PODCAST · history
Wigs For Whigs History
by Joe Cook
Discussions of topics in history and politics, from a high school history teacher. Views expressed are only those of the speaker(s), and not of any places of employment or affiliated organizations. Host: Joseph CookMA History AMUBA History Gettysburg College
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58
Iran So Far Away, Iran Both Night and Day
Host Joe Cook chats with the political panel of educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum about Iran, Iran, and Iran. What should America’s objectives be? How does this compare to past interventions? What comes next? Have thoughts on these questions or on other topics in the news? Reach out to the panel at [email protected]
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57
With Apologies to Matt Damon and the Debt Crisis
Host Joe Cook chats with the panel of educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum about the State of the Union Address, Iran, Epstein, and more. Have questions or comments? Reach out to [email protected]
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56
ICEing Out the Epstein Files
Host Joe Cook chats with the political panel of educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum about ICE, Epstein, corruption, and the ability of Democrats to fail against all odds. Have a question or comment to share with host? Send it to [email protected]
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55
2026 is Off to a Bang (and a Kidnapping)
Host Joe Cook discusses the recent events in Venezuela, Minnesota, and elsewhere with the panel of educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum. Have questions or comments to share? Reach out to us at [email protected]
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54
Election Eve Spooktacular
Host Joe Cook discusses the upcoming elections with the panel made up of educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum.
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53
This Episode Brought to You by North Korea and MTG
Host Joe Cook kicks off Season 5 with political panelists Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum. They talk government shutdown, Pam Bondi, and Jeffrey Epstein. Have thoughts or questions? Email them to [email protected]
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52
Where’s Our Nobel Prize?
Host Joe Cook discusses the history, present, and future of the Israel-Palestine conflict with the panel featuring educator Bill Venezia, Dr. Michael Buxbaum, Judge Ed DeFazio, and teacher Frank McGady. Can the Wigs for Whigs team solve thousands of years of conflict in less than an hour?**Share your thoughts to [email protected]**spoiler: No, no they cannot
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51
Writing Pictures and Knowing the Best Words
Host Joe Cook talks Epstein List, Tariffs, Israel, and the Supreme Court with the political panel of Educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum.
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50
Summertime Sadness
Host Joe Cook and the political panel (educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, Dr. Michael Buxbaum) discuss the Big Beautiful Bill, the war in Ukraine, and other topics in the news in July 2025.
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49
A Big Beautiful Episode
Host Joe Cook discusses the latest news with Bill Venezia and Judge Ed DeFazio. They talk about the Big Beautiful Bill, the bombing of Iran, the Supreme Court, and ICE raids. Have a question or an opinion to share with the hosts? Reach them at [email protected]
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48
The Trump Presidency 106th Day Spectacular
Host Joe Cook and the political panel (educator Bill Venezia, Dr. Michael Buxbaum, and Judge Ed DeFazio) discuss the first few months of the Trump Presidency 2.0Note: the host obviously mispeaks or did incorrect quick math when he says 136th day . . . But the good people at Wigs for Whigs want you to know that this mistake was all Biden’s fault.
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47
Get In, Loser, We’re Bombing Yemen
Host Joe Cook chats with educator Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum about the group chat fiasco for the Trump administration, the effects of tariffs, and other recent developments in the news.
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46
2025 MLB Opening Day
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia chat about expectations for the 2025 MLB season, on the eve of Opening Day. Share your predictions, thoughts, and questions with the hosts by emailing [email protected]
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45
Eat Your Red Meat or You Don’t Get Any Pudding
Host Joe Cook and the political panel (educator Bill Venezia, psychologist Dr. Michael Buxbaum, and Judge Edward DeFazio) discuss the peace talks regarding Ukraine, the actions of DOGE, and the Trump Cabinet.
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44
Super Bowl OGs
Host Joe Cook chats with Bill Venezia about the upcoming Super Bowl and favorite Super Bowl memories.
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43
One Week Down
Host Joe Cook chats with the political panel of Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, and Dr. Michael Buxbaum about the first week of Trump 2.0
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42
A Little Thanksgiving Crow
Host Joe Cook chats with Bill Venezia and Judge Edward Defazio. They all eat some crow over their incorrect predictions about the election. Then, like true pros, they pivot to claim they always knew this was going to happen and prognosticate on what’s next. Political punditry at its finest! Lastly, they all share what they are thankful for as we enter the holiday season.
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41
Election Eve Extravaganza
Host Joe Cook and the political panel make predictions on the eve of the 2024 election. See how smart or dumb they really are!
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40
Roundtable Discussion: the War in Ukraine and the Election of 2024
Host Joe Cook and the political panel discuss the war in Ukraine in the context of the upcoming US Presidential Election.
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39
Cats and Dogs and Monetary Policy
The news keeps getting bigger and so does the Wigs for Whigs political panel. Host Joe Cook is joined by Bill Venezia, Judge Ed DeFazio, Dr. Michael Buxbaum, and educator abroad Daniel Gurry to discuss the fallout from the presidential debate and other major topics in political news from early September 2024.
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38
What an Uneventful Summer in Politics: Roundtable Discussion
Host Joe Cook talks with Judge Ed DeFazio, Dr. Michael Buxbaum, and Bill Venezia about the latest developments in the 2024 race. Joe Biden dropped out, the RNC happened, Kamala and JD Vance have risen, and more.
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37
In Memory of Dr. Peter Carmichael
Host Joe Cook remembers his professor, mentor, and friend Dr. Peter Carmichael. Did you have a teacher or professor who had a profound impact on your life? Share it with us at [email protected]
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36
Trump is Going Down Now . . . Right?
Host Joe Cook has a roundtable discussion with Bill Venezia, Dr. Michael Buxbaum, and Judge Edward DeFazio about the fallout of Donald Trump’s conviction in his New York criminal trial.
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35
Breaking the Two-Party System
Host Joe Cook is joined by Bill Venezia and by special guest Dr. Michael Buxbaum to discuss the stranglehold the two-party system has in the United States and the value of alternatives to the two current major parties.
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34
Getting Whiggy with It on Tik Tok?
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss some of the latest news related to the 2024 election and some baseball. Joe shares one conspiracy he believes in, Bill teases a dive into Tik Tok, and more! Share your thoughts and questions to [email protected]
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33
Make Them Hear You
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss the importance of voting, a new effort to register students to vote, and some of the latest developments in politics and baseball. View Joe Cook’s Voting Rights event from 2/12/24: https://youtu.be/lhHsrBas-nY?si=2Wo-LfANWa5A6PVm Share a Voice Message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joecookhistory/message
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32
Did You Miss Us? We Missed You
The triumphant return of Wigs for Whigs after an unexpectedly long hiatus. Joe Cook and Bill Venezia talk politics, football, and baseball.
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31
High Drama, High Crimes, High Stakes (w/ Judge Edward DeFazio)
Host Joe Cook is joined by Bill Venezia and Judge Edward DeFazio to discuss legal issues facing the former president and the elections that are now less than a year away. Four jurisdictions, three judge appellate panels, two unpopular presidents, and a partridge in a pear tree!
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30
Historical What-Ifs: Kearny the Magnificent
Host Joe Cook discusses American Civil War hero Philip Kearny.
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29
When People Tell You Who They Are, Believe Them
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss the continuing chaos of recent political news, how educators can deal with this in the classroom, and why voting matters so much.
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28
What’d We Miss?
Season 3 is here, at last! We know you’ve been eagerly waiting. Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia catch up on the news from over the summer, touching on the chaos in Washington, the war in Israel, and the Trump legal troubles. Reach out with your thoughts (written or as a voice memo) to [email protected]
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27
Get Me That Tape!
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss the latest in election news, Donald Trump legal troubles, and other political topics.
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26
What Joy Is Left in Mudville?
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia check in on the Major League Baseball season just over 1/4 of the way through. They talk all things Mets, Yankees, and Skyline Chili.
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25
Law and Order: Experts Weigh In
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia have talked a lot about the law in recent episodes. Disclaimer: Neither of them are lawyers. On this episode, we have real, live legal experts! Former prosecutor and judge, Hon. Edward DeFazio, and leading NJ defense attorney, Brian Neary, join Wigs for Whigs to talk about Donald Trump’s legal challenges. Have thoughts or questions for the Wigs for Whigs gang? Reach them at [email protected]
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24
Everything is Legal in New Jersey
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia talk corruption, cronyism, and other icky subjects when they discuss some New Jersey politics past and present.
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23
Donald Trump is Under Arrest
Host Joe Cook & Bill Venezia discuss (in real-time) the self-surrender of Donald Trump.
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22
The Reds Suck. The Pirates Suck. Play Ball!
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia preview the 2023 Major League Baseball season.
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21
Hooray for Hollywood
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss some film history in anticipation of the upcoming Academy Awards.
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20
Primary Frontrunners — Past and Present
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss some names floated for the 2024 presidential primaries, then look back at failed candidates from the past who had been labeled as frontrunners.
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19
The Revolution of Robert Kennedy (w/ Jack Bohrer)
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia chat with guest Jack Bohrer (MSNBC news producer) about his book, The Revolution of Robert Kennedy. They discuss the political and personal sides of RFK, and how he should be remembered today.
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18
What We Choose to Honor: Rename Taney
Host Joe Cook is joined by Bill Venezia, Frank McGady, and special guest Leo Vaccaro to discuss ongoing efforts to rename Taney Street in Philadelphia. The group of Catholic school educators (Hudson Catholic & St. Joe’s Prep) also discusses Caroline LeCount, George Meade, William Still, and historical memory in general.
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17
Accidental Presidents
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia discuss the vice presidents who ascended to the presidency upon death or resignation of the president.
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16
Indulging William Faulkner’s Fantasy: Reflecting on January 6, 2021
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia reflect on the events of January 6, 2021 — two years later. They discuss memories of the day, its historical and political significance, and their thoughts on how the events can be discussed with students.
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15
Blood & Ink: a Jazz Age Jersey Murder
Host Joe Cook and Bill Venezia chat with Joe Pompeo (Vanity Fair media correspondent) to discuss his new book, Blood and Ink: the Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder that Hooked America on True Crime (HarperCollins: William Morrow, 2022)
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14
Henry Clay & the Whigs are Dead
Host Joe Cook reflects on the 1852 death of Whig Party leader Henry Clay. The paper Cook presents here won “Best Paper” at the 2015 Symposium on 19th Century Press.
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13
“As Jim Carrey would say. . .”
Host Joe Cook sits down with Bill Venezia and Frank McGady to reflect on the 2022 Midterms and look ahead to the presidential primaries for 2024. Have a question or comment? Submit it to [email protected] and it may be featured on a future episode.
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12
Listener Questions #1
Host Joe Cook answers questions submitted by listeners. Questions deal with slavery, the legacy of Jefferson & Hamilton, and the changes in the major political parties over time. Submit your questions to [email protected]
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11
Ukraine & the Midterms
Host Joe Cook sits down with Bill Venezia and Frank McGady to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and how it may be impacted by the US midterm elections.
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10
Most Important Elections
Host Joe Cook sits down with Bill Venezia and Frank McGady to discuss the most important elections in US History as well as the upcoming midterm elections.
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9
Comparing Athletes Across Eras
Host Joe Cook sits down with Bill Venezia to discuss how to compare athletes from different eras in sports history.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Discussions of topics in history and politics, from a high school history teacher. Views expressed are only those of the speaker(s), and not of any places of employment or affiliated organizations. Host: Joseph CookMA History AMUBA History Gettysburg College
HOSTED BY
Joe Cook
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