Stay ConnectedBob Crawford (The Avett Brothers) & Dr. Ben Sawyer (MTSU History) share conversations with great thinkers from a variety of backgrounds – historians, artists, legal scholars, political figures and more –who help us uncover the many roads that run between past and present.
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For half a century, the US-Soviet rivalry pitted the two most powerful nations in human history against one another other in a conflict that had the potential to end civilization. The fact that the Cold War ended without the doomsday scenarios so many had predicted is testament to the power of good diplomacy, and good diplomacy only happens when you have good diplomats.
In this episode we speak with Jack Matlock, a diplomat whose 35 years in the State Department culminated in his selection by Ronald Reagan to serve as US Ambassador to the Soviet Union in the final years of the Cold War, where he played a key role in transforming US-Soviet relations.
Last week, the Trump Administration cut over 1,350 positions in the US State Department, many of them held by dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced foreign service experts who have sacrificed a great deal to serve our country abroad. We hope that by sharing our conversation with Ambassador Matlock, you'll better appreciate the crucial work done by our diplomatic corp and why we'd all be better off if the Trump administration reconsidered its drastic cuts to the state department.
This is an abridged version of RTN episode #50, which was recorded live at Middle Tennessee State University and originally aired on March 28, 2017. An unabridged video version of this episode is available on our YouTube page by clicking here. This reair was edited by Ben Sawyer.
FBI agent Robert Hanssen was one of the most damaging spies in US history. From 1979 to 2001, Hanssen delivered some of the United States governments' most sensitive secrets to Soviet and Russian agents, who used them to not only undermine US national security, but to identify and execute individuals who were working with the FBI. And despite an awareness of spies working within the FBI, Hanssen managed to operate for more than two decades before finally getting caught.
In this episode we speak with CBS News' Major Garrett, whose new podcast Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen, explores Hanssen's decision to spy on the US and how he managed to operate for so long without being caught. A thoroughly researched history with all the turns of a great true crime podcast, we think you'll enjoy Agent of Betrayal, available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.
This episode originally aired as episode 287 on October 16, 2023. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.
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.
Ben & Bob sit down with friend and community builder Will Acuff for a conversation about how to find the good in life. Will founded the non-profit Corner to Corner, which "co-creates economic participation with underestimated Nashvillians," alongside his wife Tiffany, and recently published his first book No Elevator to Everest: Shift from Survive to Thrive through Spirit-led Self Awareness.
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.
The Good Friday Agreements of 1998 marked a turning point in Irish history, bringing an end to three decades known as The Troubles and laying a course for a better future for the people of Ireland. In this historian Mark Doyle and Friends of Sinn Féin Executive Director Greg O'Loughlin join us for a conversation about Irish history, the status of Irish unification, and how peace is possible even in the hardest of times.
Dr. Mark Doyle is Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University where he specializes in the history of Ireland and Great Britain. He previously joined us to discuss his books on The Kinks (Episode 169) and John Cale's Paris 1919 (episode 333).
Greg O'Loughlin is Executive Director of The Friends of Sinn Féin and is currently spearheading a listening tour across the United States to learn about Irish-Americans' views on Irish independence. Dates and more information are available at friendsofsinnfein.com.
This episode was edited by Ben Sawyer.
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