Ben O'Connell

To celebrate C-SPAN's Founders Day, we taped a conversation on the beginnings of "cable's gift to America." Founder Brian Lamb and former co-CEO Susan Swain joined CEO Sam Feist to talk about the quest to bring LIVE, gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress to every American home.

Today is the 47th C-SPANniversary. #OnThisDay

“May I read to you the wisdom of a Nobel laureate?”—Me before I read Beckett aloud to my family

Most impressively, Weinman chronicles the path of destruction Edgar Smith left in his wake. His wives and girlfriends, his victims and their families, his own family, his friends—few who Smith knew entirely escaped.

Glad to have finally read Sarah Weinman’s terrific SCOUNDREL, which tells the story of Edgar Smith, a murderer and abuser who conned William F. Buckley, Jr. into leading an effort to spring him from death row, only to wind up back in prison after nearly killing another woman.

I’m (finally) reading Sarah Weinman’s SCOUNDREL, her account of William F. Buckley’s crusade to free convicted murderer Edgar Smith, and ran across a fascinating tangent: WFB helped launch the career of science writer and Bozeman resident David Quammen.

Watch complete conversation with former President Obama tonight at 8pm ET on C-SPAN2. c-span.org/event/public-a…

From 2016, Robert Redford receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "His art and activism continue to shape our Nation's cultural heritage, inspiring millions to laugh, cry, think, and change." Find more of his C-SPAN appearances here: c-span.org/search/?search… RIP.

#BREAKING: C-SPAN is coming to @YouTube and @Hulu this fall! Press Release: C-SPAN.org/YouTubeTV Press Release: C-SPAN.org/Hulu

@ryanhasbadtaste That was a good episode.

and once you’ve finished, be sure to check out my conversation with @unburiedbooks!

Finally, You Dreamed of Empires (2024) by Álvaro Enrigue (trans. Natasha Wimmer) is as grimy, funny, and fascinating a book as I’ve read in a long time. It deserves all the accolades.

Oakley Hall’s Ambrose Bierce & the Queen of Spades (1998) Is highly recommended if you’re into historical mysteries in which the setting is the star, such as Caleb Carr’s The Alienist or Joe Gores’s Hammett.

These are the 10 books I’ve most enjoyed six months into 2025… 🧵