CBS Audio Network Specials CBS News

Here is CBS News Radio's 2-hour longform coverage of the 2024 New Hampshire Primary.

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CBS News Radio's three-hour, long-form coverage of the 2024 Iowa caucuses.

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Professor Bruce David Forbes, an ordained minister, wrote Christmas: A Candid History to chronicle the many transformations of the beloved holiday over 2,000 years. He speaks with host Gil Gross about the genesis of Christmas from its pre-Christian roots in winter holiday traditions, through the birth of Jesus, to its emergence as a global phenomenon of gift-giving and media extravaganzas. And, musicologist Joe Bennet explains the art and science behind why we are so enamored by Christmas music.

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The Winter Holiday Season used to be the make-or-break month for holiday blockbusters and critically-acclaimed awards contenders. Washington Chief Film Critic Ann Hornaday joins host Gil Gross for a look at how Hollywood approaches the season as the industry copes in the post-pandemic world of video streaming and reviews some of the best movies of Christmastime. Gil does a deep dive into the origin of Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer, an underdog who not only guided Santa’s sleigh but also dominated books, movies, television, and music. The Brandeis University Professor Jonathan Sarna chronicles the transformation of Hanukkah from obscure Jewish Holy Day to one of the most public and widely celebrated Hebrew holidays. And CBS Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley tells the story of the most famous Letter to the Editor ever written, which asks the question, “Is there a Santa Claus?”

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One of the most beloved Christmas observances in the world is a 9-day re-enactment of Mary and Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Award-winning singer and actor Carlos Medina joins host Gil Gross to share the song-filled tradition of Las Posadas. Louis Bayard, New York Time Best Selling author of My Timothy, discusses the global popularity of the inspiration for his book, Charles Dickens’ beloved A Christmas Carol. Notre Dame’s Grant Mathews explains the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem combining his religious faith with his scientific training as an astrophysicist, and reveals the likely identity of the Three Wise Men. And while we are looking up at the sky, Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi, explains the cause of one of the oldest holidays in the world, The Winter Solstice. CBS News’ Mark Strassman details how an obscure plant from Mexico came to dominate holiday households across the United States in the legacy of the colorful and curiously-named Poinsettia.

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Pilgrims and Puritans: Our Thanksgiving Day Story has mashed up these very different groups of founding mothers and fathers. Who were they and how were they different? Professor  Abram Van Engen from Washington University in St. Louis sorts this thorny Thanksgiving genealogy for us. Then, we hear from Paula Peters from the Wampanoag Nation and Nichelle Garcia from the Smithsonian Institution about the very important role Native Americans played in the story of the founding of our nation.

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