clyde's MyC-SPAN

Historian Webster Griffin Tarpley talked about the contribution of Russian Tsar Alexander II to a northern victory in the U.S. Civil War. He said that the Imperial Russian government had issued an ultimatum to Britain and France specifying that if those powers should intervene on the side of the Confederate States of America they would immediately find themselves at war with the Russian Empire. Mr. Tarpley marked the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Russian Baltic Fleet in New York City on September 24, 1863, and of the Russian Pacific Squadron in San Francisco on October 12, 1863. He argued that it was the presence of those fleets that provided the final deterrence. Russia was the only country to extend direct military support to the Lincoln government.


“Commemorating the Russian Fleets of Autumn 1863” was an event of the McClendon Group, held in the Zenger Room of the National Press Club.

Professor Patrick Breen talked about Nat Turner’s life, and the 1831 slave rebellion he led, and compared the historical record to portrayals in literature and film. He also described the confusion and uncertainty among both the black and white populations of Virginia after the revolt, due to conflicting or inflated accounts.

Profesor Rena Steinzor talked about her book Why Not Jail: Industrial Catastrophes, Corporate Malfeasance, and Government Inaction, in which she talks about white collar crime and how these cases are prosecuted. In her book, Ms. Steinzor examines six cases in which U.S. attorneys have obtained indictments against individual corporate executives where workers, consumers, or the environment have been injured or harmed due to corporate malfeasance.

Ralph Nader talked about his book Return to Sender: Unanswered Letters to the President, 2001-2015, a collection of letters addressed to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama critiquing U.S. government policy. In the letters, Mr. Nader discusses such topics as worker’s health legislation, minimum wage, the Iraq war, torture, and Crimea, among others. Mr. Nader was interviewed by Andy Shallal, founder of Busboys and Poets.

Michael McCarthy talked about the July 1915 capsizing of the SS Eastland in the Chicago River. 844 people died in the tragedy, including 22 entire families. Mr. McCarthy, author of Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland And the Shipwreck that Shook America, argued that a faulty water ballast system caused the docked ship to capsize.

H.W. Brands talked about his book Reagan: A Life, in which he recounts the life and political career of America’s 40th president.

Professor Robert Burns talks about his book Kafka’s Law: “The Trial” and American Criminal Justice, in which he argues that America’s criminal justice system is beginning to resemble the fictional account of the justice system depicted in Franz Kafka’s The Trial. This interview, recorded on the campus of Northwestern University, is part of Book TV’s College Series.

Stephen Witt talked about his book How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy, in which he recounts the creation of the MP3 and the beginnings of the digital pirating of music, which transformed the recording industry.

President Obama delivered remarks at a Democratic fundraiser at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland, Oregon. He praised the supporters there for the worked that they had done to further his agenda such as health care reform, the expansion of Pell Grants to help students afford college, and a growing economy but said that there was still more work to do.

Suzan Shown Harjo talked about the Nation to Nation exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian, which focused on treaties between the United States and Native Americans. In the 1790s, the federal government made treaties with both the Muskogee and the Six Nations of the Iroquois to secure the northern and southern borders. Ms. Harjo also talked about what both sides expected from such treaties and how the relationship between the federal government and native people has evloved.