Shows
Now It's HistoryThe book of history that turned into prophecyCorey Brettschneider finished his latest book on presidential power last year, long after Donald Trump left the White House in defeat in 2021. The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It won the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. It tells the stories of such presidents as John Adams, Andrew Johnson and Woodrow Wilson who abused or ignored the limits set out in the Constitution, and it explains how activists, opposition politicians, journalists and lawyers were eventually able to restore some of the safeguards instituted by the fo...2025-07-1727 min
The John Fugelsang Podcast100 Destructive Days - 142 Destructive Executive OrdersJohn's monologue this time looks into Trump slamming Amazon and Jeff Bezos for reportedly planning to display the cost of his tariffs next to the total price of products on the website. Then, Bezos backing down and turned tail after Trump blew a gasket when he heard the news. Then, he welcomes back Professor Corey Brettschneider to discuss the first 100 days of Trump's presidency, focusing on his extensive use of executive orders and their potential impact on democracy. They also discuss recent polls showing a decline in Trump's support, the Supreme Court's pause on mass deportations, and the importance...2025-05-011h 45
LA ProgressiveThe Presidents and the PeopleStephen Rohde offers a review of Corey Brettschneider’s engaging new book The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It. Brettschneider offers lucid and revealing profiles of five presidents - John Adams, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, and Richard Nixon - who “stoked the fire of a constitutional crisis” and “wielded the nation’s most powerful office to undermine a core aspect of democracy.” Given the “fragile pillars of American democracy,” Brettschneider believes each of these presidents stands “as a conspicuous example of the damage a single president can do.”Fortunately, B...2025-04-1244 min
LA ProgressiveThe Presidents and the PeopleStephen Rohde offers a review of Corey Brettschneider’s engaging new book The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It. Brettschneider offers lucid and revealing profiles of five presidents - John Adams, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, and Richard Nixon - who “stoked the fire of a constitutional crisis” and “wielded the nation’s most powerful office to undermine a core aspect of democracy.” Given the “fragile pillars of American democracy,” Brettschneider believes each of these presidents stands “as a conspicuous example of the damage a single president can do.”For...2025-04-1244 min
The Oath and The OfficeResigning to Defend DemocracyJohn Fugelsang and Professor Corey Brettschneider discuss the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, resigning. A member of Trump's team at the DOJ, Emil Bove, directed her to dismiss the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but she chose to take her oath seriously and she quit. They also talk about federal Judge Tanya Chutkin rejecting the request of 14 Attorneys General to block Elon Musk and DOGE from accessing federal data and the parrallels between Richard Nixon and Donald Trump attempting to cover their tracks and hide their crimes.2025-02-2036 min
New Books in Political ScienceCorey Brettschneider, "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It" (W. W. Norton, 2024)In 2024, people around the world focus on an American president who calls for the imprisonment of critics, spreads the culture of white supremacy, and upends the law to commit crimes with impunity. Is Trump the first authoritarian to threaten American constitution democracy? Corey Brettschneider’s new book, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It (W.W. Norton, 2024) argues that the United States has had previous authoritarian presidents who similarly threatened core democratic and rule of law values – and each was challenged by non-elected leaders Brettschneider terms “democratic constitutional constitu...2024-12-021h 15
New Books in Politics and PolemicsCorey Brettschneider, "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It" (W. W. Norton, 2024)In 2024, people around the world focus on an American president who calls for the imprisonment of critics, spreads the culture of white supremacy, and upends the law to commit crimes with impunity. Is Trump the first authoritarian to threaten American constitution democracy? Corey Brettschneider’s new book, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It (W.W. Norton, 2024) argues that the United States has had previous authoritarian presidents who similarly threatened core democratic and rule of law values – and each was challenged by non-elected leaders Brettschneider terms “democratic constitutional constitu...2024-12-021h 15
New Books in American PoliticsCorey Brettschneider, "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It" (W. W. Norton, 2024)In 2024, people around the world focus on an American president who calls for the imprisonment of critics, spreads the culture of white supremacy, and upends the law to commit crimes with impunity. Is Trump the first authoritarian to threaten American constitution democracy? Corey Brettschneider’s new book, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It (W.W. Norton, 2024) argues that the United States has had previous authoritarian presidents who similarly threatened core democratic and rule of law values – and each was challenged by non-elected leaders Brettschneider terms “democratic constitutional constitu...2024-12-021h 15
New Books in American StudiesCorey Brettschneider, "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It" (W. W. Norton, 2024)In 2024, people around the world focus on an American president who calls for the imprisonment of critics, spreads the culture of white supremacy, and upends the law to commit crimes with impunity. Is Trump the first authoritarian to threaten American constitution democracy? Corey Brettschneider’s new book, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It (W.W. Norton, 2024) argues that the United States has had previous authoritarian presidents who similarly threatened core democratic and rule of law values – and each was challenged by non-elected leaders Brettschneider terms “democratic constitutional constitu...2024-12-021h 15
Booknotes+Ep. 194 Corey Brettschneider, "The Presidents and the People"According to professor Corey Brettschneider, author of "The Presidents and the People," the following presidents in history threatened democracy: "John Adams waged war on the national press…prosecuting as many as 126 people who dared criticize him…James Buchanan colluded with the Supreme Court to deny constitutional personhood to African Americans….Andrew Johnson urged violence against his political opponents…Woodrow Wilson nationalized Jim Crow by segregating the federal government…Richard Nixon committed criminal acts – ordering the Watergate break-in." Corey Brettschneider teaches constitutional law and politics at the Providence, Rhode Island-based Brown University. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...2024-11-261h 10
C-SPAN BookshelfBN+: Corey Brettschneider, "The Presidents and the People"According to professor Corey Brettschneider, author of "The Presidents and the People," the following presidents in history threatened democracy: "John Adams waged war on the national press…prosecuting as many as 126 people who dared criticize him…James Buchanan colluded with the Supreme Court to deny constitutional personhood to African Americans….Andrew Johnson urged violence against his political opponents…Woodrow Wilson nationalized Jim Crow by segregating the federal government…Richard Nixon committed criminal acts – ordering the Watergate break-in." Corey Brettschneider teaches constitutional law and politics at the Providence, Rhode Island-based Brown University. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...2024-11-261h 10
The Andrea Mitchell Center PodcastWe the People: How Citizens Prevented Past Presidents from Permanently Breaking American DemocracyInterviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In theory, the US Constitution established a system by which the three branches of government keep each other in check. Political scientist and constitutional scholar COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER argues that, in fact, it has more often been citizen pressure – not the courts or the legislature – that has rescued us from the anti-democratic exercise of presidential power. In his discussion with historian Matthew Roth, he describes how the core democratic principles of the Constitution, beginning with the opening phrase of the preamble, have inspired citizens to oppose autocratic presidents from John Adams to Richard Nixon and to push agai...2024-11-1550 min
The Just Security Podcast‘The Presidents and the People’ Book TalkWith the U.S. presidential election less than a week away, anxiety is high, both across the country and around the world. Many fear the rise of populism and the erosion of democratic norms. In over two centuries, the United States has had many presidents who pushed on the door of anti-democratic power, but it has also had people who pushed back. Ahead of the election, what lessons can we learn by looking to the past? Brown University political scientist Corey Brettschneider is one of the leading thinkers on presidential power. His recent book, The Pr...2024-10-3154 min
The DSR NetworkThe Daily Blast: Trump’s Alarming New Rant About Dems and “Hatred” Echoes Nixon’s WorstIn a reference to the apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump over the weekend, the former president unleashed a long rant on social media blaming it all on Democrats. He insisted that because of Democratic rhetoric about Trump, the “bullets are flying, and it will only get worse.” Trump is systematically recasting any and all criticism of his attacks on democracy as incitement to violence—and in this, he’s fully backed up by other Republicans. We talked to Corey Brettschneider, a political scientist and author of The Presidents and the People, about how Trump is echoing Richard Nixon—and why we ca...2024-09-1722 min
THE DAILY BLAST with Greg SargentTrump’s Alarming New Rant About Dems and “Hatred” Echoes Nixon’s WorstIn a reference to the apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump over the weekend, the former president unleashed a long rant on social media blaming it all on Democrats. He insisted that because of Democratic rhetoric about Trump, the “bullets are flying, and it will only get worse.” Trump is systematically recasting any and all criticism of his attacks on democracy as incitement to violence—and in this, he’s fully backed up by other Republicans. We talked to Corey Brettschneider, a political scientist and author of The Presidents and the People, about how Trump is echoing Richard Nixon—and why we ca...2024-09-1722 min
Talk CocktailSupreme Court’s Immunity Gift to Trump: The Ghosts of Nixon, Bork, and Scalia
Like a hand reaching up from the grave, the recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity represents the posthumous triumph of Richard Nixon, Robert Bork, and Antonin Scalia.
On thisWhoWhatWhy podcast I examine this constitutional crisis with Brown University law professor Corey Brettschneider, author of The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It.In a ruling that seems to place former presidents beyond the reach of criminal law, the court has breathed new life into Nixon’s infamous claim: “When the president does it, it can’t be...2024-09-0429 min
Axelbank Reports History and Today#159: Corey Brettschneider - "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It"The first thing a president must do is swear to uphold the Constitution. But what happens when they betray that promise? Corey Brettschneider argues that it takes ordinary citizens to not only reign them in, but to make sure it never happens again. In "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It," Professor Brettschneider profiles John Adams, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Woodrow Wilson and Richard Nixon, and explains how they fought to protect the American ideal of equality, for only a few Americans. From suspending the right to free...2024-08-0651 min
The GistKamala Harris, For Whom the Ding DongsWith charges of weirdness and cat lady-dom flying around, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana gets into the act by calling Kamala Harris a "ding dong." Fox News host Neil Cavuto was not having it. Plus, in other Kamala news, she apparently also can't stand Jewish people, which is weird, because she's married to a Jewish person. And Corey Brettschneider is out with a new book in which he contrasts anti-Constitutional acts by such presidents as Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon, and John Adams, and identifies the citizens and politicians who worked to preserve constitutional order.Prod...2024-07-3039 min
Political RoundtableBrown professor Corey Brettschneider on the presidents who have threatened democracy and the citizens who fought back
Presidential threats to democracy are nothing new. Our second president, John Adams, outlawed dissent and tried to prosecute his critics. Andrew Johnson’s presidency featured threats against his perceived opponents, and Richard Nixon engaged in a criminal conspiracy. But there are some key differences in our current moment. In a recent decision, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded presidential power, and groups aligned with Donald Trump, like the Heritage Foundation, have ambitious plans for remaking the federal government. As Democrats wrestle with doubts about President Joe Biden, what is the outlook for American democracy? Are the traditional ch...2024-07-1203 min
Don’t Miss This Unforgettable Full Audiobook — Perfect While Cooking.The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It by Corey BrettschneiderPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/778505to listen full audiobooks.
Title: The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It
Author: Corey Brettschneider
Narrator: Stephen Bel Davies
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 13 hours 22 minutes
Release date: July 2, 2024
Genres: Current Affairs, Law, & Politics
Publisher's Summary:
Imagine an American president who imprisoned critics, spread a culture of white supremacy, and tried to upend the law so that he could commit crimes with impunity. In this propulsive history, constitutional law and political science professor Corey Brettschneider provides a thoroughly researched account of assaults on democracy...2024-07-021h 22
Listen to New Audiobooks in Non-Fiction, Current Affairs, Law, & PoliticsThe Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It by Corey BrettschneiderPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/778505 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It Author: Corey Brettschneider Narrator: Stephen Bel Davies Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 13 hours 22 minutes Release date: July 2, 2024 Genres: Current Affairs, Law, & Politics Publisher's Summary: Imagine an American president who imprisoned critics, spread a culture of white supremacy, and tried to upend the law so that he could commit crimes with impunity. In this propulsive history, constitutional law and political science professor Corey Brettschneider provides a thoroughly researched account of assaults on...2024-07-0230 minThe John Fugelsang PodcastDid Herman Cain Die in Vain?This time, John reflects back in time 4 years ago when Trump had his 1st big super-spreader campaign rally in Tulsa where many people caught covid 19 including Trump loyalist Herman Cain who refused to wear a mask and died from the virus. He also discusses ex-Trump spiritual adviser Robert Morris, who has confesses to child rape. Then, he's in studio with Corey Brettschneider and they talk about Trump, the SCOTUS Machine Gun case, and the release of his new book: "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought To Defend It". And rounding...2024-06-181h 26