Twenty-five years after 9/11, America is once again at war in the Middle East. So what—if anything—have we learned?

This week on American History Hotline, Bob Crawford talks with Peter Bergen, one of the country's leading experts on Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and America's post-9/11 wars. Bergen is the New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt and the new book All the President's Wars: Twenty-Five Years of America's War on Terror.

Bergen takes us inside the warning signs before September 11, recalls interviewing Osama bin Laden years before the attacks, and explains why he knew almost immediately who was responsible when the second plane struck the World Trade Center.

Then we follow the consequences: bin Laden's escape from Tora Bora, the decision to invade Iraq, the rise of ISIS, and the expanding power of American presidents to wage war. Finally, Bergen asks what those lessons can tell us about the latest U.S. war with Iran.

After 25 years of the War on Terror, has America gotten better at deciding when—and how—to go to war?

Have a question about American history? Visit AmericanHistoryHotline.com to send us a voice memo or video, and your question could be featured on a future episode.

President Donald Trump recently released his own ranking of America's presidents—placing himself at the top while labeling figures such as Barack Obama and Ulysses S. Grant failures. But how does his list hold up to history?

Presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky joins Bob Crawford to examine Trump's rankings, identify their biggest surprises and omissions, and reveal her own five greatest presidents. She explains why George Washington and Abraham Lincoln belong at the top, why Grant deserves a historical reassessment and why John F. Kennedy may be overrated.

Bob and Lindsay also explore the complicated legacies of Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon. Plus, Lindsay explains why historians may need at least 30 years—and access to a president's classified records—before they can fairly assess a presidency.

Did Trump get any of his rankings right? And who would make your list of America's best and worst presidents?

Lindsay Chervinsky is a presidential historian, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library and author of "Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic." She also appears in the Netflix documentary series "The American Experiment."

Have a question about American history? Send a voice memo, video or email to [email protected] or visit AmericanHistoryHotline.com Your question could inspire a future episode.

Why does the United States use the Electoral College instead of a national popular vote? Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! Or, actually, DO tell me.

To get answers, Bob calls up Peter Sagal, longtime host of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and host of the PBS series Constitution USA, to unpack what some have called "America's Worst Idea."

Where did the Electoral College come from? Why did the Founding Fathers create it? How did slavery, the Three-Fifths Clause, and the political compromises of the Constitutional Convention shape the system we still use today? And why can't we get rid of it?

Peter traces the surprising history of the Electoral College from 1787 to the present day, explaining how presidential elections work, why swing states receive so much attention, and why the Electoral College remains one of the most controversial institutions in American politics.

Guest: Peter Sagal

The history of the Army Rangers isn't one continuous story, it's a cycle of creation, disbandment, and revival that stretches back before the United States even existed.

In this episode of Bob calls up Brian Halstead, President of the U.S. Army Ranger Association, about the remarkable history of the Rangers. Together they trace their evolution from frontier scouts during the French and Indian War to George Washington's reconnaissance units, the Civil War, World War II's legendary D-Day assault at Pointe du Hoc, and the creation of today's 75th Ranger Regiment.

Along the way, you'll discover:

• Why the Rangers were repeatedly shut down after America's wars • The surprising connection between Robert Rogers, frontier warfare, and modern special operations • Whether Abraham Lincoln really served as an Army Ranger • How Native American fighting tactics influenced Ranger doctrine • Why the Rangers became one of America's premier special operations forces • The origin of the famous motto: "Rangers Lead the Way."

Have an American history question you'd like answered? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline.com and it could become a future episode.

How did the Cold War really end?

Most Americans know about the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union—but few know about the extraordinary meeting that helped make it all possible.

On this episode of American History Hotline, host Bob Crawford speaks with filmmaker Michael Russell Gunn, writer and director of The Brink of War, about the dramatic 1986 Reykjavik Summit between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Together, they explore how two longtime rivals came closer than ever to eliminating nuclear weapons, why one word nearly derailed the negotiations, and how this little-known diplomatic breakthrough helped bring the Cold War to an end. Along the way, Michael shares behind-the-scenes stories from making the film, including filming in the actual room where history was made and using newly declassified transcripts to recreate the conversations.

You'll learn:

• Why the Reykjavik Summit became a turning point in the Cold War
• How Reagan and Gorbachev built trust despite decades of hostility
• The true story behind Reagan's famous phrase, "Trust, but verify"
• How close the world came to eliminating nuclear weapons
• Why these events still matter in today's world

Whether you're fascinated by Cold War history, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, diplomacy, nuclear weapons, or untold stories from American history, this episode brings one of history's most important—and least understood—moments to life.

Guest: Michael Russell Gunn, writer and director of The Brink of War

American History Hotline is the podcast where your questions about American history are answered by leading historians, authors, filmmakers, and experts—all with a fun, entertaining, and educational approach.

Guns, germs and steel. Emphasis on GERMS. When Europeans arrived in the Americas, they brought all sorts of diseases!

A listener asks: Why did diseases like smallpox devastate Native American populations but not European colonists? Was it simply a lack of immunity, or is the story more complicated?

To get answers, Bob calls up bestselling author and journalist Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 and 1493, to explore one of the most consequential—and misunderstood—chapters in American history.

Together they discuss:

• What North America looked like before Columbus • Why Native societies were far larger and more sophisticated than many people realize • How diseases such as smallpox, malaria, and yellow fever spread across the Americas • The role of immunity, genetics, and prior exposure • The Great Dying in New England before the Pilgrims arrived • How epidemics shaped the fall of the Aztec and Inca empires • The connection between disease and the transatlantic slave trade • Why historians estimate that Indigenous populations declined dramatically after European contact

This fascinating conversation reveals how microbes became one of the most powerful forces in American history—and why understanding disease helps us better understand colonization, survival, and the world we live in today.

Guest: Charles C. Mann, author of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus and 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created

Who knows? Not me. Why wasn't Kyoto destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II? Rumor has it, the Secretary of War at the time, Henry Stimson, had fallen in love with the city during his honeymoon years earlier. But is this a STORY or REALITY?

To get some answers, Bob calls up historian Alex Wellerstein.

Was Kyoto spared because of military strategy? Political calculations? Or the personal intervention of Stimson? And if Kyoto was spared, which city took its place?

It's a fascinating story about war, power, culture, and one of the most consequential decisions in American history.

Guest: Alex Wellerstein, historian of science at Stevens Institute of Technology and author of The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for the Atomic Age.

In Part 2 of our Amelia Earhart series, Bob examines one of the most controversial and fascinating theories surrounding aviation's greatest mystery.

Last week, former Smithsonian curator Dorothy Cochrane argued that Amelia Earhart likely crashed into the Pacific Ocean after failing to locate tiny Howland Island. This week, Earhart expert Ric Gillespie, shares his theory.

Drawing on decades of research, radio logs, navigation records, and expeditions to the remote Pacific island of Nikumaroro, he argues that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan may have successfully landed after becoming lost—and that Earhart may have survived for weeks as a castaway.

In this episode:

• The communication failures that doomed the flight • Why Earhart may never have found Howland Island • The mysterious radio signals reported after her disappearance • Evidence linking Earhart to Nikumaroro Island • Why researchers still debate what happened in July 1937

Nearly ninety years later, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart remains one of history's most enduring mysteries. Could the answer have been hiding in plain sight all along?

Listen now and decide for yourself.

Are we close to finding out what happened to Amelia Earhart? Some experts say "yes!"

Nearly 90 years after her disappearance, researchers believe they are are getting closer to solving one of the world's greatest mysteries. But, what do they think happened?

In Part 1 of this special two-part episode, Bob calls up aviation historian Dorothy Cochrane to explore the remarkable life and career of Amelia Earhart before her disappearance in 1937.

How did Earhart become the most famous female aviator in the world? What made her transatlantic flights so groundbreaking? And how did her ambitious attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world set the stage for one of history's biggest mysteries?

Dorothy takes us through Earhart's rise to fame, her record-breaking flights, her partnership with navigator Fred Noonan, and the challenges of planning a round-the-world journey in the early days of aviation.

We'll also hear what Dorothy thinks happened to Earhart ... and why we haven't found the truth yet.

In this episode:

• How Amelia Earhart first fell in love with flying • The flight that made her an international celebrity • Why she insisted on proving herself as a pilot • The ambitious around-the-world flight of 1937 • The communication problems that may have sealed her fate

Next week in Part 2, Ric Gillespie of TIGHAR explains his theory surrounding Earhart's disappearance and explains why he thinks she was marooned on a deserted island.

If you've ever wondered what really happened to Amelia Earhart, this is where the story begins!

How much should Americans know about the health of their president?

From secret illnesses and hidden disabilities to modern debates over transparency, the health of the commander in chief has long been a subject of controversy. But where should we draw the line between medical privacy and the public's right to know?

In this episode, Bob calls up presidential historian Barbara A. Perry to explore how presidents and their administrations have handled serious health issues throughout American history.

You'll hear the remarkable story of Woodrow Wilson's debilitating stroke. The hidden realities of Franklin D. Roosevelt's declining health during World War II. John F. Kennedy's secret medical conditions. Questions surrounding Ronald Reagan's later years. And the ongoing public debates about the health of Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

When a president's health affects the nation, how much information should be public? And what can history teach us about the consequences of secrecy?

Guest: Barbara A. Perry, author of the book Reconcilable Differences: The Unlikely Political Alliance of John F. Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt

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