Having been a Lincoln biographer for a quarter of a century, Herbert Mitgang felt the importance of writing the play "Mister Lincoln: A Drama in Two Acts". Lincoln's rich language can be heard through Mr. Mitgang''s dramatic interpretation of Lincoln's life.

Salisbury continues talking about the artists like writers, musicians and dancers being national assets to Russia. In a country with its history of tyranny, Russian society is becoming more permissive and relaxed, explained Salisbury. Khrushchev keeps the peace right now, says Salisbury but wonders, like the title of a new book he's working on, is this "A New Russia?".

Bill McKibben, author and environmentalist discusses his book "The End of Nature." McKibben talks about climate and weather, greenhouse gasses, fossil fuels, chlorofluorocarbons, and carbon dioxide. He also explains how climate change could damage the ecosystems including birds. He ends the interview discussing what can be changed such as solar power.

Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. Kahn talks about Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball. Includes an excerpt from an interview with early player Sam Crawford.

Garry Wills, writer and historian, discusses his book "John Wayne's America: The Politics of Celebrity." He explores the popularity of John Wayne that took him from an actor and made him into an American symbol. He explores how the symbol of John Wayne is used by white male politicians to influence their decisions and how that affected the Vietnam War. Wills gives a biography of John Wayne, including the many influential people in his life such as his working partner, John Ford.

Irv Kupcinet said he was embarrassed to admit how many hours he'd spend per day working on one story for his column. Kup explained his work life, his social life and personal life all gelled together because he was working about 18 hours a day. Reading papers every morning and making phones to his various contacts were the main ways Irv Kupcinet got his information.

Studs interviews Chicago Tribune reporter turned opera composer, Dan Tucker. He discusses how his music was inspired by poets Federico García Lorca and William Shakespeare and authors Peter S. Beagle and Christopher Fry. Sasha Gerritson, soprano and founder of the L'Opera Piccola opera troupe, David Laub, bass baritone, and David Richards, L'Opera Piccola music director and pianist are in studio and talk about their work and thoughts on the opera songs.