Pop Culture Roundup: This Week This Edition: Movies about Ben Hur, the attack on the Pentagon, JFK and Jackie, and much more!

Abraham Lincoln Would Have Recognized the Con Man Trump by Sidney Blumenthal Lincoln knew the difference between the motives of the promoter's "humbug" and the demagogue's "false accusations."

The Strange Bedfellows of U. S.–Iranian Animosity by Mansour Farhang Right-wing politicians in America, including Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Paul Ryan, are echoing the views of the Revolutionary Guards. This is an old story.

The Irony of 'Hamilton' Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda's Advocacy For Puerto Rico by Matt Peppe The problem with Miranda's reading of history is that he assumes the liberal notion of a united nation, devoted to the common goals of freedom and equality, was any more real 225 years ago than it is today.

Why Historical Thinking Is Not About History by Sam Wineburg An adaptation of Sam Wineburg’s keynote address to the 2015 AASLH annual meeting in Louisville.

Everyone was a liberal by Lawrence Glickman On the Left, ‘neoliberal’ is an epithet but, not long ago, everyone wanted to be liberal. Will anyone claim liberalism?

Is the U.S. Due for Radically Raising Taxes for the Rich? by Alana Semuels That’s what has usually happened whenever a large proportion of Americans have been upset with the distribution of their country’s wealth.

Top 7 Reasons the US could not have forestalled Syrian Civil War by Juan Cole Americans are practical people and they incorrectly believe that all problems have relatively simple solutions.

Postscript to “Is Donald Trump a Fascist?” by Jeffrey Herf Trump understands what the classic demagogues of the 20th century understood: namely, that in a democracy it is possible to gain millions of votes by appealing to the worst in people.

Back to the Future: Can Trump Win with Law and Order Like Nixon in 1968? by Michael W. Flamm Republican Richard M. Nixon narrowly managed to win the 1968 presidential election by exploiting the issue of law and order amid a climate of fear and insecurity.

Europe Under Siege by Jamie Tarabay The IRA. Basque separatists. Black September. And now, ISIS. Can Europe use the lessons of the past to defeat the terror of today?

Clinton-Kaine echoes history: A new chapter in epic N.Y.-Virginia relationship by Manisha Sinha The political alliance Clinton-Kaine represents is as old as the American Republic itself: The Empire State and the Commonwealth of Virginia have played starring roles in American history since the country’s founding.

The Despair of Poor White Americans by Alec MacGillis and ProPublica A white lower class not only figured more prominently in the development of the colonies and the young country than national lore suggests, but was spoken of from the start explicitly in terms of waste and refuse.