Roundup

American Chinatown: Bonnie Tsui [video 32 minutes 51 seconds]

American Chinatown is the story of five cities within cities as told by the people who know their stories best, the residents themselves. Bonnie Tsui offers a unique, full access pass of America's most famous Chinatowns: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Las Vegas, revealing a captivating world within world.

Mystery Still Swirls Around Alcatraz Escape [audio 7 minutes 47 seconds]

It was called The Rock — the country's only escape-proof prison. The federal penitentiary at Alcatraz was a cell house built on an island surrounded by the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay. Only the worst of the worst were sent there, lifers like Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin. But from the moment the three men arrived, it was clear they did not intend to stay. On June 12, 1962, they vanished, launching the largest manhunt of its time, one that has cont

ICC Prosecutor Makes Case Against Sudan's President [video 10 minutes 9 seconds]

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, discusses his view on war crimes charges levied against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Algonquin Writers' Work No Longer Lost [audio 6 minutes 48 seconds]

Host Liane Hansen speaks with author and performer Nat Benchley, a descendant of one of the members of the Algonquin Round Table, about the book, The Lost Algonquin Round Table.

The Serious Story Behind 'The Informant' [audio 6 minutes 40 seconds]

The Informant opened in theaters on Friday. Although the movie is sometimes played for laughs, the real story was no laughing matter. It's based on a late-1990s case against the conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland. Executives there were accused of orchestrating a worldwide conspiracy to fix prices. Host Liane Hansen speaks to investigative writer Kurt Eichenwald, whose book, The Informant: A True Story, is the subject of the new movie starring Matt Damon.

Escape From Alcatraz And A 47-Year Manhunt [audio 7 minutes 46 seconds]

It was called The Rock — the country's only escape-proof prison. The federal penitentiary at Alcatraz was a cell house built on an island surrounded by the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay. Only the worst of the worst were sent there, lifers like Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin. But from the moment the three men arrived, it was clear they did not intend to stay. On June 12, 1962, they vanished, launching the largest manhunt of its time, one that has cont

Historian: Clinton Said Lewinsky Affair Came When He 'Just Cracked' [video 2 minutes, 18 seconds]

There are fascinating details throughout today's cover story in USA TODAY -- "Secret Interviews Add Insight To Clinton Presidency". Historian Taylor Branch conducted "79 oral history interviews" with his friend, then-president Bill Clinton, while Clinton was in the White House. Branch has pulled together a book, The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History With The President. As USA TODAY's Susan Page writes of her interviews with Branch about the book: &quo

"Atomic cold cream" [video 1 min 35 sec]

"Leaving a Mark: The Story of An Auschwitz Survivor" [podcast]

This documentary features the story of Eva Schloss whose life bore remarkable parallels to that of Anne Frank. Eva Schloss was also 15 years old when she and her family were transported to Auschwitz. Like Anne Frank she also lost beloved family members in the death camp. However, unlike Anne Frank, she lived to tell the tale. After their liberation, Eva’s mother married Otto Frank, Anne’s father. Eva’s story takes up where the Anne Frank diary left off. This program was produced by Dheera Sujan

"Union Soldier Comes Home, 147 Years Later" [podcast 3 min 26 sec]

On Thursday morning at Saratoga National Cemetery in New York, a soldier who died 147 years ago was finally laid to rest. The unknown soldier was killed at the battle of Antietam during the Civil War. Thursday marked the anniversary of that battle near Sharpsburg, Md., where more than 23,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed or injured in 12 hours of fighting — making it the bloodiest day in U.S. military history.

The Moderometer: Charting Obama's Zig-Zag ... July 28 to August 18

(First published HNN, 8-24-09) Mr. Troy is Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal and a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC. His latest book is: Leading from the Center: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents (Basic Books).

The Moderometer: Charting Obama's Zig-Zag ... July 28 to August 18

(First published HNN, 8-24-09) Mr. Troy is Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal and a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC. His latest book is: Leading from the Center: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents (Basic Books).

Launching the Moderometer

(First published HNN, 8-4-09) The HNN Homepage features the "moderometer," my attempt to summarize and chart Barack Obama's most significant policy moves, to see if he is leading from the center, as he vowed to do during the presidential campaign. I acknowledge the "Alice in the Looking Glass" nature of this exercise: it is problematic to simplify

The Moderometer: Charting Obama’s Zig-Zag ... Step Left Domestically, Gesture Left Globally, but Keep Your Foreign Policies Somewhat Centered

(First published, 8-3-09) Mr. Troy is Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal and a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC. His latest book is: Leading from the Center: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents (Basic Books).

Do We Need a Moderometer to Push for Centrism?

(First published, HNN, 6-19-08) Mr. Troy is Professor of History at McGill University, and the author, most recently, of

Interview with Doris Kearns Goodwin: In 'True Compass,' Kennedy Finally Felt Free To Reflect [audio 6 minutes, 45 seconds]

BOSTON — The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s new memoir, “True Compass,” provides an inside look at some of the most formative times in the senator’s life. Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin was a long-time family friend of Ted Kennedy’s. She spoke to us from her home about the book and its insights into Kennedy’s life and legacy.

Historian David Gibson and the extraordinary Lady Diamantina Bowen [audio 28 minutes, 36 seconds]

On the 10th of December this year, Queensland celebrates 150 years of independence from New South Wales. It's our Sesquicentenary. Our first Governor was Sir George Ferguson Bowen, and his wife was the celebrated Lady Diamantina Bowen, (born The Contessa Diamantina di Roma) after whom so many of our places throughout the State were named, for example, the Diamantina River and the western Qld city of Roma. Tonight noted historian, David Gibson of Newstead House has an ex

"Helen Hayes on Women in Service after World War II" [podcast 3 min 17 sec]

Helen Hayes, "First Lady of American Theater," spent eight decades on the stage, on film, and on radio -- winning all four major entertainment awards: a Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy. She was also known for her charitable work and her outspoken support for women breaking gender barriers of all sorts. In this audio selection from a post-WWII military broadcast, Hayes speaks up in support of women to entering military service. For information about Hayes' career, see:

"Karl Marx's Das Kapital" [podcast 4 min 39 sec]

With Labor Day just around the corner, we revisit one of the seminal 19th century works that recognized the central role of labor in the creation of capital. We look at Karl Marx's Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy -- or at least volume 1 of the 3-volume work, first published in 1867 while Marx was still alive (he died in 1883). The other two volumes were postumously published. Das Kapital explored the fundamental laws that shaped capitalist production and sought to expose the ironies

"The Story of the GI Bill" [podcast 30 min 43 sec and 26 min 03 sec]

Hosted by KALW News (San Francisco) director Holly Kernan, this radio documentary -- originally aired on KALW, 91.7 FM in San Francisco on May 8, 2005 -- explores the origins and important social and economic impacts of the GI Bill. "As World War II came to a close, the United States began mobilizing to support those who had honorably served the nation, offering returning soldiers a remarkable set of benefits. The Story of the GI Bill examines that extraordinary package of educational and f