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Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
On today’s show, host Mitch Jeserich interviews Boston University Professor Andrew Bacevich about his latest book “America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History.” The book reassesses U.S. military policy in the Middle East over the past four decades in an effort to understand the consequences of America’s costly military exertions. Then he interviews historian Michael … Continued
On today’s show, guest host Kate Raphael interviews University of Nevada history and gender studies professor Emily K. Hobson, author of “Lavender and Red: Liberation and Solidarity in the Gay and Lesbian Left.” Hobson unearths the little-known history of the Gay and Lesbian left in the Bay Area and beyond.
Mitch Jeserich in conversation with British mathematician Andrew Hodges. He is author of the book Alan Turing: The Enigma. The 2014 movie, The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, is based on Hodges’ book. About the book: It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, … Continued
Today host Mitch Jeserich interviews historian Peniel E. Joseph, founder of the “Black Power Studies” subfield of American History and author of “Stokely: A Life,” a biography of the charismatic and controversial black activist Stokely Carmichael. Jeserich and Joseph discuss the origins of the Black Power movement, as well as the life and times of Carmichael.
On today’s show, host Mitch Jeserich interviews Stephen Kinzer, national cultural correspondent for the New York Times, about his book “The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War.” The brothers controlled both the overt and covert operations of U.S. foreign policy in the 50’s: one was Secretary of State and one was the … Continued
On today’s show host Mitch Jeserich is in conversation with Thomas Ricks about the lives of George Orwell and Winston Churchill, two men who fought against totalitarianism during the 20th century. Thomas E. Ricks is the adviser on national security at the New America think tank, a member of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams, and the … Continued
Today host Mitch Jeserich talks to William D. Araiza, Vice Dean of Brooklyn Law School, about his book “Animus: A Short Introduction to Bias in the Law.” The book details the concept of animus, hostility or animosity towards a group, and investigates whether it should be taken into consideration over the constitutionality of a law. Animus will … Continued
On today’s show, host Mitch Jeserich discusses the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate part of Trump’s travel ban with the Bay Area Council for Islamic Relations’ Zahra Billoo, Christina Sinha from the Asian Law Caucus, and Rose Cuison Villazor, law professor at UC Davis. Then Jeserich interviews writer and political columnist Steven Hill about his book “Raw Deal: How the … Continued
On today’s show host Mitch Jeserich is joined by Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Health Access California. Together they will discuss the Republican Senate Bill to repeal Obamacare. Then, he is in conversation with Ronald Rael on solutions to reconnect Mexican and US citizens around the wall. Ronald Rael is an Associate Professor and the … Continued
Today host Mitch Jeserich interviews Sociology Professor Antony Alumkal about his new book “Paranoid Science: The Christian Right’s War on Reality.” The book explains how and why Christian leaders came to see scientific truths as hostile. Then Jeserich talks to science writer Dava Sobel about her book “A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the … Continued
