History Behind News Program

In this interview, Dr. Steven Pincus compares America's rise with some of history's greatest empires, including Rome, Britain, Qing China, Spain, France, and the Dutch Republic. He explains why America's emergence as a great power was rare rather than exceptional, how constitutions and institutions shape powerful states, and what history suggests about the rise, endurance, and decline...

For centuries, popes were far more than spiritual leaders. They negotiated treaties, crowned rulers, excommunicated kings, and sometimes reshaped European politics. But when did the papacy reach the height of its political power? Why did that power decline? And why do modern popes still find themselves at odds with political leaders—from Henry VIII to today's presidents? Historian Roger Collin...

Oil helped shape far more than the American economy. In this episode, Dr. Matthew Huber explains how petroleum transformed American life itself… influencing the rise of suburbia, the structure of cities, consumer culture, geopolitics, and even the way many Americans came to think about freedom, individualism, and public life. Why did the United States become so dependent on automobiles? How did oi...

Iran—a nation shaped by imperial memory and modern vulnerability. Not too long ago, Iran was far larger than it is today. European expansion and colonial intervention cut away at its territories—provinces and realms that had long been part of Iran… or were imagined to be. This is the history of how Iran’s shifting borders shaped the modern state—and how, in turn, the idea of the Iranian homeland c...

How do presidents pay for White House renovations, furnishings and other expenses? Pres. Trump is building a big beautiful ballroom for the White House. And you will note from this interview, the need for additional space in the executive mansion is not at all new. Many presidents have asked for it. 🚩In this interview: ►Who manages the White House? ►Who funds White House maintenance and projects?...

Consider This: Realization of A Kurdish Country May Require the Simultaneous Collapse of Three Other Countries! In this interview, I discuss the following with Dr. Bajalan: ►Who are the Kurdish people? ►Is Kurdish related to any other Middle Eastern language? ►What religions do Kurdish people practice? ►Did Kurdish people ever have their own polity? ►What is Kurdish nationalism? ►What is Ottoman n...

Where are Iran's ayatollahs? The real ayatollahs have not been involved in Iran's government for decades. And Ayatollah Khamenei (son and father) are not real ayatollahs. In this interview, we discuss the following: ►Was Iran's Supreme Leader supposed to be an all-powerful king or a philosopher king? ►What are the real powers of Iran's Supreme Leader? Does he rule by consensus or f...

Are patents the foundation of America's technological superiority? The answer is yes. But major changes at the U.S. Patent Office are reshaping how patents are challenged, defended, and protected. And these changes may impact innovation, products, prices and more - meaning that they may impact all of us. 🚩About My Guest Scholars: Prof. Saurabh Vishnubhakat is a professor of Law and the Direct...

What does “cashless bail” really mean, and why is the federal government suddenly taking notice. From Rikers Island to reform efforts in New Jersey and New York, pretrial detention affects more lives than most people realize, often punishing individuals before trial. In this episode, Dr. Kellen Funk explains why bail is not just a legal technicality — it’s a societal issue that shapes justice, equ...

Has Iran experienced more foreign interventions than other countries? What really happened to Iran in 1953? And why are Iranians reinterpreting its history now? 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Analyzing American Revolution ⁠ - a new podcast series by History Behind News Program. 🚩About My Guest Scholar: Dr. Vali Nasr is a professor...

Why Dec. 25? Why so much Christmas conflict & controversy in Christianity's history? Why is Christmas so important to Christianity? And to America? In this episode, I ask my guest, Dr. Carey Roberts, the following questions: ►Why is Christmas such a grand celebration? What does this tell us about Christianity? ►Did it take a while for Christmas to take a central role in Christianity ►What's th...

Will Prime Minister Takaichi be a champion for women's rights? 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Analyzing American Revolution - a new podcast series by History Behind News Program. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩In this interview: ►Women's Nudity in 19th-century Japan ►Victorian Europe's Perception of Women ►What is significant about the year 1868? ►Japan'...

Prof. Silverman describes the first Thanksgiving: an accidental feast between frenemies that was never repeated.  How much is our Thanksgiving tradition based on real events that transpired sometime in the fall of 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts? And why does it matter anyway? Don't all nations have feel-good traditions that are partly based on facts, but mostly predicated on myths?  Professor Dav...

How Gerrymandering has backfired on its proponents. 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩About My 197th Guest Scholar: Dr. Shawn Donahue is a professor of Political Science at the University of Buffalo, where a primary part of his research focuses on redistricting, representation, partisan and racial gerrymandering...

Ed Koch. Donald Trump. Rudy Giuliani. Al Sharpton. Spike Lee. And more. They were the tabloid gods of New York at a pivotal time in the City's modern history - a time when several issues erupted into crises that caused chaos in NYC and made national headlines. And we discuss them in this interview because many of those issues persist to this day, and continue to polarize NYC's population and polit...

Venezuela was once a liberal democracy with close geopolitical relations with the United States. So what happened? This is the story of Venezuela's devolution from democracy to dictatorship, and from cooperation with America to coups and open conflict. 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this interview: ►How did the Cold...

Exceptions to & exapnsions of Freedom of Speech. 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this interview: ►Was the First Amendment really the first? ►Why does the First Amendment only mention Congress? ►Did our Founders believe the President has no power to restrict freedom of speech? ►To our Founders and their British counte...

Congress, and not the presidency, used to be the predominant power of the U.S. government. In this interview, we discuss the history of how politics, populism and polarization changed the balance of power in our government. 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ In this interview: ►Where does the Constitutional principle of the "separ...

On-again off again. Hot and cold. That's how I would describe more than 75 years of America's relationship with India. It's a story that seesaws between extremely close cooperation and virtually full ruptures and severe sanctions. And the goal of this interview is to learn from history how Pres. Trump's 50% tariffs may impact our relations with India now! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

U.S. interventions in Brazilian politics since the 19th century & Bolsonaro's 27-year prison term. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩In this interview: ►How do Brazilians perceive the U.S.? ►Do Brazilians watch American TV shows? Do they listen to our music? ►Brazilians to Americans: why don't you know more about us! ►A Tropical Ve...

New York Fashion Week is here. But what is fashion? And what is American fashion? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠⁠ 🚩In this interview: ►What can be considered unfashionable? ►In the old days, did kings and queens set fashion trends? ►Do you have a fashion group? ►Did you say you don't think about clothes? If yes, then you do! ►Is fashion a...

How do presidents pay for White House renovations, furnishings and other expenses? Pres. Trump will be building a big beautiful ballroom for the White House. And you will note from this interview, the need for additional space in the executive mansion is not at all new. Many presidents have asked for it. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠⁠ 🚩In th...

Bath, England, is celebrating Jane Austen - 250 years of her life and legacy. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program ⁠ Do any of these titles sound familiar to you? ►"Pride and Prejudice" ►"Sense and Sensibility" ►"Persuasion" ►"Emma" ►"Mansfield Park" ►"Sanditon" If so, you definitely want to hear this interview - the stories and history of Jane Austen's...

Public broadcast federal funding has been completely cut. Our federal government will no longer fund public broadcasting. Pres. Trump has ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease any funding to PBS or NPR. In addition, he signed Congressional bill that clawed back already approved CPB funding. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚩 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support My Program 🚩In...

Japan's history of public health, imperial rise and nationalism. And also, story of a Japanese company's commercial invasion of America. 🚩In this interview: ►What does it mean to be modern? ►Japan's 'modernization' - 1860s to 1910s. ►4 requirements for modernization of Japanese toilets ►disease prevention, e.g., cholera in Japan ►Japan - the rise of a 'clean' empire ►Is Japan's history of cleanli...