Episodes

  • American history through song

    American history through song
    Jul 7 2026
    There are many ways to look at and understand American history. In this series, we’ve shared stories about how this country was founded and how it continues to evolve over time. Today, a journey through American history, with the sounds of music.

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    22 mins
  • The genius and murkiness of the Constitution

    The genius and murkiness of the Constitution
    Jun 30 2026
    What does the Constitution mean to me? That’s a question writer and actor Heidi Schreck asked herself years ago, when she started working on her one-woman play about the Constitution — a document that she loved deeply. Today on the show, we ask the same question as we explore what the historical document means, and how it’s impacted generations of Americans.

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    21 mins
  • From Hormuz to Suez: the chokepoints of global power

    From Hormuz to Suez: the chokepoints of global power
    Jun 25 2026
    Oil may dominate the headlines about the Middle East, but the real power often flows through water. Three narrow passages - the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz, and Bab el-Mandeb – shape how the world moves. In times of crisis, they've become chokepoints, disrupting global trade, rattling markets, and shifting the balance of power way beyond the region. In this episode, three stories from these waterways… how they've helped define the modern Middle East and, as we've seen recently with Hormuz, the economic currents that affect us all.

    Guests:

    Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, and Eisenhower's Campaign for Peace

    Harold Lee Wise, author of Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988

    Farea Al-Muslimi, Yemen and Gulf researcher at Chatham House in London

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    51 mins
  • Prosperity gospel and the American dream

    Prosperity gospel and the American dream
    Jun 23 2026
    A lot of our everyday lives are shaped by the idea that if we really believe in something, it will happen. But where does that idea come from? And what does it have to do with the American dream? Today on the show, how the prosperity gospel has blended self-improvement, religion and capitalism into an everyday recipe for success – one that any of us can try.

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    15 mins
  • How the Supreme Court claimed supreme power

    How the Supreme Court claimed supreme power
    Jun 18 2026
    The Supreme Court's 2025-26 term has been punctuated with some high-stakes cases: birthright citizenship, voting rights, presidential powers and consequential civil rights cases. Some of the most anticipated and significant cases have yet to be decided. As the justices make the final sprint to the end of the term in early July, we take stock of how the Supreme Court evolved from the weakest branch of government to the powerhouse arbiter it is today. This episode originally aired in 2020.

    Guests:

    Larry Kramer, former dean of Stanford Law School and author of The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review

    Rachel Shelden, associate professor of History and director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at Penn State University, and author of The Political Supreme Court

    Lucas Powe Jr., professor of Law and Government at the University of Texas

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    54 mins
  • Captain America and the nation's conscience

    Captain America and the nation's conscience
    Jun 16 2026
    What does it mean to be American? For one superhero, it means donning yourself in the colors of the American flag, sticking up for the little guy, and making sure you stick to your morals. This week, we dive into the comics of Captain America, and what happened to him – and to the country – post World War II.

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    13 mins
  • The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat

    The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat
    Jun 11 2026
    Threats against public officials have become much, much more common. This includes everyone from the president of the United States to members of Congress, to state and local officials, and even civil servants like local librarians. Threats have always been a part of United States history, often manifesting in times of political turmoil or cultural tension. The internet age opened a new chapter in the U.S. making threats easier to make and harder to trace and prosecute. So what exactly is the standard for defining a criminal threat? How has it changed? And how do we balance safety and free speech in a world where the two seem increasingly at odds? On this episode of Throughline, the shifting line between protected speech and true threats.

    Guests:

    David L. Hudson, Jr., associate professor of Law at Belmont University Law School and First Amendment fellow for the Freedom Forum

    Mary Anne Franks, professor at The George Washington Law School, and author of Fearless Speech and The Cult of the Constitution

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    36 mins