x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Roots of Today

With a focus on examining the historical context behind current events, Roots of Today uses a combination of narrative storytelling, expert analysis, and thematic exploration to illuminate the past’s influence on the present. Join us as we uncover how the events of the past have helped create the current world.

history

All Episodes

12:06

The War Before the War Effort

Roots of Today ·

2025/12/22

We recently passed the 84th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the attack that finally dragged the United States into the second world war. When I was a kid, I remember it being something that most people observed every December 7th, much like the media still takes note each September 11th to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.When we look back on World War II in the Pacific, we tend to remember it in

en

14:55

Happy Birthday, Devil Dogs

Roots of Today ·

2025/11/11

The United States Marine Corps originates in a congressional decision taken amid crisis and improvisation. In November 1775—months after Lexington and Concord, and with the siege of Boston grinding on—the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of “American Marines.” Their creation was not an abstract institutional design exercise; it was a response to urgent strategic needs: securing powder and ordnance, protecting nascent Continental warships, and enabling amphibious action

en

22:01

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation and the Ethiopian Regiment

Roots of Today ·

2025/11/05

Today we journey back to November 7, 1775, and a dramatic, startling document known as Dunmore’s Proclamation. We'll explore the life of its issuer, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, the events that led him to issue it, and the astonishing—and tragic—fate of the men and women who answered its call.The proclamation had immediate and longer-term impacts. In Virginia, the slave-owning class was galvanized into deeper resistance; the idea of armed Black men fighting for the Crown radicalized the social

en

16:14

The March to Independence: King George III Addresses...

Roots of Today ·

2025/10/23

Next year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, when the Continental Congress of the United British colonies in North America had the audacity to do the unthinkable – declare their independence from the British Crown and announce to the world the birth of a new nation.To properly celebrate that world-changing event, the Roots of Today podcast is going to feature a continuing special series of episodes that mark some of the events from that era, until we reach the

en

14:59

HMS Gaspee: The Point of No Return in the American...

Roots of Today ·

2025/10/20

When it comes to the events surrounding the American revolution and the birth of the nation, there are signposts that most of us learned as children. There is the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, “Give me liberty, or give me death,” The Declaration of Independence, and “I have not yet begun to fight.”If you study this time with a little more depth, things like the Stamp Act and Townsend Act and the Intolerable Acts, designed

en

24:33

Antifa: From Weimar Streets to American Headlines

Roots of Today ·

2025/10/10

Before “Antifa” became a flashpoint in American politics, it was born on the streets of 1930s Berlin. In this episode of Roots of Today, we trace Antifa’s journey from its origins as Antifaschistische Aktion under Germany’s Communist Party, through the rise of the black bloc tactic in postwar Europe, to its presence in U.S. protest culture — from Seattle’s WTO demonstrations and Occupy Wall Street to the Portland clashes and the Trump era.We’ll unpack the crucial question: is Antifa an organization,

en

20:29

Meet Elena, the AI Assistant of the Roots of Today...

Roots of Today ·

2025/10/05

This episode is different. It's an unscripted conversation between me and Elena, the AI personality that helps with the research for each episode. Until now, she’s been a silent partner, shaping the research and scripts behind the scenes.I thought it would be interesting, especially for those who have never interacted with an AI assistant, to break from the usual format. So in this episode, she steps out from the notes and into the conversation. It’s about opening up the creative process, letting

en

15:33

Stupidity in Action: Government Shutdowns

Roots of Today ·

2025/10/01

As the clock strikes midnight tonight, the federal government could close its doors once again. For millions of Americans, that means missed paychecks, shuttered offices, and a grinding halt to the daily functions of the world’s largest democracy. But shutdowns aren’t just about budgets. They are about power, leverage, and political theater.And if history teaches us anything, it’s that shutdowns rarely shrink government. Instead, they expose the fault lines over who controls government, how it’s

en

17:48

Presidential Debates - The Evolution of Worthlessness

Roots of Today ·

2025/09/28

This week on Roots of Today we look at the history of American presidential debates — from the marathon Lincoln–Douglas encounters of 1858 to the viral soundbites of the modern era. Along the way, we’ll revisit the lines, gestures, and gaffes that shaped elections and defined how Americans saw their leaders.Because debates are more than performances — they are snapshots of democracy — I’ve also included a “Further Reading” section for each era we cover. These resources aren’t required homework;

en

18:18

A Story of Political Assassinations: James Garfield,...

Roots of Today ·

2025/09/24

The assassination of Charlie Kirk while speaking to students on a Utah college campus had brought the topic of political violence to the forefront of our national discourse. How his murder will affect the political fortunes of both parties is something that will be better discussed after years have passed and historians have the benefit of hindsight on their side. But if his memorial service, one that drew over 100,000 people to attend, and one where speaker after speaker vowed to expand the mission

en

41:54

Unscripted Ramblings

Roots of Today ·

2025/09/20

While researching for the next episode, which I planned to be a continuation of the topic of political assassinations in the United States, I decided to record a completely unscripted episode where I discuss my experience in college chasing my degrees, how Charlie Kirk's assassination has affected me, and where I see the nation heading as a result of his murder.There is not a lot of history here, but there were some observations I needed to get off my chest, mostly because dwelling on them was

en

17:31

How Political Assassinations Can Change History: A...

Roots of Today ·

2025/09/17

Conservative icon and activist Charlie Kirk joins a list of civil rights figures and politicians who were killed for speaking what they believe. Thousands have expressed their desire to pick up the baton and carry Kirk's legacy forward. The question is this: Is it possible to fill the void left behind when someone like Charlie Kirk is assassinated?In this episode, we look at the assassinations of two Civil Rights icons, Medgar Evars and Robert F. Kennedy, and ask the question, "What if?" How would

en

24:56

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878: Can Trump Legally...

Roots of Today ·

2025/09/14

In early September 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he would deploy federal troops into several major U.S. cities to quell unrest — even if governors objected.The announcement immediately set off a wave of debate. Critics pointed to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, a law meant to prevent the use of the Army as a domestic police force. Supporters countered with the Insurrection Act of 1807, a much older law that presidents have invoked many times to justify troop deployments at home.So

en

15:11

Trump: The Best Defense is a Good Offense

Roots of Today ·

2025/09/07

In an NPR report from September 5th, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to give the Department of Defense a new name: the Department of War. The change returns the department to a name that it carried for much of its history, until it became the Department of Defense in the wake of World War II. During a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump tried to explain that the name change was designed to reflect a new tone for the nation and the military.For most of America’s early

en

16:16

Controversy at the CDC: Is the Agency Really Trusted...

Roots of Today ·

2025/08/31

At its best, the CDC is a scientific bulwark against disease. At its worst, it becomes an institution caught between science, politics, and profit. The question for us is whether the CDC can navigate these pressures and keep public trust — or whether the forces of politics and perception will continue to erode its authority. RFK Jr. appears to be on a mission to erect a firewall between regulatory responsibilities and the corporate profit motive. Time will tell if his efforts are beneficial, or if

en

22:35

The War in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin and the Ghosts of...

Roots of Today ·

2025/08/23

In 2014, Russia invaded and then annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. It became clear that Russia faced no real consequences for that violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, so in 2022 Vladamir Putin followed up with a full-scale invasion of the country. Putin claimed the action was necessary to “denazify” Ukraine and to defend the Russian-speaking populations in the border regions. These claims have been widely rejected by the West.Nevertheless, what we are witnessing is the continuation of

en

22:20

The Myth of True History: Why Trump’s War with the...

Roots of Today ·

2025/08/17

On August 12th, 2025, the White House sent a formal letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, ordering a comprehensive review of exhibits, educational materials, and even social-media posts at eight museums. The goal, according to the letter, was to ensure all content aligns with the President’s March executive order to present “uplifting” and “unifying” history and to remove “divisive or ideologically driven” language.Historians and museum professionals have been quick to respond. The

en

22:30

The Fight Over the Census: Can the President Decide...

Roots of Today ·

2025/08/11

In the United States, political power has always been counted—literally. From the moment the framers dipped their quills into ink and drafted Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, they established a system in which representation would not be apportioned by guesswork or political bargaining alone, but by an “actual enumeration” every ten years.Behind the clean arithmetic of apportionment lurks an untidy truth: deciding who counts means deciding whose political voice matters. From the original

en

28:37

The Debate over Hiroshima and Nagasaki: After 80...

Roots of Today ·

2025/08/04

Eighty years ago this week, two American bombers lifted off from an airfield on Tinian Island in the Western Pacific and flew into history. Each plane carried a single bomb—one codenamed "Little Boy" and the other codenamed "Fat Man." These two separate attacks would mark the first and only time nuclear weapons have ever been used in war. Hiroshima. Nagasaki. Names that now evoke memories unspeakable destruction. But those names are also surrounded by questions, many of them still unanswered.Today,

en

41:46

With the Worst of Intentions: The CIA and Destruction...

Roots of Today ·

2025/07/28

In the previous episode, Episode 6 – The Voice of America, we diverted a bit and talked about how the VOA was used parallel to other media broadcasts run by the CIA to affect regime change in Latin American nations. One of those nations was Chile, where in 1973, the Nixon Administration used a variety of covert methods to destabilize the country. This ultimately led to a violent military coup that resulted in the death of democratically elected president Salvador Allende, and the installation of a

en

27 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Biography Flash

Inception Point Ai