American Politics Audiobooks | Politics

Code of Silence: Sexual Misconduct by Federal Judges, the Secret System That Protects Them, and the

In the age of #MeToo, learn how brave whistleblowers have dared to lift the federal court's veil of secrecy to expose powerful judges who appear to defy laws they have sworn to uphold. Code of Silence tells the story of federal court employee Cathy McBroom, who had to flee her job as a case manager in Galveston, Texas, after enduring years of sexual harassment and assault by her boss-US District Judge Samuel Kent. Following a decade of firsthand reporting at the Houston Chronicle, investigative reporter Lise Olsen charts McBroom's assault and the aftermath, when McBroom was thrust into the role of whistleblower to denounce a federal judge. What Olsen discovered by investigating McBroom's story and other federal judicial misconduct matters nationwide was shocking. With the help of other federal judges, Kent was being protected by a secretive court system that has long tolerated or ignored complaints about corruption, sexism, and sexual misconduct-enabling him to remain in office for years. Other powerful judges accused of judicial misconduct were never investigated and remain in power or retired with full pay, such as US Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski and Kozinski's mentee, Brett Kavanaugh. McBroom's ultimate triumph is a rare story of redemption and victory as Judge Kent became the first and only federal judge to be impeached for sexual misconduct. Olsen also weaves in narratives of other brave women across the country who, at great personal risk, have reported federal judges to reveal how sexual harassment and assault occur elsewhere inside the federal court system. The accounts of the women and their allies who are still fighting for reforms are moving, intimate, and inspiring-including whistleblowers and law professors like Leah Litman, Emily Murphy, and novelist Heidi Bond, who emerged to denounce Kozinski in 2017. A larger group of women-and men-banded together to form a group called Law Clerks for Accountability, which is continuing to push for more reforms to the courts' secretive complaint review system. Code of Silence also reveals the role the press plays in holding systems of power in check. Kent would not have been charged had it not been for Olsen's reporting and the Houston Chronicle's commitment to the story.

Lise Olsen (Author), Samara Naeymi (Narrator)

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My Vanishing Country Mi país se desvanece (Spanish edition): Memorias

En estas memorias, el analista político y representante de estado más joven de Carolina del Sur ahonda sobre las vidas del olvidado sur negro. «Soy del llamado País Bajo de Carolina del Sur, donde se entrelazan la belleza, la historia y la desgracia. Basta conducir cincuenta millas en cualquier dirección para hallarse en los mismos campos donde los esclavos —algunos de ellos, ancestros no tan lejanos— sudaban sobre el algodón, el índigo, la caña de azúcar, el arroz, el trigo y la soja. Específicamente, soy de Dinamarca, Carolina del Sur, un lugar donde todo el mundo conocía mi apellido; un apellido, según descubrí en mi infancia, teñido por el honor y la infamia». En cada capítulo, Bakari Sellers nos permite presenciar las vidas y luchas cotidianas de la población afroamericana rural del sur de los Estados Unidos a través de tanto sus vivencias como anécdotas históricas y políticas. Mi país se desvanece es un recorrido nostálgico, conmovedor y sincero sobre los acontecimientos e injusticas que marcaron a generaciones de hombres y mujeres negras, incluida la familia Sellers, hasta hoy día. Con estas memorias, Sellers adopta una nueva vía de lucha por los derechos civiles afroamericanos. Bakari Sellers es analista político en CNN y el miembro más joven en toda la historia de la legislatura estatal de Carolina del Sur. Incluido en la lista de «Los 40 de menos de 40» de la revista Time en 2010, también es abogado que lucha por dar voz a los que no la tienen.

Bakari Sellers (Author), Daniel Cubillo (Narrator)

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Steal This Book

Still Notorious, Radical, and Revolutionary 50 Years Later. A survival guide from one of the greatest creative organizers of the 20th century-now with a new foreword by co-conspirator, Lisa Fithian. Throughout the 1960's and 70's, Abbie Hoffman criss-crossed the country, ferreting out alternative ways of getting by in America-some illegal and all radical. Causing scandals with its advice on how to Survive!, Fight!, and Liberate! in the "prison that is Amerika," Steal This Book is a revolutionary's manual to running a guerilla movement, as well as getting free food, housing, transportation, medical care, and more. This anniversary edition gives a new generation an insider's view into the movements of the sixties and seventies. While many of the holes in the system that Abbie exposed have since been plugged, the spirit of revolution, the dedication to opposing injustice, and the passion of creative activism continue to inspire today.

Abbie Hoffman (Author), Christine Marshall, Stacy Carolan (Narrator)

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How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies: Taking On Liberal Arguments with Logic and Humor

Political commentator and media personality Will Witt gives young conservatives the ammunition they need to fight back against the liberal media. Popular culture in America today is dominated by the left. Most young people have never even heard of conservative values from someone their age, and if they do, the message is often bland and outdated. Almost every Hollywood actor, musician, media personality, and role model for young people in America rejects conservative values, and Gen Zs and millennials are quick to regurgitate these viewpoints without developing their own opinions on issues. So many young conservatives in America want to stand up for their beliefs in their classrooms, at their jobs, with their friends, or on social media, but they don't have the tools to do so. In How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies, Will Witt arms Gen Zs and millennials with the knowledge and skills to combat the leftist narrative they hear every day.

Will Witt (Author), Will Witt (Narrator)

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The Bidens: Inside the First Family's Fifty-Year Rise to Power

A deeply reported exploration of Joe Biden as told through his extended family. Coming off of the 2020 election, THE BIDENS tells the Biden Family story in full, from the secrets lurking in the deep recesses of Joe's family tree to his son Hunter's foreign deal-making spree-and the Trump gang's ham-handed efforts to exploit it. On November 3, Americans did not just elect Joe Biden: They got a package deal. The tight-knit Biden family-siblings, children, in-laws, and beyond-is coming right along with him. They are sure to play a defining role in his presidency, just as they have in every other one of his endeavors. Inside, you'll find these and other stories and revelations about the Biden family, including: - Joe's childhood, the stunning 1972 Senate upset engineered by his sister Valerie, and the car accident that took the lives of his first wife and infant daughter soon after - Joe's early years in the Senate and his role in the creation of the cozy "Delaware Way" of conducting politics - The Biden brothers' business escapades, including the '70s rock club rivalry that pitted Jim Biden against Jill's first husband and ended in a banking scandal - The Delaware lawman who oversaw an FBI investigation into Joe's 2007 campaign fundraising and now has Hunter in his sights - Hunter's surprisingly close friendship with his Fox News antagonist, Tucker Carlson - What Steve Bannon really hoped to accomplish by giving the contents of "the Laptop from Hell" to the New York Post - New evidence that sheds light on the authenticity of Hunter's alleged computer files Like the Kennedys before them, the Bidens are a tight-knit, idealistic Irish Catholic clan with good looks, dynastic ambitions, and serious personal problems. As THE BIDENS reveals, the best way to understand Joe Biden-his values, fears, and motives-is to understand his family: Their Irish (and not-so-Irish) roots, their place in the Delaware pecking order, their dodgy business deals, and their personal struggles and triumphs alike.

Ben Schreckinger (Author), Aaron Abano (Narrator)

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Principles Matter: The Constitution, Progressives, and the Trump Era

Progressives who opposed the Trump administration's policies found themselves repeatedly relying on constitutional principles grounded in federalism, separation of powers, and free speech to resist the federal government. Although many progressives had either criticized or underemphasized those principles before Trump, the principles became vital to progressive causes after Trump was elected. Using dozens of examples from the ways in which Trump abused presidential powers, this book explains how the three sets of principles can help mitigate the harms that autocratic leaders in the Trump mold can inflict on both democratic institutions and vulnerable minorities. In doing so, the book urges progressives to follow this rule of thumb in the post-Trump era: If a constitutional principle was worth deploying to resist Trump's harmful policies and autocratic governance, then it is worth defending in the post-Trump era even if it makes the short-term attainment of progressive objectives more difficult. This type of principled constitutionalism is essential not only because being principled is good in and of itself, but also because being principled in matters related to federalism, separation of powers, and free speech will help both advance progressive causes over the long run and reduce the threats posed by future autocratic leaders.

Carlos A. Ball (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

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Dear America: Live Like It's 9/12

A U.S. Army veteran and rising star in the conservative movement makes the case that the United States should look to the country as it was on September 12th, 2001 for lessons about our future. On the day after the World Trade Center was attacked, Americans came together regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. We were united. On that day, nearly every store in the country sold out of American flags. After the events of the last eighteen months, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the constant attempts to divide us by race, Graham Allen believes that we should all look back on the events of 9/12 and remember what unites us. He believes that we do not all have to be the same, that it's okay not to agree on everything, but that we share a common history and a set of values. Just as the year 1776 serves as a reminder of our beginning, 9/12 will serve as a reminder of our present and future.

Graham Allen (Author), John Pruden (Narrator)

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Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy

Has American democracy's long, ambitious run come to an end? Possibly yes. As William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe argue in this trenchant new analysis of modern politics, the United States faces a historic crisis that threatens our system of self-government-and if democracy is to be saved, the causes of the crisis must be understood and defused. The most visible cause is Donald Trump, who has used his presidency to attack the nation's institutions and violate its democratic norms. Yet Trump is but a symptom of causes that run much deeper: social forces like globalization, automation, and immigration that for decades have generated economic harms and cultural anxieties that our government has been wholly ineffective at addressing. The solution lies in having a government that can deal with them-which calls for aggressive new policies, but also for institutional reforms that enhance its capacity for effective action. The path to progress is filled with political obstacles, including an increasingly populist, anti-government Republican Party. But if the challenge is to be met, we need reforms of the presidency itself-reforms that harness the promise of presidential power for effective government, but firmly protect against the fear that it may be put to anti-democratic ends.

Terry M. Moe, William G. Howell (Author), James Romick (Narrator)

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The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America's Empire

The Kennedys in the World tells a new, rich, fascinating, and consequential story about Jack, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy. From an early age the brothers developed a deep understanding of the different peoples, cultures, and ideologies around the world; a keen appreciation for the challenges that such differences created for the United States; and a strong desire to reshape America's response to them. From their childhoods in the first half of the twentieth century, the brothers were prodded by their ruthless, demanding, win-at-all-costs father, Joe Kennedy, and their cold and distant mother, Rose, to learn and care about the world-and told they could shape America's role in it. For more than six decades after World War II, the brothers shaped broad issues of war and peace as well as the U.S. response to almost every major global challenge of their times: the Soviet Union and China, the Cold War and Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Chile, Nicaragua and El Salvador, Korea and Vietnam, South Africa and Northern Ireland, and Iraq (twice). In their time, America was what it remains today-the world's greatest power, with roles and responsibilities that stretch across the planet. Consequently, as the brothers remade America's empire, they invariably changed the world.

Lawrence J. Haas (Author), David De Vries (Narrator)

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Rethinking American Grand Strategy

What is grand strategy? What does it aim to achieve? And what differentiates it from normal strategic thought-what, in other words, makes it 'grand'? In answering these questions, most scholars have focused on diplomacy and warfare, so much so that 'grand strategy' has become almost an equivalent of 'military history.' The traditional attention paid to military affairs is understandable, but in today's world it leaves out much else that could be considered political, and therefore strategic. It is in fact possible to consider, and even reach, a more capacious understanding of grand strategy, one that still includes the battlefield and the negotiating table while expanding beyond them. Rethinking American Grand Strategy assembles a roster of leading historians to examine America's place in the world. Its innovative chapters re-examine familiar figures, such as John Quincy Adams, George Kennan, and Henry Kissinger, while also revealing the forgotten episodes and hidden voices of American grand strategy. They expand the scope of diplomatic and military history by placing the grand strategies of public health, race, gender, humanitarianism, and the law alongside military and diplomatic affairs to reveal hidden strategists as well as strategies.

Andrew Preston, Christopher Mcknight Nichols, Elizabeth Borgwardt (Author), Steve Menasche, Teri Schnaubelt (Narrator)

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The Supreme Court: An Up-To-The-Minute Presentation

Alison Gash (Author), Alison Gash (Narrator)

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The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Robert S. Levine foregrounds the viewpoints of Black Americans on Reconstruction in his absorbing account of the struggle between the great orator Frederick Douglass and President Andrew Johnson. When Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the country was on the precipice of radical change. Johnson, seemingly more progressive than Lincoln, looked like the ideal person to lead the country. He had already cast himself as a “Moses” for the Black community, and African Americans were optimistic that he would pursue aggressive federal policies for Black equality. Despite this early promise, Frederick Douglass, the country’s most influential Black leader, soon grew disillusioned with Johnson’s policies and increasingly doubted the president was sincere in supporting Black citizenship. In a dramatic and pivotal meeting between Johnson and a Black delegation at the White House, the president and Douglass came to verbal blows over the course of Reconstruction. As he lectured across the country, Douglass continued to attack Johnson’s policies, while raising questions about the Radical Republicans’ hesitancy to grant African Americans the vote. Johnson meanwhile kept his eye on Douglass, eventually making a surprising effort to appoint him to a key position in his administration. Levine grippingly portrays the conflicts that brought Douglass and the wider Black community to reject Johnson and call for a guilty verdict in his impeachment trial. He brings fresh insight by turning to letters between Douglass and his sons, speeches by Douglass and other major Black figures like Frances E. W. Harper, and articles and letters in the Christian Recorder, the most important African American newspaper of the time. In counterpointing the lives and careers of Douglass and Johnson, Levine offers a distinctive vision of the lost promise and dire failure of Reconstruction, the effects of which still reverberate today.

Robert S. Levine (Author), Ryan Vincent Anderson (Narrator)

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