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January 2, 2026

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

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Spy Highlights

Beyond Cinderella: Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks by Anke Van Wagenberg

April 5, 2025 by Anke Van Wagenberg Leave a Comment


Working at the American Federation of Arts is just about as exciting as an art curator’s job can be curating international and American exhibitions, publishing catalogs, and related travel (while living in beautiful Talbot County). Bringing art to a wide public has been the AFA’s non-profit mission a
s the leader in traveling exhibitions internationally, since 1909 Showcasing the many incredible and innovative new footwear designs that promise to transform the field.

The American Federation of Arts is touring Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks. Building on the highly successful collaboration for the show Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (2015–2017), the Bata Shoe Museum and the American Federation of Arts are collaborating again on a new groundbreaking exhibition that explores the intersection between design innovation and technological advancements in footwear.

Future Now features around sixty futuristic designs from the Bata Shoe Museum’s holdings as well as loans from prominent institutions, collectors, designers, and inventors. It explores how cutting-edge technologies, unexpected materials, and new ideas are transforming footwear today. The exhibition includes digitally designed and 3D-printed shoes, sneakers made from mushroom leather and reclaimed ocean plastics, and footwear created for the metaverse.

In the 19th century, shoemaking in the West was transformed from an artisanal craft into an industry driven by the invention of new methods and materials. The mass production of footwear made a variety of shoes accessible and affordable, and footwear consumption began to rise. However, industrialization also introduced new limitations: feet suddenly had to fit into predetermined sizes, and consumer choice was limited to the styles and colors selected by manufacturers. Industrialization led to ever-increasing levels of exploitation and waste as production and consumption grew. Today, many shoe designers and companies are grappling with this history. And while innovation remains at the forefront of the industry, the goals have begun to shift.

The footwear included in the exhibition is designed to address industrial-age problems and capitalize on postindustrial possibilities. The project features designers and brands including Salehe Bembury, Steven Smith, RTFKT, Mr. Bailey, Zaha Hadid, Nike ISPA, Safa Şahin, EKTO VR, Saysh, Benoit Méléard, SCRY, and many more.

The exhibition is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum. Guest Curator is Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada. Semmelhack applies her cultural art-history background to the mission of the museum by exploring the multiple roles and meanings of footwear through innovative and engaging exhibitions and publications. Most recently, she has curated The Great Divide: Footwear and the Age of Enlightenment (2021). Her recent publications include The World at Your Feet: The Bata Shoe Museum Collection (Rizzoli Electa, 2020), Collab: Sneakers x Culture (Rizzoli Electa, 2019), Dior by Roger Vivier (Rizzoli, 2018), Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (Rizzoli Electa, 2015), and Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heel (Bata Shoe Museum, 2015).

This exciting and well-visited exhibition tour was organized by AFA’s Curator Katherine Wright, PhD. It started in 2024 at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, and next at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Indianapolis, IN, and is currently on view at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL, until May 4, 2025, and will next go to the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA, May 23, 2025 – August 31, 2025 Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, September 20, 2025 – January 4, 2026 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI, February 7 – June 8, 2026

Anke Van Wagenberg, PhD, is Senior Curator & Head of International Collaborations at the American Federation of Arts in New York and lives in Talbot County, MD. 

 

 

 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights

Spy Concert Review: All-Mozart, Start to Finish by Steve Parks

April 4, 2025 by Steve Rideout Leave a Comment

Although the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s all-Mozart concert series comprises only three works from his voluminous canon, the program spans all but the last three years of Mozart’s too-short life and brilliant career.
Conducted by MSO music director Michael Repper, the opening night concert at the Easton Church of God starts at the beginning, 1764, with young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 1, composed between the ages of 6 and 8. The next two pieces, among Mozart’s most mature works – symphonies 40 and 41 – were written in 1788 during one of the most productive periods of his prolific genius, along with a companion piece, Symphony No. 39, finished just three years before his death after completing one of his most beloved scores for the stage, “The Magic Flute” opera. That and his “Requiem,” composed in 1791, the year of his death. Apparently, it was never played for its author on his deathbed or thereafter.
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, reflects influences by composers known best to him as a child, his father Leopold and Johann Sebastian Bach’s son, Christian, who Wolfgang befriended as his family was in London while his dad recuperated from a lingering illness. The second movement of his first symphony features a four-note violin motif – C, D, F, E – that resurfaced in several subsequent works, including Symphony 41, better known as “Jupiter,” which concludes the concert and lends the series its title, “Mozart’s Jupiter.” The 15-minute child-prodigy Mozart’s debut opens with an at-once sonorous and lively allegro, followed by a more somber cello-and-bass led andante and an exuberant upper strings finale.
Repper then outlined the last two full symphonies credited to Mozart, though he wrote a staggering 600 compositions in all – from concertos and opera scores to sonatas and chamber quartets and quintets. Both his 40th and 41st symphonies are considered the apotheosis of his mastery of that classical form.
The 40th, aside from being one of only two symphonies he composed in a minor key (G), is among his darker complete works, opening with a somber allegro accompaniment of lower strings before the familiar first theme is introduced by woodwinds and violins, followed by a bass-heavy backbeat, led by Chris Chlumsky, in an intensifying concluding theme. The third movement, the traditional minuet, is all but undanceable though its rhythm is nevertheless refreshingly optimistic as played by woodwinds, principally clarinets (Dennis Strawley and Wendi Hatton), with horn accompaniment (Mark Hughes and Anne Nye). The finale opens with a rising strings-led arpeggio competing with clarinets driving a contrapuntal theme toward a perhaps tragic operatic ending.
After intermission, Repper warned the audience that Mozart was “showing off” in the final movement of his 41st and last symphony, “Jupiter.” He meant the remark as a compliment to the master’s unbridled skill and daring.
The simple but profound opening – some compare it to Beethoven’s Fifth – violins subtly introduce the four-note motif repeated throughout the first-movement allegro vivace, fiercely rendered with full-orchestra gusto. The second-movement andante, as defined by the term “cantabile,” is a songlike respite or shelter from the storm. The third-movement minuet, following the symphonic habit of the day, extends the contrastingly sunny disposition of his final symphony as opposed to his brooding 40th. The “Jupiter” 41st ends with a celebration of his great gift to generations of music appreciators even yet to discover him “showing off” by juggling bits of five themes borrowed from personal musical inspirations to create a greatest-hits classical “album” played in two minutes. It could leave you breathless. It seemed so for Repper, the conductor.
Think what Mozart may have accomplished with another 35 years of life. But maybe that was the presentiment that drove him – all the way to Jupiter and back.
MOZART’S JUPITER
Concert series opened April 3 at Easton Church of God, continuing at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6, Community Church, Ocean Pines. midatlanticsymphony.org
Steve Parks is a retired New York arts critic now living in Easton.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: Trump Liberation Day and Wisconsin Election Results

April 3, 2025 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the impact of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” plans to impose an international 10% tariff on all imported goods coming into the United States and more punitive tariffs on major export countries like China, Mexico, Japan, and Canada.  Al and Craig also talk about the special election results from Wisconsin and Florida.

This video podcast is approximately 21 minutes in length.


To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: From and Fuller, Spy Highlights

Sci-Fi Comes to Oxford: A Chat with The Man from Earth Director Cece Storm

March 30, 2025 by The Spy Leave a Comment

Tred Avon Players (TAP) continues its 2025 season with The Man From Earth, a thought-provoking sci-fi drama by Richard Schenkman. Based on the book by Jerome Bixby and directed by Cecile Storm, the production runs from April 17 to 27 at the Oxford Community Center. Season passes and individual show tickets are available at www.tredavonplayers.org.

Hailed as one of the most intelligent science fiction stories ever written, The Man From Earth follows John Oldman, a retiring professor who stuns his colleagues with an extraordinary secret that challenges history, mortality, and the unknown. What begins as an impromptu farewell gathering quickly spirals into a gripping intellectual and emotional battle as his friends struggle to separate fact from fantasy.

The Spy talked to Cece last week about the play and the fun of putting Sci-Fi on the stage.

This video is approximately three minutes in length.

The cast includes Greg Allis (John), Maddie Megahan (Harriet), Mary Ann Emerson (Edith), Zack Schlag (Dan), Cavin Moore (Sandy), Chris Agharabi (Art), Jenny Weske (Linda), and Corrie James(Lily).

Special Easter Weekend Performance Schedule

The Man From Earth opens on Thursday, April 17, and runs for seven performances through Sunday, April 27. Due to Easter Sunday falling on opening weekend, TAP will offer two performances on Saturday, April 19, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. instead of a Sunday matinee. This adjustment allows cast, crew, and audience members to enjoy the holiday with family and friends.

Tickets & Show Information

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students (fees included). Preview Night (April 17) and matinees sell out quickly! Tickets are available online at www.tredavonplayers.org or at the door before each performance (while seats last).

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: What does the Signal Chat Signal for Team Trump

March 27, 2025 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the political impact on the Trump Administration and international relations after disclosing a Signal instant messaging chat with the Secretary of Defense and other high-ranking officials on war plans related to Yemen bombing targets in the Middle East.

This video podcast is approximately sixteen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: From and Fuller, Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: Are the Courts Strong Enough to Push Back Trump and the End of JFK Conspiracies?

March 20, 2025 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller assess whether or not the judicial branch of the Federal government is strong enough to repel a Trump DOGE takeover. Al and Craig also discuss the future of JFK conspiracy theories in the aftermath of President Trump’s decision to release once-secret files on the assassination.

This video podcast is approximately sixteen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed, through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: From and Fuller, Spy Highlights

Spy Theater Review: ‘Never the Sinner,’ Leopold and Loeb by Steve Parks

March 15, 2025 by Steve Parks Leave a Comment

Max Brennan as Loeb and Roegan Bell as Leopold

If a whodunnit is your murder-mystery cup of tea, “Never the Sinner” may not be up your alley. But if the psychology of a pair or murderous lovers who kill a teenage boy just for the thrill of it – for sport if you will – will always beg the question: “Why?”
The senseless murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by a pair of intellectual and amoral snobs – “supermen” they thought of themselves – Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr. – shocked and appalled the nation just over 100 years ago. It was widely considered the “Crime of the Century” in 1924. Today, I fear, we are beyond being shocked by anything or anyone. Which makes an excellent argument for why now – why now does this 1985 play by John Logan seem so strikingly relevant? As directed by E.T. Wilford for The Factory Arts Project at the Waterfowl building in Easton, “Never the Sinner,” makes us wonder how some people – men mostly – with power and sheer chutzpah get away with anything. Not that Loeb and Leopold got off scot free for murder. But they did not hang as public fury and a zealous prosecutor demanded.
 The sinister pair, played by Max Brennan as Loeb and Roegan Bell as Leopold, are almost sympathetically charming, aside from their hideous crime and “supermen” arrogance that seems to absolve them of any sense of guilt. The other two principals in this true-story drama are the opposing counsels, prosecutor Robert Crowe, played with convincingly judgmental outrage by Alex Greenlee, and Ray Nissen as the famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow, takes on the bold strategy of pleading his clients guilty at the outset of the trial with a daring strategy of sparing them the noose. The legal back-and-forth between the two makes for a morality play on its own merits quite aside from the guilty clients.

As Loeb, the one who actually struck the murderous blows on the defenseless teen, Brennan effusively appears to lack any sense of remorse, while Bell as the more introspective Leopold tries to hide his regrets, perhaps even from himself. As gay lovers, their homosexuality is underplayed except near the end of the trial and the verdict that is never revealed.  Only then does their affection for each other become vividly apparent.

Their dress-alike earth-tone suits chosen by producer/costumer Cecile Storm and matching bright red tennis shoes set them apart from the rest of the cast, although each player also wears tennis shoes of more muted tones – even Clarence Darrow.

The set and lighting design by director Wilford is a rather busy shuffling of chairs and tables between scenes on a slightly raised stage on the floor of the huge Waterfowl space with seating on three sides, making for a relatively intimate setting. Depending on where you were seated, especially front and center as I was, the too-bright lighting was at times quite distracting – a condition that can easily be corrected in upcoming performances this weekend.
Loeb and Leopold were only about five or six years older than their victim – a fact that Darrow deployed in his argument for leniency by calling them “kids.” As a juror, I’m not sure I would’ve fallen for that, even though in general, I don’t favor the death penalty.
‘NEVER THE SINNER’ 
By John Logan, performed by The Factory at the Waterfowl building in downtown Easton through Sunday, March 16. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. thefactoryartsproject.org
Steve Parks is a retired New York arts critic now living in Easton.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: The Politics of a Government Shutdown and Trade War Impact

March 13, 2025 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the politics surrounding a possible government shutdown if Senate Democrats do not support the Republican-led House funding bill by Friday. Both Al and Craig also talk about when voters will begin feeling the impact of President Trump’s trade war with Canada, Mexico, Europe, and China.

This video is approximately 16 minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: From and Fuller, Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: Ukraine Meets Trump 2.0 and Reviewing the State of the Union

March 6, 2025 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the Trump administration’s approach to Ukraine and the United States’ position to NATO.  Al and Craig also review President Trump’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.

This video podcast is approximately sixteen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed, through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: From and Fuller, Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: The State of Resistance – Is Washington the New Moscow?

February 27, 2025 by Al From and Craig Fuller Leave a Comment

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

This week, From and Fuller discuss the muted resistance in Washington as the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency  (DOGE) make sweeping policy changes in the federal government. This video podcast is approximately sixteen minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: From and Fuller, Spy Highlights, Spy Journal

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