Tag Archives: historian

For Jon Meacham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and author of “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,” this past week has been disturbing – and all too familiar. Asked what is the state of America’s soul today, he replied, “I think that we are in a dangerous place. There’s never been a once-upon-a-time in American history. There’s …

President Trump is ordering a sweeping review of the Smithsonian museums ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary next year. In a letter to the head of the institution, the White House said it wants to ensure the museums show the “unity, progress and enduring values that define the American story.” The review is part of a broader effort by the …

NPR’s Sarah McCammon talks with Edward Lengel, former Chief Historian of the White House Historical Association, about President Trump’s plans to build a ballroom at the White House. SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST: President Trump recently unveiled a plan he’s been thinking about for years. The White House is getting a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Here’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday. …

Historian Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor emeritus of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, has cancelled plans to teach this fall in response to the school’s recent agreement with the Trump administration. Khalidi made the announcement in an open letter to Columbia’s acting president published in the Guardian on Friday. “Although I have retired, I was scheduled to teach …

It may seem perverse to pity the Central Intelligence Agency. The powerful spy organization’s history is rich with failures and abuses – from the Cuban missile crisis to the post-9/11 torture program to its role in the overthrow of a long string of democratically elected leaders. But among the many consequences of Donald Trump’s open hostility toward America’s intelligence community …