Current Affairs Audiobooks | Politics

According to the media, Donald Trump could never become president. Now many are on a mission to prove he shouldn't be president. The Trump administration and the press are at war-and as in any war, the first casualty has been truth. Bestselling author Howard Kurtz, host of Fox News's Media Buzz and former Washington Post columnist, offers a stunning exposé of how supposedly objective journalists, alarmed by Trump's success, have moved into the opposing camp. Kurtz's exclusive, in-depth, behind-the-scenes interviews with reporters, anchors, and insiders within the Trump White House reveal the unprecedented hostility between the media and the president they cover. In Media Madness, you'll learn: Why White House strategist Steve Bannon told Trump he is in danger of being impeached How elite, mainstream news reporters-named and quoted-openly express their blatant contempt for Trump Why Trump believes some journalists harbor hatred for him-and how some liberals despise his voters How Trump is a far more pragmatic politician than the press often acknowledges (and how the press dismisses his flip-flops when he flops their way) How the media consistently overreached on the Russian "collusion" scandal Why Trump actually likes journalists, secretly meets with them, and allows the press unprecedented access How Sean Spicer privately berated journalists for bad reporting-and why he and Kellyanne Conway were relentlessly attacked by the media Never before has there been such an eye-opening, shocking look at what the White House and the media think about each other. It's not pretty. But it also makes for the most important political book of the year.

Howard Kurtz (Author), David Colacci (Narrator)

Audiobook

What Makes a Terrorist?: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (10th Anniversary Edition)

Why we need to think more like economists to successfully combat terrorism If we are to correctly assess the root causes of terrorism and successfully address the threat, we must think more like economists do. This is the argument of Alan Krueger's What Makes a Terrorist, a book that explains why our tactics in the fight against terrorism must be based on more than anecdote, intuition, and speculation. Many popular ideas about terrorists and why they seek to harm us are fueled by falsehoods, misinformation, and fearmongering. Many believe that poverty and lack of education breed terrorism, despite the wealth of evidence showing that most terrorists come from middle-class, and often college-educated, backgrounds. Krueger closely examines the factors that motivate individuals to participate in terrorism, drawing inferences from terrorists' own backgrounds and the economic, social, religious, and political environments in the societies from which they come. He describes which countries are the most likely breeding grounds for terrorists, and which ones are most likely to be their targets. Krueger addresses the economic and psychological consequences of terrorism and puts the threat squarely into perspective, revealing how our nation's sizable economy is diverse and resilient enough to withstand the comparatively limited effects of most terrorist strikes. He also calls on the media to be more responsible in reporting on terrorism. Bringing needed clarity to one of the greatest challenges of our generation, this 10th anniversary edition of What Makes a Terrorist features a new introduction by the author that discusses the lessons learned in the past decade from the rise of ISIS and events like the 2016 Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida. Author bio: Alan B. Krueger is the Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Princeton University, former chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, and an adviser to the National Counterterrorism Center. He is the coauthor of Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage (Princeton) and Inequality in America. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Alan B. Kreuger, Alan B. Krueger (Author), Jonathan Hogan (Narrator)

Audiobook

The New American Revolution: The Making of a Populist Movement

Foreword by: Sean Hannity In the bestselling tradition of Hillbilly Elegy comes an exploration of the American heartland-a fascinating and eye-opening collection of interviews and stories about the powerful grassroots populist movement of frustrated Americans left behind by the government that changed the landscape of political campaigns forever. Political writer and official RNC spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany spent months traveling throughout the United States conducting interviews with Americans, whose powerful and moving stories were forgotten or intentionally ignored by our leaders. Through candid, one-on-one conversations, they discussed their deeply personal stories and the issues that are most important to them, such as illegal immigration, safety from terrorist attacks, and religious freedom. The New American Revolution chronicles both the losses of these grassroots voters, as well as their ultimate victory in November 2016. Kayleigh also includes interviews with key figures within President Trump's administration-including Ivanka Trump, Secretary Ben Carson, Jared Kushner, and many more-and their experiences on the road leading up to President Trump's historic win. Kayleigh's journey takes her from a family cabin in Ohio to the empty factories in Flint, Michigan, from sunny Florida to a Texas BBQ joint-and, of course, ends up at the White House. The collective grievance of the American electorate reveals a deep divide between leaders and citizens. During a time of stark political division, Kayleigh discovers a personal unity and common thread of humanity that binds us nevertheless. Through faith in God and unimaginable strength, these forgotten men and women have overcome, even when their leaders turned their heads. The New American Revolution is an insightful book about the triumph of this powerful movement and a potent testament to the importance of their voice. **Contact Customer Service for Additional Material**

Kayleigh McEnany (Author), Kayleigh McEnany (Narrator)

Audiobook

They Say We Are Infidels: On the Run from ISIS with Persecuted Christians in the Middle East

Everywhere militants were blowing up Christians, their churches, their shops. They threatened them with kidnapping. They promised to take their children. The message to these 'infidels': You have no place in Iraq. Pay a penalty to stay, leave, or be killed. Sweeping from Syria into Iraq, Islamic State fighters (ISIS) have been brutalizing and annihilating Christians. How? Why? Where did the terrorists come from, and what can be done to stop them? For more than a decade, journalist Mindy Belz has reported on the ground from the Middle East, giving her unparalleled access to the story no one wants to believe. In They Say We Are Infidels, she brings the stark reality of this escalating genocide to light, tracking the stories of real-life Christians who refuse to abandon their faith-even in the face of losing everything, including their lives.

Mindy Belz (Author), Nan McNamara (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror

An intimate look at Robert Mueller, the sixth Director of the FBI, who has just been named special counsel to oversee the investigation into ties between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials. Covering more than 30 years of history, from the 1980s through Obama's presidency, The Threat Matrix explores the transformation of the FBI from a domestic law enforcement agency, handling bank robberies and local crimes, into an international intelligence agency--with more than 500 agents operating in more than 60 countries overseas--fighting extremist terrorism, cyber crimes, and, for the first time, American suicide bombers. Based on access to never-before-seen task forces and FBI bases from Budapest, Hungary, to Quantico, Virginia, this book profiles the visionary agents who risked their lives to bring down criminals and terrorists both here in the U.S. and thousands of miles away long before the rest of the country was paying attention to terrorism. Given unprecedented access, thousands of pages of once secret documents, and hundreds of interviews, Garrett M. Graff takes us inside the FBI and its attempt to protect America from the Munich Olympics in 1972 to the attempted Times Square bombing in 2010. It also tells the inside story of the FBI's behind-the-scenes fights with the CIA, the Department of Justice, and five White Houses over how to combat terrorism, balance civil liberties, and preserve security. The book also offers a never-before-seen intimate look at FBI Director Robert Mueller, the most important director since Hoover himself. Brilliantly reported and suspensefully told, The Threat Matrix peers into the darkest corners of this secret war and will change your view of the FBI forever. **Please Contact Customer Service for Additional Documents**

Garrett M. Graff (Author), Dan Woren (Narrator)

Audiobook

The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train and Three American Heroes

The 15:17 to Paris is an amazing true story of friendship and bravery, of near terrorist attack averted by three young men who found the heroic unity and strength inside themselves at the moment when they, and 500 other innocent travellers, needed it most. An ISIS terrorist planned to kill more than 500 people. He would have succeeded except for three American friends who refused to give in to fear. On August 21, 2015, Ayoub El-Khazzani boarded train #9364 in Brussels, bound for Paris. There could be no doubt about his mission: he had an AK-47, a pistol, a box cutter, and enough ammunition to obliterate every passenger on board. Slipping into the bathroom in secret, he armed his weapons. Another major ISIS attack was about to begin. Khazzani wasn't expecting Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone. Stone was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the US Air Force, Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three were fearless. But their decision, to charge the gunman, then overpower him even as he turned first his gun, then his knife, on Stone, depended on a lifetime of loyalty, support, and faith. Their friendship was forged as they came of age together in California: going to church, playing paintball, teaching each other to swear, and sticking together when they got in trouble at school. Years later, that friendship would give all of them the courage to stand in the path of one of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations. The 15:17 to Paris is an amazing true story of friendship and bravery, of near tragedy averted by three young men who found the heroic unity and strength inside themselves at the moment when they, and 500 other innocent travellers, needed it most.

Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone (Author), Peter Ganim (Narrator)

Audiobook

8 Seconds of Courage: A Soldier's Story from Immigrant to the Medal of Honor

A story of valor and the making of a hero-Florent Groberg, who grew up in France, emigrated to the US, and was the first immigrant in forty years to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor after he saved many lives by tackling a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Florent "Flo" Groberg was born in 1983, in the suburbs of Paris. When he was in middle school, his family moved to the US, and Flo became a naturalized citizen in 2001. After attending the University of Maryland, he joined the Army in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. He deployed a second time in 2012. In August of that year, Flo was guarding a high-level US-Afghan delegation and noticed someone suspicious: a local man stumbling toward his patrol. Flo reacted quickly and ran to tackle the man-who was wearing a suicide vest-before he could reach the patrol. Four people died in the subsequent explosion, but many others were spared. Flo himself was badly wounded and spent the next three years undergoing surgeries at Walter Reed Medical Center. On November 12, 2015, Captain Groberg was given the nation's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor-the first immigrant to be so recognized since the Vietnam War. 8 Seconds of Courage tells Flo's story from his childhood in France to his decision to enlist and the grueling training he underwent at US Army Ranger School. Through trial and error, he learned to be a field commander and on the front lines in Afghanistan formed close and lasting bonds with his fellow soldiers. It was this powerful sense of responsibility that compelled him to take his brave action to save lives, even at the risk of his own. Seldom when we hear about the heroism of Medal of Honor recipients do we learn what motivates their actions. Flo Groberg provides that essential insight into his selfless act of valor while honoring his four fallen brothers in arms. 8 Seconds of Courage is a story of heroism, sacrifice, and camaraderie in wartime.

Flo Groberg, Tom Sileo (Author), Corey Brill (Narrator)

Audiobook

Harpoon: Inside the Covert War Against Terrorism's Money Masters

A revelatory account of the cloak-and-dagger Israeli campaign to target the finances fueling terror organizations--an effort that became the blueprint for U.S. efforts to combat threats like ISIS and drug cartels. ISIS boasted $2.4 billion of revenue in 2015, yet for too long the global war on terror overlooked financial warfare as an offensive strategy. "Harpoon," the creation of Mossad legend Meir Dagan, directed spies, soldiers, and attorneys to disrupt and destroy money pipelines and financial institutions that paid for the bloodshed perpetrated by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups. Written by an attorney who worked with Harpoon and a bestselling journalist, Harpoon offers a gripping story of the Israeli-led effort, now joined by the Americans, to choke off the terrorists' oxygen supply, money, via unconventional warfare.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Samuel M. Katz (Author), Paul Boehmer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Exceptional America: What Divides Americans from the World and from Each Other

In this provocative book, Mugambi Jouet describes why Americans are far more divided than other Westerners over basic issues, including wealth inequality, health care, climate change, evolution, gender roles, abortion, gay rights, sex, gun control, mass incarceration, the death penalty, torture, human rights, and war. Raised in Paris by a French mother and Kenyan father, Jouet then lived in the Bible Belt, Manhattan, and beyond. Drawing inspiration from Alexis de Tocqueville, he wields his multicultural sensibility to parse how the intense polarization of U.S. conservatives and liberals has become a key dimension of American exceptionalism-an idea widely misunderstood as American superiority. While exceptionalism once was a source of strength, it may now spell decline, as unique features of U.S. history, politics, law, culture, religion, and race relations foster grave conflicts. They also shed light on the intriguing ideological evolution of American conservatism, which long predated Trumpism. Anti-intellectualism, conspiracy-mongering, a visceral suspicion of government, and Christian fundamentalism are far more common in America than the rest of the Western world-Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Mugambi Jouet (Author), Mirron Willis (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This book is a triumph."-Walter Isaacson From Donna Brazile, former DNC chair and legendary political operative, an explosive and revealing new look at the 2016 election: the first insider account of the Russian hacking of the DNC and the missteps by the Clinton campaign and Obama administration that enabled a Trump victory. In the fallout of the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee-and as chaos threatened to consume the party's convention-Democrats turned to a familiar figure to right the ship: Donna Brazile. Known to millions from her frequent TV appearances, she was no stranger to high stakes and dirty opponents, and the longtime Democratic strategist had a reputation in Washington as a one-stop shop for fixing sticky problems. What Brazile found at the DNC was unlike anything she had experienced before-and much worse than is commonly known. The party was beset by infighting, scandal, and hubris, while reeling from a brazen and wholly unprecedented attempt by a foreign power to influence the presidential election. Plus, its candidate, Hillary Clinton, faced an opponent who broke every rule in the political playbook. Packed with never-before-reported revelations about what went down in 2016, Hacks is equal parts campaign thriller, memoir, and roadmap for the future. With Democrats now in the wilderness after this historic defeat, Hacks argues that staying silent about what went wrong helps no one. Only by laying bare the missteps, miscalculations, and crimes of 2016, Brazile contends, will Americans be able to salvage their democracy. **Contact Customer Service for Additional Material**

Donna Brazile (Author), Author, Donna Brazile (Narrator)

Audiobook

Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars From 4Chan And Tumblr To Trump And The Alt-Right

Recent years have seen a revival of the heated culture wars of the 1990s, but this time its battle ground is the internet. On one side the alt right ranges from the once obscure neo-reactionary and white separatist movements, to geeky subcultures like 4chan, to more mainstream manifestations such as the Trump-supporting gay libertarian Milo Yiannopolous. On the other side, a culture of struggle sessions and virtue signalling lurks behind a therapeutic language of trigger warnings and safe spaces. The feminist side of the online culture wars has its equally geeky subcultures right through to its mainstream expression. Kill All Normies explores some of the cultural genealogies and past parallels of these styles and subcultures, drawing from transgressive styles of 60s libertinism and conservative movements, to make the case for a rejection of the perpetual cultural turn.

Angela Nagle (Author), Mary Sarah (Narrator)

Audiobook

Life Detonated: The True Story of a Widow and a Hijacker

Watching the towers crumble, few remembered America had been attacked on 9/11, once before. Kathleen Murray Moran's own September 11th twenty-five years earlier occurred when her husband Brian, a member of the New York City Bomb Squad was killed defusing a bomb Croatian freedom-fighters placed in a Grand Central Station locker before hijacking TWA flight 355 from La Guardia airport. Life Detonated is the story of how that bomb ripped through Kathleen's life, the life she had so carefully created after spending her childhood in a bug-infested basement of a Bronx tenement, one of eight children, where the door was left open to drug dealers and pimps, until she was saved by the man who became a hero to Kathleen and the city of New York. This is a survivor's story. It is the story of moving from being the unintended target of political terrorism to becoming the founder of Survivors of the Shield, a group that advocates for and provides support and assistance to the spouses and children of New York City police officers killed in the line of duty. It is the story of how she moved from poverty to the suburbs and refused to go back after Brian's death. It is a story of resilience in the face of senseless tragedy. And it is the story of evil villains and surprising superheroes.

Kathleen Murray Moran (Author), Coleen Marlo (Narrator)

Audiobook

Current Affairs Audiobooks in Politics