The Roundtable

Tim Weiner's new book “The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century” is already being called “the masterpiece of reporting” based on the record interviews with six former CIA directors and scores of spies, station chiefs, and top operations officers.

Agatha Christie’s "The Mousetrap" is a timeless classic that has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for over 70 years and is the ultimate whodunit. When a group of strangers becomes snowbound in a remote countryside guesthouse, a chilling murder sets off a race against time to unmask the culprit.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences at RPI Jim Hendler, Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio, and RPI graduate student Sophia Acquisto.

On June 6, Tony and Grammy award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry’s debut studio album, “Who I Really Am,” was released via Borderlight Entertainment.The album coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Broadway phenom Hamilton, which saw Goldsberry win a Tony and Grammy award for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler. The album, “Who I Really Am,” blends genres in a deeply personal and sonically rich collection of songs.

The Fremonts blend americana music and storytelling with a cabaret aesthetic.They decided instead to re-record their two original albums.As a partner piece to their updated albums, The Fremonts released a music video of their song “Ketamine Happy Hour,” a comic reflection on their experiences with alternative therapies for depression.Both albums and the music video were released on all streaming platforms last Friday. The Fremonts are performing at The Apple Tree Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts on Friday, August 1 and at Tilda’s Kitchen and Market in Kingston, New York on Friday, August 8, with other dates in Stockbridge, Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and Becket throughout August. More information on their website – thefremontsmusic.com

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College Beau Breslin, public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, and Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness Homeland Security and Cyber Security at UAlbany Bob Griffin.

This week's Book Picks comes from James Conrad from The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, New York and Matt Tannenbaum from The Bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts.

This Saturday, August 2, bansuri flute virtuoso Eric Fraser will present “From the Hooghly to the Hudson” at Hudson Hall.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond, Albany Law School Professor and Director of the Justice Center Sarah Rogerson, and Former Times-Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

There may be no poet more integral to the American identity are more widely known among Americans than Robert Frost. Yet, his life and the extent of his influence are unfamiliar or misunderstood by many. In the new book “Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost’s Poetry” Adam Plunkett challenges previous biographers’ interpretations of Frost’s life and work breaking away from what he sees as “clichés” to construct an original portrait of the poet.