Joe Friday, the detective in the popular 1950s TV series Dragnet, was famous for prefacing his investigative interviews with, “Just the facts, ma’am.” A badly needed piece of advise for these times.

Elections always bring their share of head-turning hyperbole and name-calling. But this segment of What’s Ahead maintains that something has changed in recent years. Thanks to the instant, inhibition-obliterating, super-megaphone nature of social media, any boundaries for public discourse have gone by the boards.

In the aftermath of Saturday’s assassination attempt, Donald Trump is changing the tone of his acceptance speech to emphasize unity. This is crucial because there are profound differences between the parties on critical, fundamental subjects that get to the very nature of the American Experiment. These issues need to be debated thoroughly, vigorously and respectfully.