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Q&A

C-SPAN

Intriguing hour-long conversations with people who are making things happen. Hosted by Peter Slen. New episodes every Sunday evening. From the network that brings you "Washington Today" and "Lectures in History" podcasts.

Location:

Washington, DC

Networks:

C-SPAN

Description:

Intriguing hour-long conversations with people who are making things happen. Hosted by Peter Slen. New episodes every Sunday evening. From the network that brings you "Washington Today" and "Lectures in History" podcasts.

Twitter:

@cspanradio

Language:

English

Contact:

400 North Capitol Street NW Suite 650 Washington DC 20001 (202) 737-3220


Episodes
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Peniel Joseph, "Freedom Season"

6/22/2025
University of Texas at Austin history professor Peniel Joseph, author of "Freedom Season," talks about the pivotal events of 1963 that impacted the Civil Rights Movement in America. That year, which marked the centenary of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, also saw the assassinations of President Kennedy and Mississippi civil rights activist Medgar Evers, the publication of James Baldwin's bestseller "The Fire Next Time," and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed 4 little girls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:31

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Mark Whitaker, "The Afterlife of Malcolm X"

6/15/2025
Former Newsweek editor and managing editor of CNN Worldwide, Mark Whitaker, discusses the life and legacy of the Black nationalist leader Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965. Mr. Whitaker, author of "The Afterlife of Malcolm X," talks about Malcolm X's split with the Nation of Islam, his relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali, and his posthumous impact on Barack Obama, Clarence Thomas, and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:07

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Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Co-Founder

6/8/2025
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the pro-peace, feminist grassroots organization CODEPINK, talks about her life as an activist and CODEPINK's current campaigns focusing on Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, and Latin America. She also talks about the nonviolent, disruptive actions taken by CODEPINK at congressional hearings and elsewhere to bring attention to their causes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:30

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Jason Riley, "The Affirmative Action Myth"

6/1/2025
Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley, author of "The Affirmative Action Myth," argues that the racial preference policies of the 1960s and 70s have had an overall negative impact on the success of Black Americans. He says that Black incomes, homeownership, and educational attainment were all on an upward trajectory prior to these policies being implemented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:58

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Rick Steves, "On the Hippie Trail"

5/25/2025
Travel writer Rick Steves talks about his 1978 journey along the "Hippie Trail" and the 60,000-word journal he kept of the trip which he recently published as a book. During the 3,000-mile trek, the then 23-year-old Steves and a friend visited Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. He talks about the people he met along the way, the challenges of travelling in foreign countries in the 1970s, and the lifelong impact the trip had on him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:00:18

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Christopher Cox, "Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn"

5/18/2025
Former U.S. Congressman Christopher Cox (R-CA), author of "Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn," takes a critical look at the 28th President of the United States and his attitudes towards racial equality and women's suffrage. Mr. Cox also talks about Wilson's intellectual development and his tenure as president of Princeton University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:03:12

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John Kasich, "Heaven Help Us"

5/11/2025
Former Ohio governor John Kasich (R) talks about the good work done by religious institutions and people of faith in the United States. In his book "Heaven Help Us," Mr. Kasich profiles over a dozen religious Americans involved in combating homelessness, hunger, human trafficking, and other issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:01:22

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Kathleen deLaski, "Who Needs College Anymore?"

5/4/2025
Education Design Lab founder Kathleen deLaski, author of "Who Needs College Anymore?," questions if the U.S. higher education system, with its skyrocketing costs and declining enrollment, is currently suited to meet the needs of future generations of students. She talks about alternatives to the 4-year college degree, including educational bootcamps, skills-based learning, and apprenticeships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:07:22

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Jane McManus, "The Fast Track"

4/27/2025
Sports journalist and academic Jane McManus, author of "The Fast Track," discusses the rise in popularity of women's sports since the early 1970s and the challenges female athletes have faced since then, including unequal pay and lack of media coverage. Prof. McManus talks about the experiences of Billie Jean King, Venus and Serena Williams, Caitlin Clark, Riley Gaines, and other female competitors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:44

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Nicole Kobie, "The Long History of the Future"

4/20/2025
Technology reporter Nicole Kobie, author of "The Long History of the Future," talks about how technology evolves and discusses why many predicted technologies – including driverless and flying cars, smart cities, hyperloops, and autonomous robots – haven’t become a reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:08:39

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Rick Steves, "On the Hippie Trail"

4/13/2025
Travel writer Rick Steves talks about his 1978 journey along the "Hippie Trail" and the 60,000-word journal he kept of the trip which he recently published as a book. During the 3,000-mile trek, the then 23-year-old Steves and a friend visited Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. He talks about the people he met along the way, the challenges of travelling in foreign countries in the 1970s, and the lifelong impact the trip had on him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:08:33

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Lee Hawkins, "I Am Nobody's Slave"

4/6/2025
Journalist and musician Lee Hawkins, author of "I Am Nobody's Slave," talks about the impact that slavery and Jim Crow have had on his family through multiple generations. Mr. Hawkins examines the relationship between the past violence experienced by family members, often at the hands of white people, and the way his parents raised and severely disciplined him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:10:33

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Syndicated Columnist George Will on His Life & Career

3/30/2025
Author and writer George Will, whose nationally syndicated column has been running since 1974, discusses his life and career in the opinion business. Mr. Will talks about the impact of his work on U.S. politics over the past 50 years, conservatism in the age of Donald Trump, his love of baseball, and other topics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:56

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Loretta Ross, "Calling In"

3/23/2025
Activist and professor Loretta Ross, author of "Calling In," discusses the excesses of cancel culture and the need for a more inclusive way to hold people accountable in the age of social media. Prof. Ross, who was sexually abused as a child, also talks about her past work with convicted rapists and white supremacists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:10:12

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Meryl Gordon, "The Woman Who Knew Everyone"

3/16/2025
New York University journalism professor Meryl Gordon, author of "The Woman Who Knew Everyone," talks about the life of socialite and Democratic fundraiser Perle Mesta. Mesta, dubbed the "hostess with the mostest," was close to three U.S. presidents during the mid-20th century, and was known for throwing parties that brought political elites together. She served as U.S. envoy to Luxembourg following WWII, was an early activist for the Equal Rights Amendment, and was the subject of the Broadway musical and later movie, "Call Me Madam." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:06

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Rep. James Comer (R-KY), "All the President's Money"

3/9/2025
House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY), author of "All the President's Money," talks about his committee's 15-month investigation into the business practices of then President Joe Biden and members of President Biden's family, including his brother James and son Hunter. Rep. Comer argues that the Bidens have benefitted financially from corrupt financial dealings involving Ukraine, China, and other countries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:44

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Tara Roberts, "Written in the Waters"

3/2/2025
National Geographic explorer Tara Roberts travels the world documenting underwater wrecks of some of the 12,000 slave ships that operated during the Atlantic slave trade. In her memoir, "Written in the Waters," Roberts talks about the training and preparation required to undertake the diving missions and the work done by the nonprofit organization that she dives with, Diving with a Purpose, which is primarily composed of African American divers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:10:05

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Louis Ferrante, "Borgata: Clash of Titans" PART 2

2/23/2025
Former mafia associate Louis Ferrante talks about "Borgata: Clash of Titans," volume two of his history of the American mafia that covers the years 1960-1985. In part two of this two-part interview, Mr. Ferrante further details what he says was the mafia's involvement in the assassination of President Kennedy and discusses Robert Kennedy's battle with mobster Carlos Marcello, boss of the New Orleans Mafia from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:46

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Louis Ferrante, "Borgata: Clash of Titans" PART 1

2/16/2025
Former mafia associate Louis Ferrante talks about "Borgata: Clash of Titans," volume two of his history of the American mafia that covers the years 1960-1985. In part one of a two-part interview, he gives a history of the mafia in America, discusses Attorney General Robert Kennedy's war against organized crime and the involvement that he says the mafia had in the 1960 election and 1963 assassination of President John Kennedy. Mr. Ferrante also shares stories about his time as a heist expert for the Gambino crime family, which led to his imprisonment in 1994. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:57

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Reginald Dwayne Betts on Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

2/9/2025
Reginald Dwayne Betts originally read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail" – King's defense of the use of nonviolent civil disobedience in the fight for civil rights – while in solitary confinement in prison. Mr. Betts, who served over 8 years for a carjacking he committed when he was 16, went on to become an award-winning poet and graduate of Yale Law School. He has written the Afterword for a new commemorative edition of Dr. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Mr. Betts talks about the book and the work done by Freedom Reads, an organization he founded that builds libraries in prisons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:09:58