Often when studying history we focus on the major figures. This is no less true in American history, where we may discuss founding fathers, maybe Lincoln, or the great generals of our wars. But one man who was very much a major figure who has been overlooked with the passage of time is Henry Clay. Clay spent time in both the House and the Senate and ran for the presidency on multiple occasions. But his true talent was as a compromiser when he served as Speaker of the House. Harlow Giles...

Well, not all of it. But today we discuss traditional jazz. Joining Milt in studio is a very talented and traveled jazz guitarist and scholar, namely Michael Allemana. He brought with him a collection of recordings and a vast knowledge of the genre. We go from the beginning up until the mid 40s or so. Its remarkable how fresh these numbers are in 2015. Youll enjoy for the many interesting anecdotes and stories about the players and legends of the early jazz era.

Somehow the French became the butt of jokes for decades in this country. But the truth is, there would hardly be an America as we know it if it werent for French thought and, considering the Marquis de Lafayette, a healthy portion of French might. So as the France many of us loves prepares to be transformed forever with yet another influx of immigrants (and further outmigration of Jews--a tragedy for another day), we thought we should look back at the great philosophers and minds that helped...

And then there were five. Will there be a sixth soon? At any rate, the first Democratic debate is in the books and we are here to bring you the finest analysis of what transpired. Who has taken the lead? Who fell on their face? What issues will take the fore as we move forward? To discuss, we bring to you three politically minded men from different backgrounds: Richard Baehr, chief political correspondent at American Thinker, Benjamin Epstein is an Associate Professor of Political Science at...

Dr. Sherry Turkle is a renowned professor who has written extensively on how technology affects the way that humans communicate. You have no doubt experienced how communication has changed as you look around and see people not looking at each other, but rather at their phones. So just how has technology changed human interaction? Is it destroying it? Enhancing it? Or is it just making it different? Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in the Digital Age is Turkles latest in a thirty...

Most people know the name Rod Blagojevich. But his brother Robert--Fundraiser A from the title of his new book--was also square in the crosshairs of the U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. He has plenty to say about his ordeal, his brother, corruption, and the justice system. Also joining is a longtime friend of the program Dick Simpson. A former Alderman, hes now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and much published. His latest, Corrupt Illinois, is pertinent to this...

Christians and Yazidis and other minority groups are being butchered in the Middle East. This is not up for debate. It is a fact. Who are the Assyrians? Why are they being targeted? Who are the Yazidis? Why are their women and children being tortured, forced to marry ISIS fighters, and driven from their homelands? We bring to you guests who have been there and done it. Juliana Taimoorazy was forced from her native Iran and found asylum in Europe before coming to America and founding the...

With the news of yet more shootings at American schools, we thought it time to move beyond the debate on guns. What is wrong in American culture that has led us to this disturbing phenomenon? The patient is clearly sick. What are the causes that have manifested themselves in this, seemingly, uniquely American symptom of violence? To explore such a higher aim we turn to culture critic Michael A. Walsh, who traveled this road a bit in his book The Devils Pleasure Palace. Also joining are Mark...

When Civil War generals are discussed, most often they are Grant and Lee. But of course both sides had able and noteworthy commanders. One of the most revered on the Confederate side is Stonewall Jackson. S.C. Gwynne has written a very readable history of Jackson, and joins us here in part one to talk about the very peculiar and fascinating man. His importance to Lee is best illustrated in an anecdote. Upon hearing that Jackson had lost a limb in battle, Lee wrote to him: You are better off...

Words, language, communication. Its one of our favorite topics. Language can be beautiful, frightening, coarse, forceful, and arresting and, when under the employ of a master, it is like wine upon the lips, according to Virginia Woolf. In the photograph that accompanies this entry is a rendering of the Tower of Babel. As the story goes, at some point in antiquity there was just one language, spoken and understood by all of mankind. Some academics say part of this story at least is true:...

Russia has moved militarily into Syria, ostensibly to fight ISIS, though those in the know say its true aim is to bolster the Assad regime. Whatever the case may be, the red line was crossed by president Assad a long time ago and ISIS has done nothing if not grown in strength over the past several years. So we have a bit of a standoff between Putins Russia and Obamas America. Whatever the motives may be, some things remain certain: the Syrian people still suffer, ISIS still grows in power,...

Chicago is rife with fascinating libraries and collections. Many of those are located on campus on any number of the fine institutions of higher learning in the area. We invited three professionals in the field to discuss what they do, how they acquire their wares, and to talk about their collections. Included here are Kevin Leonard of Northwestern, Jamie Nelson of DePaul, and Kathy Young at Loyola.

We never tire of Chicago crime stories. Professor John Hagedorn is one of the foremost authorities on gangs, gang culture, the drug trade and organized crime in the city of Chicago and beyond. He has just had published his latest work, The In$ane Chicago Way, a fascinating story of an attempt by Latin gangs to create a mafia--to organize and grow--based upon Al Capones organizational structure made famous in Chicago in the 20s. This is another fine work by a master of criminology and sociology.

This program has never made secret its support of the State of Israel. Once again, Israel finds itself in a precarious national security setting as the debate rages on the recent Iran nuclear deal and the migration catastrophe that is engulfing huge swathes of the Middle East. To discuss the current state of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, we brought in three experts; namely Roey Gilad, Israels Consul General to the Midwest, Spertus Director of Doctoral Programs, professor Joshua...

Jay Nordlinger is that most valued sort of journalist: a true intellectual. Not only does he cover politics as the Senior Editor of National Review, hes also a fine music critic. Nordlinger has a curiosity that lends itself well to writing books. He recently asked himself what might have become of the children of some of historys most devilish dictators. That question has produced great fruit in the form of his latest, Children of Monsters. Some of the offspring of these mass murderers...

Richard Nisbett is one of the most influential social psychologists in the world. One of his many talents is his ability to explain the inner workings of the mind in plain language, and to explain why we do some of the things we do, why one group acts the way that it does, and how we can utilize these super computers that rest atop our shoulders to the best of our ability. His latest book, Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking, is yet another fine entry into the field of psychology and, as Milt...

Winston Churchill said of capitalism, The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Our esteemed guest, Dr. Philip Kotler--the great economist from Northwestern--says that capitalism is still the best system, but that it has to have a heart. In his latest book, Confronting Capitalism, he highlights 14 shortcomings of our system while providing solutions to get us back on track. andnbsp;

Recently we did a program on the genius of Shakespeare, which got us thinking: why dont we do a program on the kings of England? Theres no shortage of historical information and anecdotes about them, and they are utterly fascinating. So we gathered some of the best scholars in the area to discuss just that. Theres murder, intrigue, romance, betrayal and humor running through the thousand years reigns of the English monarchs (of course, there are queens to discuss, also), and to shed light on...

The second GOP debate is in the books. Carly Fiorina is, by most accounts, the big winner, with Donald Trump still standing tall. We turned to several members of the Political A-Team, namely Richard Baehr of American Thinker, Dr. Charles Lipson of the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago, and Joseph Morris, former Assistant Attorney General under President Reagan. As expected, this is top-shelf analysis, and a good stop for sober, informed analysis. andnbsp;

Gilbert Gaul is a two time Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist who has now turned his eye toward the business of college football. Now that the new season is underway, we thought it time to bring him on to discuss his fantastic new work, Billion Dollar Ball: A Journey Through the Big-Money Culture of College Football. It is a truly eye-opening account--some say indictment--of the strange intersection of academics, athletics, money, and amateur sports. Rick Telander is a legend in...

John Drummond has been on this program and its various iterations a number of times. He always has a story from his days as the venerable crime reporter at CBS2 here in Chicago. Perhaps no man knows the ins and outs of organized crime as much as he does. On this program, we were pleased to be joined by two former commanders of the Chicago PD, namely former superintendent of police Matt Rodgriguez, the citys first Hispanic top cop and head of the gambling unit, and David Boggs, former...

Every child has heroes. The firefighter, the police officer, the soldier. History is rife with tales of the heroic warrior or the quiet and stoic figure who stood tall in the face of oppression. What is a hero? Can anyone be a hero? Must a hero engage in battle against tremendous odds and to emerge victorious? Tod Lindberg is a political expert, writer, thinker and professor and has written on the topic of heroes in his latest book. He answers many of these questions, visiting great heroes...

A good politician knows how to deliver a speech that pulls at the heartstrings. An effective politician knows how to work in a joke or some clever wordplay to put the people at ease. And then theres the political gaffe, which can sink a campaign or make a mockery of ones rule. Rich Rubino is a fine political reporter, pundit and author who has given us a great collection of odd and obscure political facts in a previous work. He has just published a collection of humorous political quotations...

One of the great humanitarian crises of this still young century is the mass of refugees seeking asylum in Europe. They have blazed trails from various war-torn nations and are knocking on the doors of Germany, France, Hungary and others in the hopes of finding new lives in the new world. To help us understand how we got here and where we should go next is a fine panel of analysts, historians, and scholars. Marina Henke, a German by birth and international relations professor at...

Dick Ciccone is one of the members of Milts Political A-Team. Hes also a decorated war veteran, a college professor, a fantastic author, journalist and newsman, and a helluva golfer. He spent decades in the business, including as managing editor of the Chicago Tribune. Hes one of the most fascinating people to ever have appeared on the program, with a sublime understanding of Chicago, words, and the political landscape of America. We realized that we hadnt yet delved into the mind of Dick...