Q&A

This week, writer Javier Zamora describes the treacherous, three-thousand-mile journey he made from El Salvador to the United States when he was just nine years old. Led by coyotes, he and a group of strangers made three perilous attempts to cross into the US. Javier's parents, who had earlier migrated to California to escape the violence at home, had no idea for weeks if their only child was stil...

Our guest is Shahan Mufti's, who's new book, American Caliph, recounts an event that's been lost to history-- the March 9th, 1977 Hanafi Muslim siege in Washington, D.C. That day, three buildings in Washington, D.C. were seized by 12 Hanafi Movement gunmen and were held for two days. The group took 149 hostages, killed a young radio reporter named Maurice Williams, and shot then-councilman and fut...

This week, a conversation with Rick Wartzman, about his new book, "Still Broke: Walmart's Remarkable Transformation and the Limits of Socially Conscious Capitalism." Given unparalleled access to Walmart executives for this book, Wartzman traces the history of the Bentonville, Arkansas retail giant and its recent efforts to transform itself. Wartzman uses this study of Walmart's relationship with i...

Adam Smith, the author of the 1776 book, Wealth of Nations, is called the father of economics. He's often cited as a champion of free markets, an interpretation widely advanced by Nobel prize winning economist Milton Friedman in the 20th century. Harvard University lecturer Glory Liu says Smith's work is more nuanced. This week, we talk about her research on Smith as detailed in her new book, "Ada...

Former Wall Street trader turned photojournalist Chris Arnade discusses his book "Dignity," in which he documents the plight of those living on the margins of society in America. He talks about his photos and shares stories about some of the people he befriended during his travels. This program originally aired in October 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Douglas Brinkley, author of "Silent Spring Revolution," discusses American biologist Rachel Carson's work on environmental pollution and the impact her 1962 book "Silent Spring" had on the conservationist movement in the United States during the following decade. He also talks about the leadership of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon on environmental issues and the landmark legislat...

Former Boston Globe reporter and biographer John Farrell, author of "Ted Kennedy: A Life," discusses the life and political career of the late Democratic senator from Massachusetts. He talks about the Kennedy political dynasty and the tragedies surrounding Ted Kennedy's life, including the killing of his brothers and the 1969 car accident at Chappaquiddick that resulted in the drowning of 28-year-...

Data journalist Elliott Morris, a U.S. correspondent for The Economist, discusses the history of public opinion polling in the United States going back to the 19th century and the development and use of polling since then. He also talks about the accuracy of polls today and the often criticized predictions made by forecasters during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.   Learn more about your...

Amy Gajda, professor of law at Tulane University in New Orleans and author of “Seek and Hide,” discusses the historic struggle in the United States between an individual’s right to privacy and the public’s right to know newsworthy information. This conversation was originally published on May 15h, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer and filmmaker William Doyle joins us to talk about his new book "Titan of the Senate." It tells the story of the longest-serving Republican Senator, Orrin Hatch of Utah. Sen. Hatch served from 1977-2019 and passed away at the age of 88 in April of 2022. Mr. Doyle argues that Senator Hatch's legislative achievements earn him the nod as the greatest U.S. Senator in modern times. Senator Hatch...

In 2007 Civil Rights Legal Scholar Margaret Burnham launched Northeastern University's Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project to document the largely unknown Black victims of racial violence in the South between the 1930s and the 1950s and the Jim Crow legal system that supported it. In her new book, "By Hands Now Known" Professor Burnham describes the systemic support for Jim Crow relates t...

Former college president and longtime educator John Agresto discusses his newest book "The Death of Learning: How American education has failed our Students and What to Do about it." Dr. Agresto is a passionate champion of liberal arts education at both the high school and college level. He makes the case that political correctness and an emphasis on skills-based degrees has devalued the liberal a...

This week, writer Javier Zamora describes the treacherous, three-thousand-mile journey he made from El Salvador to the United States when he was just nine years old. Led by coyotes, he and a group of strangers made three perilous attempts to cross into the US. Javier's parents, who had earlier migrated to California to escape the violence at home, had no idea for weeks if their only child was stil...

The Appalachian Region of Eastern Kentucky has been ravaged by coal mine closings, opioid overdoses, floods, and public corruption. In this episode, Alan Maimon, a former reporter for the Lousiville Courier-Journal, talks about his book "Twilight in Hazard" which explores the impacts on the city of Hazard, Kentucky. He also talks about "Hillbilly Elegy," J.D. Vance's bestselling book about Appalac...

Hal Brands, professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and co-author of "Danger Zone," argues that the superpower competition between the U.S. and China will reach its most dangerous point during this decade. He talks about the strategy that the Chinese government is pursuing to achieve global dominance and what the U.S. and other global powers are doing,...

Investigative reporters Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins, co-authors of "Salmon Wars," take a critical look at the commercial salmon farming industry, which now provides 90 percent of the salmon consumed by North Americans. They argue that these large-scale salmon hatcheries threaten the environment and produce fish that are unhealthy for humans to eat.    Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Hey all you teachers and all you parents, and all you professors and all you students: Season #2 of the C-SPAN in the Classroom podcast drops this fall! Whether you're mowing the yard, on a peaceful weekend drive, or just relaxing on the couch with your favorite blanket, make sure to tune in to the first episode of Season #2 of C-SPAN in the Classroom on September 10th, available at c-span.org, on...

With Q&A on a short break, we're sampling a few of C-SPAN's other podcasts...this week an episode of "The Weekly" podcast. C-SPAN says farewell to colorful British Prime Minster Boris Johnson by joining him at the movies. The American movies. We remember how he mixed policy and politics with references to American cinema classics such as The Terminator, The Godfather, Star Wars, Scarface, and many...

With Q&A on a short break, we're sampling a few of C-SPAN's other podcasts...this week Booknotes+...According to Beverley Driver Eddy, little has been written about Camp Ritchie, Maryland. Dickinson College retired professor Eddy says in her book "Ritchie Boy Secrets" that on June 19, 1942, the U.S. Army opened a secret military intelligence training center. Over the next four years, it produced s...

With Q&A on a short break, we're sampling a few of C-SPAN's other podcasts...this week...you'll hear an episode of Presidential Recordings. In this episode, we hear calls between the POTUS members of Congress. Topics include the publication of The Pentagon Papers, and The War in Vietnam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Q&A on a short break, we're sampling a few of C-SPAN's other podcasts...this week, political consultant Kellyanne Conway was the first woman to manage a winning presidential campaign. She shared insights into the 2016 campaign and her time in the Trump administration and offered her thoughts on the media and the political climate in America. She was interviewed by former Democratic Party inte...

With Q&A on a short break, we're sampling a few of C-SPAN's other podcasts...this week, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) talks about his life, faith and journey in politics. He was interviewed by Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC), Democratic Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kathy Kleiman, an expert on internet governance at American University College of Law and the author of "Proving Ground," talks about the six American women who programmed the ENIAC, the world's first general-purpose electronic computer. The ENIAC (Electric Numerical Integrator and Computer), which weighed over 30 tons and took up 1,800 square feet, was a top-secret project designed by the U.S. Ar...

Journalists Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin talk about the COVID-19 outbreak on Holland America's cruise ship Zaandam in March 2020 while sailing around South America. Prevented from docking anywhere, the 1,200 mostly elderly passengers from the U.S., Europe and South America, along with 600 crew members, were stranded at sea as the virus spread on the ship. Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin...

Data journalist Elliott Morris, a U.S. correspondent for The Economist, discusses the history of public opinion polling in the United States going back to the 19th century and the development and use of polling since then. He also talks about the accuracy of polls today and the often criticized predictions made by forecasters during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.   Learn more about your...