The Pat Kenny Show

American politics has always been about money but has America now reached the point where money, power, and political loyalty have become almost inseparable? Billions are spent on elections, wealthy donors can buy access, and the supreme court has just opened the door to even greater campaign spending. At the same time, Donald Trump is attacking institutions designed to constrain presidential power while surrounding himself with some extraordinarily loyal and unconventional appointments. So, is American democracy being hollowed out from within and are politicians now more interested in serving themselves, their donors, and their president than the people who elected them? Pat is joined by Larry Donnelly, Scott Lucas and Marion McKeone to discuss.

One of the reasons why Americans voted for President Trump was they hoped his business acumen would deal with economic ills such as the sprawling US debt, a figure that now stands at an eye watering $40 trillion. To discuss how the US economy is faring under this administration, Pat is joined by Brad Stetser, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Broadcasting from the quayside in New Ross during the JFK Summer School, Pat is joined by veteran Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Maria Cardona to take the temperature of American politics ahead of the November’s midterms.

Broadcasting from New Ross, Pat is joined by local historian and walking tour guide Miles Courtney for a whistle-stop tour of the town’s surprisingly deep past & Honorary JFK Summer School president Willie Keelty shares a vivid childhood memory of welcoming President Kennedy in 1963 and how seven minutes on the quayside changed the town forever.

Broadcasting from New Ross in Wexford for this year’s Kennedy Summer School, Pat is joined by Larry Donnelly to chat about this year’s speakers as well as Abigail Mizzi, who is set to become the first student to conduct research in suborbital space aboard Purdue I, a future Virgin Galactic mission.