Historian and bestselling author Jon Meacham talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new podcast Hope Through History, which shows how Americans endured crises such as the Great Depression and the 1918 flu pandemic and came out the other side as a stronger nation. Meacham says there's no guarantee that the coronavirus pandemic will be resolved in the same way as the moments he has studied, but that it's a mistake to imagine that the past was a simpler "fairy tale" time without comparable struggles. He also talks about the politicization of our current crisis, how it has accelerated other problems in our society, and what a Joe Biden victory in November would mean for the future of the country. Plus: What is Meacham writing next, and what past presidency most resembles our own? (It's not Andrew Jackson's.)

Featuring:

Jon Meacham (@jmeacham), host, Hope Through History

Host:

Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Recode co-founder and editor-at-large

More to explore:

On Reset, Arielle Duhaime-Ross explores why — and how — tech is changing everything.

On Recode Media, Peter Kafka interviews business titans, journalists, comedians and podcasters about the collision of tech and media.

On Pivot, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway talk about the big tech news stories of the week, who's winning, who's failing, and what comes next.

And on Land of the Giants, Jason Del Rey chronicled the rise of Amazon. Season 2 will focus on Netflix and is coming soon!

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