Hannah Arendt witnessed the rise of Nazism in Germany and her groundbreaking works, including The Origins of Totalitarianism, sought to understand how regular people could be seduced by horrendous ideologies such as antisemitism and fascism. In this episode, Ben speaks with documentarian Jeff Bieber, whose new film Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny, documents Adendt’s life as an intellectual, refugee and, eventually, an American citizen whose concerns about power remain as relevant today as they were half a century ago.
Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny premiered on PBS on June 27 and is available to watch on pbs.org by clicking here.
For more on Jeff Bieber’s work, check out his website: JeffBieberProductions.org.
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
Kathleen DuVal joins Ben & Bob for a discussion of her Pulitzer Prize-winning book Native Nations: A Millennium in North America (Random House, 2024) and how understanding North American history from both Native and non-Native perspectives helps us better understand our shared story. We also discuss her work with Ken Burns on his upcoming documentary on the American Revolution.
Dr. Kathleen DuVal is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Previous episodes mentioned in this conversation:
-#183 The History of the Lumbee Indians w/ Malinda Maynor Lowery (also available here on YouTube)
-#5 Tara Houska & Joe Genetin Pilawa on Native American Culture & History
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer
Bob speaks with UNC-Chapel Hill historian Molly Worthen about her new book Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Trump.
Gary Fletcher edited this episode.
Ben tells the story of Marion Zioncheck, inventor of the Zioncheck Zipper* and the only sitting member of congress to escape from an insane asylum.
This is the second part of our live show featuring guests Major Garrett (CBS News), Margaret Talev (Syracuse University/Axios) & Doug Heye (too many to list). Check out the first part in episode #338 Murder & Mayhem in the Capital City.
Special thanks to Rivers Langley of The Goods from The Woods for recommending the Zioncheck story to Ben.
If you enjoy this trivia round, make sure to check out Perfect Timing, the comedy game show that Ben hosts monthly at The Lab at Zanies Nashville! You can follow us on instagram at @PTgameshow
The conversation was recorded on May 29, 2025 at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC. Thanks to Matt Burton and the crew at The Hamilton for hosting us and to everyone who came out to the show!
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
* 2oz rye
3/4oz honey syrup
6-8 mint leaves
Muddle mint, stir, serve in a double old fashioned glass with crushed ice and a mint sprig for garnish
Major Garrett (CBS News), Margaret Talev (Syracuse University/Axios) & Doug Heye (too many to list) join Bob & Ben for a conversation about Washington, DC’s long history of scandals and how media has shaped public perceptions of what is/isn’t acceptable in American politics.
The conversation was recorded on May 29, 2025 at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC. A special thanks to Matt Burton and the crew at The Hamilton for hosting us and to everyone who came out to the show!
If you enjoy this episode, make sure to check out part 2 of our live recording in episode 339 (air date 6/11/25).
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
Few American Christians in the 21st Century question the compatibility of their faith with a capitalist economic system. Two hundred years ago, however, the social and economic changes that came with the rise of a capitalism posed fundamental challenges to Christian practices and beliefs. In this episode, Joseph Slaughter joins us to discuss his book Faith in Markets: Christian Capitalism in the Early American Republic and how Christian responses to the rise of capitalism in the 19th Century laid the foundation for how we understand our modern economy.
Dr. Joseph P. Slaughter is Assistant Professor of History and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Guns and Society at Wesleyan College.
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.