Is the Constitution built to handle the next 250 years, or is it time for a real mechanism for change? Tom Teicher, a constitutional thought leader, spent years developing a proposal for a 28th Amendment that would finally give structure to Article Five's long-dormant constitutional convention option.

Cut to the Chase: Gregg sits down with Tom to break down how his plan would work: 153 impartial delegates chosen by state legislatures under an 80% supermajority requirement, closed-door sessions modeled on 1787, a two-thirds override for Congress, and ratification by direct popular vote rather than the states. They dig into why only 17 amendments have passed in over two centuries, what issues a modern convention might tackle, and why Tom insists the process must stay above party politics.

Join Gregg and Tom Teicher on Cut to the Chase: as they explore

• Why the Constitution has only been amended 17 times in over 200 years

• How Tom's proposed 28th Amendment would structure a modern constitutional convention

• Why delegates would be chosen by an 80% supermajority in state legislatures

• How Congress and the public would each get a role in approving changes

• Why the proposal is designed to stay impartial, with no sitting officials as delegates

• What it would take to keep the process out of near-term politics
  
  

• Introduction: Framing the state of the Constitution at nearly 250 years old

• Tom's background and how he came to work on constitutional reform

• Why Article Five's convention option has never been used

• The proposal: turning the convention into a structured, recurring process

• How the 153 delegates would be chosen, and the 80% supermajority rule

• Devil's advocate: could the delegate-selection process be changed or gamed?

• The history of the proposal, from 2022 to today, and its reception so far

• How a convention would run: closed doors, open agenda, majority votes

• Congress's role: reviewing and potentially sending proposals back

• Ratification by national popular vote instead of the states

• How a convention might handle modern issues like AI, executive power, and more

• Keeping the amendment out of near-term politics with a 2029 effective date

• Historical parallels: Jefferson's 19-year proposal vs. Madison's view

• Closing thoughts: what one change could preserve the American experiment

Tom Teicher is a constitutional thought leader and citizen advocate for reforming Article Five of the U.S. Constitution. With a law degree and a background largely in the nonprofit sector, he has spent years developing a detailed proposal for a 28th Amendment that would establish a structured, recurring constitutional convention process.

His proposal has been shaped through public feedback since 2022, including a widely shared explainer video released in 2024 and a written essay published in 2025, and has been reviewed by a constitutional law professor.

Contact / Follow Tom Teicher:

Website: TomTeicher.com

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When Ron Magill announced his retirement on February 15th, plenty of people assumed South Florida was losing its most recognizable voice in the animal world.

On this episode of Cut to the Chase: host Gregg Goldfarb sits down with Ron to set the record straight. He retired from the county, moved his office about 30 yards north, and took on a new role as Goodwill Ambassador and Conservation Liaison for the Zoo Miami Foundation.

Ron walks through the work ahead of him, including building the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment, the largest conservation endowment at the zoo, where none of the money can be spent at the zoo itself and goes entirely toward protecting animals in the wild. He also shares the travel programs he's leading, from 11 national parks across five states to polar bears in Churchill and a return voyage to Antarctica.

The conversation turns personal when Ron shares the story of the animal that changed his life. It was a squirrel that came down from a tree during recess, at a time when he was a Spanish-speaking kid being bullied so badly he'd retreated into his shell.

He also weighs in on why Miami has become what he calls the Ellis Island of exotic animals, what's realistically possible with pythons and iguanas at this point, and why he's profoundly concerned about the rollback of environmental protections at a national level.

Join Gregg and Ron Magill on Cut to the Chase: as they explore:

• Why "retirement" for Ron meant moving offices rather than stepping away, and what the Zoo Miami Foundation role actually involves
• How the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment works, and why none of that money can be spent at the zoo
• How listeners can join Ron's travel programs through the travel tab at zoomiami.org
• Why local conservation in your own backyard matters before global causes
• Whether you can actually make a living in wildlife and conservation work, and what it takes
• Why storytelling, not statistics or pie charts, is the skill that opens doors in this field
• What Miami is doing to build green corridors connecting parks for wildlife
• Why invasive species like pythons, iguanas, and lionfish are here to stay, and what management realistically looks like
• Why the python hunts matter for public education even when they don't dent the population

TIME STAMPS

• 0:00 – Intro: "The Ellis Island of Exotic Animals"
• 0:30 – Welcome to Cut to the Chase & Ron's 4-Decade Legacy
• 1:01 – Retiring from the County, Not From the Mission 1:38 – New Role: Zoo Miami Foundation & Conservation Endowment
• 2:05 – Upcoming Trips: Antarctica, Africa, National Parks & How to Join
• 3:36 – Conservation Work: Audubon, Wildlife Rescue & Protecting Our Backyard
• 4:22 – Giving Back: Scholarships for the Next Generation
• 5:06 – "Living a Scam": On Loving Your Job
• 5:37 – Can You Actually Make a Living Doing This?
• 6:53 – Why Storytelling Matters More Than Ever
• 7:11 – The Next Ron Magill? Rising Stars at the Zoo
• 7:59 – Conservation in Your Own Backyard (Inspired by Wild London)
• 9:17 – The Squirrel That Changed His Life
• 11:29 – Escaped Animals & Hurricane Andrew
• 12:08 – Miami's Invasive Species Crisis: Pythons, Iguanas & More
• 13:01 – Are We Making Progress? The State of Global Conservation
• 13:56 – Final Thoughts & Call to Action

Ron Magill has spent more than four decades educating millions about wildlife and inspiring generations to care about conservation. After 46 years working under Miami-Dade County, he now serves as Goodwill Ambassador and Conservation Liaison for the Zoo Miami Foundation, where he leads the foundation's travel program and continues building the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment. He is also a USA Nikon Ambassador and wildlife photographer who has set foot on every continent and visited Africa more than 50 times.

Contact / Follow Ron Magill:

• Website: https://zoomiami.org (travel programs under the Travel tab)
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-magill-0257bb8/

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Has a boss ever asked you to drinks or dinner, and something about it felt off? On this episode of Cut to the Chase: host Gregg Goldfarb sits down with Jesse Weinstein, a partner at Phillips & Associates who has recovered nearly $40 million for employees facing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation at work.

Jesse walks through why office happy hours create risk, why HR exists to protect the company rather than the employee, and what retaliation looks like long before someone actually gets fired. He also breaks down medical leave, caregiver rights, and the protections available to pregnant employees, including what happens when people return from parental leave to find their role has quietly disappeared.

Practicing across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, Jesse shares how to document harassment the right way, what New York City's around-the-clock liability standard means for off-hours conduct, and why reading your employee handbook before anything happens could make or break a future case.

Join Gregg and Jesse Weinstein on Cut to the Chase as they explore:

• Why mixing alcohol into work events raises the risk of harassment, and why saying no can trigger its own backlash

• Why HR exists to protect the company, not the employee, and how investigations can be quietly limited

• How to document harassment the right way, including timestamped notes, texts, and one-party consent recording rules

• What counts as retaliation before you're ever fired: isolation, stripped duties, sudden scrutiny, and cold shouldering

• Why New York City's automatic employer liability rule can apply even to off-premises conduct

• Your rights around short-term disability, FMLA, and caregiver leave for a family member's medical condition

• What protections exist for pregnant employees, from morning sickness accommodations to return-from-leave retaliation

• Why contingency-fee representation means legal help doesn't require money up front

• Introduction: the "boss asks you out" scenario and today's topics

• Why alcohol at work events raises the risk of harassment

• Why rejecting a boss's advances can trigger its own backlash

• Spotting workplace culture red flags during the interview process

• Why HR exists to protect the company, not the employee

• How investigations get limited: unquestioned witnesses and quiet dismissals

• Why documentation matters: timestamped notes, texts, and one-party consent recording

• Practicing across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

• Sending a rejection text, and why it counters the "it was consensual" defense

• What leadership can do to actually curb workplace harassment

• Reading the employee handbook and finding the right HR contact

• New York City's automatic employer liability for supervisor harassment

• What retaliation looks like before termination: isolation, stripped duties, scrutiny

• Weighing legal strategy against personal and career consequences

• When to call a lawyer, even before you've been fired

• New York's 24/7/365 liability standard for off-premises harassment

• Why most people only read their handbook after meeting a lawyer

• Medical leave rights: short-term disability and FMLA

• Caregiver leave for a family member's medical condition

• Pregnancy rights: morning sickness accommodations and the "interactive process"

• Retaliation after returning from parental leave, and hidden reorgs

• How contingency fee representation works

• Whether employees can negotiate to get their job back after termination

• Closing thoughts and how to reach Jesse

Jesse Weinstein is a partner at Phillips & Associates, where he represents employees facing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Over eight years of practice, he has recovered nearly $40 million for clients, with a focus on advocating for women in lower-power roles who often don't know their workplace rights.

Contact / Follow Jesse Weinstein:

• Firm: Phillips & Associates
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseweinstein/
  
  

Want more conversations that cut through the noise on science, climate, and the issues shaping our future? Subscribe to Cut to the Chase: with Gregg Goldfarb for new episodes every week.