History Is Relevant

Will the Electoral College continue to undermine American democracy? Perhaps. But efforts to reform the system are continuing. A new effort is gaining support to do an end run around the Electoral College and achieve reform without a constitutional amendment. That program is called the National Popular Vote, or NPV. It might create a solution. 

Right-wing commentators and politicians frequently portray billionaire philanthropist George Soros as a dangerous figure, often casting him as a "puppet master" behind global events and liberal causes. They describe him as a shadowy force that manipulates politics, economics, and the mass media. Others praise Soros, pointing out that he gave away most of his fortune to support humanitarian and democratic causes. Soros did not cringe in the face of resistance from many people that criticized his ideas and actions. They admire his persistence. Who is the real George Soros? There are lessons for today in the record of his impact both in American and Hungarian affairs.

How did the United States stumble into a war that led to missile and drone strikes by Iran that produced enormous damage throughout the Middle East? Oil and gas prices spiraled, creating huge economic problems in America and the world. And, of course, the war produced a vast humanitarian crisis.Why did President Trump launch that controversial war? Many Americans are frustrated because they have not received convincing explanations. Comparing President Trump’s handling of problems with Iran to President John F. Kennedy’s handling of the Soviet Union in the Cuban Missile Crisis offers insights into why the United States is now in a mess. Trump did little to consider the possible consequences of armed intervention when he green-lighted large-scale military engagement. In contrast, John F. Kennedy approached a crisis in October 1962 with careful study of the risks and opportunities for a negotiated settlement. 

Back in 2013 a moderate candidate won Iran’s presidential election. That leader proceeded to work a deal that significantly limited Iran’s nuclear development. The United Nations supported that agreement and six major countries signed on, including the United States. The settlement was effective. Inspectors made several site visits and reported the Iranians honored terms of the agreement.If negotiations in later years produced more improvements, perhaps we would not be dealing today with an aggressive Iran and a war new war in the Middle East,               How was that remarkable breakthrough achieved, and what caused its demise? 

President Trump often loses focus and goes off on a tangent. A notable example occurred on March 2, 2026. Trump briefly and vaguely mentioned his decision to order attacks on Iran and then commented in detail about construction of a new ballroom and his selection of drapes for the White House. Numerous mental health professionals have expressed concern about the President’s bizarre speech patterns.Questions arose about the mental or physical fitness of other U.S. presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Joe Biden.Is there anything American society can do to promote healthier national leaders?

The United States’ economy has grown enormously in recent decades, yet many Americans are not cheerful and confident. Polls in early 2026 reported consumer confidence in the United States was at the lowest point in a dozen years. Furthermore, the 2025 World Happiness Report showed the American people’s contentment dropped to 24th in the world. That was the lowest level ever recorded for the USA in that international happiness survey.Consistently near the top in the global happiness rankings is Norway, a country somewhat like the United States. Norway, too, is a wealthy nation, and it, too, benefited from a huge expansion of energy production. Why do many Norwegians report satisfaction about their economic and social condition, while many Americans indicate much less satisfaction? 

Critics worry that President Trump has threatened a federal takeover of voting activities throughout the USA. That is a significant danger, but another risk is getting much less attention. Americans stirred by false charges about voter fraud might try to take matters into their own hands and try to shape the outcome of an election. That behavior was evident in a small but significant case of hijinks during the 2000 presidential election.The story of that intervention by angry citizens and party officials has a name: The Brooks Brothers’ Riot. An examination of the event shows how aggressive action by ordinary citizens in tandem with political agents can undermine American democracy. The Brooks Brothers Riot could serve as a model for efforts to sway the 2026 and 2018 elections. 

There have been many shocking news stories recently about aggression by uniformed, masked, and armed ICE agents, but none excited as much public outrage as the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. That tragedy was sadly predictable. When armed paramilitary agents confront protesters complaining about injustices, there is potential for bloodshed.One of the most notable examples of that combustible situation occurred 56 years ago when a governor sent armed national guardsmen to deal with protests on a university campus. Soldiers fired into a crowd, killing four students and injuring others. The history of that event contains lessons for our times.

Why has socialism, which failed to attract many voters throughout American history, gained popularity in recent years? How did a Democratic Socialist, Zohran Mamdani, manage to win a mayoral election in New York City, the hub of American capitalism? This podcast identifies the sources of Mamdani’s popularity and examines the historical record of socialism in the USA. It also highlights the ideas of Louis Brandeis, an influential justice of the Supreme Court who defended local political experimentation. Brandeis gave those trial-and-error approaches a name: “Laboratories of Democracy.” 

One of the current best-selling books is about excessive risk-taking that preceded the meltdown on Wall Street in 1929 and the Great Depression that followed in the 1930s. The author warns that similar practices are putting economies at risk today. He notes that financiers are encouraging the public to invest in private equity, crypto, and other chancy products. They are hawking dangerous investments that resemble the kind that crashed in 1929.Could a financial catastrophe be on the horizon, one that turns the recent market boom into a bust? Obviously, there are no easy answers. Yet an examination of history illuminates how irrational exuberance and financial deregulation sometimes triggers an economic crisis.

 In the 1850s stories about desperate runaway slaves trying to evade capture in the northern states aroused sympathy for the fugitives and stoked anti-slavery sentiment. A related impact seems to be taking shape in our times. Videos showing the tragic experiences of undocumented immigrants grabbed by ICE agents are provoking negative responses from the American public. Polls register growing criticism of the Trump Administration’s efforts to arrest, detain, and deport thousands of people that have lived and worked in the United States for many years.  The situations involving fugitive slaves and fugitive immigrants are different, yet a comparison is intriguing. Reactions to tragic cases involving fugitive slaves affected national politics in the 1850s. Outrage over the aggressive treatment of immigrants might shake up current politics. 

When a refugee from Afghanistan allegedly shot two National Guardsmen in Washington D.C., discussions about the tragedy invoked memories of America’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan in 2021. Partisans invoked different lessons when describing that crisis. Republicans blamed President Joe Biden. They said he failed to plan an orderly withdrawal. Democrats blamed President Donald Trump. They pointed out that he arranged a pact with the Taliban that established a deadline for removing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. These sharply critical judgments about the American-led evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan are short-sighted and essentially wrong. No military withdrawal from Afghanistan was easily workable after twenty years of vast U.S. involvement in that country. In view of many challenges, the removal of U.S. troops and U.S. citizens along with 124,000 Afghans in August 2021 was a relative success.  

 American Society is now deeply split along ideological and cultural lines. When did this polarization intensify?One among several key turning points occurred in 1987 when President Ronald Reagan nominated Robert Bork for a seat on the Supreme Court. Bork’s controversial statements about American society and the law provoked intense opposition. Senators rejected the nomination.Many of the issues raised in that Senate hearing are familiar to us today. Robert Bork was an influential promoter of culture wars over identities,, values, and ideologies, and he championed the Unitary Executive Theory that justifies enormous presidential power.

Can Netflix’s recent film, The House of Dynamite and other movies like it influence public opinion regarding nuclear warfare? The historical record from the 1950s until recent times shows that sometimes this cinema does have an impact. The films also reflect public concerns at the time they were produced.This discussion begins with an examination of two movies that influenced Ronald Reagan’s thinking about nuclear warfare, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Day After. The podcast then explores the influence of other films produced during the Cold War, including On the Beach, The Mouse That Roared, Fail Safe, and Dr. Strangelove. Finally, explains why films about nuclear onflict have made a comeback in recent years. 

Public opinion polls show President Trump’s approval rating has slipped substantially since his second inauguration. Do those results indicate vulnerability? If the trend line continues, could President Trump begin to lose his grip on the reins of political power? Despite this evidence, discussions in the national media contain little speculation about declining influence. Instead, the national media report on the expansion of Trump’s influence in American life.  Will this state of affairs continue? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. There are some intriguing similarities between Trump’s situation and that of Joseph McCarthy. Senator McCarthy seemed invincible in the early 1950s, but later, in a matter of months, he quickly fell from grace. McCarthy’s record demonstrates that political power can erode quickly when political conditions change and leaders overreach. 

This podcast discusses the significance of four important aspects of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and it considers the relevance of that history to politics in our times.First, the podcast deals with the controversy regarding President Gerald Ford’s decision to pardon Richard Nixon. Secondly, it examines the Nixon administration’s efforts to interfere in the 1972 election campaign and shape its outcome. Thirdly, it discusses the “Enemies List” that Nixon and his aides created, and it shows how the list threatened democracy. In the fourth section, the podcast notes that it took bipartisan pressure to compel Nixon’s resignation. Republicans, not just Democrats, contributed to resolution of the crisis. 

When Kimmel returned to ABC Television after a temporary suspension, he delivered a powerful defense of the American people’s right to criticize political leaders and their policies.This podcast traces the evolution of ideas about free speech from a court case in 1735 to the present. It notes that some of the most important efforts to deal with the rights and limitations of speech and press occurred during wartime.The podcast also explores the relevance of this history to present-day controversies about the Trump Administration’s pressures against Jimmy Kimmel and the mass media.

Medical science had pretty much eradicated measles by the year 2000, but an outbreak occurred recently in Texas and other states largely because many children had not been vaccinated. Public resistance to vaccination has grown in recent years, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, has cut vaccine research drastically.Could resistance to medical science run amok, endangering public health? This podcast cites the example of George Washington’s decision to immunize his troops against smallpox early in the American Revolution. The podcast also identifies how a worldwide vaccination campaign to eliminate smallpox eventually succeeded in the late twentieth century. Both histories are relevant to present-day clashes between the defenders and critics of vaccines.

Why have Republicans and Democrats become sharply divided about dealing with immigration? Is compromise possible? There are no easy solutions for settling disputes, but this podcast suggests ideas. It identifies an important lesson from history that is frequently overlooked. For decades, we’ve all been engaged in illegal activity when dealing with immigration -- American citizens, American business leaders, and undocumented foreigners.

Ordinarily, American presidents don’t vilify previous chief executives, but Donald Trump is different. Trump routinely criticizes former presidents, especially Democrats. No president is so consistently the target of Trump’s contempt as Barak Obama. What is the source of that negativity? Trump’s behavior might spring from anger over humorous remarks Obama made years ago. Barack Obama’s jesting may have influenced Donald Trump’s decision to run for president and his decision-making at the White House. 

From World War II until recent times, a partnership between government and universities contributed significantly to the United States’ emergence as the world’s most innovative, productive, and prosperous country. The story of that success is complex, yet one person played a crucial role in building the foundations of U.S. preeminence in science and technology. An examination of Vannevar Bush’s place in American history demonstrates how much we can lose if the Trump administration’s interference in university affairs continues.

Donald Trump called himself “Tariff Man. He claimed, “Trade wars are good and easy to win.” Trump said tariff is “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Economists strongly disagree.Why does Trump reject expert opinion, and what could happen if his trade wars continue? This podcast notes how high tariffs in 1930 intensified the Great Depression. The podcast considers why Donald Trump holds simplistic views on trade that most economists reject, and it shows how Trump’s new tariffs could damage the U.S. and global economies.