Michael Smerconish invites environmentalist and author Bill McKibben to the program to discuss McKibben's new book "Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization." Michael asks McKibben about climate change, solar power, natural disasters, and other environmental topics. Original air date 25 September 2025. The book was published on 19 August 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Together, Michael and Jeffrey unpack the myths of scarcity, the pitfalls of the Common App, and the immense pressure students face in today’s admissions arms race.

If you have a student in your life considering college—or if you’ve ever wondered whether chasing elite names is truly worth it—this episode offers a fresh, practical perspective on finding the right fit.

Also listen to Episode #454, on Jeffrey Selingo's book ""Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions." (2021).

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael speaks with David Shimer, author of "Rigged: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference." Shimer traces a century of CIA and KGB election meddling, drawing parallels to Russia’s role in 2016 and beyond. Together, they explore the history, methods, and moral questions behind covert electoral operations—and what it means for the future of democracy. Original air date 30 June 2020. The book was published on 30 June 2020. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Michael welcomes back CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig to discuss his brand-new book "When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ’s Pursuit of the President from Nixon to Trump." Blending history, analysis, and candid insights from more than 30 on-the-record sources, Honig explores how the Department of Justice has navigated the politically charged task of investigating sitting presidents—and why no prosecutor ever leaves the job unscathed. Along the way, Michael challenges listeners with a spirited round of political trivia, giving callers the chance to test their knowledge of DOJ special counsels and presidential investigations—with signed copies of Honig’s book on the line. Original air date 16 September 2025. The book was published on 16 September 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Listen to Episode #340 from 2007

Richard Louv is co-founder of the Children & Nature Network.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the Spring of 2005, Michael's conversation with Kevin Flynn, co-author of "102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers." This is the dramatic and moving account of the struggle for life inside the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, when every minute counted

At 8:46 am on September 11, 2001, 14,000 people were inside the twin towers-reading e-mails, making trades, eating croissants at Windows on the World. Over the next 102 minutes, each would become part of a drama for the ages, one witnessed only by the people who lived it-until now.

Of the millions of words written about this wrenching day, most were told from the outside looking in. New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn have taken the opposite-and far more revealing-approach. Reported from the perspectives of those inside the towers, 102 Minutes captures the little-known stories of ordinary people who took extraordinary steps to save themselves and others. Beyond this stirring panorama stands investigative reporting of the first rank. Original air date March 2005. The book was published in January 2005. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

When the pandemic hit, Stephen Grant — a married father of two recently diagnosed with cancer — lost his corporate job and urgently needed health insurance. So he became a rural mail carrier in Appalachia. In this episode, Michael Smerconish talks with Stephen about his book "Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home." They explore the surprising intimacy between mail carriers and their communities, the physical demands of postal work, and what delivering America’s packages revealed about the state of the country. Funny, honest, and deeply human — this conversation delivers! Original air date 4 September 2025. The book was published on 8 July 2025. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Listen here to Episode #27: Michael's 2017 conversation with Dr. Jean Twenge about "iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us" 

Listen here to Episode #240: Michael's 2023 conversation with Dr. Jean Twenge about ""Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future."

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the archives, Michael’s conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barton Gellman, on his book “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State.” In 2013, Edward Snowden’s massive leak of classified files sparked a global reckoning over government surveillance. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman was one of the reporters Snowden trusted with those secrets. In Dark Mirror, Gellman goes beyond the headlines to reveal the inside story—tracking the reach of the surveillance state, dissecting Snowden’s legacy, and exposing the personal risks he faced while reporting. Michael speaks with Gellman about the gripping true-life tale behind the book, national security journalism, and what it all means for our privacy today. Original air date 05-21-20. The book was published on 19 May 2020 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Michael's conversation with longtime sportswriter and bestselling author Michael Bamberger, author of "The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale." In his relatively young career, M. Night Shyamalan achieved phenomenal commercial and critical success. His films 'The Sixth Sense,' 'Unbreakable,' 'Signs,' and 'The Village' grossed over $1.5 billion (at the time of this 2006 interview) and reinvented the thriller genre. Because Shyamalan has worked outside of the Hollywood system, however, his filmmaking habits and personality have remained largely unknown. But reporter Michael Bamberger obtained unprecedented access to Shyamalan during the tumultuous production of his film Lady in the Water, and in The Man Who Heard Voices exposes the struggles and triumphs of this modern-day Hitchcock at work. Listen to Bamberger talk the book here. Original air date 3 August 2006. The book was published in July 2006. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.