A Tale of Presidents and Enemies

With his bestseller MANHUNT, author and historian James Swanson turned the story of John Wilkes Booth into a page-turning thriller.

He returns to the fading days of the Civil War for his latest book, BLOODY CRIMES. Swanson talks about another "villain" to the North: Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

Swanson discusses the parallels between the two presidents and how the view of both men in history became formed as Davis fled the Union and Lincoln's corpse began a procession back to his final resting place.

LISTEN: JAMES SWANSON - BLOODY CRIMES

Historian Nora Titone has taken a deeper look at the protagonist of Swanson's first hit book: John Wilkes Booth.

Titone, who once worked as a researcher for presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, examines the Booth family in her new book MY THOUGHTS BE BLOODY.

A family of actors, the Booths had a family dynamic that echoed Shakespearian tragedies. Titone discusses the bitter rivalry, professionally and politically between John Wilkes Booth and his far more famous (at the time) brother, Edwin.

LISTEN: NORA TITONE - MY THOUGHTS BE BLOODY

The "Too Big To Fail" FAIL

Two years after a massive government bailout that pulled the financial industry back from the abyss, lending is tight and job growth is barely moving. Yet the market for over the counter derivatives is again booming.

Long-time Newsweek economics correspondent Michael Hirsh suggests that Barack Obama's economics team helped the big banks become big winners by bailing them out without holding the institutions accountable to get the economy back on track.

So is it back to business as usual for Citigroup, Bank of America and the rest? Hirsh talks about the reforms that have been put in place and the lack of an ideological debate over the intersection between finance and politics.

Hirsh is currently Chief Economics Correspondent with the National Journal.

LISTEN: MICHAEL HIRSH - CAPITAL OFFENSE

An (Inked) Body of Work

Starting in the 1880s, curious folks would line up and shell out cash to peek at women who were covered with tattoos. Part of the attraction of this attraction was the amount of skin on display; in those times not much above the ankle was seen in public.

As the "tattooed lady" showed off her heavily illustrated skin, patrons heard amazing tales of abduction, torture and even in-utero deformity. These tales were false, but the women who made up the "show" were covered with real body illustration.

In her book, TATTOOED LADY: A HISTORY, Amelia Klem Osterud traces the colorful history of the women who made a career out of their body ink.

LISTEN: AMELIA KLEM OSTERUD - TATTOOED LADY

The Other Emerging Market

Much discussion about the future of the global economic picture has been about Asia. But as China and India grab larger slices of the world's economic pie, Brazil is also lining up for a larger piece. The country of nearly 200 million is an agricultural powerhouse that is far closer to true energy independence than the U.S. will be any time in the near future.

Journalist Larry Rohter has covered Brazil for nearly a decade as the South American Bureau chief of the New York Times. Rohter says that Brazil's strength in agriculture, manufacturing and energy places the country in a unique position.

LISTEN: LARRY ROHTER - BRAZIL ON THE RISE

Poor Political Climate

The world is getting hotter. The majority of climate experts are worried about the rising temperatures and carbon emissions may be the culprit. At the very least, the global hunger for energy is going to cause traditional carbon-burning power sources to see a rise in price. The time seems right for action to create a new, "greener," energy system.

When Barack Obama won the presidential election in 2008 and was then met with a majority of his party in Congress, the prospect of seeing legislation that would support and incentivize business to cut down on carbon emissions seemed likely. However, since that time there has been little progress in the political system to change our carbon emissions.

Bloomberg Business Week editor Eric Pooley spent over two years embedded with the power players in the environmental and energy policy battle of cap and trade. Eric Pooley says that even though conditions seemed good to institute new rules to help cut emissions and boost a new "green" industry, that risks weren't taken and deals fell apart.

LISTEN: ERIC POOLEY - CLIMATE WARS

Power Outage

A decade into the 21st century, the United States is operating with an energy in the model of the second half of the 20th. Old-style power grids and power sources still keep the lights on in the U.S. And fossil fuels still keep our commerce moving on the road, rails and air.

Spencer Abraham was America's longest serving Secretary of Energy, holding the post from 2001-2005. As a cabinet member Abraham saw looming problems for the nation's energy future but also saw limited progress.

With growing industrial powers in Asia creating an increased demand for power, Abraham says that it is time to get moving on solving our long term energy needs. But the former Republican senator doesn't think there is a "silver bullet" alternative energy solution.

LISTEN: SPENCER ABRAHAM - LIGHTS OUT

Turn Your Head and Cough, Mr. President

The White House doctor spends more time around the First Patient in one day than many of us get with our family physicians over years.

While serving two Bushes and one Clinton, Dr. Connie Mariano was part of the "secure package" that would accompany the President at nearly all times outside the White House. As a result she got to see if her patients were or were not following her medical advice.

She also had to be prepared to provide trauma care at a moment's notice and, in one instance, had to facilitate the gathering of evidence for a federal prosecution.

LISTEN: DR. CONNIE MARIANO - WHITE HOUSE DOCTOR