Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
America has plenty of problems. But for July 4, Jim and Mike have a simpler message: America still rocks.
The Axios co-founders go Behind the Curtain to explain why Americans are living through one of the greatest moments in U.S. and human history, even as patriotism falls, trust erodes and pessimism dominates the national mood.
They discuss the gap between how America feels and what the country still gets right: freedom, entrepreneurship, innovation, democracy, capitalism, energy, military strength and the everyday decency of normal people.
The bottom line: America is imperfect, noisy and often frustrating. But it is also young, resilient and still full of possibility.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Why America feels broken
00:38 - The collapse in national optimism
01:22 - Why the bad feelings are real
02:51 - The facts behind American progress
04:28 - Why cynicism dominates the news
05:22 - America’s advantages
06:19 - What capitalism and democracy still produce
07:15 - The entrepreneurial boom Jim sees coming
07:44 - Why most people are still normal
09:31 - How broken institutions get rebuilt
10:00 - The small things that still unite Americans
11:43 - Why 2026 feels different from 1976
12:47 - Can America repair itself?
America has plenty of problems. But for July 4, Jim and Mike have a simpler message: America still rocks.
The Axios co-founders go Behind the Curtain to explain why Americans are living through one of the greatest moments in U.S. and human history, even as patriotism falls, trust erodes and pessimism dominates the national mood.
They discuss the gap between how America feels and what the country still gets right: freedom, entrepreneurship, innovation, democracy, capitalism, energy, military strength and the everyday decency of normal people.
The bottom line: America is imperfect, noisy and often frustrating. But it is also young, resilient and still full of possibility.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Why America feels broken
00:38 - The collapse in national optimism
01:22 - Why the bad feelings are real
02:51 - The facts behind American progress
04:28 - Why cynicism dominates the news
05:22 - America’s advantages
06:19 - What capitalism and democracy still produce
07:15 - The entrepreneurial boom Jim sees coming
07:44 - Why most people are still normal
09:31 - How broken institutions get rebuilt
10:00 - The small things that still unite Americans
11:43 - Why 2026 feels different from 1976
12:47 - Can America repair itself?
