When historians paint the United States in its greatest glory, they conjure up the image of the shining city on a hill. But Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Walter McDougall sees a nation of hustlers in that city.
In a new book, Walter McDougall says that a history of hustling gave America, from the moment of its inception, [...]

One year ago, the Voorhees family of Beverly, MA, embarked on a four-and-a-half month journey through time. John Voorhees, his wife Michelle, and their 11-year-old son Giacomo, joined 23 others as colonists in a small 1628 New England town for PBS’s “Colonial House” series, which concluded last week.
From eating muskrat to using leaves for toilet [...]

After the Civil War, Memorial Day was first conceived as “Decoration Day,” a day of remembrance of those who gave their lives in service to their country.
There is no greater symbol of courage and sacrifice in battle than the Congressional Medal of Honor. General George Patton once remarked that he would “give his soul” to [...]

There are many different kinds of bravery being demonstrated right now in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last month, Robert Kaplan, writer for the Atlantic Monthly magazine, witnessed the U.S. Marines’ push into Fallujah, Iraq. Kaplan’s full account will appear in the July/August edition of the Atlantic Monthly.
Hear Kaplan read an excerpt from his account.
Guests:

Self-proclaimed candy freak Steve Almond fondly remembers the day he discovered he could buy candy by the pound. He turned to candy as a boy for solace and comfort instead of to his harried family. And he never turned back. When relationships soured or writing projects stalled, sugary confections helped him through. [...]

One social critic sees a new dichotomy in American life. “Hard America” – ruled by competition and accountability; “Soft America” – tries to protect people from such realities. We take a close look at the battle between these two halves of the nation.
Guests:
Michael Barone, senior editor at U.S. News and World Report, author of “Hard [...]

Guests:

The Iraqi Governing Council has tapped Iyad Allawi, a Shiite Muslim, doctor and founder of the opposition to be prime minister in the interim government that will take over after the June 30 handover.
Guests:
Rod Nordland, correspondent in Baghdad for Newsweek

Earlier today in Seattle, WA, in the first of three major speeches to be delivered over the next 11 days, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry put forth his national security policy.
Hear excerpts from the speech followed by a step-back look with On Point news analyst Jack Beatty.
Guests:
Jack Beatty, On Point News Analyst, [...]

Current predictions have world oil production peaking somewhere between 2005 and 2035, with demand steadily rising as growing economies like China and India start consuming more and more.
But the oil-fired economy, and the lifestyle that comes with it, is nearing an end, says writer Paul Roberts in his new book, “The End of Oil.” A [...]

Washington Post correspondent Tom Ricks has covered conflict around the globe and may be the country’s toughest, most plugged-in observer of the uniformed U.S. military officials whose duty it is to carry out the policies of Pentagon and White House civilian leaders.
Ricks was part of the Washington Post team that won the 2002 Pulitzer [...]

US-led coalition leaders have agreed to suspend offensive operations in Najaf after Shiite leaders negotiated an end to the standoff with radical Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Thanassis Cambanis is a correspondent for The Boston Globe and spoke with us from Baghdad just minutes after returning from Najaf.
Guests:

A new threat of terrorism cast a shadow of fear over America today. At FBI headquarters in Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI director Robert Mueller announced that law enforcement authorities have “credible intelligence from multiple sources” that Al Qaeda is planning to attack the United States this summer or early fall.
“Several upcoming [...]

A report by Amnesty International released today condemns the United States for carrying out a war on terror that is flouting human rights in a failed attempt to gain security.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan responded that the U.S. is a leader on human rights and said that the war on terror has protected the human [...]

Michael Moore’s new movie, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” won the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize yet still has no U.S. distributor. In it, Moore goes right for the throat of President George W. Bush and he doesn’t let go.
Confrontation suits Moore. He has been launching video grenades from the far left since his breakout agit-prop [...]

Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Diretor Robert Mueller held a press conference today about increased concern over possible terrorist attacks on U.S. soil this summer.
Guests:
Josh Meyer, covers terrorism for The Los Angeles Times

Bernard-Henri Levy spent several months at the end of the last century in what he calls the world’s “forgotten war zones”: Sudan, Burundi, Angola, Sri Lanka, and Colombia.
In his newly translated book, “War, Evil, and the End of History,” Levy discusses the nature of those conflicts, and what they tell us about the face of [...]

Colum Lynch, who covers the United Nations for the Washington Post, says that reaction is mixed to a U.S.-British proposal put before the U.N. on the handover of power in Iraq.
Guests:
Colum Lynch, covers The United Nations for The Washington Post.

President Bush vows to go the distance in Iraq and is now reaching out to the U.N. to get it done. Critics, including Democratic challenger John Kerry, say he has not reached out nearly enough, and that a major internationalization of the Iraq challenge is key to avoiding catastrophe.
But is internationalization of the Iraq effort [...]

Bush will make the first in a series of speeches designed to stem the rising tide of uneasiness over his war effort in Iraq. The White House has been badgered by falling poll numbers, a wide ranging prison scandal, and dissention within the Republican ranks.
The administration hopes that the speech will show the American [...]