History

December 8, 1980: as millions were watching the Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, ABC’s Howard Cosell interrupted the game with a flash news bulletin that John Lennon had been shot outside his apartment in New York City. Over the next several excruciating hours, 11 year-old me — like so many other young Americans, furiously flipped the television channels (all three of them) for any updates we could get on what had happened. In those days before the internet, 24-hour cable news channels, and breaking news alerts, all we had was the radio after our local TV stations signed off the air at midnight. Defying my parents order to go to bed (it was, after all, a school night) I stayed up until dawn, sitting on the floor beside my component stereo system, scanning the radio dial from left to right, AM and FM — then back again. Every station was playing Beatles music, often interrupted by news updates throughout the long night. Listeners called into overnight talk shows to express their shock and grief. For those few restless hours…for just that one night, every radio station, of every format, in every city across America, played nothing but the Beatles. (That hasn’t happened in the 45 years since, upon the death of any musician.) I pressed “record” and “play” on the Fisher cassette deck and kept recording until I ran out of blank tape. And I cried. Oh, how I cried… I’d been hooked on the Beatles since I was five. They were my favorite band. I’d saved my lunch money to buy all of their albums and by 1980, had a record collection that was the envy of every cool kid in my class. I hosted Beatles listening parties where we would all try to sing their intricate harmonies and where the budding musicians among us learned to play our first pop songs on guitar, piano, strings, woodwinds, horns, and drums (Beatles records always had plenty of instruments to choose from, but alas, sitars and Mellotrons weren’t standard issue in our school’s orchestra room.) Although I was still too young to understand just what a dangerous and crazy place the world could be, and I didn’t fully grasp what death — or assassination — was, all I knew was that Beatle John was gone; that some “screwball” (as NYPD called Mark David Chapman at the time) had violently taken him away from us. Now I am in my mid-50s and the memory of that night still hasn’t faded, nor has my pain. Looking for a place to channel it, I finally dug those 45 year-old analog tapes out of storage, carefully digitized them, and began mixing them together with snippets of radio and television reports from across America, along with John’s own words, compiled from rare interviews in my collection of faded old tapes (now lovingly restored), and of course, his music. The result is an aural portrait of 24 hours in America as it was then, starting late on the night of December 8 — and well into the next day, December 9, 1980 — A Day in the Life, as it were; this is a sonic journey across a nation stunned and wrecked by grief. If you are old enough to remember, you probably stayed up all night scanning the radio dial, too, and this will bring back a lot of poignant memories for you. If you weren’t born yet, you will find this a captivating time capsule of that historic tragedy as it happened 45 years ago tonight. December 8-9, 1980 were unprecedented in the history of American broadcasting. For those rare 24 hours, every radio station in the nation played music from one artist. Formats were temporarily suspended; commercials did not run. It hasn’t happened again since, and probably never will again. With “A Day in the Life of America,” I’ve done my best to recap and recreate this event for you, and condense 24 hours of national programming down to four hours of the best bits. Hope you enjoy it.

This is a historical true story about the fascist conspiracy to control President Franklin Roosevelt and overthrow the American government (by force of arms if necessary) by the nation's richest businessmen. One brave Marine -- Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler -- blew the whistle to stop it, spilling the beans to a reporter and before a Congressional committee. Over the coming weeks we will be reading and discussing Jules Archer’s 1973 classic, “The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR" in my history book club. Buy a copy of this book and read along with me! https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Seize-White-House-Conspiracy/dp/1602390363 Listen to all episodes of "The Plot to Overthrow FDR" here. Bookmark this playlist! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlekM9W6oYvQ22nT6wsOArwL&si=FpvILyiZPIXsqS05 Follow me on X: http://x.com/@RealLoriSpencer On Facebook: http://Facebook.com/RealLoriSpencer Subscribe on Rumble for UNCENSORED videos YouTube won't let me show you! http://Rumble.com/LoriSpencer My blog: http://LoriSpencer.WordPress.com My Substack: http://RealLoriSpencer.Substack.com Join as a monthly member at: http://Patreon.com/LoriSpencer http://BuyMeACoffee.com/LoriSpencer Buy me a book from my Wishlist for a future book club reading! http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer

President Franklin Roosevelt referred to the powerful business oligarchs of his time as "unscrupulous money-changers," "economic royalists," and "the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties." As the #NoKings protests erupted again across America this weekend, we heard those sentiments echoed again from the 99% against the 1% who control the nation's wealth. In 2025, the richest men in the world have bought the president, a majority in Congress, easily influence public policy in their favor, and have an army to back them up. President #Trump, as Commander in Chief, is deploying troops anywhere he wants, for any reason he wants, to protect the interests of his powerful donors. Had the "businessmen's plot" of 1934 succeeded, that's exactly what the oligarchs intended for #Roosevelt to be -- their puppet president, steering America towards a corporate fascist state; a military dictatorship like #Mussolini's Italy, Franco's Spain, or #Hitler's Germany. The plot was to take the power of the presidency away from #FDR without firing a shot (although the conspirators planned to have a private army of 500,000 men at the ready if needed). They didn't plan to assassinate Roosevelt, but rather to simply buy him off. Trump, like Roosevelt, got elected by promising to "drain the swamp," and help the struggling working classes; to fight the good fight for the forgotten man. But unlike Trump, FDR kept his campaign promises to the American people. His White House was not for sale. This is a historical true story about the fascist conspiracy to control FDR and overthrow the American government (by force of arms if necessary). Over the coming weeks we will be reading and discussing Jules Archer’s 1973 classic, “The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR" in my history book club. I hope you'll join us every Sunday in October, 6:30 PM Eastern for the live reading and chat! Listen to every episode of "The Plot to Overthrow FDR" below. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlekM9W6oYvQ22nT6wsOArwL&si=W7_xXMjfFrFnT1nr * NOTE: The music featured at the beginning and ending of each episode is excerpted from Duke Ellington’s “Chant for FDR,” (aka “American Lullaby”) composed as a tribute to the president for a nationwide radio broadcast that aired on April 14, 1945, just two days after Roosevelt’s death. This recording was part of Ellington’s Treasury Broadcast series, a weekly program that helped sell war bonds and stamps. The regularly scheduled broadcast was replaced with a memorial program.

On June 4, 2025 I was invited to address the United Nations Security Council Arria Formula Meeting “Understanding and Resolving The Ideological Roots of the Ukranian Crisis.” You can watch the full UNSC meeting here at UN Web TV. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12bfxhg4t My presentation to the UNSC focused on the secret history of U.S. recruitment, funding, arming, and training of Ukrainian nationalists (many of whom were wanted Nazi war criminals) during the Cold War — a topic I’ve researched and written about extensively over the years. My Hidden History Revealed podcast series takes a deep dive into the Central Intelligence Agency’s covert collaboration with the Nazis in Ukraine which was kept from the American public for more than half a century. Watch the full Hidden History Revealed series in this playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlcefw6FSxdyPXBi-F-IZGLd

On this episode of "The Kennedy Chronicles" we explore the special relationship between the #Kennedy family and the nation of #Israel. Young #JFK visited #Palestine in 1939, later again as Senator after the creation of Israel, and as president, cemented U.S. support for Israel by creating our official special relationship in 1961. Kennedy was also the first American president to sell arms to Israel. Read more about John F. Kennedy's foreign policy towards Israel in this thread: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1747893880345722925 President Kennedy's younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, first visited British Mandate of Palestinein 1948, one month before Israel's Declaration of Independence. Twenty-two years old at the time, he was reporting on the tense situation in the region for The Boston Post. During his stay, he grew to admire the Jewish inhabitants of the area and their fight for freedom in the Israel/Arab war. #RFK became a staunch defender of Israel and as Senator voted to send the country 50 Phantom Jets for defense. This angered a 24 year-old Palestinian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan, who cited Kennedy's #Zionism as the reason why he murdered Sen. Kennedy in 1968. Read more about RFK's relationship with Israel, and how it contributed to his assassination here: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1747829384172454243 The third Kennedy brother, Sen. Edward Kennedy, #RFKJr, and all of the Kennedy grandchildren, continue the tradition of their ancestors as committed #Zionists to the present day. Read more about the successive generations of Kennedys and Israel in this thread: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1903241440999727235 Join me and host S.L. Kanathan for a fascinating discussion of the Kennedys and Israel on this week's episode of "The Kennedy Chronicles." Premiers Tuesday, May 27 at 8 PM Eastern.

57 years after a California jury convicted Sirhan #Sirhan for the murder of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the U.S. National Archives is finally releasing tens of thousands of formerly-secret documents related to the assassination. The 24 year-old Palestinian immigrant shot #RFK in a fury over the 1968 presidential candidate's support for arming #Israel with 50 Phantom jets. When Sirhan was apprehended by Sen. Kennedy's bodyguards in the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel on the night of June 5, 1968, he reportedly shouted "I did it for my country!" His country was #Palestine. It was the first act of Palestinian terror on American soil -- sparking five and a half decades more of skyjackings, hostage-takings, #terrorism, and war that continues today in the Middle East. The release continued disclosures of national secrets ordered by Donald #Trump after he began his second presidency in January. It comes a month after thousands more unredacted files related to the 1963 #JFK assassination were disclosed. Lawyers for #Kennedy’s killer have said for decades that he is unlikely to reoffend or pose a danger to society. In 2021, a parole board deemed Sirhan suitable for release. But the California governor, Gavin Newson, rejected the decision in 2022. In 2023, a different panel denied him release, saying he still lacks remorse and/or understanding of what caused him to shoot Kennedy. Sirhan, now 81, still sits in prison. The late senator’s sonRobert F Kennedy Jr, who now serves as Trump’s health and human services secretary, commended the president and his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, for what he called their “courage” and “dogged efforts” to release the files. “Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” Kennedy Jr said in a statement. Who Killed Bobby Kennedy? I devoted much of 2024 to a re-examination of Sirhan's case -- reviewing original evidence and testimony presented by both the prosecution and the defense -- in the production of my 13-part true crime podcast series, Who Killed Bobby Kennedy? Now that I've had time to review the first tranche of these newly-released #RFKFiles (about 10,000 pages -- another 64,000 pages were just released last week, with more reportedly to come), I made many new discoveries within that provide fascinating insights and context to our understanding of this historic murder case. Those findings are presented in a NEW episode of my #truecrime podcast series, which takes viewers on a guided tour of the most important documents I've found in the archives so far. Among the boxes of long-secret files were never-before-seen photographs of RFK's autopsy taken by then-Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi. Because the photos are extremely graphic they are not included here, as showing them would violate the community guidelines of platforms such as YouTube that host this podcast series, and go against the wishes of the Kennedy family, who have asked responsible journalists not to disseminate them. It took seven months and 14 episodes to at last unravel the full truth. It's all here. Everything you ever wanted to know about the murder of Bobby Kennedy; from the archives of federal government agencies -- the FBI, CIA, Department of Justice, State Department, and the White Houses of every president from #LBJ to #Obama. Why were these documents kept secret for nearly six decades? What was the perceived risk to National Security? What did the government NOT want us to know abut the RFK assassination? I'll unravel it in this special bonus episode of the "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy" series. Don't miss the YouTube premiere live May 12 at 9 PM Eastern. (Set a reminder at the link below.) It is my hope that you find this series as interesting and enlightening as I did putting it all together. Producing "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy" involved a lot of hard work, and I'd like to thank everyone who assisted and participated. Most of all, I'd like to thank YOU for watching! Watch all episodes for free in this YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxldlHGAjTPLcdyXmDNa2Ny0W&si=MPHh2WZEJSbTjoog

The political partnership between John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson was a mystery from the day it began -- on July 14, 1960, when #JFK asked #LBJ to be his running mate at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Both Sen. #Kennedy and Sen. Johnson's closest advisors, friends, and even family members were vehemently opposed to Johnson joining JFK on the ticket (most famously Jack's campaign manager and brother Bobby Kennedy, who tried several times to talk Jack and Lyndon out of it). But Jack's mind was pretty well made up. It had to be Johnson. As he told TIME Magazine's Hugh Sidey a few days before the convention: “There is no question in my mind,” said Kennedy. “Lyndon would be the best man I could get to run with me. He’s a Texan, a Southerner, he knows Congress, Washington, and he has the ability to be President. But I’m convinced he wouldn’t take it. He’d be more powerful staying as majority leader. What do you think?” Sidey had already gone over the question every which way with L.B.J. the night before, until Johnson got irritated and stormed that he would not do the Kennedy family’s bidding. He declared that the vice presidency was a worthless job compared with being Senate leader, related the sad tenure of “Cactus Jack” Garner, who had called the office nothing more than a “pitcher of warm spit,” and said Speaker Sam Rayburn had told him to stay far away from it. (Cactus Jack had actually used much more colorful language, saying that the vice presidency "wasn't worth a bucket of warm piss.") "If he could not be President," Sidey later recalled, "he would stay in the Senate, Johnson had told me with such rage and finality — his nose an inch from mine — that I chalked him off." Kennedy listened, grinned, nodded. Both were awed and amused by the tumultuous Johnson. “Have you decided on a vice-presidential nominee?” Sidey asked. “Yes,” answered Kennedy. “Can you tell me?” Sidey inquired. "I will if you promise not to publish it,” J.F.K. replied. “Senator, don’t do that to me,” Sidey implored. “We’ve got two days before the magazine is printed, and I’m sure the name will leak. I don’t want to be bound. So don’t tell me.” Kennedy gave a wry smile, said, “O.K., I won’t.” In the future president's mind, the only path to victory against Nixon in November was LBJ. (And he was right. Without LBJ bringing in Southern votes, JFK would have likely lost that razor-thin 1960 race.) During his presidency and long after his assassination, rumors swirled about the Johnsons and the Kennedys not getting along. #RFK and Lyndon by all accounts hated each other. However, the relationship between JFK and LBJ was far more friendly and based on mutual respect. What's the real truth about LBJ and JFK? Was Johnson ever trusted by President Kennedy? Did the Vice President have anything to do with the President's 1963 assassination, as some conspiracists allege, thus effecting an Executive Branch coup d'etat? Historian Lori Spencer breaks it down in this episode of The Kennedy Chronicles!

The political partnership between John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson was a mystery from the day it began -- on July 14, 1960, when #JFK asked #LBJ to be his running mate at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Both Sen. #Kennedy and Sen. Johnson's closest advisors, friends, and even family members were vehemently opposed to Johnson joining JFK on the ticket (most famously Jack's campaign manager and brother Bobby Kennedy, who tried several times to talk Jack and Lyndon out of it). But Jack's mind was pretty well made up. It had to be Johnson. As he told TIME Magazine's Hugh Sidey a few days before the convention: “There is no question in my mind,” said Kennedy. “Lyndon would be the best man I could get to run with me. He’s a Texan, a Southerner, he knows Congress, Washington, and he has the ability to be President. But I’m convinced he wouldn’t take it. He’d be more powerful staying as majority leader. What do you think?” Sidey had already gone over the question every which way with L.B.J. the night before, until Johnson got irritated and stormed that he would not do the Kennedy family’s bidding. He declared that the vice presidency was a worthless job compared with being Senate leader, related the sad tenure of “Cactus Jack” Garner, who had called the office nothing more than a “pitcher of warm spit,” and said Speaker Sam Rayburn had told him to stay far away from it. (Cactus Jack had actually used much more colorful language, saying that the vice presidency "wasn't worth a bucket of warm piss.") "If he could not be President," Sidey later recalled, "he would stay in the Senate, Johnson had told me with such rage and finality — his nose an inch from mine — that I chalked him off." Kennedy listened, grinned, nodded. Both were awed and amused by the tumultuous Johnson. “Have you decided on a vice-presidential nominee?” Sidey asked. “Yes,” answered Kennedy. “Can you tell me?” Sidey inquired. "I will if you promise not to publish it,” J.F.K. replied. “Senator, don’t do that to me,” Sidey implored. “We’ve got two days before the magazine is printed, and I’m sure the name will leak. I don’t want to be bound. So don’t tell me.” Kennedy gave a wry smile, said, “O.K., I won’t.” In the future president's mind, the only path to victory against Nixon in November was LBJ. (And he was right. Without LBJ bringing in Southern votes, JFK would have likely lost that razor-thin 1960 race.) During his presidency and long after his assassination, rumors swirled about the Johnsons and the Kennedys not getting along. #RFK and Lyndon by all accounts hated each other. However, the relationship between JFK and LBJ was far more friendly and based on mutual respect. What's the real truth about LBJ and JFK? Was Johnson ever trusted by President Kennedy? Did the Vice President have anything to do with the President's 1963 assassination, as some conspiracists allege, thus effecting an Executive Branch coup d'etat? Historian Lori Spencer breaks it down in this episode of The Kennedy Chronicles!

In this new History Book Club audio podcast series, historian Lori Spencer reads and discusses selected chapters from "After Camelot: A History of the Kennedy family from 1968-Present" by New York Times bestselling author and prolific Kennedy chronicler J. Randy Taraborelli. This book picks up the story where my investigative true crime 13-part podcast series "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy?" left off: what happened to the #Kennedys after the assassinations of #JFK and #RFK? In Episode 2, we tell the sad story of Rosemary Kennedy, who was infamously subjected to a lobotomy operation at age 23 to "cure" what was most likely a mild, treatable form of #autism. The failed operation destroyed young Rosemary's brain and left her severely handicapped for the rest of her life. We will also explore how Rosemary's tragedy was covered up by the politically ambitious Kennedy family for decades, until one brave sibling -- Rosemary's sister Eunice Kennedy #Shriver -- made inclusion and proper treatment of mental and physical disabilities her life's mission and founded the #SpecialOlympics in 1968. President #Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services is #RFKJr, nephew of Eunice and Rosemary Kennedy. His recent controversial statements on the causes of autism and plans for an autism registry database set off a firestorm of anger among disability advocates, which we will discuss in a historical context of #eugenics and outdated approaches to viewing people with intellectual disabilities. I hope you'll enjoy this excellent book along with me, as we trace every branch of the Kennedy family tree from Joe and Rose Kennedy through their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; their tragedies and triumphs, told accurately and thoroughly by the author. Join me for "The Kennedys: After Camelot" -- a continuing history book club series that explores the lives of Sen. Edward Kennedy, Eunice and Sargeant Shriver, JFK's sisters Jean and Pat, the Lawfords, the Smiths, Ethel, Jackie, and Joan Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, JFK Jr., and of course, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. as well. This history book club series is in memory of RFK's widow, the late Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Listen to ALL EPISODES of "The Kennedys: After Camelot" here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlcI6SqtEgPeYlB7MjBPUoZY&si=uc-5eYJjZ52jKDfc Buy the book and follow along in your copy with this book club reading! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-camelot-j-randy-taraborrelli/1110780428 Support my work with a donation or monthly membership http://LoriSpencer.wordpress.com/donate Buy a book from my wishlist for a future history book club reading here: http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer