In the first half, Harvard professor of public policy and author Robert D. Putnam discussed his groundbreaking examination of why fewer Americans today have the opportunity for upward mobility. Americans have always believed in the equality of opportunity, but now, he argues, the central tenet of the American dream seems no longer true or at the least, much less true than it was. Among his surprising findings were that smart poor kids (lower third of parental income, top third in test scores) have less chance of graduating from college than not-so-smart rich kids (upper third of parental income, bottom third in test scores).

Resources and support are increasingly available only to richer kids, as middle and upper class families deploy "air bags" to cushion their children from stressful or traumatic experiences or from mistakes they have made, while poorer families typically don't have these options, he explained. We have mostly become a two-tier society, in which poorer kids simply don't have the same chances to excel, he said, and "that poses some serious risks to the whole country," in terms of possible civil unrest, as well as a future economic drain. Putnam suggested more use of apprenticeships attached to community colleges as a stepping stone to good jobs, and holding politicians accountable for correcting the imbalance, and bringing back the American dream.

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In the latter half, author, clairvoyant, and earth mysteries investigator, Betsey Lewis, talked about her latest work on transformational events taking place on Mother Earth. "Something major is going to happen to our planet,"--our environment is out of whack, and people have lost much of their connection to nature, she remarked. The indigenous elders have spoken of the Earth shifting from the 4th World to the 5th World, and a great cleansing accompanying this. Yet, they've also conveyed that we're entering the "Galactic Dawn," a mass awakening to our cosmic origins, and connectedness with the Earth, she reported. From an early age, Lewis has had vivid dreams and visions of cataclysmic Earth changes taking place, and she believes we're now entering that time frame, and in particular sees something big about to happen in the South Pacific.

There are certain powerful energy centers on the planet including Mount Shasta, Stonehenge, Sedona, and Lake Titicaca, she detailed, and according to shamans and indigenous people, mountains can have more positive energies. Lewis shared accounts of communication with spirits, including with her deceased sister Kathy, who seems to have the ability to turn a radio on and off, and also touched on such topics as alien abduction, cattle mutilations, and pyramids.

News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Christian Wilde