Public opinion polls show President Trump’s approval rating has slipped substantially since his second inauguration. Do those results indicate vulnerability? If the trend line continues, could President Trump begin to lose his grip on the reins of political power?

Despite this evidence, discussions in the national media contain little speculation about declining influence. Instead, the national media report on the expansion of Trump’s influence in American life.

Will this state of affairs continue? Perhaps. Or perhaps not.

There are some intriguing similarities between Trump’s situation and that of Joseph McCarthy. Senator McCarthy seemed invincible in the early 1950s, but later, in a matter of months, he quickly fell from grace. McCarthy’s record demonstrates that political power can erode quickly when political conditions change and leaders overreach.

When Kimmel returned to ABC Television after a temporary suspension, he delivered a powerful defense of the American people’s right to criticize political leaders and their policies.

This podcast traces the evolution of ideas about free speech from a court case in 1735 to the present. It notes that some of the most important efforts to deal with the rights and limitations of speech and press occurred during wartime.

The podcast also explores the relevance of this history to present-day controversies about the Trump Administration’s pressures against Jimmy Kimmel and the mass media.

Medical science had pretty much eradicated measles by the year 2000, but an outbreak occurred recently in Texas and other states largely because many children had not been vaccinated. Public resistance to vaccination has grown in recent years, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, has cut vaccine research drastically.

Could resistance to medical science run amok, endangering public health?

This podcast cites the example of George Washington’s decision to immunize his troops against smallpox early in the American Revolution. The podcast also identifies how a worldwide vaccination campaign to eliminate smallpox eventually succeeded in the late twentieth century. Both histories are relevant to present-day clashes between the defenders and critics of vaccines.

Why have Republicans and Democrats become sharply divided about dealing with immigration? Is compromise possible? There are no easy solutions for settling disputes, but this podcast suggests ideas. It identifies an important lesson from history that is frequently overlooked. For decades, we’ve all been engaged in illegal activity when dealing with immigration -- American citizens, American business leaders, and undocumented foreigners.

Ordinarily, American presidents don’t vilify previous chief executives, but Donald Trump is different. Trump routinely criticizes former presidents, especially Democrats. No president is so consistently the target of Trump’s contempt as Barak Obama.

What is the source of that negativity? Trump’s behavior might spring from anger over humorous remarks Obama made years ago. Barack Obama’s jesting may have influenced Donald Trump’s decision to run for president and his decision-making at the White House.

From World War II until recent times, a partnership between government and universities contributed significantly to the United States’ emergence as the world’s most innovative, productive, and prosperous country. The story of that success is complex, yet one person played a crucial role in building the foundations of U.S. preeminence in science and technology. An examination of Vannevar Bush’s place in American history demonstrates how much we can lose if the Trump administration’s interference in university affairs continues.

Donald Trump called himself “Tariff Man. He claimed, “Trade wars are good and easy to win.” Trump said tariff is “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Economists strongly disagree.

Why does Trump reject expert opinion, and what could happen if his trade wars continue? This podcast notes how high tariffs in 1930 intensified the Great Depression. The podcast considers why Donald Trump holds simplistic views on trade that most economists reject, and it shows how Trump’s new tariffs could damage the U.S. and global economies.