For decades, abortion has been one of the most divisive issues in American politics. But was it always that way?

Bob calls up Georgetown Law Professor Dr. Michele Goodwin to learn about the surprising history of abortion in America.

From colonial midwives and herbal remedies to the rise of the Christian Right, Roe v. Wade, and the modern political battle over reproductive rights, this episode explores how abortion went from widely accepted to hugely controversial. 

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The average age of a U.S. Representative is in the 50s. In the Senate, it's in the 60s. Many Congressional members are also white and wealthy. And this is not representative of the country as a whole. So, what's keeping Congress from being more reflective of nation's population, and therefore, actually getting things done? So. Many. Things. 

Bob calls up political scientist Maya Kornberg, author of Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress, to unpack why Congress feels frozen in place ... and how we can fix it. 

From campaign money and social media to political violence and the rise of “performative politics,” Maya explains why younger leaders struggle to break through. 

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Maybe we can add another guarantee, besides "death" and "taxes" ... "trade wars." 

In the early days of America, Native Nations were fighting over trade and power. And they saw the arrival of the Europeans as a tool to defeat their rivals. It's a period that led to shifting allegiances in a fight for dominance. 

And the clearest example of this early diplomacy is The Pequot War of the 1630s.  

To learn how this war depicts Native American alliances and shifting allegiances, Bob calls up Kathleen DuVal, author of Native Nations: A Millennium in North America. 

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What was it really like to come to America through Ellis Island? For millions of immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this little spit of land in New York Harbor was the gateway to a better future … IF they could pass a physical exam.

To get the real-life experience of coming through Ellis Island, Bob calls up historian Vincent Cannato (author of American Passage: The History of Ellis Island – A Sweeping Epic of Immigration at the Nation's Landmark Port of Entry).

From quick and dirty medical exams to some weird name changes, Cannato separates fact from fiction, and explains why Ellis Island is synonymous with American immigration.

We’ll also explore how Ellis Island marked a turning point in American immigration policy — with power shifting from the states to the federal government. And why is Ellis Island viewed with such nostalgia while Angel Island in San Francisco Bay is not?

We’ve got all that and more in this episode!

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You can't spell "hero" without JFK. Ok, so you can. But that doesn't take away from the fact that a young John F. Kennedy saved a man's life in WWII — a war he wasn't even supposed to be in!

Bob calls up Alexis Coe, New York Times bestselling presidential historian and author of Young Jack: A Biography of John F. Kennedy, 1917–1957, to uncover the thrilling true story of JFK towing an injured crew mate through shark infested waters (by his teeth!) to safety. 

Alexis also helps us understand why JFK fought so hard to serve in WWII, despite serious health problems and a free pass out of the conflict. It's this bravery and selflessness that made JFK a dreamboat to the ladies and ultimately our 35th president. 

GUEST: Alexis Coe, author of Young Jack: A Biography of John F. Kennedy, 1917–1957 (to be released in 2026)

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Are our two main political parties so toxic that a third party may soon takeover American politics? Don't count on it.

We'll dive into why right now is the opportune time for a third party to rise to power ... and why that party is destined to fail. 

But who knows?! Anything is possible.  

GUEST: Michael Cullinane, professor of U.S. History and the Lowman Walton Chair of Theodore Roosevelt Studies at Dickinson State University in North Dakota. He’s also author of the soon-to-be released book: Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet.

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Good artists borrow, great artists steal. Apparently, Thomas Jefferson got the memo. It turns out some North Carolinians penned their own Declaration of Independence nearly a year before TJ scribed his. 

So, if Thomas Jefferson stole (borrowed/homaged) the language for the Declaration of Independence, why have we never talked about this? Well, there was one heck of cover up! 

To get the full story, we call up David Fleming, author of Who's Your Founding Father?: One Man’s Epic Quest to Uncover the First, True Declaration of Independence. 

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Clara Barton spent the Civil War kicking butts and taking names … except she was actually SAVING butts. In fact, her efforts to treat injuries on the battlefield and identify missing soldiers changed war forever. But what led Clara Barton to become the “Angel of the Battlefield”? 

Bob calls up historian Susan Rosenvold to get some answers. From the chaos of Antietam to the creation of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton redefined nursing, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief in the United States. Oh yeah, and she did it all with no formal training. 

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Clara Barton spent the Civil War kicking butts and taking names … except she was actually SAVING butts. In fact, her efforts to treat injuries on the battlefield and identify missing soldiers changed war forever. But what led Clara Barton to become the “Angel of the Battlefield”? 

Bob calls up historian Susan Rosenvold to get some answers. From the chaos of Antietam to the creation of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton redefined nursing, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief in the United States. Oh yeah, and she did it all with no formal training. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have seen it on Broadway ... or maybe your high school gym. The Tony Award-winning musical Newsies is a favorite for school productions because the story centers around newspaper-hawking kids who stand up to titan-of-industry Joseph Pulitzer. 

Of course, we've learned that we shouldn't take our history lessons from Disney. So we've called up Vincent DiGirolamo (Crying the News: A History of America's Newsboys) to give us the REAL story of the famous 1899 newsboys strike that inspired the Disney film. 

You can find DiGirolamo's newest essay in the collection Newsies, Newsies — Read All About It!: Essays on the Film and Broadway Productions. 

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