Hour 1
JAMES FALLOWS is National Correspondent for "The Atlantic," has worked for the magazine for more than 25 years and writes an influential blog on the magazine’s website. And he recently returned from a three-year post in China, which is the launching point for his most recent magazine piece, "How America Can Rise Again." In it, Fallows finds comfort in what he calls a “peculiarly American cycle of crisis and renewal,” and in the enduring strengths of the United States, including higher education, receptiveness to immigration and culture of innovation. But, he sees a major problem in the dysfunctional state of the nation’s governance, and calls for the kind of systemic reforms that seem all but impossible in today’s politically charged environment.

Filed under: author, economy, environment, military, politics, world |

Hour 2
DAVID AARONOVITCH’s new book, "Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History," looks at, and debunks, some of the most widely believed conspiracy theories in circulation today. From Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moonwalk to Princess Diana’s death to the 9/11 terror attacks, Aaronovitch analyzes not only why alternate – and untrue – stories about seminal events have caught on, but also how the myths themselves have come to alter the course of actual history.

Filed under: author, social issues |