I'm sure we'll be following up with you in the future. All right, folks, quick commercial break. When we come back, the first lady's senior advisor on AI, Mark Beckman is going to be here to react to this and where the country's going with a education right after this.
- [20:05]
B
Welcome back, everybody. As you just saw in our first segment tonight, artificial intelligence has an incredible future when it comes to our kids education and Someone who has already recognized this is the First Lady, Melania Trump. So joining us now is someone, someone who knows a lot more about that senior advisor to the First Lady. He's also the author of the book Some Future Day How AI is Going to Change Everything. Because indeed it is. Mark Beckman. Mark, great to have you.
- [20:30]
F
Thank you so much for having me. It's great to see you today.
- [20:34]
B
Great to see you. And I want to ask, you know, the first lady was one of the early adopters and early recognizers of how I can enhance education. I know that she, she also recognizes that delicate balance between innovation and protection. But she's been speaking out on this for a very long time, hasn't she?
- [20:53]
F
That's right, Amanda. It began actually she's really the first very high profile individual to use the technology. She used it, you might remember, for her best selling book, Melania in the form of audio. And today the Melania AI audiobook is available in multiple languages including Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish. It's from all these different areas of demand across the world. And that's when the West Wing appointed her to lead the White House Presidential AI Challenge, which is a nationwide initiative not just for our students, but also for our educators and administrators. And I'm proud to share today that we have participants in all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. And some of the state champions from the Presidential AI Challenge joined the first lady and her Majesty Queen, Queen Camilla at the White House just last week with the fully immersive VR AI cross cultural educational experience. So she is really all in. Amanda,
- [22:02]
C
it is stunning to watch. And this is actually, she's pushing this not only in America, but across the globe. When you have the Queen of England, when you have the UN hearing from her, you know this is going to become a global phenomenon. How far are we, Mark, from having a real moment where in classrooms AI is integrated into the curriculum in a day? Are we months years away? What do you think, John?
- [22:23]
F
You're right now highlighting a moment from Fostering the Future Together, which really was a huge moment for the First Lady. And during that two day period at the State Department, she invited a lot of the biggest leaders in technology to join her, plus 50 other leaders, almost 50 leaders from other nations all over the world. And one of those companies is called Alpha. It's really the premier school currently in the country that is a hybrid learning experience with both artificial intelligence and teachers, physical real people, right, like you and me. And that school is proving that these individuals, their grades are at a higher level level, they're performing at a much higher level. So we're there now. In fact, Alpha is based out of Austin, Texas, and it's extending into New York City. The first lady actually had one of the students. Incredibly bright woman, bright girl, I should say, join her in her box at the State of the Union. So we are there now.
- [23:22]
C
John, that's amazing.
- [23:24]
B
So, Mark, I want to ask about the China factor, because that is a threat that is threaded throughout this entire development process of the United States. And with the first lady at the helm really trying to develop this in a responsible way. Talk to us about how much China poses a threat when it comes to this technology.
- [23:42]
F
There's no doubt we are in an AI war, Amanda, and America needs to put all of its effort and resources against it. The President set the tone early on in the administration. He lifted a lot of regulations and allowed for American entrepreneurship to take the lead. We're seeing that with a lot of our companies now, from Amazon and Metta to X and Palantir. We really are in the lead on the hardware side, too, with companies like Nvidia. But we're going to have to keep on competing. They're neck and neck with us. We're ahead of them, but they're coming at us. And it's important for a lot of reasons. One, for example, as it relates to American children, is making sure that our country, our next generation, has a sound understanding of what is accurate with regards to history. So if you go on to Deep seek a Chinese app that is using AI and ask it questions, for example, surrounding Tiananmen Square or the Uyghurs, the way they're presenting history and current events is very different than our understanding here in America. So it's critical for a lot of reasons for us to beat China in this AI war.
- [24:52]
C
Yeah, it sure is.
- [24:54]
E
Mark.
- [24:54]
C
I want to ask a little bit about how this is going to play out in the middle of our great civics celebration. We're about to have the 250th anniversary of America. We have a civics literacy issue in America, which the first lady and the President both have addressed. This feels like a very fast solution to getting our children better educated about America's greatness and about its history. How will this I fit into maybe the 250th celebration and the slingshot that it presents?
- [25:24]
F
John, the first lady talked about two things surrounding AI and education. The first, at the United nations, she discussed the concept of peace through education, tolerance through wisdom. And I think this idea of giving our next generation, accurate information to allow for us to get rid of certain prejudices throughout the world is really critical. So that's number one. As we reach the 250th year of our nation, we, we're an open, we're an open society, we're a free society. And we need to make sure that we're totally inclusive on that level. The second piece, though, which is even more important, this is a moment in time where we have access to the most knowledge, the biggest knowledge base in history of mankind. And what the first lady of the United States is doing is she's encouraging for the democratization of education. Regardless of your social strata, your economic capabilities, every child in America and all over the world should have access to this information and knowledge base, which again, is more so than ever before, as per First Lady Melania Trump.
- [26:33]
B
Mark, there's a term in the AI world, cognitive offloading. And I think it happens when people use AI too much and they use it to basically plan their entire life to know everything. So there are critics out there who argue that using AI atrophies critical thinking skills, reading comprehension, things like that. But when it's used response responsibly, like in the last segment, this, this civics AI that we were talking about, it seems like it can only enhance those skills.
- [27:02]
F
Amanda, we are running into a situation where there is going to be the knowledge halves and the knowledge have nots. The people who are lazy and slothful that use artificial intelligence as a quick result, but don't do the work, they're going to end up in the knowledge. They're not going to have the knowledge. Right. So it's critical for our teachers, our educators, our families to continue to encourage their children to do the work, to understand deductive reasoning, to understand, to have a good base of education as it relates to the classical studies and beyond.
- [27:39]
C
Stunning. It's just an amazing thing. Mark, before we let you go, there's millions of parents that watch Real America's Voice every month. What can they do to prepare for this moment? It seems like you can take some of this stuff home and learn in the home computer and enhance a child's knowledge. But what can parents do to support what the first lady is doing and where this is all headed?
- [27:57]
F
Well, I think the best thing that they could do is encourage their children to start to access and use artificial intelligence. Start with something really simple like a search engine. It could be Grok, it could be ChatGPT. But what it will do is it will unlock curiosity. So it's not just about encouraging the child to learn against that deep, deep knowledge base that we have now. But imagine the child who doesn't understand that they could be a musician, they could be an artist, they too can be a teacher or, well, artificial intelligence can unlock all of those skills right in the, in the comfort of their home.
- [28:34]
B
Pretty amazing.
- [28:35]
C
Amazing.
- [28:35]
B
Love it so much. Mark Beckman, senior advisor to the first lady and author of an incredible book. Everybody go check it out. It's called Some Future Day How AI Is Going to Change Everything. Mark, thanks for being with us. All right, everybody, we're going to take a very quick break. And we have more on this topic coming up after the break.
- [28:56]
C
Hey, America, you may not know this, but May is High Blood Pressure Awareness Month. But awareness without action doesn't change anything. Half of all adults, myself included, have high blood pressure. Many don't know it. Many aren't doing anything about it. The people who actually benefit from this month, they're the ones who check their numbers and do something about them. Try 120Life. 120Life is a once a day functional drink made with ingredients that help support healthy blood pressure. And it tastes great. It's refreshing. And it's made from a blend of superfruit juices. It fits into real life. And the powdered version has just one gram of sugar, making it a smart option for people who are trying to watch their blood sugar. Now try it for 14 days. Measure before and after. If your numbers don't improve, you get a full refund. Over 1,000 health professionals have supported or endorsed its use. It's increasingly becoming a go to natural tool in clinical settings, not just wellness circles. So go to 120life.com. That's 120-life.com. use my promo code jtn for 20% off. Try risk free for two weeks. If your blood pressure doesn't come down, you'll get a full refund. Go to 120life.com and use that code jtn to save 20%. Don't wait until next month. Nothing to lose right now except your higher blood pressure numbers. Go to 120life.com and use that code jtn20% off. Go check it out. Welcome back, America. All right, we've taken you to a classroom to show you what AI is going to do in the future. We took you to the White House where the first lady is taking the lead on AI in education. Now we're going to take you to a museum, specifically the Museum of Democracy. Joining us right now, the Director of the Museum of Democracy, Madison Wright. Madison, great to have you on the show.
- [30:46]
D
Thanks for having me.
- [30:49]
C
All right, for those who don't know, tell us a little bit about the Museum of Democracy. I think it is an amazing accomplishment.
- [30:56]
D
It sure is. So the Museum of Democracy has one of the nation's largest and finest private collections of political and historical campaign memorabilia. Our collection starts with George Washington and goes through Donald Trump's second term. So we have quite an impressive array of objects, over 1.3 million pieces in total. Among them, some very, very rare artifacts that sort of tell the story of our democracy, the progress of our political parties, and campaigning through the ages.
- [31:30]
C
Amazing.
- [31:31]
B
I know that you guys have, I mean, as you said, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of amazing artifacts, but I also would imagine that there are some stars of the show. When you are exhibiting these pieces, what are the ones that tend to get the most eyeballs and excitement?
- [31:45]
D
Absolutely. Of course, our favorite is a flag flown at George Washington's inauguration in 1789 at Federal hall in New York. We also have some really rare buttons that were sewn onto jackets. At his inauguration. He actually ordered a set for himself. He liked them so much. So those are very special and very rare. We also have some fabulous paper dresses from the 1960s. For example, when Nixon was campaigning, they would take buses to rallies, and before the campaign sort of lead got off the bus, women would sort of serve as cheerleaders dressed in these really unique hand painted paper dresses to rally the crowd before the candidate came onto stage. And so we have several of those which are very rare because they've lasted through the ages. We also have a really unique portrait of Abraham Lincoln that was made from seeds and saplings and organic material. So that's an example of some sort of folk art that a superfan made for Abraham Lincoln in the 1800s.
- [32:51]
C
That's pretty impressive. This is an amazing year to be celebrating democracy. Our 250th birthday birthday. When I went to school, it was mostly the textbook. And then maybe you got your field trip to the museum today. Learning can be so immersive. I know you're taking some of the digital DNA lab technology and starting to deploy them at the museum. How is that changing the traditional museum experience?
- [33:15]
D
Yeah, it's a topic we're really excited about. So it brings our collection sort of into the modern age. We're very excited about partnering with Jason and the Digital DNA Labs team. So we have an interactive AI kiosk that his team has helped develop with George Washington that sort of brings to life the history of some of our key objects throughout the collection. So that serves as a tool for visitors to enhance their experience. It's multilingual. So if English is not your first language, it offers opportunities to provide some additional context to what you're seeing on the walls without necessarily reading the labels. It also provides additional opportunities for our younger fans to really engage with the objects that they may have seen in a textbook or they may have heard of from a history book, but they don't really understand the significance or the setting in which it was produced or the material which it's made out of. So offering some context to the objects on display, really, we've found help enhance the visitor experience of all ages. It's really been a hit so far in Arizona. We have three, three exhibitions at the three major universities in Arizona, and we found a lot of success there in engaging the student body. But we are going to exhibit it in our 250 exhibition in Southampton, which opens Memorial Day weekend. So it has traveled to the east coast and will be a part of our America 250 exhibit this summer, providing additional context as well within this exhibition. So we're very excited with the multidimensionality it gives an exhibition.
- [34:59]
B
Absolutely. And I know you guys are trying to make this as accessible as possible geographically. So after the 250, will you be taking the exhibits to other places across the country?
- [35:10]
D
Yes. It's very much at the forefront of what we're trying to do. We do have a permanent home at Long Island University, but our exhibits do travel. We have several exciting exhibitions coming up later this year, soon to be announced. And AI is a component that certainly is going to be a pivotal part of all of our exhibitions going forward. Jason and his team are just spectacular. And George has been a great sort of lead horse for us in terms of being the face of the exhibition in the history. But we hope to continue to grow that technology with him to lean into other leaders had in our political past over the last 250 years.
- [35:53]
C
Pretty amazing. Nice to start with the number one president and keep going. It's pretty good. Yeah, George, it had to. That's right. It's the natural starting point. Real quickly, before we let you go, how do people find out more about your great museum and all the opportunities that you afford parents and children?
- [36:09]
D
Absolutely. You can find us online@museumofdemocracy.org or museumofdemocracy on social media, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
- [36:19]
C
Pretty impressive. All right. Well, Madison Wright, the director of Museum of Democracy. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of the future tour of what a museum is going to be like. Great to have you on today.
- [36:29]
D
Absolutely. More to come. Thank you for having me.
- [36:32]
C
I like it. We'll be sure to get you back. All right, folks, AI is being used in conservation efforts, too. We're going to explain that after the commercial break. First, though, from our great sponsors for some partners here. Look, folks, I don't care how savvy you are, Medicare is confusing. There's part A, part B supplements, advantage plans. It's a maze, right? And here's what most people don't realize. A lot of Americans think once they choose a plan, they're stuck. That's not always true. If you have a Medicare supplement plan, you may be able to review and change your coverage at any time of the year. So if your premiums have gone up, you're not sure your plan is still right for you. You don't have to just sit there and accept it. That's why you need to know about my good friends at a Mac. They're the conservative alternative to AARP with more than 2 million members, myself included, they fight for the same values we talk about here, limited government, personal freedom and common sense. When you call amac, you're talking to licensed advisors who will walk you through your options and help you find the plan that actually fits your life. No pressure, no confusion, just real help. Call 800-901-8893 or visit AMAC US Solomon, the call is free and it can save you money. You're not stuck. Let AMAC help you make the right choice.
- [37:58]
B
Welcome back, everybody. We have been talking all night long about how artificial intelligence can help in education and specifically history. But it doesn't just stop there. There are a number of uses for this technology. For example, teaching kids about the importance of environmental protection, using one of America's greatest and most famous pioneers to do it, Teddy Roosevelt. So joining us now to talk more about it is the CEO of Ideas for Us, Clayton Ferrara. Clayton, great to see you.
- [38:24]
G
Hey, thank you so much for welcoming me. It's great to be here.
- [38:28]
B
Absolutely. So I love using Teddy Roosevelt, founder of our national park system, which I would add is having a right. Now, if you follow them on social media, they are blasting everything about the parks and the nation's 250. But talk to us about what this would integrate into education for kids, especially for those that aren't necessarily maybe they don't like to read. Maybe they're not excited about History. It seems like this would really ignite that hugely.
- [38:53]
G
You know, we have an incredible environmental history in the United States. And I think something that's been missing from environmental education is connecting the roots of that history right, to the application of it today. And I think that with technology, there is just an extraordinary way for us to reach people of all different ages and all different backgrounds. People can learn in their own time and at their own pace. It really opens the doors to kind of building this collective narrative about our amazing environmental history. Of course, starting the national parks and certainly looking at this through the lens of one of our presidents, residents. And I think that what will hopefully come of this is this kind of renewed excitement around what environmental education can be.
- [39:47]
C
Right.
- [39:47]
G
We want to have more environmental educators that have knowledge of their American history, but also about their local history and their states and context to where they are. And ideally, that will bring about all types of engagement in a really positive way.
- [40:06]
C
Yeah. There is nothing like having an immersive experience with one of our great historical figures. And you have a proposal sitting in front of, I believe, the epa, if I remember correctly, to partner up with Digital DNA Labs, who we had on the show earlier, to allow young people to interact with the great Teddy Roosevelt. Tell us what that could do, what the timeline and track line is for that, and where you see it fitting into the larger AI education movement.
- [40:33]
G
Yeah, I mean, it's pretty exciting. You know, we're on the Precipice of the 250th anniversary of the country, and that's amazing and certainly going to be a time for us all to not only reflect back on American history, but also look at what the next 250 can be like. And certainly the story of the national parks and American environmentalism is one of the best parts of our history and something that all Americans care for. In fact, Ken Burns has called our national park system the great trust that belongs to the American people. Right. So I think that what we're going to essentially see here with this program.
- [41:12]
C
Right.
- [41:12]
G
That we've kind of imagined in this proposal called American Naturalist.
- [41:18]
C
Right.
- [41:19]
G
And after all, a naturalist is a environmental, as an environmentalist, that explains the world around them through observation and experience.
- [41:28]
C
Right.
- [41:29]
G
So a big part of this is learning by doing.
- [41:32]
B
Right.
- [41:32]
G
And also learning by understanding the historical context to give someone a background of reality and then also questioning the world ahead of them.
- [41:43]
C
Right.
- [41:44]
G
Through a lens of deductive and deductive reasoning. So really important stuff. This proposal that we've put in is a really exciting one. Certainly As I mentioned, the timeliness of the 250th anniversary, but also the aspect that, you know, we can reach people in a, in an incredible opportunity over the next two years. And essentially what we would be doing is aiming to educate over 5,000 environmental educators across the country in both informal settings of nature centers and museums and community centers and the park systems, and also a formal setting. Right. Of K through 12 schools, colleges and universities across the country. Give them this kind of shared context, narrative and understanding of the environmental history of our country and of Teddy Roosevelt. Give them the kind of context of what's going on in their states.
- [42:44]
F
Right.
- [42:44]
G
And then challenging them to get active.
- [42:47]
C
Right.
- [42:47]
G
And to go out and to educate young people and to bring in this sense of responsibility and stewardship for the natural world. I'm someone who believes that the more responsibility we take on, the better our lives get and for our communities too. That's definitely the case.
- [43:05]
B
Absolutely amazing. I love these ideas. I love these so much. And I know that John is partial to Teddy Roosevelt, I'm partial to Lewis and Clark. And when you consider their contributions to exploration and settling the West, I feel like they would be, they would fit in as well. And, and I know students are absolutely going to love this concept. We love this. Clayton Ferrara, CEO of Ideas for Us. We got about 10 seconds. Tell everybody where they can find out more.
- [43:32]
G
Yeah, absolutely. So a great place to start is to get online and find us on social media@ideasforus.org and also on Facebook @ideasforus global.
- [43:43]
B
Love it. Clayton Ferrara, love what you're doing. Thanks so much for being with us tonight. We've got to take a break and we'll be back on the other side.
- [43:56]
H
This Mother's Day. Give the gift of year round high quality entertainment from Angel Studios. Our good friends at angel continue to bring forth series and films that amplify light. Just as importantly, these stories uplift, inspire and reflect the values that many Americans feel are missing from today's entertainment landscape. The stories have virtue, incredible production value, and they leave you inspired. Take the true story of Mother Cabrini, the Italian nun who opened schools, hospitals and orphanages in New York City and became the first American to be recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint. Films like Cabrini, Sound of Hope and so many others are available by joining the Angel Guild, which just for Mother's Day are 40% off their normal price. All you have to do is scan the QR code on your screen screen right now or go to angel.com rav to join so if you're looking for that perfect Mother's Day gift, a guild membership will last her well beyond the days, the weeks, and even years after Mother's Day. Sign up for these 40% off savings right now as the sale ends on Sunday, May 10th.
- [45:03]
E
They came seeking more. More than land, more than distance, something called freedom. Across oceans, through uncertainty, they moved forward without guarantees, not alone, but guided by those who understood the land and the cost of survival. And from that journey, a vision emerged, bold enough to challenge power itself. But freedom was never given easily. It was tested and paid for in full. From struggle came momentum, A nation expanding its reach and its power building, shaping, laying the foundation of a modern democracy, carried forward by generations of men and women still reaching for something better, learning not just what was, but what could be. A vision passed on. Today, that idea remains alive, intertwined, embedded in who we are.
- [46:10]
B
All right, everybody, what you just saw was more of how digital DNA is helping to make history as immersive as possible. John? I love this because I was one of those kids growing up who, again, it was not my teacher's fault. I just to wanted wasn't that interested in history.
- [46:26]
H
Wow.
- [46:27]
C
Surprising to me. I know now, I know you're a history buff now.
- [46:30]
B
People can reform. But this absolutely would have gotten me so excited about history. And I love that they're branching out into, you know, ecology and conservation. It's just. It's remarkable.
- [46:42]
C
It is. I mean, in that clip, they said you can see what's possible in the future. You're seeing the future literally unfold before eyes. This is what education is going to look like six months to two years from now. And by the way, it can extend to the home. Parents can do these things at home and take you on adventures. Imagine if you could be in the boat with George Washington as he's crossing the Delaware, or be on a flight with Amelia Earhart, or be a Rough Rider for a few minutes with Teddy Roosevelt. That's what's going to be happening. You're literally going to be immersed in history and experience it. And, you know, this wasn't advertised at all. This is just something we want to do to show people, because we've been in the space of hypothetical, and I wanted people to see that there are real things about to happen. That's pretty cool. I think this is going to take off.
- [47:24]
B
All right, so you did your choose your own adventure. When it comes to Rough Riders, I would want to go along with the Massachusetts Marbleheaders because they were the elite group that was Chosen to help Washington cross the Delaware or to run through the woods ransacking villages with Daniel Morgan's riflemen.
- [47:41]
C
There you go.
- [47:42]
B
If I choose my own adventure, those would be it. John, speaking of an adventure, I don't know if you saw this last night, the LA mayoral debate.
- [47:50]
C
I did.
- [47:51]
B
There have been some very, very interesting clips. You had Nithya Raman, who was a city councilwoman, you had Mayor Karen Bass up against former reality show villain Spencer Pratt. And John, I gotta say, this whole reality show to political office pipeline Kaepernick
- [48:08]
C
telling candidates, yeah, Donald Trump, now Spencer Pratt, you know, you really see it, I think you're seeing in these debates. You also have the gubernatorial debates the last two nights. You're starting to see that the allure of the far leftist in California is starting to wane really quickly and it'll be very interesting. And then when you find out another one of the leftists today admits that she was trying to help Cuba beat President Trump's embargo, I mean, that's literally defying the will of the United States. You have to wonder what's going to come of that.
- [48:38]
B
Absolutely. And you know, Spencer Pratt was asked if he would call himself a Republican or a Democrat. And he found a very smooth way of answering. He said there would be an R next to my name for results because ultimately, at the end of the day, and this is what I've noticed about him, I think that he has the guts to make it in that office because he was willing to be made the villain on that TV show. And you know, if he wins that election and you he tries to do the things that need to be done, it's going to be painful and they will make him a villain. So that's why I think he could be successful, because he's like, all right, I've been the villain before. It's fun.
- [49:12]
C
Precast it. Look at that. How about that? Pretty amazing. Keep an eye out in the next couple days. I think we'll have some more good stories coming out on Democratic leakers. Maybe tomorrow morning, check it out.
- [49:22]
B
Oh, my heavens.
- [49:23]
C
Yeah, I know that'll shock you. Democratic leakers.
- [49:25]
B
Yep. All right, so I want to ask you this though, because regarding Los Angeles, you've got that city that's looking at someone who frankly, he's talking about the low hanging fruit. It's the water issues with the fires, it's the homelessness, but that translates to a lot of other blue cities.
- [49:38]
C
It does. Oh, yeah. No, It's a microcosm, LA is the microcosm of what the left is trying to do in every city in America. So everyone's invested in this race.
- [49:46]
B
Listen, it's the southern tip of the Golden State, and a lot of people think that it can become golden again. But we will have to see. That's going to do it for us tonight. We'll be back here tomorrow night at 6:00pm Eastern.
- [49:55]
C
There's.