A reflection on the life and legal crusade of the flamboyant US celebrity lawyer Melvin Belli, self-proclaimed defender of the 'little helpless guy'.

Boris Yeltsin's victory in the Russian presidential elections, the relative novelty of universal suffrage in the West and the need for democracy, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.

The death of Max Factor Jnr. and the origin of the word "make-up" are the subjects considered by Alistair Cooke.

With Bob Dole resigning from the Senate, Alistair Cooke examines the legislator's time as Senate leader and explores the uncertain future of the Republican Party.

The death of Timothy Leary, the impact of LSD in the 1960s, and the need for each generation to rebel against the one before, as chronicled by Alistair Cooke.

Memorial Day, now indistinguishable from Veteran's Day, leads Cooke to consider on how recognition of military service has changed and, how Bill Clinton joined the US army.

The unique power of single issue groups in American presidential elections and President Clinton's stance on gay marriage are discussed by Alistair Cooke.

The preparations for the upcoming presidential elections, and the resurgence of the legal and moral debate over assisted suicide in the US, as considered by Alistair Cooke.

The diplomacies of Wilson and Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan's Star Wars defence programme, and the American response to international elections, as detailed by Alistair Cooke.

The sale of President Kennedy's rocking chair, JFK's ailments and the discreetness of the press, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.

The life and work of columnist Erma Bombeck, "America's only woman humourist", and writer of "At Wit's End", is remembered by Alistair Cooke.

The University of South Florida's reaction to a bomb threat leads Alistair Cooke to consider the emergence and nature of America's new anti-terrorism laws.

The rise of Montana's armed insurgents, their historical inheritance and their opposition in the FBI, as chronicled by Alistair Cooke.

Euthanasia, and the right to die for the terminally ill, the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, and Dr Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan doctor who has helped 27 dying people.

Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan's challenge to Bob Dole in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and how a thief in the night may yet undo Bill Clinton.

On the 50th anniversary of his Letter from America broadcasts Alistair Cooke re-presents the first talk, describing his return from an austere Britain to a bountiful New York.

The Lockerbie bombing, the unpredictable threat of terrorism and the difficulty of making anti-terror laws compatible with constitutional rights, as discussed by Alistair Cooke.

Fifty years after Churchill's speech warning of Soviet ambitions in Europe, Alistair Cooke considers the new threat posed by communist China.

Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, divisions within the Republican Party and the greatest anxiety of "middle America" are discussed by Alistair Cooke.

The varied nature of democratic governments, the legal and political powers of state government and the arcane operation of the US tax system are considered by Alistair Cooke.

Phineas T Barnum, Hershel Geguzin and Ruldolph Walter Wanderone, three notable fraudsters, are all profiled by Alistair Cooke.

The importance of the New Hampshire primary election in the race to become president is the subject of a discussion by Alistair Cooke.

President Clinton's State of the Union Address and the origins and purposes of the grand jury system.

The controversy surrounding Hilary Clinton's involvement in the presidency and the actions of Mrs Roosevelt and Mrs Adams, are the subject of a comparison by Alistair Cooke.

The New York blizzard of 1996, the great snowfall of 1947 and the "paralysing anxiety" during the blizzard of 1888, as chronicled by Alistair Cooke.