Shows

We examine the history of attorneys general and how they sometimes appear to favor the president instead of the Constitution. Plus, the challenges for Vice Presidents as they navigate the pluses and minuses of the presidents they served under. And, George Wallace Jr., remembers the horrific attempt on his father’s life, late Alabama governor George Wallace, 48 years ago this week.

With Republican-turned-independent-turned Libertarian congressman Justin Amash of Michigan’s probable presidential candidacy as a Libertarian, who will be hurt more, Trump or Biden? Former NAACP President Cornell Brooks goes back 60 years when Martin Luther King Jr. was stopped by police while he was driving a white woman in Georgia in 1960. And we recall the Tea Party’s takedown of Dick Lugar in Indiana, eight years ago this week.

We look at the politics of the pandemic in Georgia and examine what will likely be a very tough race for Senator Susan Collins in Maine. Plus, we go back 50 years and remember the killings of four students at Kent State University by national guardsmen during a protest against the Vietnam War.

What are the usual pluses and minuses nominees look for in picking a VP? Plus, Curt Smith discusses his book about the love affair between politics and baseball. And we go back 20 years to recall the raid in Miami that reunited Elian Gonzalez with his father.

We review the top political news of the week including the endorsements of Joe Biden by Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama, plus analysis of how Wisconsin voters ousted a conservative Supreme Court justice. Plus, we go back 60 years to remember when also-ran presidential candidate Nelson Rockefeller insisted on platform changes before he would endorse Richard Nixon. And Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times talks about her new book, “Firsts,” about the class of women elected to the House in the 2018 midterm elections.

Wisconsin voters were told to stay home because of the coronavirus and then told to go out and vote in the state’s primary. We discuss what put voters in the Badger State in this predicament. Plus, a personal account of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is getting high marks for keeping his state informed. And journalist Ken Walsh discusses his new book about how presidents (going back to FDR) have dealt with crises during their tenure.

Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News, discusses his new book describing what it’s like to watch Donald Trump up close. Lou Cannon, who during the Reagan presidency was the chief White House correspondent for the Washington Post, remembers the influence of John Sears, the Reagan strategist who died last week. And former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) recalls what went into passing monumental campaign finance legislation, only to see it become defunct after Citizens United.

Should media outlets continue covering President Trump’s briefings on the coronavirus live? Plus, the impact of several postponements of presidential primaries. And Steve Forbes reflects on his challenge to George W. Bush during the 2000 campaign and how the Republican Party has changed since.

Some states are postponing their primaries due to the coronavirus outbreak. What are the problems with this approach, and what are the solutions? And after last weekend’s Biden-Sanders debate, will audience-free debates be the new norm? Plus, earlier this month, the last surviving member of a Puerto Rican nationalist group that tried in 1954 to kill members of the House of Representatives died. We replay an interview with former Congressman Paul Kanjorski who was on the House floor that day.

We discuss how the entrance of Steve Bullock into the Montana Senate race gives Democrats a chance at a much-needed pickup. Plus, did sexism contribute to the failed candidacy of Elizabeth Warren? And Neal Conan joins Ken to talk about the race for president and the changes in his life.