Douglas Brinkley

"One small step for man."

On President John F. Kennedy's centennial, a look at his legacy of intellect and healing in contrast to today's divisive politics.

Tonight, President Barack Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address. We look back on the history of the address, and where Obama's stack up. 

Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and author of Cronkite, explains what the historical precedent is for Obama's second term and for storm response.

 

Coming up, the legacy of Sargent Shriver- the founding director of the Peace Corps, the politician and Vice Presidential candidate, and civil society leader. Shriver died yesterday at...

The weekend’s shooting reminds us how common assassination attempts on politicians are in our country. And while people spar back and forth about whether Jared Loughner is crazy or whether he is political, there’s another conversation to be had: Why does radicalism become attractive to people? And how has the brew of high-voltage rhetoric, accessibility of weapons, and a dash of encouragement lead people to commit atrocious acts that, at times, have drastically changed the course of our nation? 

When future generations look back on this election, the first after President Obama's dramatic victory in 2008, will they see it as a repeat of the 1994 Gingrich Revolution? An unraveling of the Obama agenda? Or a chance for the president to rebrand himself?

Two disasters, two presidents, one city. Even though the Gulf oil spill hasn't directly hit New Orleans, it's hard not to think of the disaster in the context of the Hurricane that hit the same region five years ago. Historian Douglas Brinkley says its residents are in a state of "permanent stress." But, he says, he's more angry now because this disaster was man made. New Orleans is Brinkley's adopted home town and he assesses President Obama's response so far.

President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” according to the Nobel...

Tomorrow, in the midst of a string of health care town halls, President Obama is squeezing in a family trip with Michelle and his daughters. The Obamas will visit the Grand Canyon ...

Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and the author of the recent Rolling Stone cover story on Bob Dylan and John Schaefer, host of WNYC's Soundcheck and New Sounds discuss the latest Bob Dylan album and what it means ...

Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and most recently the author of Gerald R. Ford, comments on the election and its historical significance.