One of America's storied military leaders General Stanley McChrystal offers insights on the power of character and integrity in leaders - whether in the military or civilian life.

Brown University public policy, political science and urban studies professor Marion Orr takes a fresh look at the life and legacy of Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr., one of the most consequential Black federal legislators in American history.

On October 19, 1979, a massive tropical cyclone struck Japan and the Marines stationed at Camp Fuji. Retired Marine and journalist Chas Henry recounts the ensuing firestorm that swept the island, killing 13 Marines.

In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, a long, simmering effort to rename U.S. military installations previously named for Confederate officers gained momentum. Historian and retired Army Brigadier General Ty Seidule recounts the effort to rid the military of old names, as well as the actions by the Trump administration to resuscitate old ghosts.

As the contours of public debate coarsen, it's easy to brand political rivals with epithets from the worst chapters in history. Tom Nichols, a writer for The Atlantic, warns about doing just that.

During the Renaissance, ruling families like the Medicis funded the creation of great works of art that dazzle us to this day. In the modern era, the ability of democracies to fund the arts is often contentious and even controversial. Arts advocate Erin Harkey discusses the value of art in public life.

As 2025 draws to a close, we look back on the major stories that shaped public life in the last year with Evelyn Farkas of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University.

Nearly one in four doctors in the U.S. is foreign-born - many from South Asia--and they often serve in rural and underserved urban communities where American physicians are scarce. Harvard medical historian Eram Alam describes the public health challenges posed when immigrants are frequently met with suspicion in the communities they serve.

It's easy to be skeptical of idealistic notions of American power with the history of the last 25 years is of misguided conflicts in the Middle East and a democratic backsliding at home. But through it all, Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid takes readers through a compelling case for American power.

It's easy to be skeptical of idealistic notions of American power with the history of the last 25 years is of misguided conflicts in the Middle East and a democratic backsliding at home. But through it all, Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid takes readers through a compelling case for American power.

As a candidate in 2016 and 2024, Donald Trump promised to crack down on undocumented immigrants - and after one year in office, the president has moved fast. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Caitlin Dickerson says that the policies and their implementation come with a very high price--for the immigrants and even for U.S. officials.

From World War II through the Cold War, and into this century, the Voice of America and its journalists demonstrated the strength and power of a free society and the weakness of America's enemies. Now, Patsy Widakuswara - a seasoned veteran of VOA - finds herself at the heart of a legal battle over the future existence of the Voice of America.

Go to the movies or visit the bookstore and you'll see that war stories are everywhere--whether the protagonists are gods, super-heroes, or human beings. But author and West Point professor Elizabeth D. Samet warns that the appeal of the good war story obscures the complexity of conflict and shapes the way we view current international tensions.

Journalists play a vital role in the health of a free society. But The New York Times' David E. McCraw isn't a journalist, he's a lawyer, reporting from the frontlines of the battle for freedom of the press.

Senator Wendell Ford of Kentucky once said, "we can disagree without being disagreeable." Harvard Kennedy School professor and author Julia Minson has made a career out of how to disagree better - and she has the science to back her claims.

Writing and creative expression are a frequent topic on this show, but scholar Naomi S. Baron challenges all of us to consider the joy, the practice, and even the challenge of reading, especially in a world where artificial intelligence can do the reading for us.

There is a curious debate about the health of American elections. Some allege they are sick. Others say they are thriving. Fair-elections advocate Rebeka Caruthers peels away competing claims to help us understand the real challenges to American voting rights today.

After the Cold War, some hoped that the end of superpower competition would usher in a world of lasting peace and cooperation. Former CIA operations officer Sean M. Wiswesser saw where that hope faded only to be replaced by a new era of espionage and covert affairs.