NEWS

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

SOUTH KOREA

THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD recently traveled to South Korea to explore Traditional Korean Medicine as it is practiced in modern-day Seoul, blending time-honored wisdom with contemporary approaches to health and wellness.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

SOUTH KOREA

Recently, This Is America & The World, visited the Jinkwansa (Buddhist) Temple in South Korea for an insightful conversation with the Director of the temple’s Meditation Center, HyeJu Sunim. The conversation explored the core principles of Buddhism and guided us through the fundamentals of meditation, exploring how these practices can assist all of us to cultivate inner peace and mindfulness. Set against the serene backdrop of the temple, this discussion offered a culturally significant and thoughtful window into Buddhist philosophy in South Korea and the transformative power of meditation.

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FIXING CONGRESS

My friend Thalia Assuras, former ABC and CBS anchor, correspondent, and media consultant, sent me a copy of her husband Mike Johnson’s new book, Fixing Congress that he’s written with Jerry Climer. I offered to write a few words about the book. How about a single word? Wow! - Dennis Wholey

FIXING CONGRESS

If you want to know how Congress works – or doesn’t work – Fixing Congress – is an amazing book with its mission to save us from those we elect to the legislature.  Fixing Congress is packed with facts and figures, theory of what the Founding Fathers had in mind (and what’s possible), insights about why it's broken, and yes, not so farfetched solutions to fix the mess – including some that never occurred to me, make sense and are really worth debate. 

Veteran Capitol Hill insiders Michael Johnson and Jerome Climer will dazzle you with the number of people who work in Congress, how many lobbyists there are in Washington, and the mind-blowing size of the staff of the Speaker of the House.

The section on committees and subcommittees will take your breath away – or at least stop you in your tracks. I found myself saying out loud.  “How many?” and needing to reread a single sentence three times.

Here are a few of my favorite sound bites:

“There is no more powerful player in politics than the media.”

“…the odds of a single bill (or idea) becoming law are slim, very slim.”

“Too much power…is concentrated in too few hands….” 

The country – left, right and center – is displeased with Congress – that’s a nice way of naming the reality of the current situation. How about disgusted? We all know Congress doesn't always work. The question is: Can it be fixed? – and here Mike and Jerry offer some rays of sunshine including Streamlining the Budget Process, Term Limits, and my favorite, increasing the size of the Senate and the House. 

The subtitle of Fixing Congress is Restoring Power to the People. 

Johnson and Climer hit all their targets – ethics, media, partisanship, polarization, reforms – fairly and squarely, and then lob the ball over to our side of the net and tackle media literacy, picking your issues and leaning on elected leaders, who do respond. They underscore once again – just months before our next election – the Presidency, House and Senate all up for grabs – VOTE!

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

NEPAL

Recently, THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD traveled to the South Asian nation of Nepal to produce a total of five programs throughout the country. The experience was an honor and blessing and we are delighted to begin sharing these programs with you.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS

This week Dennis Wholey begins a three-part interview with Ambassador Wendall K. Jones, of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The conversation touches on a wide array of topics with a focus on The Bahamas membership in the Commonwealth, the unique characteristics of the 700 island nation, the Bahamian people and Prime Minister Philip Davis' vision for the country.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

BROOKINGS

This week Dennis Wholey begins a two-part conversation with Robert Kagan, Ph.D. As a Senior Fellow at Brookings, renowned author and columnist at The Washington Post, Dr. Kagan examines democracy vs. autocracy, world order today, and the basis of US foreign policy. In addition, Dr. Kagan discusses his new book, The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941, and how history repeats itself to shape the global present and future.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF RWANDA

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey begins a multi-program conversation with Prof. Mathilde Mukantabana, who serves as the Republic of Rwanda’s Ambassador the United States. Their conversation explores the geography and topography of the “land of a thousand hills, ” the investment potential of this “inter-connected” country, and Rwanda's goal of becoming a tech hub in the heart of Africa.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey visits the Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone in Washington, DC to begin a two-part conversation with Ambassador Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai. Their conversion discusses Sierra Leone's capital city of Freetown and the qualities of the country’s citizens, economy, tourism, and natural resources. In addition, Ambassador Wai examines the background of Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada, and the security and integrity of its upcoming elections.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey visits the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington, DC to begin a conversation with Ambassador Rosan Perkasa Roeslani. Their conversation examines a wide variety of topics including Indonesia’s 2023 Chairmanship of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), tourism offerings and the defining characteristics of Indonesia’s cultural identity found throughout the country’s 17,000 islands.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF HAITI

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey visits the Republic of Haiti’s Embassy in Washington, DC to begin a two part conversation with Haitian Ambassador Bocchit Edmond. Their conversation unpacks the violence facing Haiti today, the gang upheaval that has occurred over the past few years and the ramifications of proposed intervention to quell protests within the country.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

AFRICAN UNION

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey speaks with Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze of the African Union at the African Union Mission in Washington, DC. Their conversation explores the Ambassador’s role representing the African Union in the United States, the needs of the 1.2 billion people that live in the 55 member states that comprise the continent and the immense potential of the many countries of Africa working together toward common goals.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey visits the Republic of Haiti’s Embassy in Washington, DC to begin a two part conversation with Haitian Ambassador Bocchit Edmond. Their conversation unpacks the violence facing Haiti today, the gang upheaval that has occurred over the past few years and the ramifications of proposed intervention to quell protests within the country.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

This week on This Is America & The World, Dennis Wholey visits the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Washington, DC to speak with Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez. Their conversation covers a variety of topics including the powerful impact of the most recent typhoon, the country’s special economic and historic relationship with the United States, and the goals of the new presidential administration.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

DAVID IGNATIUS - THE WASHINGTON POST

Dennis Wholey sat down with award-winning journalist and best-selling author, David Ignatius, who pulled from his extensive career as a foreign affairs columnist for The Washington Post, to discuss all facets of our world today.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

KINGDOM OF THAILAND

Ambassador Manasvi Srisodapol and the wonderful team at the Royal Thai Embassy took incredible care of Dennis Wholey and his crew during their recent visit and interview in Washington, DC.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA

Recently the Kingdom of Cambodia’s Ambassador to the United States, Keo Chhea, hosted Dennis Wholey for an extensive interview at the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Washington, DC.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

NEPAL

Nepal’s Ambassador to the United States, Sridhar Khatri recently hosted Dennis Wholey at his home in Washington, DC for an interview devoted to the past, present and future of his country.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

ICELAND

Dennis Wholey recently met with Iceland’s Ambassador to the United States, Bergdis Ellertsdottir for an interview at her embassy in Washington, DC.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The Dominican Republic’s Ambassador to the United States, Sonia Guzmán recently hosted Dennis Wholey at her Washington, DC residence for an extensive two-part interview. 

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Ambassador Eugen Caras from the Republic of Moldova recently joined Dennis Wholey via Skype to discuss the war in Ukraine and life within Moldova. 

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic’s Ambassador, Hynek Kmoníček joined Dennis Wholey for an exciting interview about the Czech Republic today, its extensive history and the fact that "resilience" is at the heart of Czech culture. 

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

New Focus - America's Mental, Emotional & Social health

We are very excited to share with our viewers that we are making an exciting change to the This Is America & The World series for our fall season.

International content has been our focus for years; but with the Covid-19 pandemic, we simply cannot travel the world. As a result, we are putting this aspect of production on hold and shifting focus. Our next step with the series will be to explore many topics relating to America’s mental, emotional, and social health with our viewers. Through remote interviews we will discuss everything from anxiety and depression to racism and addiction as well as all aspects of healthy living. So many Americans are struggling in so many ways. We want to use the series to start important conversations that are not being had on television or at home and hopefully enable us all to live healthier lives.

We are excited to move in this new direction. Please share any content ideas you would like us to cover. Thank you and stay safe!

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA

While shooting four programs in the Republic of Estonia, Dennis Wholey sat for a lively and personal interview with Estonian President, Kersti Kaljulaid.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

UZBEKISTAN / THE EMBASSY SERIES

The Embassy of Uzbekistan recently hosted an Embassy Series event in Washington, DC. The evening was full of Uzbek culture, friendship and music.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

Recently Dennis Wholey travelled to the Sultanate of Oman to learn about the country's culture and its regional role in the Middle East as well as Oman's relationship with the United States. During the trip Dennis met with a wide variety interviewees throughout the country and explored the many stunning sites Oman has to offer.  

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

GLOBAL EDUCATION

Recently Dennis Wholey spoke with progressive educator and entrepreneur, Chris Whittle to discuss a new vision for education and Whittle Schools & Studios.  

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

CANADA

Canada's Deputy Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman joined Dennis Wholey and the THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD team in Washington to discuss Canada's unique relationship with the United States.  

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

KINGDOM OF BELGIUM

Ambassador Dirk Wouters of the Kingdom of Belgium joined Dennis Wholey in Washington for an excellent interview.  

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF HAITI

THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD's trip to Haiti was a huge success full of wonderful people and beautiful sites.  

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REMEMBERING ANDREW TOMASELLO

A few words about our former intern, Andrew Tomasello, who passed away recently.

On so many levels Andrew was special -- energetic, a young person of values, full of dreams, talent, warmth and fun.

I knew him first as a student in a class I teach at Catholic University and then as our intern. He was a bright and eager self-starter and an active participator in the classroom who brought his positive spirit to his fellow students. He was committed and dedicated to our series and brought creativity, willingness to learn and humor to our small team.

We had lunches together as he progressed in his career, especially at NBC Channel 4 (WRC-TV in Washington). He loved NBC4 so much. It's so obvious the feelings were mutual as you can see HERE. The only thing I can offer to the folks at 4 is "We had him first!" and we knew he was going far.

In an interview I did for one of my books a noted psychiatrist told me, "When you die you want to leave a big hole in the lives of people."

Andrew fought his cancer with courage and the world was blessed to have him for 25 years.

- Dennis Wholey

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH

Ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin from the People's Republic of Bangladesh recently joined THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD for a wonderful interview devoted exclusively to Bangladesh.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

ROMANIA

Romania's Ambassador to the United States, George Cristian Maior, recently joined Dennis in Washington to discuss life in Romania today.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

REPUBLIC OF DJIBOUTI

The Republic of Djibouti's Ambassador, Mohamed Siad Doualeh, joined Dennis Wholey to discuss his country's culture, development and future.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

NEW SEASON

This Is America & The World begins a new season by speaking with Patrick Jephson, who served as military aide, private secretary and chief of staff for Diana, Princess of Wales from 1988 -1996.

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THE AMBASSADOR SERIES PODCAST:

You can now listen to all of our interviews with Ambassadors on our new podcast, THE AMBASSADOR SERIES. The series offers intimate interviews with diplomats from countries throughout the world. THE AMBASSADOR SERIES is available on iTunes and online HERE.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD VISITS GREECE:

Dennis Wholey recently traveled to Greece to produce three programs covering various aspects of life in Greece today. One episode features a visit to the American College of Greece which works with the National Hellenic Society to host a Greek cultural emersion program in
Athens.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

PALESTINE

Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat joined Dennis Wholey for an excellent conversation about Palestine and the country's conflict with Israel. The Ambassador currently serves as Chief Representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization's General Delegation to the United States.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Dennis Wholey recently interviewed Minister Li Kexin from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the United States. The conversation was excellent and explored the global importance of the relationship between the United States and China.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Dennis Wholey recently spoke with the Ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States, Brigadier General (Ret'd) Anthony Phillips-Spencer about the country's incredible success in the Carribean.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD: SLOVENIA

Slovenian Ambassador, Dr. Božo Cerar joined Dennis Wholey for a lively conversation about culture and politics in Slovenia.

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THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD:

EUROPEAN UNION

Dennis Wholey welcomed the European Union's Ambassador to the United States, David O'sullivan to discuss the history, function and future of the European Union.

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THIS IS AMERICA RETURNS TO JAPAN

Visiting Japan is always a powerful experience and we are delighted to have had another opportunity to explore new parts of the country. On this most recent trip we visited the prefectures Mie, Tokyo and Aichi.

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THIS IS AMERICA VISITS MALAYSIA

We traveled to the magnificent country of Malaysia to produce four programs. The stunning beauty of Malaysia and the kindness of its people could be seen and felt at every turn.

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THIS IS AMERICA VISITS PANAMA

We recently traveled to Panama to produce 3 programs. It was our first venture into Central America but the experience was worth the wait. We interviewed indigenous tribesman, visited the Panama Canal as well as the Canal Expansion and conducted a lively interview with President Juan Carlos Varela.

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THIS IS AMERICA VISITS JAPAN

We recently returned from Japan with an incredible amount of footage for 4 programs. The trip was wonderful but a highlight was our time at the Koyasan temple complex.

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THIS IS AMERICA VISITS KAZAKHSTAN

Our recent trip to Kazakhstan was tremendously cold but it was great to be back. We interviewed many people about the country and spoke with Former Kazakh Ambassador to the United States and current Foreign Minister, Erlan Idrissov.

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THIS IS AMERICA VISITS BENIN

We recently traveled to Benin in West Africa. Our goal was to explore the ways in which the country is making big plans for the future. It was our first trip to West Africa and will hopefully not be the last.

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THIS IS AMERICA VISITS JAPAN

We have just returned form Taping 5 programs in Japan. The trip was a great success and a huge learning experience. Over the next few weeks programs will feature Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as many other segments focused on trade, culture, women in Japan, and U.S. Japan relations.

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Website Update

We are very excited to announce that we leave this Thursday to produce 5 programs in Japan. Wish us luck and stay tuned!

Best regards,
Jake Cregger // Producer // THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD

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Help Us Educate Our Viewers

We are very happy to get our viewers involved in our series. Please feel free to donate to THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD to help us continue our work. As you know the goal of THIS IS AMERICA & THE WORLD is to educate our viewers about the government, culture, economy, and historic sites of other unique countries, their important role in the world, and their relationship with the United States. Please join us.

Donate to THIS IS AMERCIA & THE WORLD

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THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME An Amazing Super Bowl Story

Dennis Wholey is excited to announce the release of his next book. THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME An Amazing Superbowl Story.

Purchase The Chance of a Lifetime

The owner of the worst team in professional football decides to have a nationwide "coach contest." The winner will get to coach one pro football game. Out of 6 1/2 million entries , the contest is won by an out of work, mid-level auto executive from Michigan, who knows nothing about the sport. However....

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THIS IS AMERICA begins its 1400 season

THIS IS AMERICA begins its 1400 season by speaking with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Bank Ki-moon at the United Nations in New York City.

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THIS IS AMERICA Returns from South Korea.

THIS IS AMERICA just returned from South Korea. The goal of the trip was to explore the historical significance, and natural beauty of Gangwon-do Province. The province houses many striking sites from the Korean War within the lush and ecologically sound regions along the Demilitarized Zone.