In the first half, geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert spoke about the creation of America's sixth branch of the military, the US Space Force, and why he believes it's the country's last chance to preserve the superpower status it fought two world wars and the Cold War to build. The Trump administration has done a lot to develop the Space Force (which was passed by an act of Congress), though another president might try to undercut the program from within, he cautioned. Weichert sees the 21st century as being all about space power and believes that maintaining and expanding such a force is essential. He suggested that Russia and China have already weaponized space to some degree in the form of co-orbital satellites that can tailgate US satellites and potentially push them out of their orbit.
A potential war in space could knock out or disrupt cell phone service, he noted. In such a conflict, satellites could be attacked by lasers or missiles, and the subsequent debris field might damage additional orbiting objects. Eventually, he said, "we're going to need to develop a strategy for putting actual Space Force members in orbit to man military space stations," which would make it harder for countries like Russia and China to knock out US satellites. A deterrent to nuclear attacks, he added, would be putting up a viable space-based missile defense system. Weichert reported that China has become very interested in space-based solar power, and may want to use it to provide energy to contentious man-made islands in the South China Sea. Establishing a robust US Space Force, he added, will also be helpful for the burgeoning fields of space mining and tourism.
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In the latter half, speaker and author James Whittaker talked about how the world's leading entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and cultural icons achieve success. In particular, his focus has been on ideas popularized decades ago by Napoleon Hill and Andrew Carnegie, which Whittaker has adopted for today's era. For Hill's classic work, "Think and Grow Rich," to be most effective, it has to be read when a person is ready to make a change, he pointed out. One principle he finds to be key is "the power of the mastermind," which suggests that by surrounding yourself with like-minded but diverse people, you can rise to greater heights than working alone. Discipline over one's thinking is also valuable, he added, as it's your thoughts that ultimately become your beliefs and actions.
Other dynamic principles he cited include redirecting the energy used to complain about one's circumstance toward creating the situation you do want, as well as removing negative influences from your life-- this can be as powerful as gaining a positive influence. When developing new habits or patterns, consistency is more important than intensity, Whittaker reported. Regarding business ideas in the pandemic era, he noted that restaurants and clothing companies are particularly challenging to pull off, whereas a digital product that can be automated and scaled has a better chance for success. For more, check out his podcast, Win the Day.
News segment guests: Howard Bloom, Chuck Coppes