Extreme Mortman

"It is great to be here. Honestly. It's so great to be out of the tough backbiting world of Hollywood and into the benign and polite world of New York book publishing."     That was comedian Steve Martin, appearing on a book panel on BookTV on September 27, 1998... It was just two weeks after BookTV started on C-SPAN, 25 years ago -- and it was one of the earliest programs seen on BookTV.   Steve...

BRIGADIER GENERAL PAT RYDER: "All right, let me do one more from the phone here. Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose. JEFF SCHOGOL: "Thank you. Does the DOD know for a fact that Prigozhin is still alive or are we in a Weekend at Bernie's scenario right now?" The premise of that question? The June mutiny against Russian president Vladimir Putin. Who got the question? Defense Department Spokesperson Brigad...

You might think Cory Booker and Aaron Bean have nothing in common. One is a tenured Democratic Senator from a blue state (New Jersey) … the other is a freshman Republican Congressman from a red district (in Florida). But they do share one thing – they both seem to get a kick out of presiding over their chambers. What does it sound like two politicians with seemingly different politics have a commo...

"There is that Eddie Murphy skit where Eddie Murphy is on a bus and he's the only Black person on the bus, and no one is speaking, like people in an elevator. Just sort of stand there and watch. Silently. But Eddie Murphy gets off the bus, leaving only whites, and they immediately pull off their out garments, they have part outfits beneath, they start drinking champagne, the band strikes up. So to...

"Before I took up my current line of work, I got to know a thing or two about negotiating when I represented the Screen Actors Guild in contract talks with the studios. After the studios, Gorbachev was a snap." That was Ronald Reagan --- speaking to the Chamber of Commerce -- November 17, 1988 --- one of his final speeches as president. The topic of the speech: world trade and world economics. But...

"New beginnings" indeed! That was Dr. Barry Black ... July 7, 2003 .... his first opening prayer in the U.S. Senate. This month marks 20 years since Dr. Black became Senate chaplain. And in C-SPAN's "The Weekly," we hear some of his most notable prayers from those two decades. How did we select the prayers? Well, we asked Dr. Black himself! His responses to C-SPAN Radio's "The Weekly" are what you...

During the summer of 1991, Soviet Communist hardliners tried to seize control of the country from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Now the summer of 2023 – an attempted mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin. With that backdrop – the latest episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly" goes back and remembers the 1991 coup attempt in the Soviet Union – and we do it through the words of then...

Who needs the Major League Baseball All Star game when you have All-Star plays like that one -- in the Congressional Baseball Game ... This year, freshman Democratic Representative from California Kevin Mullin made that all-star catch playing left field. The big league All Star Game is approaching (July 11, Seattle) ... but you might not be interested ... you might want good, alternate, yet still...

Typically on the Fourth of July, you hear Americans praise America. The C-SPAN podcast "The Weekly" is going in a different direction. We hear British praise America. Specifically, British leaders who have addressed Congress and the White House and other large public venues – and have only nice things to say about the country that gained its independence from the British empire 247 years ago. King...

Last week, President Biden ended a speech in Connecticut by saying: "God save the Queen, man." And during his State of the Union address, President Biden told Republicans, "Lots of luck in your senior year." Both times, media observers wondered: What does that mean? In C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly," we don't answer that. We do something else.  We provide other times, in other settings, with other...

You might not think listening to a Supreme Court oral argument could make you chuckle. But when Justice Elena Kagan is involved in the conversation, there's often a chance that will happen. In what is typically a world of dry legal argument, Justice Kagan can provide snappy comebacks, witty repartee, and quick delivery -- providing a humor and lightness to the oral arguments. In the latest episode...

Rosalynn Carter has championed mental health since her days as President Jimmy Carter's First Lady -- and even before. With the announcement that she has been diagnosed with dementia, C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly" looks back at her advocacy of mental health awareness and mental health programs. But with a unique perspective: we focus on her collaboration with -- and friendship with -- fellow First...

In the latest episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly" -- we mark Henry Kissinger's 100th birthday -- but not with him talking about himself -- with him talking about milestone birthdays of other famous statesmen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PEPFAR -- The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. The multi-billion-dollar government initiative to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic turns 20 years old this week – President Bush signed PEPFAR into law on May 27, 2003. When it was proposed and implemented 20 years ago, PEPFAR was the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history. Now, to mark PEPFAR's 20t...

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. It was established by Congress and President Bush in 2006. Since Congress helped create Jewish American Heritage Month, it's as good as chance as any to hear members of Congress speak Yiddish. Actually, to hear members of Congress say one specific word in Yiddish: Chutzpah. In the latest episode of C-SPAN's "The Weekly," to mark Jewish American Heritage Month...

More than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America are on strike. It's the first TV writer's walkout in more than 15 years ... and it has halted production on some of the most popular shows in the U.S. One immediate casualty: late-night TV ... The talk shows are shut down. No new episodes. No new words. But there’s one place on TV where the words never stop, where the content is always fresh...

It's time for Cinco de Mayo. Looking for a way to mark the Mexican holiday? Here's one serious thing you can do: Listen to the latest episode of the C-SPAN podcast "The Weekly." You'll hear politicians -- from both parties -- speak Spanish in a variety of public and political venues over the years... with messages targeted both for the Mexican community and other Spanish-speaking communities as we...

How are you marking 30 years of C-SPAN bringing America LIVE coverage of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner? Well, here's how the C-SPAN podcast "The Weekly" is doing it -- with a Top Ten list. If you've watched all the dinners – going back to our first live one in 1993 -- you probably noticed one common thread. The comedians entertaining the dinners often make a joke about C-SPAN....

Mark Russell -- the piano-playing political pundit -- performed on C-SPAN many times. His career as a political satirist spanned half a century.  The latest episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly" remembers Mark Russell, who died March 30, 2023. But more than just Mark Russell: We celebrate others who have sung their way into political parody stardom. Bipartisan political and musical satire is ha...

George Santos. Everyone's familiar with the controversies surrounding the new Republican House member from New York. But what has he been saying in Congress? That might be less well-known. So, in the next episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly," we find out. We dive into Rep. Santos' House floor speeches and hear what he's been talking about during these early weeks of his young congressional car...

How closely did you watch C-SPAN's coverage of 2023 State of the State addresses? Can you name the governor who: -- went off site to a remote location to deliver his speech? -- despite being a Democrat, cited two legendary Republicans? -- mentioned chocolate lobsters? -- mentioned crabs? -- cited F. Scott Fitzgerald? -- cited James Baldwin -- cited Ted Lasso? And which governor was inspired both b...

Often after mass shootings, you hear Senators and Congressmen say that more than thoughts and prayers were needed in reaction to the tragedies. That was the case once again after the shooting at The Covenant elementary school in Nashville. But there are people in Congress whose job it is to specifically provide prayers -- the Chaplains. In this episode of C-SPAN's "The Weekly," we hear prayers off...

Quick question – Who said this to the White House press corps in the White House press briefing room on Monday, March 21? "On behalf of myself, everyone here with me today and the numerous other folks that — that it takes to make our show, 'Ted Lasso,' it is sincerely an honor to visit the White House and to have the opportunity to speak to the President and to the First Lady about the importance...

"This is the day that all Irish Americans share their common heritage. It is also a day when just about everyone gets a little Irish feeling. One of the great things in my life has been the opportunity to see the Irish of this country use the power of the ballot box to pull themselves up, to join the front ranks of every profession and every walk of life." That's what House Speaker Tip O'Neill tol...

"Tucker Carlson is a staff writer for the Weekly Standard. Good morning. Thanks for being with us." And that's how Tucker Carlson's first appearance on C-SPAN began ... taking audience calls... December 30, 1995 … Between 1995 and 2015, Tucker Carlson appeared on C-SPAN call-in programs 17 times. In this episode of C-SPAN's "The Weekly," you'll learn personal information Tucker Carlson shared abou...