Ira’s Everything Bagel | US Arts and Culture Podcasts

What if Greenland, Mexico, the Galápagos Islands — or even parts of Indonesia, Syria, or Russia — had become part of the United States?
Those may sound like alternate-history fantasies, but according to Mark Kawar, they were real possibilities at various points in American history.
In this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Mark, author of "America, but Bigger: Near-Annexations, from Greenland to the Galapagos," talks about the fascinating history of America’s attempts, interests and ambitions to expand its territory.
Mark explains why he began writing the book in 2019, why Greenland provides such a timely bookend to the story, and how America has continued to expand its influence without necessarily adding new territory. We talk about the difference between annexation and influence, the surprising story of Rio Rico, tiny potential acquisitions in the Caribbean, the United States’ interest in the Galápagos Islands, and the concept of Manifest Destiny in the 21st century.
We also explore countries and territories that at various points might have preferred U.S. annexation or statehood, the unique position of the Marshall Islands, and what American history might look like if some of those possibilities had actually happened.
Would the United States have looked very different if Greenland — or all of Mexico — had become part of America?
Mark Kawar takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of near-annexations, American expansion, territorial ambitions and global influence.
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Jane Fonda: Activism, Controversy and the Woman Behind ‘Hanoi Jane’

What happens when an acclaimed actress becomes one of America’s most controversial activists?
This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” I talk with Marilyn S. Greenwald, author of "Jane Fonda: There’s a Great Deal to Say" (published by Rutgers University Press) about the complicated, fascinating and often misunderstood life of Jane Fonda.
Marilyn takes us behind the scenes of her research, including her journey to Fonda’s personal papers at Smith College, where a significant portion of the archive includes her FBI file. Interestingly, Marilyn initially had no intention of writing another Jane Fonda biography.
We talk about the origins of the “Hanoi Jane” label, Fonda’s activism and why that controversy has remained part of her public identity for decades. Marilyn explains how activism became such a central part of Fonda’s life—what she describes as roughly 95% of her life—and how Fonda’s experiences in France, the cultural “new wave,” her marriage to Roger Vadim, and her return to the United States helped shape her activism.
We also explore Fonda’s marriage to activist Tom Hayden and what she learned from him about being strategic; celebrity activists; the balancing act between Hollywood and political activism; and Fonda’s trip to North Vietnam. Marilyn discusses Fonda’s continuing regret about posing with an anti-aircraft gun, while noting that Fonda has said she does not regret going to North Vietnam.
And there are some surprises. Marilyn shares what she discovered about Fonda’s relationship with veterans and the letters she received, along with an important detail about Fonda’s memoir: she really did write it herself, without a ghostwriter, and personally fact-checked it.
It’s a conversation about celebrity, activism, Vietnam, controversy, personal history and the woman behind one of the most recognizable names in American culture.
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‘A REPUBLIC, IF WE CAN KEEP IT’: JOHN BARRY ON POWER AND CONSTITUTIONAL RESTRAINT

How do we balance strong leadership with constitutional restraint—and what happens when that balance begins to shift?

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” I talk with John Barry, author of "Power & Peril: Writings about the Fate of the American Republic," about one of the most enduring challenges facing American democracy: power is always going to be there, but so is the peril when that power isn’t properly restrained.

John explains why he wrote "Power & Peril "and draws on history, national security, leadership and the American political experience to examine what happens when the boundaries of power are tested.

We discuss lessons for today’s leaders, why we need to learn from history, and the importance of putting pressure on allies without belittling them. John points to Desert Storm as a model for working with allies, including the importance of maintaining strong rela-tionships within alliances such as NATO.

We also revisit Benjamin Franklin’s famous response when asked after the Constitutional Convention whether the new nation had a monarchy or a republic: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

For John, the Constitution is essentially a “document of caution”—a framework designed to recognize the presence of power while placing limits on how that power can be exercised.

We explore whether America is currently testing those constitutional boundaries, the challenges posed by increasingly autocratic regimes, and why curiosity and an informed citizenry matter. John also discusses what he calls “normalizing deviance”—the danger of gradually accepting behavior that once would have seemed unacceptable.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about American history, constitutional government, leadership, national security, alliances and the future of the American republic.

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CAN AI MAKE YOU SMARTER? CHARLES B. KREITZBERG EXPLORES THE HUMAN SIDE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Can AI Make You Smarter? Charles B. Kreitzberg Explores the Human Side of Artificial Intelligence
This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Charles B. Kreitzberg, author of "AI Can Make You Smarter: Practical Skills. Sharper Thinking. Business Value.," talks about one of the most important questions of our time: How can we use artificial intelligence without allowing it to do our thinking for us?
Charlie discusses the importance of AI literacy, why we don’t want to lose our agency, and why AI should never be treated as an unquestioned source of truth. AI can make mistakes—and learning how to work with it effectively means learning how to talk with it, challenge it, ask it better questions, and even have it ask questions of us.
We explore just how enormous the AI revolution may be, why Charlie decided to write "AI Can Make You Smarter: Practical Skills. Sharper Thinking. Business Value." and how an unexpected introduction to AI from his nephew helped inspire his journey.
Charlie explains why AI is not human, yet says it could potentially become “the best men-tor we ever had.” But where is the balance? Can AI truly make us smarter—or are we in danger of outsourcing our brains?
We also talk about the importance of human connection, why “we need people—we’re social animals,” the dangers posed by bad actors, concerns about privacy, and why ordinary people—not just technology companies—need to be involved in the conversation about the future of AI.
Charlie also shares how he first became interested in computers after literally locking himself out of his room at Dartmouth, and offers practical advice on getting better results from AI. From his SLATE approach to prompting to the reminder that “vague prompts give you vague answers,” Charlie explains why the first answer AI gives you doesn’t have to be the last answer.
And perhaps most importantly, we discuss the illusion of understanding—and why thinking critically remains essential in an increasingly AI-powered world.
This isn’t about becoming a faster “prompt-jockey.” It’s about learning how to use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot to strengthen the uniquely human skills that continue to matter most: clear thinking, better decision-making, stronger communica-tion, creativity, and real collaboration.
Can artificial intelligence become one of our greatest tools without replacing the thinking that makes us human?
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