Turning The Page To 2020, With Some Of Our Favorite Guests From 2019

As we enter a new decade, we wanted to hear from some of our favorite guests from last year — including a Montana farmer and a South Carolina minister — on their lives and hopes for 2020.

Akbar Cook, principal at West Side High School in Newark, New Jersey. (@PrincipalAkbar)

Becky Weed, co-owner, with her husband, of Thirteen Mile Farm in Montana, since 1987. Vice chair of the Montana Organic Association. Co-author of the Montana Climate Assessment.

Aaron Payment, tribal chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Rev. Tiffany Knowlin Boykin, pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

NPR: "Trump Will Win Again. No Way He'll Win. Be Wary Of 2020 Election Predictions" — "Don't put too much stock in all those New Year's predictions you're hearing and seeing about American politics in 2020. Anyone saying they know what will happen is probably just trying to get our attention.

"And probably succeeding. We've all fallen for headlines and clickbait proclaiming foreknowledge of events. We do it for sports, the stock market and just about any other outcomes that cannot be foreseen.

"That goes for elections — especially for elections – and particularly in a high-stakes, pivotal cycle such as we are in now.

"'He's going to win again,' solemn voices say, referring to President Trump and the re-election bid he formally launched shortly after his inauguration in 2017.

"'There's no way he can win again,' say others, with much the same tone of finality and certitude."

CNN: "From plastic bags to natural hair, here are the new laws coming in 2020" — "New year, new rules.

"As people across the United States usher in a new decade, a wave of new laws will bring changes big and small.

"From car seats to natural hair, here are some of the ones going into effect in 2020.

"Minimum wages are going up

"Good news for workers.

"The minimum wage is set to go up in 72 jurisdictions in 2020, according to the advocacy group National Employment Law Project.

"Most of those changes are set to begin on the first day of 2020, though New York's pay raise is set to begin December 31, 2019, the NELP reported."

New York Times: "The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives in 2020" — "The 2010s made one thing clear: Tech is everywhere in life.

"Tech is in our homes with thermostats that heat up our residences before we walk through the door. It’s in our cars with safety features that warn us about vehicles in adjacent lanes. It’s on our television sets, where many of us are streaming shows and movies through apps. We even wear it on ourselves in the form of wristwatches that monitor our health.

"In 2020 and the coming decade, these trends are likely to gather momentum. They will also be on display next week at CES, an enormous consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas that typically serves as a window into the year’s hottest tech developments.

"At the show, next-generation cellular technology known as 5G, which delivers data at mind-boggling speeds, is expected to take center stage as one of the most important topics. We are also likely to see the evolution of smart homes, with internet-connected appliances such as refrigerators, televisions and vacuum cleaners working more seamlessly together — and with less human interaction required."