Reframing America Podcast
1) The World War II Special, Part 2: Forged from the Flames
World War II seemed like the end of the world, but in truth, it signaled the birth of a new world. In Part Two of their analysis of the Second World War, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg discuss the my...Show More
2) The World War II Special, Part 1: Consumed in the Conflagration
World War II is the singular event of modern history, encompassing the darkest depths of the human soul, the highest aspirations of invention, and the tenacious capacity to persevere with the fate of ...Show More
3) American Phoenix: FDR Raises America from the Ashes
The life cycle of the Phoenix: creation, destruction, rebirth. This was also the cycle for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his wife Eleanor, and the nation he would lead. During his unprecedented tenure of...Show More
4) Millions Saved, Billions Lost: The Presidential Paradox of Herbert Hoover
Whenever a crisis reared its ugly head, Herbert Hoover was there to resolve it. He was called "The Great Humanitarian," and at one point, he was the most beloved American on Earth. So, why was he so i...Show More
Millions Saved, Billions Lost: The Presidential Paradox of Herbert Hoover
1:45:02 | Oct 27th, 2025
5) American Gangsters: Harding, Coolidge, and a Nation of Scofflaws
America from 1921-1929 was, in some ways, a nation defined by crime. From greasing the wheels of business with bribes to making a fortune selling illegal liquor during Prohibition, everyone was wettin...Show More
6) The World War I Special, Part 2
In the second episode of this two-part season finale, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg dig deeper into the implications of World War I. They discuss how World War I impacted America, for better and wor...Show More
7) The World War I Special, Part 1
In the first episode of this two-part Season 3 finale, Ryan Rasmussen and Tony Rydberg sketch out the underlying causes of World War I, why the US tried to stay out of it, and ultimately what pulled A...Show More
8) The Altered States of America: Woodrow Wilson’s Transformative Presidency
A lot can change in eight years, especially if you’re Woodrow Wilson from 1913-1921. Politically, he transformed the economy, strengthened the presidency, oversaw the prohibition of alcohol, and secur...Show More
The Altered States of America: Woodrow Wilson’s Transformative Presidency
1:38:15 | Apr 21st, 2025
9) Clash of the Titans: The Taft Era Hits an Iceberg
Thought to be unsinkable, it went down on its maiden voyage after a fateful and fatal collision: this is the story of the RMS Titanic, but it’s also the story of William Howard Taft’s presidency. Tony...Show More
10) The Peter Pan President: Theodore Roosevelt's Eternal Youth
To paraphrase the first line of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan: all presidents, except one, grow up. Theodore Roosevelt started life as the sickly son of a wealthy New York family, and he ended it as an accl...Show More