Milt Rosenberg

Recently we did a program on the genius of Shakespeare, which got us thinking: why dont we do a program on the kings of England? Theres no shortage of historical information and anecdotes about them, and they are utterly fascinating.

So we gathered some of the best scholars in the area to discuss just that. Theres murder, intrigue, romance, betrayal and humor running through the thousand years reigns of the English monarchs (of course, there are queens to discuss, also), and to shed light on this fascinating peculiarity of British life, we were joined by Bruce Janacek of North Central College, John Leazer of Carthage Collage, and Scott Sowerby of Northwestern. All historians, they joined Milt in this great journey into history with plenty of tales from the throne.

The second GOP debate is in the books. Carly Fiorina is, by most accounts, the big winner, with Donald Trump still standing tall.

We turned to several members of the Political A-Team, namely Richard Baehr of American Thinker, Dr. Charles Lipson of the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago, and Joseph Morris, former Assistant Attorney General under President Reagan.

As expected, this is top-shelf analysis, and a good stop for sober, informed analysis.

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Gilbert Gaul is a two time Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist who has now turned his eye toward the business of college football. Now that the new season is underway, we thought it time to bring him on to discuss his fantastic new work, Billion Dollar Ball: A Journey Through the Big-Money Culture of College Football. It is a truly eye-opening account--some say indictment--of the strange intersection of academics, athletics, money, and amateur sports.

Rick Telander is a legend in his own right. A former college football player at Northwestern University, he is also an acclaimed sportswriter and senior sports columnist at the Chicago Sun Times. He, too, wrote a fine book about the business of college football in The Hundred Yard Lie.

These are three great minds that have come together to tackle an issue of terrific cultural importance. As the political season rolls into the fourth quarter, education is surely a great topic of debate. Perhaps the blurring of education and money, employment and amateurism is as much a mirror of where we are as a society as is the carnival that our political process has become.

John Drummond has been on this program and its various iterations a number of times. He always has a story from his days as the venerable crime reporter at CBS2 here in Chicago. Perhaps no man knows the ins and outs of organized crime as much as he does.

On this program, we were pleased to be joined by two former commanders of the Chicago PD, namely former superintendent of police Matt Rodgriguez, the citys first Hispanic top cop and head of the gambling unit, and David Boggs, former narcotics commander as well as commander of the 24th District (Rogers Park). On the docket were their memories of decades of service to this great city, as well as a look at the evolution of the criminal underworld, daily policing, community outreach and the recent erosion of relations between the boys in blue and many in our communities. Theres no shortage of ideas on how policing has changed, the challenges faced by law enforcement and the future of crime fighting and community building.

Every child has heroes. The firefighter, the police officer, the soldier. History is rife with tales of the heroic warrior or the quiet and stoic figure who stood tall in the face of oppression. What is a hero? Can anyone be a hero? Must a hero engage in battle against tremendous odds and to emerge victorious?

Tod Lindberg is a political expert, writer, thinker and professor and has written on the topic of heroes in his latest book. He answers many of these questions, visiting great heroes of history to show how the ancient and modern model of a hero has changed, and what qualities of those heroes persist throughout history.

A good politician knows how to deliver a speech that pulls at the heartstrings. An effective politician knows how to work in a joke or some clever wordplay to put the people at ease. And then theres the political gaffe, which can sink a campaign or make a mockery of ones rule.

Rich Rubino is a fine political reporter, pundit and author who has given us a great collection of odd and obscure political facts in a previous work. He has just published a collection of humorous political quotations that is great fun. He joined Milt to share some of his favorite.

One of the great humanitarian crises of this still young century is the mass of refugees seeking asylum in Europe. They have blazed trails from various war-torn nations and are knocking on the doors of Germany, France, Hungary and others in the hopes of finding new lives in the new world.

To help us understand how we got here and where we should go next is a fine panel of analysts, historians, and scholars. Marina Henke, a German by birth and international relations professor at Northwestern, Erik Tillman, also a political scientist from DePaul, joined Milt in studio. Via phone, our old friend Richard Friedman and fellow DePaul professor, history, Tom Mockiatis.

Many are opposed to his mass migration. Many more support it, and even say it will be of great benefit to Europe. Wherever you stand on the issue, what is clear is that a great relocation will take place, and that war in the Middle East will continue into the near future.

Dick Ciccone is one of the members of Milts Political A-Team. Hes also a decorated war veteran, a college professor, a fantastic author, journalist and newsman, and a helluva golfer. He spent decades in the business, including as managing editor of the Chicago Tribune. Hes one of the most fascinating people to ever have appeared on the program, with a sublime understanding of Chicago, words, and the political landscape of America.

We realized that we hadnt yet delved into the mind of Dick Ciccone, and it was high time that we did it. What emerged was a truly remarkable look into the evolution of the newspaper business, journalism, and American politics.

Were most grateful to have had Dick Ciccone as a resource for this program in its various iterations. He is a friend, and a great American.

Though church attendance in this nation has declined over the last several decades, by and large Christianity is still the predominant religion in this nation. But Christianity has not just influenced American values and culture. It has, as our guest James Papandrea writes, changed the world for the better. Along his co-author Mike Aquilana, he says that it will do it again.

Theyve recently published Seven Revolutions. Jim joins Milt in this entry to discuss church history, doctrine, and the future of Christianity in an increasingly secular world.

Joseph Califano is a politician, educator and public servant with decades of experience. He was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, he was with the Defense Department, and he was--and still is--one of the champions of the anti-drug crusade.

But he may be known most for his time working alongside President Lyndon B. Johnson as his top domestic aide. He wrote a magnificent account of his time with LBJ in his acclaimed book, The Triumph andamp; Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: The White House Years. This insiders account goes a long way to dispelling many of the myths about Johnson, and casts light upon this giant of the American presidency. Johnson was a remarkable man in many ways. Much of the landscape of the federal government came from his presidency. This account with Milt was remarkable for its historical value and the portrait of the man Johnson at work.