Bay of Pigs: Lessons Not-Learned (Part Two)

Bay of Pigs: Lessons Not-Learned (Part Two)

Author: Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia April 23, 2026 Duration: 27:59
We continue our conversation about the Bay of Pigs invasion with a look at how it all went wrong on the two days of combat in Cuba. Plus, the long-term lessons for JFK, the CIA, and US foreign policy. Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now. This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

Hosted by Jody Avirgan alongside historians Nicole Hemmer and Kellie Carter Jackson, This Day is a historical podcast from Radiotopia that steps back from the relentless news cycle to find context in the past. The series "50 Weeks That Shaped America" serves as its core, offering a rich, narrative-driven examination of pivotal moments that have fundamentally influenced the nation's political landscape and cultural identity. This isn't a dry recitation of dates but a deep, engaging exploration of the stories and decisions that collectively brought us to the present. Each episode functions as a carefully researched journey, unpacking the complexities and unintended consequences of historical events you might think you know, revealing the surprising threads that connect them to contemporary life. By focusing on these formative weeks, the podcast provides a unique and clarifying lens, arguing that to understand today's headlines, you often need to listen to the echoes of yesterday. The conversations between Avirgan, Hemmer, and Jackson are insightful and accessible, blending scholarly depth with compelling storytelling. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining a new set of tools for thinking about America, its ongoing struggles, and its evolving character, all through the meticulous and thoughtful work of its hosts.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

This Day (An America 250 History Show)
Podcast Episodes
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How Triangle Ushered In An Era Of Reform [Part 2] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Obama's Rocky 2008 + A 538 Doc Teaser [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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**One week only, get a 20% discount on the newsletter using this link! thisdaypod.substack.com/35c7aaa4** For our "Sunday Context" episode, we go back to an episode from week two (!) of this podcast to look at the contro…
How Obama Spoke To Us About Race [Part 2] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Obama, Rev. Wright, and "A More Perfect Union" [Part 1] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:19
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Duration: 24:07
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How Clinton-Lewinsky Set The Template For Modern Politics [Part Two] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:54
Our conversation about the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky affair continues, with a look at the changing media environment, the rise of FOX News, and how this created a template for the modern hyper-politicized scandal.…
Clinton, Lewinsky, FOX & Drudge [Part 1] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:46
This week on “50 Weeks That Shaped America” series, we go to fairly recent history — and the rise of the modern media-driven political scandal. During the government shutdown of 1995, Bill Clinton started a sexual relati…
The Speech That First Made Lincoln [Some Sunday Context] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:20
For our "Sunday Context" episode, we look at another speech by Abraham Lincoln, one he gave in 1860 at the Cooper Union in New York City. Before the speech, he was relatively unknown and not considered a viable candidate…