The Signal

The Signal | Notes on Bucks County: Reflections on Politics in Pennsylvania’s Most Curious and Captivating Collar County, with Andy Warren and Hal Marcovitz

A public works project that exploded into protests, mass arrests and political upheaval. A decades-long feud between two of the region’s best-known elected officials. Judges who feared their own constitutional rights were being ignored. The travels and travails of two candidates who went on to win statewide office, albeit with more than a few nervous moments along the way. Controversies that were sparked by such diverse issues as the drugging of racehorses, a nuclear freeze resolution and who exactly was it that spilled water on First Lady Barbara Bush. And, of course, a look at the 2020 election.
These are among the issues authors Andy Warren and Hal Marcovitz examine in Notes on Bucks County. At one time, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was known for its lush farmlands, charming small towns, covered bridges and as a home to authors, artists and other celebrities. Over the past 75 years, the county has emerged as a sprawling suburban community that has found itself playing an important role in regional, state and national politics. Indeed, readers of Notes on Bucks County will learn that politics in Bucks County can be two-fisted, as local elected officials spar over issues that affect the quality of life for the county’s more than 600,000 citizens.
Andy Warren attended elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Gardenville and later graduated from William Tennent High School in Warminster. Following graduation from Westminster College, Andy joined the faculty of Tennent as a teacher and cross-country coach. His political career began with election as a Warminster Township supervisor. In 1979 he was elected to his first term as a Bucks County commissioner, ultimately serving until 1995. He has also served as president of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Commissioners, chairman of the National Rebuild America Coalition, regional executive for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, director of the PENJERDEL Council and is the recipient of numerous awards for innovation and leadership.
Hal Marcovitz is a former newspaper reporter and columnist who spent 30 years in journalism. During his career he was employed by the Pottsville Republican, Doylestown Intelligencer and Allentown Morning Call. He has received awards for news and column writing from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association. Since 1999 he has authored more than 200 nonfiction books for young readers. Since 2015 Hal has served as a judge for the Eric Hoffer Prize, a national literary competition. He is also the author of the novels Painting the White House and My Life With Wings. 
Order Notes on Bucks County: Reflections on Politics in Pennsylvania’s Most Curious and Captivating Collar County at your local bookstore. 
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Reading Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
30 years after bitter election Kostmayer and Greenwood unite at Bucks reunion, by Hal Marcovitz
Abbie Hoffman's presence still echoes in Bucks County, by Ben Finley
History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, edited by J.H. Battle
Bucks County must band together to ‘Ban the Bomb’, by Cyril Mychalejko
The American Fuehrer Fritz Kuhn's Neo-nazi Rally in Sellersville Was His Last Hurrah, Morning Call Staff Report
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 1 – Immigrant Solidarity: From Bucks County to the Border with Sue-Ann DiVito
EPISODE 10 – Raising a Transgender Child in an Increasingly Transphobic Country, with Brett Freeman
EPISODE 13 – Peace Activism from Bucks County to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with Barbara Simmons
EPISODE 14 – Fighting for Students’ and Teachers’ Rights in Central Bucks School District, with ACLU’s Witold Walczak
 
 

The Signal | A Conversation with André Gagné About His Book “American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times”

André Gagné is Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University in Montreal. His teaching and scholarship focus on political theology, religion and violence, and the interpretation and reception of the Bible. Dr. Gagné's work and interviews have been featured over 300 times in media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Guardian, and many more.
Today we talk about his book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement, by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays The Gospel And Threatens The Church, by Andrew L. Whitehead 
QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories, by Michael W Austin and Gregory L Bock
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 5 – The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, With Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 12 – The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
EPISODE 18 - The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart

The Signal | The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart

Katherine Stewart is an investigative reporter and author who has covered the Christian right, politics, policy, and education for over a decade.
Her latest book, THE POWER WORSHIPPERS: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of a movement that has turned religion into a tool for political power and domination. Stewart’s journalism appears in the New York Times op ed, NBC, the New Republic, and the New York Review of Books.
Katherine has been researching and reporting on the Christian right since 2009. She joins The Signal to talk about this movement, its strategies and tactics, and the very real threat it poses to democracy.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Christian Right
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children, by Katherine Stewart
The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy, by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry
American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, by Andrew L. Whitehead
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 5 – The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, With Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 12 – The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
Support the Beacon:
Your support of the Beacon is an investment in a progressive future for Bucks County – a future where we as a community continue to make strides in achieving social, economic, and racial justice with an environmentally sustainable future. 
Please support us today: Support the Bucks County Beacon 

The Civic Circle | School Board Elections and Interview with Bucks United’s Kunal Atit

The Civic Circle is a new youth-led podcast by the Bucks County Beacon tackling politics and policy from a Gen-Z lens. Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey are students from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Once a month they will chat about activism, advocacy, and all the political happenings affecting their generation today. They focus on PA politics and want the podcast to serve as a call to action for all young people to get involved in the civic process and demand change.
We focus this episode primarily on local school board wars and our experiences growing up in Central Bucks and Council Rock School Districts. We also discuss the incredible candidates running to replace extremist candidates on these boards. In the second half of the show, we welcome Kunal Atit, Bucks United's campaign manager, who shares his story and why these school board races matter so much.
Sarah Zhang is a CB East grad and sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mallorie Marsin is a Council Rock South grad and freshman at Temple University.
Alexandra Coffey is a senior at CB West. 
The Civic Circle is produced by the Bucks County Beacon and Raging Chicken Media’s Kevin Mahoney.
The music is “Bet On It” by Silent Partner, copyright and royalty-free. 
Follow us on Twitter:
@BucksCoBeacon
@RCpress

The Signal | After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It, with Julie Suk

Julie C. Suk is Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law and is a leading expert on gender and constitutional law in the United States and around the world. In 2020 she published, We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment, which was the first book to chronicle and assess the twenty-first-century revival of the Equal Rights Amendment. Today, we talk about her new book: After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue 
We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment, by Julie Suk
Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, by Dahlia Lithwick
Feminist International: How to Change Everything, by Verónica Gago, translated by Liz Mason-Deese
Textures of Terror: The Murder of Claudina Isabel Velasquez and Her Father's Quest for Justice, by Victoria Sanford
Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto, by Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya, and Nancy Fraser
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 9 – Feminicide, Impunity, And The U.S.’S Bloody History In Guatemala, With Victoria Sanford
EPISODE 4 - Sylvia Pankhurst – Suffragette Socialist and Scourge of Empire, with Dr. Kate Connelly
EPISODE 3 -  The Radical History of International Women’s Day and the Feminist Movement, with Liza Featherstone

American Carnage: An Officer’s Duty to Warn, with Steve Nolan

Steve Nolan spent 30 years in the military and 25 years as a mental health professional. He has published in numerous journals and his poetry was featured on National Public Radio, Morning Edition, upon his return from Afghanistan in 2007. He is the author of the books Go Deep,  Base Camp, and American Carnage, An Officer’s Duty to Warn. His work reflects his commitment to social justice.
I talk to Steve about his book American Carnage and why he feels compelled as a retired military officer and mental health professional to speak out about the threat former President Donald Trump poses to U.S. democracy and why Trump is mentally unfit for office as Commander in Chief.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President - Updated and Expanded with New Essays, by Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div., Organizer of Yale's "Duty to Warn" Conference
The Cult of Trump A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan 
Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President, by Justin A. Frank, MD
Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy, by Jamie Raskin
The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, by Jeff Sharlet
ALSO LISTEN TO: 
EPISODE 5 - The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, with Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 12 - The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming for Pennsylvania, the Nation, and the World
EPISODE 13 - Peace Activism from Bucks County to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with Barbara Simmons
 

The Civic Circle | The Climate Crisis is Real, Local, and Demands Action

The Civic Circle is a new youth-led podcast by the Bucks County Beacon tackling politics and policy from a Gen-Z lens. Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey are students from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and once a month they will chat about activism, advocacy, and all the political happenings affecting their generation today. They will be focusing on PA politics and want the podcast to serve as a call to action for all young people to get involved in the civic process and demand change.
In this first episode we introduce ourselves, explain what brought us into this work, and discuss some of the hot issues of this past summer - with the hottest issue definitely being extreme weather, the sweltering heat, and how the climate crisis has directly affected us in Bucks County. 
Sarah Zhang is a CB East grad and sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mallorie Marsin is a Council Rock South grad and freshman at Temple University.
Alexandra Coffey is a senior at CB West. 
Also listen to Bucks County Beacon Editor Cyril Mychalejko’s interview with Sarah, Mallorie, and Alexandra on The Signal. 
The Civic Circle is produced by the Bucks County Beacon and Raging Chicken Media’s Kevin Mahoney.
The music is “Bet On It” by Silent Partner, copyright and royalty-free. 
Follow us on Twitter:
@BucksCoBeacon
@RCpress

The Signal | Introducing Our New Gen Z Podcast The Civic Circle, with Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey

The Civic Circle is a new youth-led podcast by the Bucks County Beacon tackling politics and policy from a Gen-Z lens. Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey are students from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and once a month they will chat about activism, advocacy, and all the political happenings affecting their generation today. They will be focusing on PA politics and want the podcast to serve as a call to action for all young people to get involved in the civic process and demand change.
Today I speak to them about who they are, their politics, their generation, and The Civic Circle - which launches on Monday.
Sarah Zhang is a CB East grad and sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mallorie Marsin is a Council Rock South grad and freshman at Temple University.
Alexandra Coffey is a senior at CB West. 
The Signal is produced by Kevin Mahoney, Raging Chicken Media.
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
Follow us on Twitter:
@BucksCoBeacon
@cmychalejko 
@RCpress