Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

(9/17/20) Since its inception in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has been a powerful player on the world stage, operating largely in the shadows to protect American interests. Based on extensive, exclusive interviews with nearly every living CIA director, MSNBC contributor and bestselling author Chris Whipple’s new book “The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future” pulls back the curtain on the world’s most elite spy agency. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at seven decades of CIA activity in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/16/20) On March 10, 2015, the tiny country of Andorra, located between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains, found itself at the center of one of the most convoluted and outrageous bank robberies in modern history. That was the day that Spanish, American and Andorran government officials shut down Banca Privada d'Andorra in an efforts to destroy the Catalonian Independence Movement. The action caused dozens of innocent bank customers to lose their life savings or face prison time for money laundering crimes they never committed. Join us for a look at what really happened in Andorra in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/15/20) Globalization has profoundly shaped the world we live in, yet its rise was neither inevitable nor planned. It is also one of the most contentious issues of our time. While it may have made goods less expensive, it has also sent massive flows of money across borders and shaken the global balance of power. Economist Marc Levinson’s latest book “Outside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas” offers a fresh take on the history of globalization. Join us for a look at the evolution of international trade over the past two centuries in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/14/20) Free speech has long been one of American's most revered freedoms. Yet now, more than ever, free speech is reshaping America’s social and political landscape even as it is coming under attack. In his latest book, “The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America,” bestselling author and former Newsweek columnist Ellis Cose examines how the Constitutional right has been coopted by the wealthy and politically corrupt. Join us for an examination of the state of the First Amendment in America today in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

To those on the left, Donald Trump’s rallies are a Black Mass of American politics with the President summoning the nation’s darkest forces. To his supporters the rallies are a form of pilgrimage; joyous ceremonies that make them feel a part of something bigger than themselves. Based on hundreds of hours of reporting, Carl Hoffman’s new book “Liar's Circus: A Strange and Terrifying Journey Into the Upside-Down World of Trump's MAGA Rallies” aims to understand these strange and powerful happenings and the movement driving them. Join us for a trip through the heart of Trump country in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/10/20) The new book “The Perfect Fascist: A Story of Love, Power, and Morality in Mussolini’s Italy” from Moore Collegiate Professor of History at Columbia University Victoria De Grazia pivots from the intimate story of a tempestuous marriage―brilliantly reconstructed through family letters and court records―to a riveting account of Mussolini’s rise and fall. Join us for a look at the seductive appeal of fascism during the time of Italy’s most infamous leader in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/9/20) In his latest book “The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains” neuroscientist and Henry And Lucy Moses Professor of Science at NYU Joseph LeDoux digs into the natural history of life on earth to provide a new perspective on the similarities between us and our ancestors in deep time. Join us for a look at how nervous systems evolved in animals, how the brain developed and what exactly it means to be human in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/4/20)According to the website Healthline.com, “you can’t go wrong with mushrooms. They’re fat-free, low-sodium, low-calorie, and cholesterol-free. They’re also packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.” However, if you eat the wrong species of fungi, it’s possible that things could go terribly wrong with mushrooms. In this culinary installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, co-owner of Hudson Valley Mushrooms Demetri Papas and ecologist and writer Steve Gabriel, both active mushroom farmers, pull back the veil on this most mysterious of vegetables.

Over the past six decades, Henry Kissinger has been one of America’s most consistently praised―and reviled―public figures. Diplomatic historian and Distinguished Professor of History Political Science and European Studies at Vanderbilt University Thomas Schwartz’s new book “Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography” considers whether he was a master strategist or a cold-blooded monster who eroded America’s moral standing for the sake of self-promotion. Join us for a look at a man whose legacy is as complex as the last 60 years of US history itself in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/2/20) In an era when racist ideology and violence are again running rampant in the public square, National Book Award–winner Edward Ball’s “Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy” offers a personal origin story of white supremacy. This memoir of Edward’s own family tree traces their militant roots in the Old South to their hate-driven actions today. Join us for a hard look at the Ku Klux Klan from the inside out in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.