Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
We explore some of our favorite Thanksgiving-themed episodes to get you in the holiday spirit. We touch on multiple “Friends” features to classic Thanksgiving installments of “The Simpsons” that never get old.
In 2020, nearly 40 million Americans lived in food-insecure households. With food prices rising across the country, food insecurity is only set to worsen, disproportionately affecting minority populations. How can people help?
Poverty exists, but it’s hard to grasp what it’s really like if you’ve never experienced it firsthand. Journalist Sarah Smarsh joins Viewpoints this week to share her story of growing up poor in rural America. She shares memories from her childhood and her perspective on how modern culture stigmatizes and traps people stuck in the cycle of poverty.
It’s been a century and a half since the fire that reshaped the Chicago landscape took hold across the city. Chicago History Museum curator Julius L. Jones joins us this week to discuss some interesting historical facts about the fire that you’ve probably never heard before.
Today, there are many young adults who were mere babies when 9/11 happened. They learn about the terrorist attacks from history books, television segments and documentaries as well as the firsthand stories of people who lived through the experience. Former FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer joins us this week to share his story from that morning. Pfeifer …
When most people imagine the early West, they picture wide open landscapes, lawlessness and sweaty men working away in mines and on farms. While this is part of the story, the other lesser known narrative is the unique opportunities the West held for women during the 19th and 20th centuries. Author Winifred Gallagher joins us this week to share how the …
Wondering what to do with the dozens of face masks and all of those unused yeast packets? Us too. There are several items that Americans sought after during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that help to showcase what this period in time was like. Once the pandemic is fully over, how will we look back and remember this time? How are museum curators and …
The 50 richest families in the world have a combined net worth of $1.2 trillion. The Koch family, the second richest name on the list, is worth a staggering $100 billion. For many families, it isn’t just about success and business growth, but the business of building wealth through loopholes like philanthropy and loose taxation laws.
The average clothing item today is worn anywhere from seven to ten times before it’s discarded on donated. Why is this number so low, and what happens once the garment leaves a person’s closet? Maxine Bedat, a prominent voice in sustainable fashion, joins us this week to shed some light on the clothing crisis and how its impacting workers and the …
Baseball is back, and fans can once again revel in the experience of heading to a ballpark, grabbing some peanuts and cheering on their team as they score a homerun. Longtime baseball writer and faithful Phillies fan Timothy Malcolm joins Viewpoints this week to break down some of his favorite stadiums in the U.S. and some tips you should keep in mind before …
The first New York Times wedding announcement was published in 1851. We explore how this unique page has evolved over the years and the rat race some couples go through to get an announcement published at a prominent paper like The New York Times.
The birth of the space shuttle in 1981 marked a new era of space travel. For the first time ever, NASA had a spacecraft that could launch into space and come back to earth and land like an airplane. While the shuttle had many successful flights, there were also some big catastrophes that ultimately led the program to cease operations in 2011. Former chief …
Perhaps Stewart’s most dramatic role was the one that not many people know about, but that molded his life and his psyche – not to mention his acting – for most of his career: serving as a fighter pilot in World War II. We talk to an author who delved into Stewart’s war service about how flying missions over Europe and seeing his comrades die affected the …
As more Americans look to decrease their carbon footprints, what’s one way to make a big difference? Flipping the narrative on the traditional American diet. Beef is more carbon-intensive to produce than chicken, but did you know that cheese is also worse than chicken? It’s this knowledge that can change people’s dietary decisions and decrease greenhouse gas …
The perspectives of black authors are vital in understanding why racial bias still plagues our country. We offer up some timely recommendations to add to your 2021 reading list.
How has a year-long pandemic affected the U.S. economy? Will it bounce back as more people get vaccinated or will there be long-term ramifications? Economist James Rickards joins Viewpoints this week to share his insights on the post-pandemic economy.
In the early 1900’s, the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma was commonly referred to as the ‘Black Wall Street’. It was a predominantly African American town that was booming due to the nearby discovery of oil. It was a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family – but that all changed on May 31, 1921. In a matter of hours, the town was burnt to …
Sometimes a tense, high stakes show isn’t the relaxing break we all need. We discuss our favorite lighthearted, easy-to-consume series that are entertaining and great to watch time and time again.
HBO’s new documentary Tiger chronicles the roller coaster golf career and personal life of Tiger Woods. Is It overhyped or worth the watch?
Historian Karen Abbott tells the story of several women who helped their respective sides during the Civil War. These women were not just nurses and aides, but endearing female soldiers and spies disguised and embedded in the fight.
We speak with constitutional law expert, Professor Carlton Larson about its limited use in modern courtrooms and the public’s perception of the law versus its actual scope and definition.
Before the game shows of today, there were countless series of the past that defied our notion of showmanship. Full of grandiose props, charismatic hosts and the perfect, hand-picked contestants, these series kept viewers hooked till the very end and were (really) too good to be true. We discuss some of the most popular game shows in American history and how …
How do professionals question people to get the information they want? We talk to an expert in interrogation and lying on this subject, and how law enforcement and job interviewers use the same tactics to find out if someone is lying.
This week, we rewind back to the Great Depression, which forced millions of Americans to find new recipes and get creative with the limited number of ingredients they could afford.
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