History Behind News Program

Where do our presidents get their powers? Are those powers enumerated in the Constitution? Or are those powers bestowed by Congress? For our Founders, was the presidency essentially an instrument of legislative agenda? Or did they believe that the president possesses some sovereign right distinct and separate from Congress?

In this interview, I discuss the following with my guest:

►Is it possible to compare a modern president, ...

Politically speaking, is America a Christian nation? Is there any country that you would define as a “Christian Nation”?

In this interview, I discuss the following with my guest scholar:

►Did Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison believe that America is a Christian nation?

►Is Canada a Christian nation?

►Is Britain a Christian nation?

►What is America's 'Civil Religion'?

►What does the term 'secular' mean? It...

Taxes and wars go hand in hand. And as much as our current partisan politics suggest otherwise, it wasn't a Democratic U.S. president that ushered in the income tax. It was a Republican president - Honest Abe! And later, it was during another Republican president's term that the income tax became permanent - William Taft. The irony of it is that the poor masses and the progressive middle class pushed for the income tax to g...

"Crisis of Historical Subjectivity" - my guest, Dr. Namhee Lee, used this phrase to describe the Korean people's experience of 'failed history' and their collective effort to overcome that past. This is the story of "disguised employees" - South Korea's intellectuals who left high-paying jobs to instead work on the factory floor with the aim of bringing about democratic change.

🚩About My 167...

I start this interview with a super simple question: where is the Arctic?

As it turns out, the answer may not be so simple. In fact, it's a serious question that invokes geopolitical conflicts that seem to be undermining the "exceptionalism" of the Arctic.

►In this interview, I discuss the following with Dr. Troy Bouffard:

• Countries in the Arctic - the Arctic 8, 5 & 3.
• China - a "Near Arctic Country".
• Russia and China joint...

Pres. Trump is not the first U.S. president to have strained relations with America's courts, including our Highest Court - the Supreme Court of the United States. In fact, more than one U.S. president has openly expressed his personal animosity toward one or more Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

In this interview, I discuss the following with Dr. Barbara Perry:

►Our Founding Years:

-U.S. Constitution, Washington & Adams

-Je...

Chairman Powell gave a much anticipated press conference this week.

Did you know that most developed countries had central banks before we did? If so, then how did our financial system function? And did you know, that for much of our history, we've hated big banks (some still do)? If that's the case, then how was the Fed created?

This is a story that takes us from the Founding of our Republic to 1913, the year in which the Fed was ...

Immigration Exceptionalism!

►Is there something about immigration law and policies that distinguishes it from all other legal issues and policy matters?

►Does the Constitution carve out an exception for immigration law? And if so, what is that exception?

►As for the title of this podcast, what power has Pres. Trump used that no other U.S. president has previously exercised?

🚩About My Guest:

• My guest is Prof. Adam B. Cox, a prof...

Pres. Trump admires Pres. Polk and Pres. McKinley - two presidents who expanded America's territories in an age when territorial expansion was a measure of national success.

In this interview, my guest compares Pres. Trump with Pres. Polk and Pres. McKinley. He also explains Manifest Destiny, and indulges my questions about what I term 'America's Manifest Destiny 2.0'.

Mr. Merry also talks about America's Men of Destiny. So I ask h...

Do you think Russia would have dared to attack Ukraine when Ukraine had the third largest nuclear arsenal? And why is there a picture of President Zelensky hanging on the side of an overpass in Tehran, Iran? And no, this episode is neither about Ukraine nor about Iran. This is my take about America and American assurances.

🚩Related interviews

🎧Finlandization of Ukraine and Finland's wars withRussia/USSR: https://bit.ly/HbN-S2E22-F...

Elon Musk is different than prior American business tycoons. Arguably, he is more powerful. More poignantly, as my guest argues, he is less dedicated to democracy, and that makes him frighteningly more dangerous.

In this interview, I discuss the following with my guest scholar:

►Who was Andrew Carnegie?

►How was he similar to Musk?

►How was Carnegie - once the richest man in the world - different than Musk?

►What was Carnegie's pol...

Did you know that Helmut Kohl, the German Chancellor (1982-99), implemented a planto deport Turkish immigrant back to Türkiye?

This is the History of Immigration & Far-right Politics in Germany.

Mr. Elon Musk & Vice Pres. JD Vance have endorsed the AfD - Germany's anti-immigrant, Islamophobic, far-right party. And although the AfD commands 20% of the German vote, other parties refuse to form a coalition government with it.

I...

Japan's PM Ishiba wanted to visit Pres. Trump soon after Nov. 5. But President-elect Trump didn't grant him an audience until last week. Back in 2016, Japan PM Abe visited President-elect Trump at the Trump Tower.

But why have Japanese leaders rushed to meet with Mr. Trump?

Because America is important to Japan's economy and security. And vice versa. .

In this interview, we discuss the following:

►The "most important bilateral rela...

The German Empire was one of the most powerful nations. However, at the height of its power, it abruptly changed its foreign policy from accommodative and collaborative to aggressive and combative.

In this video, I compare our country's new style of foreign policy to the German Empires.

About the Image:

Pres. Trump & Pres. Zelensky in the Oval Office, Feb. 28, 2025. 

Image By White House Rapid Response - https://x.com/RapidResp...

How could the Los Angeles fires happen? We knew about Santa Ana winds. We knew about the extremely dry conditions. There were no surprises. So, how could this happen? Is California any good at wildfire management?

In this interview, we talk about the following:

►Native Americans' fire management

►Good wildfires

►Smokey Bear

►American homes built close to wilderness

►Coordination between state, federal and local fire management

►California...

Historically, America thrived on tariffs. In fact, we had tariffs from the very beginning - from Colonial times to the Confederation period to our Constitution, and then throughout the antebellum period, through America's industrial rise and from there up to WWII.

In this episode, I'll share a brief review of this history along with my take on how Pres. Trump's tariffs may be different than previous tariffs in U.S. history.

☑️Images...

America In Colombia is a story of secession, "School of Assassins", drugs, immigration, alliance and interference - not necessarily in that order!

In this interview, we talk about the following:

►1840s: America's interest in Colombia and Panama

►How Colombia neglected Panama

►Panama's secession from Colombia with American help

►How Colombians learn about Panama's separation

►Colombian democracy, prudent administration and U.S. allian...

Presidential words = action, because presidents have power.

In this interview, we talk about the following:

►Why Trump's 2nd inaugural address was more like aState of the Union Address.

►How does Trump's 2nd inaugural address compare toother presidents?

►How did the indoors' inauguration setting affectthe cadence of Trump's speech? Its echo?

►What was the overarching tension in Trump'sinaugural address?

►How does Trump's speaking s...

April 30, March 4, March 5,  January 20, & January 21. These are America's presidential inauguration days.

In this brief episode, I share with you stories about our presidential inaugurations, including the one about the person who, arguably, was America's president for one day.

And here is my post about this podcast, which includes photos of some of the people I talk about in this episode.

🚩In this episode, I also mention sev...