Books and More with William Cooper

An in-depth discussion on this essential topic with law professor Ned Foley of Ohio State, the leading scholar in this area. https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/edward-b-foley-ba-jd

Christopher Merrill has published six collections of poetry, including Watch Fire, for which he received the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets; many edited volumes and translations; and six books of nonfiction, among them, Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars, Things of the Hidden God: Journey to the Holy Mountain, The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War, and Self-Portrait with Dogwood. His writings have been translated into nearly forty languages; his journalism appears widely; his honors include a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French government, numerous translation awards, and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial and Ingram Merrill Foundations. As director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa since 2000, Merrill has conducted cultural diplomacy missions to more than fifty countries. He served on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO from 2011-2018, and in April 2012 President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Council on the Humanities. https://www.christophermerrillbooks.com/bio.htm

We discuss William's many bestsellers and his forthcoming book Money to Burn:The Unvarnished Truth About Leon Black, Apollo, and the Rise of a New Wall Street. The book is already generating tremendous excitement in the business community. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739893/money-to-burn-by-william-d-cohan/

We discuss her storied career at The New Yorker and her bestseller, LorneThe Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/532520/lorne-by-susan-morrison/ DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY.

Website: https://defector.com/author/ray-ratto

As Donald Trump goes after Jim Comey and others, this serious problem for the American polity gets bigger. "America's political energy should be channeled into winning elections and governing effectively--not sending political rivals to jail." will-cooper.com

Law Professor Richard Epstein (one of the most-cited legal scholars of all time) joins to discuss the war powers. His new book The Myth of Birthright Citizenship: What the Fourteenth Amendment Really Says comes out May 1.

Max and I discuss the most consequential topics in technology today, including AI and cybersecurity. In addition to his work running the technology section at Fast Company, his writing has also appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Wired, and The Guardian. He is the recipient of two Society of Professional Journalists awards and his 2016 essay on diners was anthologized in Best Food Writing. https://www.fastcompany.com/user/mufberg #artificialintelligence #cybersecurity DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY. will-cooper.com

Ilona joins to discuss her tremendous new novel FIVE, out on May 5, 2026. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803094/five-by-ilona-bannister/ Book Description Five lives. Five stories. Four will live—one will die. Who it will be? In this slow-burn masterpiece of psychological fiction, the choice is all yours. “Five is a gripping, chilling story that asks difficult questions about judgement, forgiveness, and the notion of cause and effect.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark Have you ever tried to pass the time by imagining the lives of the strangers standing next to you? Ilona Bannister’s Five introduces readers to five seemingly random people waiting for a train. But these are not just any five people. From the beginning we know that one of them is going to die soon. Very soon. In five minutes the next train to London will arrive, killing one of them. But before this happens you will learn their stories. None of these people are saints. Readers might fall in love with the beautiful young man who is on the verge of gambling his life away. They may pity the cantankerous old woman who has fallen to the ground yet is refusing help. Perhaps readers will look away from the child throwing a tantrum. Or judge his mother, who must surely be to blame. And some will be curiously compelled by the successful and damaged businessman orbiting them all. These are the candidates for this morning’s misfortune. But they don’t know it. Only you know. And you, our complicit reader, will not be able to resist deciding who deserves to walk away, and who deserves only five more minutes to live. An incredibly original novel that breaks the fourth wall and asks the reader to be judge, jury, and executioner, Five looks at some of the most complicated issues of contemporary life: motherhood, disability, addiction. Every stranger has a story. And in Ilona Bannister’s skillful hands, five people’s stories come together to create an unforgettable novel.

How Our Constitution Works … And Why It Doesn’t: A wonderful discussion with Professor Eskridge—one of the top ten most-cited legal scholars of all time. He doesn’t mince words in his critique of the court. DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY. will-cooper.com

Georgetown Law Professor Steve Vladeck joins the show to discuss his New York Times bestselling book The Shadow Docket. Steve a leading authority on the Supreme Court and his wildly popular Substack newsletter One First is essential reading for every citizen concerned with (and by) the nation's highest court.

Her new novel, Evening Begins the Day, will be published by Koehler Books in Spring 2026! The story weaves together two families in crisis—one reeling from a marital betrayal and the other grappling with their at-risk teenage daughter—with an ancient spiritual practice called The Counting of the Omer; a modern-day quest for community, hope, and safety. https://jessicabrilliantkeener.com/about-jessica-keener.html