Added 7.12.19. The Pakistani Islamic militant who masterminded the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers and other deadly terrorist attacks now remains in custody at Guantanamo Bay. Investigative journalist and author Richard Miniter wrote the definitive account of his life and career, titled, “Mastermind: The Many Faces Of The 9/11 Architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.” In this interview with Milt, Miniter shares detailed and colorful revelations about Mohammed’s life as a student in the U.S., his role in the capture of Osama bin Laden and the prevention of other planned terrorist attacks landmarks in the U.S. and abroad, and his interrogation by U.S.authorities. Miniter has worked for the Wall Street Journal and Sunday Times of London and is now the national security columnist for Forbes. His other books include “Losing bin Laden,” and “Shadow War: The Inside Story of How America Is Winning The War On Terror.”

Added 1.22.19. Born in the 1930s in the United States but greatly appreciated, analyzed and advanced by European critics and auters, the film noir genre accented the predatory side of man and the city as a vortex of temptation and depravity. The femme fatale, the “good girl,” the flawed hero – not infrequently a detective married to the bottle – all these archetypes plus the brooding, atmospheric chiarascuro  cinematography helped to define the genre. Many of the early modern films now received as classics were film noir, such as Maltese Falcon; Murder, My Sweet; Double Indemnity;  Sunset Boulevard; and Asphalt Jungle. With numerous audio scenes from such films added to the mix, Milt explores the birth and life of film noir with Hugh Ingrasci, an expert on the topic who at the time of the broadcast was an English professor at DePaul University in Chicago.

Added 1.8.19. Italian immigrants with anarchist leanings are arrested with no warrant; tried based on no real evidence; and convicted and executed for a 1920 Massachusetts payroll heist that resulted in two deaths. How did authorities, the press, and the public see their way clear to this seemingly stunning miscarriage of justice? Milt explores the troubling tenor of the times with attorney and historian Theodore W. Grippo, author of, “With Malice Aforethought: The Execution of Nicolo Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.”

Added 7.18.18. Milt in this 2010 episode interviews former FBI Agent Bob Hamer, author of “The Last Undercover: An FBI Agent’s Dangerous Dance With Evil.” Hamer specialized in undercover sting operations against the baddest of the bad guys. To catch them, he at various times impersonated a buyer of drugs from Los Angeles street gangs, a purchaser of counterfeit U.S. stamps made by the millions in China, a dealer of land-to-air missiles, and a contract killer. Among other things. Learn more about how the operations worked, the results, and the hair-raising risks.

Added 7.10.18. Milt in 2010 interviewed three Chicago policemen about what their work is like. They are Brendan Daugherty, John Wrigley, and Martin Preib – who had recently authored, “The Wagon And Other Stories From The City.” Describing the book, The Guardian wrote, “At the age of 40, after years in dead-end jobs supporting his writing habit, Preib joined the Chicago police department. His first job was driving the wagon to collect dead bodies, ‘the messy remains of failed life’ ..Preib is clearly not a typical cop. He considers quoting King Lear in a police report and, in between calls, he tells his female partner about how he is inspired by Walt Whitman’s work…From gruesome accounts of collecting corpses to pieces about the daily catalogue of crime and disorder on the city’s streets, these personal essays offer a powerful portrait of the dark side of one of America’s greatest cities.”