My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

A law that may have given Billy The Kid a few more months of life, long enough to build a legend is still a part of today's politics. The rich history of the Posse Comitatus law that separated military from law enforcement and forbids, in some cases, the use of military on American soil. , Music by Lee Rosevere, Squire Tuck and Lucas Gonze at freemusicarchive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at one of America's earliest blockbusters, the little book that changed American minds: Common Sense, its author Thomas Paine, the impact it had at the time and what it might mean today. We also examine the creative differences Paine had with his printers, and how much it might have cost to advertise for a book in that time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Examining the moment in 1983 when nuclear war was possible with new research and stories from the Soviet side. How close did we come to war? And could that war have been accidental? w/ White House Correspondent for National Journal and Political Editor of The Atlantic Marc Ambinder, author of "The Brink - President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983." We double down on some of the points made in the Reagan podcast with Marc's exhaustive research.  We also get into the recent Trump-Putin sum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Matthews of Hardball joins the program!! He has just finished his book Bobby Kennedy - A Raging Spirit. Chris talks about RFK and how his history and childhood, and his relationship with Joe Kennedy Senior that informed his own politics. Those politics, according to Matthews, were just starting to develop at the end of his life, as he sought to defend society's less fortunate, while keeping working people of all races in mind.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elbridge Gerry lent his name to a tricky political maneuver. Not that he wanted to, or perhaps, deserved it. With gerrymandering of congressional districts and state legislative districts on the agenda of the Supreme Court, Bruce discusses the court case Gill v. Whitford and then revisits his cast from 2013 about Elbridge Gerry  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you know about the Russian Revolution is wrong, and understanding that is the key to understanding today's Russia as well. A very interesting conversation with Mikhail Zygar, Editor in Chief of the TV Dozhd and the Author of All the Kremlin's Men. He joins us to speak about his book The Empire Must Die - Russia's Revolutionary Collapse. We talk Russia 1917 and the revolution before the Bolsheviks. We also talk Russia 2017 and Putin, America, democracy, struggle and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this quick episode, a missing part from the Ark of Commerce series, we look at the role of money in the battle between Confederate and Union governments.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of the 1978 World Cup, a cautionary tale about democracy. The world spotlight on the junta that controlled Argentina that year helped focus some attention on the plight of the victims of a vicious dictatorship, but locally, may have enhanced support for the regime. We talk about soccer and politics, we talk about democracy and the dangers of losing it, we read a bit of Eduardo Galeano's Excellent Soccer in Sun and Shadow. Music from Lee Rosevere  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taft fails in trying to lower tariffs, setting up his successor to do it. In frustration, he walks away from the White House. Meanwhile, his opponent, William Jennings Bryan, destroys the tariff in several populist arguments. A look at Payne-Aldrich, the 1909 tariff bill that was as least as important as Smoot Hawley.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is infrastructure always good? We talk with Greg Young of the Very Popular "Bowery Boys NYC" podcast, about infrastructure. In particular the story of Robert Moses and his career reforming New York's infrastructure. Until he met his match. We also talk about Trump's career in NYC, and whether Mark Zuckerberg is the new Vanderbilt.  Music from Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band in this episode.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices