We’re joined by Robert George, professor of jurisprudence at Princeton, and lecturer at Harvard Law School. Many have said that as Niebuhr was the earlier ideational manifestation of American liberal Protestantism so George now is for contemporary American conservative Catholicism. Here he addresses the many issues currently roiling both in the Catholic church and in the public square. An interesting analytic exercise would be to compare George’s views to what we have been hearing from Pope Francis.

Russia is no longer a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. It’s a kleptocracy. One of the on-scene journalists who has most expertly detailed how it became one, how it presently operates, and the dangerous ambitions that now activate it’s elite, is David Satter. We spoke with David in an earlier podcast and then again after his return to Moscow. Here he is in full and fascinating form.

There are about three conservative cartoonists fully employed by American daily newspapers. How do we know that? Because one of them told us so. That is Scott Stantis of the Chicago Tribune and here he is discussing the cartoonist’s art and what’s wrong (and sometimes right) in American politics.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, we talk with Philip Shenon, author of A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination. In the book, Shenon looks at the findings of the Warren Commission and the conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s death, pointing out many peculiarities on the day and following days of the assassination.

Of the many authors who have written about the Kennedy assassination from every possible conspiracy angle and who appeared on our program over the many years, one that really stands out is political scientist John McAdam. He wrote, “JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think About Claims of Conspiracy,” and joined us for a richly detailed discussion. Here is the full program.