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Legendary Sports Announcer Verne Lundquist Oct 18, 2018

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Legendary sports broadcaster Verne Lundquist recalls some of his favorite moments in sports and some of his favorite calls from Jack Nicklaus's final victory at the 1986 Masters and Tonya Harding's attack on Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympics to Christian Laettner's buzzer beater in the NCAA tournament and the Auburn-Alabama shocker of 2013. Verne shares why one radio station owner wanted him to change his name to "Jerry Lund," why he hated his short lived stint as a local news reporter in San Antonio, and how Tex Schram lured him to Dallas to become the voice of the Cowboys. He recalls how Scott Hamilton gave him a crash course in skating during his first Winter Olympics, why he took it as a demotion when CBS first moved him from covering the NFL to the South Eastern Conference, and he gets a little sentimental when he talks about the huge sendoff that he got during his final season announcing SEC football.

Order Play by Play: Calling the Wildest Games in Sports-From SEC Football to College Basketball, The Masters, and More on Amazon, Audible or wherever books are sold. Today's episode was sponsored by Tahereh Mafi's A Very Large Expanse of Sea, Heineken, National Security Agency Recruitment, and BambooHR. Visit Kickass News at www.kickassnews.com, subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts, and follow us on twitter at @KickassNewsPod.

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Doris Kearns Goodwin on Presidential Leadership Oct 15, 2018

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Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin revisits four of her favorite U.S. Presidents for her new book Leadership: In Turbulent Times. Today she discusses the ideological family tree shared by Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, how their character was shaped by their setbacks, and how their destinies were forged in times of crisis. She shares how Abraham Lincoln gave purpose to the Civil War, how Teddy Roosevelt averted a coal strike that would have left millions of Americans in the cold, how Franklin Roosevelt got America through our greatest economic crisis by talking to every American as a trusted friend, and how Lyndon Johnson managed to accomplish what JFK could not on civil rights. She recounts a meeting between a wily President Franklin Roosevelt and a young Congressman Lyndon Johnson, the time Theodore Roosevelt showed up to cheer on his own protesters, and how President LBJ gradually won over a very young and very skeptical Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Order Leadership: In Turbulent Times on Amazon, Audible or wherever books are sold. Keep up with Dorris Kearns Goodwin at www.doriskearnsgoodwin.com or on twitter at @DorisKGoodwin. Today's episode was sponsored by Espresso Monster, Heineken, Bombas, and BambooHR. Visit Kickass News at www.kickassnews.com, subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts, and follow us on twitter at @KickassNewsPod.

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Founder of "The Onion" Scott Dikkers Oct 11, 2018

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As the founder of The Onion, Scott Dikkers practically invented "fake news." He discusses the origins of the satirical news site as a print newspaper on college campuses, how he drew inspiration from National Lampoon and Spy Magazine, and the article about Bill Clinton and the War in Bosnia that prompted The Onion to finally go online. He recalls creating cable news parodies with a young Stephen Colbert on the Dana Carvey Show, how the Onion fooled Mahmud Ahmadenijad, and the article that led Donald Trump to threaten to sue. Then Scott shares why he’s turning his sharp wit on billionaire Elon Musk in his new book Welcome to the Future Which Is Mine.

Order Welcome to the Future Which Is Mine on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold. Read the latest sidesplitting headlines on the Onion at www.theonion.com, and keep up with Scott at www.ScottDikkers.com or on Twitter at @ScottDikkers. Today's episode was sponsored by Heineken. Visit Kickass News at www.kickassnews.com, subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts, and follow us on twitter at @KickassNewsPod.

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Mitch Albom on Life, Death, and Morrie Oct 08, 2018

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Mitch Albom is the author the all time best-selling memoir Tuesday's with Morrie and six #1 Bestsellers that have sold over a million copies worldwide. He talks about his new novel The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, how losing his adopted daughter to cancer inspired his latest book, and what the book has to say about mistakes and forgiveness. He reveals how difficult it was to get Tuesdays with Morrie published, some of the lessons from Morrie Schwartz that have come to mean more to him 20 years later, and what Morrie who preached “don’t buy into the culture" would think about our social media obsessed society. Plus Mitch discusses how came to care for an entire orphanage in Haiti, the band he formed with Stephen King and other famous writers, and the five people he would like to meet in heaven.

Order The Next Person You Meet in Heaven available 10/9 on Amazon, Audible or wherever books are sold. For more on Mitch, visit www.mitchalbom.com and follow him on twitter at @MitchAlbom. Today's episode was sponsored by Heineken and BambooHR. Visit Kickass News at www.kickassnews.com, subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts, and follow us on twitter at @KickassNewsPod.

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Jeff Bridges Gets Zen About Art, Acting, and the Environment Oct 04, 2018

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Jeff Bridges discusses his 6 decades in Hollywood and what he learned about acting from dad Lloyd Bridges. He recalls the "Little Rascals" version of Tucker that he and Francis Ford Coppola made prior to filming, laughing it up with Robin Williams and Terry Gilliam on the set of The Fisher King, and how he and his brother Beau tested each other during The Fabulous Baker Boys. He shares stories about making The Last Picture Show, King Kong, Heaven's Gate, The Contender, and True Grit. He talks about The Big Lebowski fandom, how he feels about being identified with his iconic character "the Dude," and why he says the Dude is a zenmaster. Then Jeff Bridges gets zen about the environment with his new documentary Living in the Future's Past. He discusses how we can take a more global approach to climate change, explains the evolutionary roots of our energy consumption, and says humans collectively form a super-organism that is exhausting resources at a faster and faster pace. He calls for the removal of politics from the climate debate and suggests how everyone can make individuals changes that can have a big impact.

Living in the Future's Past opens in theaters Friday, October 5. Visit www.livinginthefuturespastfilm.com for information and showtimes. Be sure to catch his other film Bad Times at the El Royale opening in theaters Friday, October 12. Keep up with Jeff at www.jeffbridges.com. Today's podcast was sponsored by Heineken and Espresso Monster. Visit Kickass News at www.kickassnews.com, subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts, and follow us on twitter at @KickassNewsPod.

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Cisco's John Chambers on Leadership in a Startup World Oct 01, 2018

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John Chambers is widely considered one of the world’s greatest business leaders, and today he discusses how he turned Cisco into a global tech giant with $47 billion in revenues and 70,000 employees. He talks about his early years working at IBM and Wang Laboratories and how those experiences led to his lifelong mantra “disrupt or be disrupted.” He opens up about his struggle with dyslexia, how it helped him see 4 and 5 chess moves ahead as a CEO, and why he encourages other business leaders to “think like a dyslexic.” He explains how Cisco acquired and absorbed 180 companies, how Cisco vanquished nearly 100 rivals, and the pitfalls of “doing the right thing for too long.” He reveals how Cisco survived the 2001 dot com crash, the advice that GE’s Jack Welch gave him in the company’s darkest hour, and how that close-call better prepared him when the financial crisis hit a few years later. John suggests the US could learn something about innovation from France, he shares how he’s planning to replace coal jobs with tech jobs in his homestate of West Virginia, and why he is making a big bet that crickets are the food of the future.

Order John Chambers's book Connecting the Dots: Lessons for Leadership in a Startup World on Amazon. Today’s episode was sponsored by Heineken and Ziprecruiter.

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CBS White House Correspondent Major Garrett Sep 27, 2018

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CBS News' chief White House correspondent Major Garrett has covered the last 4 administrations but says nothing could prepare him for President Donald Trump. He recalls his strange first encounter with the reality TV star who would become President and the craziest 11 days he’s ever experienced as a White House correspondent. He discusses the many ways in which the President is his own worst enemy, how the President’s failure at healtchare reform lead to his success on tax reform, and yet he learned nothing from it. He shares some of the reasons why many Republicans have said no thanks to a job in the Trump Administration, why the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation is a must win for Trump, and why he believes we are already witnessing a transformative Presidency.

Order Major Garrett's new book MR. TRUMP’S WILD RIDE: THE THRILLS, CHILLS, SCREAMS, AND OCCASIONAL BLACKOUTS OF AN EXTRAORDINARY PRESIDENCY on Amazon. See Major regularly reporting from the White House on CBS News, subscribe to his podcast The Takeout on Apple Podcast or wherever you like to listen, and follow him on twitter at @MajorCBS. Today’s episode was sponsored by Heineken.

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Ken Burns on the Mayo Clinic Miracle Sep 24, 2018

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Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns discusses his new film The Mayo Clinic: Faith Hope Science and tells incredible story of a country physician and a Franciscan nun who built the medical institution known as “The Miracle in Minnesota.” He talks about the natural disaster that led to the formation of the Mayo Clinic, their astounding success rate at a time when going to a hospital was considered a death sentence, and how Dr. W.W. Mayo and his staff innovated everything from sterilization and surgery right down to patient medical records. Then he reveals how the Mayo Clinic continues to take the profit motive out of medicine and put the focus back on the patient today, how an institution with more than 62,000 employees still manages to provide personalized care rather than treat people like a number, and why the doctors of the Mayo Clinic believe that faith and hope are every bit as essential to healing as science. Plus Ken Burns shares just a few of the touching testimonials from people whose lives were changed by the Mayo Clinic including one of the final interviews with the late Senator John McCain.

The Mayo Clinic: Faith Hope Science airs on PBS on Tuesday 9/25 at 9PM ET and airs again on Wednesday 9/26. For more information, visit www.pbs.org. Today’s episode was sponsored by Heineken, Emma Email Marketing, Bombas, and the Around the NFL podcast.

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Sir Richard Branson on his Adventures in Business, Space, and Beyond Sep 20, 2018

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Sir Richard Branson talks about The Virgin Group philosophy, why he likes to act fast when launching a new business, and how many of his best ideas came from his own desires and frustrations as a consumer. He gives advice to young entrepreneurs and shares what he’s learned from his mistakes. He reveals his reasons for selling Virgin America to Alaska Air, and he outlines his vision of the future with Virgin Galactic and his latest venture Virgin Hyperloop One. Plus he talks about his strange lunch with Donald Trump, his most harrowing adventures, and his habit of chopping off people’s neckties.

Order Sir Richard Branson's new book FINDING MY VIRGINITY on Amazon or download the audio book at Audible. Keep up with Richard Branson at www.virgin.com or on Twitter at @richardbranson. Today’s episode is sponsored by Heineken and I Love You, But I Hate Your Politics podcast.

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Chris Stirewalt Gives a Colorful History of American Populism Sep 17, 2018

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Fox News' politics editor Chris Stirewalt discusses the history of American populism, how economic resentment fuels populism even in times of huge prosperity, and why the will of the people doesn’t always make for great policy. He discusses why populist leaders are so prone to hucksterism and easy answers including one politician who literally started out as snake oil salesman, and why it’s a good thing that most populist leaders never actually get to govern. He talks about how the least likely populist President Teddy Roosevelt's progressive Bull Moose Party impacted the GOP for over a century and how George Wallace shifted the focus from economic populism to cultural populism. He explains why Pat Buchanan is the grandfather of Trumpism and how Ross Perot invented the trope of the businessman who can fix Washington. Plus we talk about the time America flirted with electing a self-professed socialist and radical, why the election of 1864 still gives Chris hope, and why modern aspiring populists would do well to study Andrew Jackson's appeal to immigrants.

Order Chris Stirewalt's book Every Man a King: A Short, Colorful History of American Populist on Amazon, subscribe to his podcast Perino and Stirewalt: I’ll Tell You What wherever you like to listen, and follow him on twitter at @Chris Stirewalt. Today’s episode was sponsored by Heineken, Emma Email Marketing, NFL Podcasts, and Espresso Monster.

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