Often when studying history we focus on the major figures. This is no less true in American history, where we may discuss founding fathers, maybe Lincoln, or the great generals of our wars. But one man who was very much a major figure who has been overlooked with the passage of time is Henry Clay. Clay spent time in both the House and the Senate and ran for the presidency on multiple occasions. But his true talent was as a compromiser when he served as Speaker of the House.

Harlow Giles Unger has written many fine books on stalwarts of American history, and has just published this work on Clay.

Most people know the name Rod Blagojevich. But his brother Robert—Fundraiser A from the title of his new book–was also square in the crosshairs of the U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. He has plenty to say about his ordeal, his brother, corruption, and the justice system.

Also joining is a longtime friend of the program Dick Simpson. A former Alderman, he’s now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and much published. His latest, Corrupt Illinois, is pertinent to this discussion and a good study of the seamy underbelly of Chicago and Illinois politics.

With the news of yet more shootings at American schools, we thought it time to move beyond the debate on guns. What is wrong in American culture that has led us to this disturbing phenomenon? The patient is clearly sick. What are the causes that have manifested themselves in this, seemingly, uniquely American symptom of violence?

To explore such a higher aim we turn to culture critic Michael A. Walsh, who traveled this road a bit in his book The Devil’s Pleasure Palace. Also joining are Mark Hemingway of the Weekly Standard, and Dr. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, who has studied mental illness in-depth as well as publishing a recent and influential critique of psychiatry. All have salient and sometimes poignant thoughts on the situation.

This program has never made secret its support of the State of Israel. Once again, Israel finds itself in a precarious national security setting as the debate rages on the recent Iran nuclear deal and the migration catastrophe that is engulfing huge swathes of the Middle East.

To discuss the current state of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, we brought in three experts: namely Roey Gilad, Israel’s Consul General to the Midwest; Spertus Director of Doctoral Programs Joshua Shanes; and Alan Solow, a high-profile attorney, philanthropist, and tireless advocate of many Jewish causes and organizations.

The second GOP debate is in the books. Carly Fiorina is, by most accounts, the big winner, with Donald Trump still standing tall.

We turned to several members of the Political A-Team, namely Richard Baehr of the American Thinker, Dr. Charles Lipson of the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago, and Joseph Morris, former Assistant Attorney General under President Reagan.

Every child has heroes. The firefighter, the police officer, the soldier. History is rife with tales of the heroic warrior or the quiet and stoic figure who stood tall in the face of oppression. What is a hero? Can anyone be a hero? Must a hero engage in battle against tremendous odds and to emerge victorious?

Tod Lindberg is a political expert, writer, thinker, and professor and has written on the topic of heroes in his latest book. He answers many of these questions, visiting great heroes of history to show how the ancient and modern model of a hero has changed, and what qualities of those heroes persist throughout history.

One of the great humanitarian crises of this still young century is the mass of refugees seeking asylum in Europe. They have blazed trails from various war-torn nations and are knocking on the doors of Germany, France, Hungary and others in the hopes of finding new lives in the new world.

To help us understand how we got here and where we should go next is a fine panel of analysts, historians, and scholars. Marina Henke, a German by birth and international relations professor at Northwestern, Erik Tillman, also a political scientist from DePaul, joined Milt in studio. Via phone, our old friend Richard Friedman and fellow DePaul professor, history, Tom Mockiatis.

Joseph Califano is a politician, educator and public servant with decades of experience. He was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, he was with the Defense Department, and he was–and still is–one of the champions of the anti-drug crusade.

But he may be known most for his time working alongside President Lyndon B. Johnson as his top domestic aide. He wrote a magnificent account of his time with LBJ in his acclaimed book, The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: The White House Years. This insider’s account goes a long way to dispelling many of the myths about Johnson, and casts light upon this giant of the American presidency. Johnson was a remarkable man in many ways. Much of the landscape of the federal government came from his presidency. This account with Milt was remarkable for its historical value and the portrait of the man Johnson at work.