Added 9/4/18. Mega-wealthy do-gooders such as George Soros and Warren Buffet speak forcefully of the moral imperative to guarantee the societal security of the less well-off – but in fact, they can be viewed as merely the latest in a long line of elites who advance that line in alliance with progressive leaders, to preserve their own class hegemony. So argues lawyer and writer Michael Knox Beran. His books include, “Pathology Of The Elites,” “Forge of Empires,” and “Jefferson’s Demons.” In this 2011 interview, Milt draws out and challenges Beran on his contention of elites’ misdirection and duplicity. The conversation is focused around several then-recent articles Beran authored, including “Exposing The Elites,” and “The Descent of Liberalism.”

Added 6.26.18. Wars: they just don’t make ’em like they used to. Milt explores the wars of antiquity with noted historian John Lendon of the University of Virginia. Lendon is author of, among other things, the book “Song of Wrath: The Peloponnesian War.” Milt and Lendon traverse a range of related topics, including ancient Greek history and historians, the tensions between Athens and Sparta, and the role of honor in provoking war. The conversation leads into more contemporary history, and the contours of war in the 20th Century and today.

Added 6.12.18. Foreshadowing much of the current conversation about the Middle East, Milt plus guests Charles Lipson and Laith Saud explore pressing questions such as, do Israel and Iran actually have any real intention of working out their differences, or is all the rhetorical jousting really just for political affect? How should Israel think about compromise with Palestine while still preserving the Israeli state? Is Israel less a “Jewish” state than a modern, vibrant and pluralistic democracy? Is the dichotomy between Sunni and Shia Arabs greatly overplayed? What role does Islamic fundamentalism continue to play in the Middle East? Does not the U.S. allow for easier assimilation by Arab immigrants than, say, France, because its jobs and housing markets are markedly more open? This and much more is on the table. Lipson is a distinguished expert on foreign affairs, prolific writer, and former chair of the political science department at the University of Chicago. Saud brings a unique perspective to the conversation, having been born in Iraq and migrated with his parents to the U.S. at an early age. He is an assistant professor of religious studies at DePaul University, and founder of a company which provides counsel to media and NGOs focused on the Middle East.

Added 5.29.18. Milt talks in 2010 with noted scholar Richard Rhodes, who had just authored his fourth major book on nuclear weapons. It was titled, “The Twilight Of The Bombs: Recent Challenges, New Dangers, And The Prospects For A World Without Nuclear Weapons.” Rhodes won the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction for his 1986 book, “The Making of the Bomb.” It covered the discovery of nuclear fission in the 1930s, the Manhattan Project, and the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.

Added 5.15.18. Guests are prominent radio historian Fred MacDonald, and Matthew Erlich, author of “Radio Utopia: Post-War Audio Documentary In The Public Interest.” With Milt, they discuss how popular U.S. radio shows helped shape public consciousness in the years following World War II. Themes included the fight against fascism, poverty and hunger, global stability, race relations, and the role of the individual in society.