In 1985, four young American musicians travelled to Moscow with saxophones, sheet music, and a secret plan. They were members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band - talented, idealistic, and completely untrained in espionage. Yet under the watchful eye of the KGB, they embarked on a covert mission to smuggle information out of the Soviet Union and help Jewish Refuseniks escape oppression. Their hotel rooms were bugged, they were tailed by police, and every conversation carried risk. But through music, coded messages, and sheer nerve, they succeeded.

Forty years later, one of the Klezmer musicians is telling their remarkable story. So today, we explore their mission, the danger they faced, the lives they changed, and why this story is being told now, as I’m asking… how Did Four American Musicians Outwit the KGB?

.

Special Guests:

Merryl Goldberg, currently a Professor in the School of Arts at California State University San Marcos, but she was also the saxophonist and cipher-creator for the KCB quartet that entered the Soviet Union in 1985.

Vince Houghton, co-author of Notes of Deception, Director of the National Security Agency's National Cryptologic Museum and the former Historian and Curator of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.

. Join our new 24/7 SOTUS community now: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

Reading List:

• Notes of Deception: How a Quartet of American Musicians Outwitted the KGB – The Untold Russian History of a Daring Cold War Mission by Merryl Goldberg and Vince Houghton: https://a.co/d/0gAn20cB

.

Highlights:

02:44 - Cuckoo Crazy

08:04 - In Too Deep

16:50 - Music as Code

24:45 - We Need You Here

30:02 - Meryl Versus KGB

35:15 - People Need to be Advocates

39:25 - What Happened to the Refuseniks?

.

Contact us: [email protected]

Team SOTUS: ⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠community

Brands & advertisers: [email protected]

.

Credits:

Producer - Liam Heffernan

Host - Liam Heffernan

Editor - Liam Heffernan

In Partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

Today: What does an American education look like?

From a child’s first day of school all the way to college graduation, we’ll break down how the system works, what the grade levels mean, how the school year is structured, and what qualifications students earn along the way.

.

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community ⁠

Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

This week, as Meta are handed another fine, we take a closer look at what it means, and the wider issues around child safety on the internet... and why social media companies are actively trying to shut down legislation that could help.

Plus, Trump's approval ratings continue to fall, the midterms heat up as more candidates are confirmed, and an art installation in Chicago reignites conversations about US monuments.

Joining me this week is Corbin Trent, former comms guy for both AOC and Bernie Sanders, and now writer at America’s Undoing and the Founder of A Fight Worth Having.

America's Undoing: https://www.americasundoing.com/

.

03:20 - Katie Hobbs

14:32 - Trump's Approval Rating

20:49 - Child Safety on the Internet

43:00 - Other Washingtons

.

News Sources:

• America’s Undoing: https://www.americasundoing.com/ 

• Meta’s record child safety fine: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7lz3wr2rlo 

• Perez Hilton’s infamous livestream: https://thetab.com/2026/08/06/a-four-hour-911-call-and-hospital-updates-the-latest-details-we-know-about-perez-hilton 

• How TikTok Failed to Act on Perez Hilton: https://www.vanityfair.com/story/perez-hilton-tiktok-livestream-policy?srsltid=AfmBOopxRRQ7Gu9G3bJj-C25b1P3r5zN2oHRaAT_Ui3sipVOy3Pk20Is 

• Kids Online Safety Act: https://issueone.org/press/big-tech-companies-pump-more-than-51-million-into-lobbying-this-year-as-industry-seeks-to-thwart-passage-of-kids-online-safety-and-privacy-act/ 

• Arizona Governor Race: https://apnews.com/article/katie-hobbs-john-giles-lieutenant-governor-arizona-3d7d3b6ed775c18025263d8d3c430f55 

• Chicago Monument Protest: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/11/style/chicago-washington-monument-amanda-williams 

• Trump’s approval rating hits new low: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/11/trump-approval-rating-hits-new-low-latest-poll/91260164007/

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join our new 24/7 SOTUS community now: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

John Foster Dulles was one of the most consequential, and controversial, figures in twentieth‑century American foreign policy. As Dwight Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, he helped define the architecture of the Cold War, but his story begins long before the Cold War.

He was a lawyer, an international negotiator, a religious thinker, and a man whose worldview was forged by the trauma of two world wars and the rise of communism. His legacy is complex: admired by some as a principled strategist, criticised by others as rigid, moralistic, or overly confrontational.

So in this episode, we explore his life, career, impact, and the debates surrounding his legacy, as I’m asking… who was John Foster Dulles?

.

Special Guest:

Professor Bevan Sewell, a leading historian of U.S. foreign relations whose work examines American strategy, ideology, and global power in the twentieth century.

.

Reading List:

• The U.S. and the Global Cold War by Bevan Sewell & Scott Lucas (eds.): https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Global-Cold-War/dp/1472511520 

• Reassessing U.S. Foreign Policy During the Cold War by Bevan Sewell: https://www.amazon.com/Reassessing-U-S-Foreign-Policy-During/dp/1472511520

• John Foster Dulles: A Biography by Townsend Hoopes: https://www.amazon.com/John-Foster-Dulles-Biography-Hoopes/dp/0060129514 

• The Life of John Foster Dulles by Robert Divine: https://www.amazon.com/Life-John-Foster-Dulles-Divine/dp/0393093500 

• Dulles: A Biography of Eleanor, Allen, and John Foster Dulles by Leonard Mosley: https://www.amazon.com/Dulles-Biography-Eleanor-Allen-Foster/dp/0802132084 

• The New Deal and the Triumph of Liberalism by Sidney Milkis & Jerome Mileur: https://www.amazon.com/New-Deal-Triumph-Liberalism-Milkis/dp/1558493741 

• Strategies of Containment by John Lewis Gaddis: https://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Containment-John-Lewis-Gaddis/dp/019517447X 

• The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis: https://www.amazon.com/Cold-War-New-History/dp/0143038273 

• The Eisenhower Era by Richard Damms: https://www.amazon.com/Eisenhower-Era-American-History/dp/1403945923 

• The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy by Jussi Hanhimäki: https://www.amazon.com/Flawed-Architect-Kissinger-American-Foreign/dp/0195172213 

• The United States and the Origins of the Cold War by Thomas Paterson: https://www.amazon.com/United-States-Origins-Cold-1941-1947/dp/0393093500 

• The Most Dangerous Man in America? The Making of John Foster Dulles by Mark G. Thomas: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Dangerous-Man-America-Making/dp/0807835038 

• The Suez Crisis by Derek Varble: https://www.amazon.com/Suez-Crisis-1956-Essential-Histories/dp/184176189X 

• The CIA and Covert Operations by John Prados: https://www.amazon.com/Presidents-Secret-Wars-Operations-World/dp/1560252285 

• Religion and American Foreign Policy by William Inboden: https://www.amazon.com/Religion-American-Foreign-Policy-1945-1960/dp/0521678263 

• Moral Crusades in Diplomacy by Robert McMahon: https://www.amazon.com/McMahon-Moral-Crusades-Diplomacy/dp/0300065304 

• The Cambridge History of the Cold War by Melvyn Leffler & Odd Arne Westad (eds.): https://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-History-Cold-War-Volume/dp/0521837192 

• The Global Cold War by Odd Arne Westad: https://www.amazon.com/Global-Cold-War-Third-Interventions/dp/052170314X 

• The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Great-Powers/dp/0679720197 

.

Highlights:

02:35 - Bred in the Bone

07:45 - Instinctively Conservative

14:03 - Dulles' Resume

18:21 - Massive Retaliation

24:36 - Dulles' Influence on Trump

29:23 - Embracing Decolonisation

32:42 - Not-So-Covert Operations

39:15 - Past Their Best

42:47 - Legacy

.

Contact us: [email protected]

Team SOTUS: ⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠community

Brands & advertisers: [email protected]

.

Credits:

Producer - Liam Heffernan

Host - Liam Heffernan

Editor - Liam Heffernan

In Partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

Today: the ninth President of the United States, William Henry Harrison - his election, his presidency, his key achievements and controversies, and his lasting legacy.

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

This week, we take a closer look at the imminent approval of Todd Blanche as the US' new Attorney General. Who is Trump's former personal lawyer, and what does his appointment mean for the US?

Plus, the UFC have confirmed losses of $30 for hosting the White House event on Trump's birthday, while the federal appeals court has reversed climate program cuts, restoring billions of dollars in funding.

Joining me this week is Sian Round, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Swansee University.

.

01:42 - Climate funding restored

04:46 - US economic growth

10:18 - UFC White House Costs

16:45 - Todd Blanche: Attorney General

36:58 - Lifeguard Hero

.

News Sources:

• Federal appeals court throw out Trump’s climate cuts:https://apnews.com/article/epa-grants-climate-united-trump-36ad8c6684939a1788dd49979e0f3ad9 

• UFC loses $30 million on White House event: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/mixed-martial-arts/articles/ckgdky8d94eo 

• US economy grows by 1.5%: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/30/us-economy-growth-inflation-second-quarter 

• Todd Blanche nomination moves to full Senate vote: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/08/04/senate-judiciary-committee-approves-todd-blanche-as-ag-after-initial-delay/ 

• 16 year old lifeguard saves 10 year old’s life: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/16-yo-rookie-lifeguard-leads-heroic-ocean-rescue-with-viral-video-of-harrowing-effort/

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

Today: The History of the Death Penalty in the United States - when it started, how it evolved, the major legal battles that shaped it, and the controversies that continue today.

.

Contact us: [email protected]

Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://america-the-story-of-the-usa.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Brand & advertising enquiries: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

This week, former President Joe Biden comes under fire after leaked recordings seem to show him admitting to the possession of classified files.

And we dive into the death penalty, in particular why executions are booming in Florida, and what Ron DeSantis has to do about it.

Joining me this week is Professor Andrew Moran, the Head of Criminology, Sociology, Politics and International Relations at London Met.

.

01:38 - Joe Biden's Classified Files

15:11 - Ron DeSantis and the Death Penalty

42:47 - Subway Surfing, USA

.

News Sources:

• Florida to execute two in a day: https://apnews.com/article/florida-execution-duckett-occhicone-4c313a84631ad20a62998f7dd061dbcf 

• NYC subway surfers: https://news.sky.com/video/nypd-drone-captures-teen-subway-surfers-13567341 

• Joe Biden admits possessing classified files to ghostwriter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr49znlz5ggo 

• Execution statistics: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/executions-overview/executions-by-state-and-year 

• Gun violence stats: https://theworlddata.com/fatal-shooting-statistics-in-us/ 

• Florida’s new capital sentencing law: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/floridas-new-non-unanimous-capital-sentencing-law-faces-retroactivity-challenge-in-state-supreme-court 

• Florida’s new capital punishment laws: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/floridas-new-non-unanimous-capital-sentencing-law-faces-retroactivity-challenge-in-state-supreme-court 

• Ron DeSantis sees death penalty as a deterrent: https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2025-11-04/gov-desantis-says-executions-about-justice-amid-modern-era-record

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join our new 24/7 SOTUS community now: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

When four musicians from Liverpool, England arrived in the United States in 1964, they didn’t just launch a tour. They triggered a cultural earthquake. Their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show drew an audience of unprecedented size, their records dominated the charts, and their presence reshaped American youth culture almost overnight.

But their conquest of America wasn’t inevitable. It was the product of timing, technology, post‑war optimism, and a nation searching for new forms of expression after the trauma of the Kennedy assassination. They transformed American music, fashion, media, and identity, and their influence still echoes across the cultural landscape today.

So in this episode, I’m asking… how did The Beatles conquer America?

.

Special Guest:

Brian Ward, one of the UK’s leading historians of American culture. His work explores the intersections of music, politics, media, and identity in the United States.

.

Reading List:

• Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations by Brian Ward: https://a.co/d/0c8G4EzO 

• The Beatles and America (selected essays and lectures)

• The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz: https://a.co/d/05vISlWp 

• The Beatles Are Coming! by Bruce Spizer: https://a.co/d/04g78dMb 

• The Sixties: Cultural Revolution in Britain, France, Italy, and the United States by Arthur Marwick: https://a.co/d/0dOtymvX 

• America in the Sixties by John Morton Blum

• Beatlemania: Technology, Fans, and the Making of a Cultural Phenomenon by André Millard: https://amzn.eu/d/0ieN280V 

• The British Invasion, American History Magazine archives

.

Highlights:

02:21 - Blowing away the cobwebs

07:27 - Ed Sullivan

15:32 - The secret to the Beatles' success

21:03 - The black American influence

27:20 - A voice for American youth

33:33 - For the people

41:10 - Do the Beatles still matter?

.

Contact us: [email protected]

Team SOTUS: ⁠⁠⁠https://sotus.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠community

Brands & advertisers: [email protected]

.

Credits:

Producer - Liam Heffernan

Host - Liam Heffernan

Editor - Liam Heffernan

In Partnership with the ⁠⁠British Association for American Studies

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

America: Study Notes are quickfire explainers for all the things you want to know about the USA, but don't want to ask.

Today: the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren - his election, his presidency, his key achievements and controversies, and his lasting legacy.

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN TEAM SOTUS: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

.

This week, as Andrew and Tristan Tate face extradition to the UK, we discuss their ties to the Trump family, and the political headache this might cause the President.

Plus, JD Vance has a baby, the price of gas soars, and new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is winning points with the President.

Joining me this week is Dr. Emma Long, an Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia, though currently reporting from Heidelberg, Germany.

.

02:01 - The Price of Oil

11:04 - Andy Burnham

18:56 - Andrew & Tristan Tate

41:36 - Baby Vance

.

News Sources:

• US gas prices back up: https://apnews.com/article/gas-prices-iran-war-4-gallon-4b82825734ec3ded192351e53a4be69e 

• Trump approves of new UK PM North Sea drilling plans: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/20/uk-prime-minister-burnham-trump-poverty-stricken-disaster.html 

• Vance become first Veep in 150 years to have a new child while in office: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj63kngxpxpo 

• Vance won’t take paternity leave: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-vice-president-jd-vance-paternity-leave-decision-1809573 

• The Tate Brothers arrested: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/20/us/tate-brothers-extradition-wwk 

• Trump’s connection to the Tate Brothers: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/07/19/tate-brothers-arrested-in-florida-what-we-know-about-their-trump-ties/

.

America: The Story of the USA is a Podcasts by Liam production for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercury⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in partnership with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠British Association for American Studies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/

Join the community: https://sotus.beehiiv.com/community

Get in touch: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices