Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest is a podcast about the world, through a discerning lens of journalism, politics and above all Vermont. Kevin Ellis goes against the grain of today’s politics and celebrity culture to talk about the massive change all around us and how the world actually works. You will hear from Kevin’s Vermont neighbors AND national voices on difficult issues. Vermont is becoming, or always has been, a place, a real place. We are not interested in the Vermont of the tourist guides. We are not going to talk to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. We will talk to them about what it is like to sell the company and do something new - and the frustrations, fear and uncertainty that comes with changing your life. Part interview, part history lesson about stuff you won’t see or hear on CNN or NPR.

Episodes

April 24, 2025 39 mins
You don’t have to love basketball to appreciate what Morgan Valley has done in her playing and coaching career. But you need to listen closely or you’ll miss it.
Mark as Played
The top political advisor to Bernie Sanders says Chuck Schumer was wrong on the budget bill and wrong on the way forward. It’s not about Left vs. Right. It's about Top vs. Bottom. Will anyone listen?
Mark as Played
March 13, 2025 37 mins
The Jan. 6 effort to overturn an election and KILL the vice president and speaker the House seems so long ago. And Trump has effectively made us forget. But Mark Bowden has not forgotten. The author of Blackhawk Down and many other deeply reported books put Jan. 6 and its aftermath into one comprehensive book. It has all the receipts. To understand what’s happening now when the entire leadership of th government believes the Biden ...
Mark as Played
March 7, 2025 41 mins
The award-winning documentary filmmaker has faith (some) that the system can withstand Trump and Musk. That’s a lot for a a guy who makes a living examining the abuse of power by powerful people - Trump, Lance Armstrong, ENRON, Elizabeth Holmes and Scientology. Next up? Elon Musk.
Mark as Played
Trump-Musk is unprecedented, lawless, and dangerous. But we knew that. What exactly constitutes the coup? What steps do citizens take? Constitutional scholar and professor Austin Sarat has some answers - not magic bullets, but a dedication to democracy by speaking out and getting involved. Sarat is less gloomy than most and sympathizes with the college students of today. And discusses how the current situation has changed his teach...
Mark as Played
January 23, 2025 44 mins
I get the question every day - Why can’t we solve this? Roseanne Haggerty is solving it. First she bought a hotel in New York and housed people. Then she won a MacArthur “genius’’ fellowship. Now she advises cities all over the country how to solve it. Turns out it’s not that complicated. It takes what tough problems have always required: political courage, collecting data about those in need and a healthy dose of caring about peop...
Mark as Played
When Sherri Goodman arrived at the Pentagon in 1993 for her job as a deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security, the Defense Department was one of the biggest polluters on the planet. The legacy of our nuclear weapons program along with pollution from military bases all over the country. Her job? Clean up the mess. And as things went on, start factoring energy and climate change into how the military operates. How...
Mark as Played
January 9, 2025 27 mins
The flu is in 16 states and more than 900 dairy herds. That means the milk is threatened. Can it jump to humans? Yes. Will it jump to humans in a big way. I ask NY Times science reporter Apoorva Mandivilli all the questions and she gives the answers. It’s not COVID, she says. Yet.
Mark as Played
December 12, 2024 41 mins
Will Trump follow through on his draconian threats to deport millions, go after his enemies and jack up the price of everything? Every liberal Democrat I find say yes. But I found a journalist who doesn’t think so. Michael Powell of The Atlantic says the worst won’t happen. And he has a lot of experience watching politicians who promise bug and can’t deliver. He write sports for the New York Times, been on Pulitzer-winning teams. M...
Mark as Played
November 19, 2024 63 mins
Wherein some of the Ellis family gathers to assess, analyze and argue about the election. How was it lost? How was it won? No holds barred. It’s all men because the women in our lives have serious work to do and refused to be compromised by contact with the men. But there are nuggets. Harris played not to lose. (ME) And so much more.
Mark as Played
The Democratic Party sabotaged his bid for president. He is running for a fourth term. He is the most famous name in politics until Trump came along and changed everything. Bernie Sanders on why Harris needs to win and how the Democrats lost the working class. 
Mark as Played
Charity Clark is the chief law enforcement officer for the state of Vermont and she is suing Meta and Mark Zuckerberg to top them from addicting young people to bad stuff on Instagram, stealing their privacy and identity, selling it to advertisers and lying about what they do. 
Mark as Played
September 30, 2024 38 mins
A conversation with the Pulitzer Prize winning biographer of Clinton, Obama, Lombardi and Jim Thorpe. His book on Vietnam - They Marched Toward Sunlight - weaves together the events of 1967 in his home town of Madison, WI, the Oval Office and the dreaded battlefields of Vietnam. Maraniss keynotes the Leahy Public Policy Forum at the University of Vermont on Oct. 1 looking back at Vietnam 50 years later.
Mark as Played
It was left to Kamala Harris to do what Biden couldn’t do. Nor could Rubio, Desantis, Bush and all the others. Neither could the media and all the advertising, all the talking heads on cable TV. After eight years of Trump’s TV show, Harris pushed all the buttons, laid the traps and got the result she needed, showing the country she can be president. I break it down with political operative and comms consultant Alex MacLean. She has...
Mark as Played
September 6, 2024 43 mins
On July 3, Nancy Pelosi changed the course of the current presidential campaign and the country. It took about three minutes. How did that happen? How did the former speaker of the House have the power, moxie and leverage to force Biden from the race, elevate Kamala Harris and then deny she had her hand on the controls. It is all about how political power is wielded. And Pelosi biographer Molly Ball tells us how it was done. Her bo...
Mark as Played
From a little known campaign operative for Howard Dean in 2004 to the nation’s expert on corporate greed, power and anti-trust, Professor Zephyr Teachout has a plan for getting us out of the mess. We rap about how corporations got so big, what Kamala Harris might do about it and whether Lina Khan really is the second-coming for democracy. 
Mark as Played
August 20, 2024 43 mins
Why would Kamala Harris pluck a former high school football coach and national guardsman from obscurity and seek to make him vice president? Minnesotans know why. Bill Lofy has spent 25 years as a political operative, chief of staff to a governor and staffer to former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. Best of all, he went to the same high school where Walz coached and monitored study hall. Lofy knows how to get to 270 electoral vot...
Mark as Played
The Lion of the Senate talks about his own decision to retire after 48 years in office and how that compared to the decision by Joe Biden and what faces Kamala Harris in the next few weeks. Bonus tracks include Leahy on Cuba, land mines and whether we can put the genie back in the bottle of our tribal politics.
Mark as Played
Who better than an ex-Republican Congressman to break down what happens with Kamala Harris and Trump. You get the big Democrats on Cable TV. But I break down the NEW campaign with Bob Ney, a former congressman from Ohio who understands how the Republicans thought about Biden and how they think about Harris.
Mark as Played
Today we speak with former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean on the assassination attempt of Trump, Biden's candidacy, Bernie Sanders, and much more.
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Intentionally Disturbing

    Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior, current events, and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire. After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist, I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit, quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness. I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit. I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche, armed with dark humor and biting wit.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.