The United States turns 250 this year. America at 250: Due Diligence has a simple premise: the anniversary means nothing without a clear-eyed accounting of where the country actually stands.
Hosted by nationally syndicated radio host Bill Bernardoni and former Voice of America White House Bureau ChiefSteve Herman, each episode of Due Diligence examines one of the foundational questions that has defined — and divided — American democracy from the beginning: What does government owe its citizens? How has the promise of the Constitution been kept, broken, or rewritten over 250 years? And where does the country stand today?
The program brings together leading historians, former lawmakers, policy experts, and advocates who have lived these debates from the inside — in Congress, in city halls, in courtrooms and in communities. The format is rigorous and fair: each episode presents multiple perspectives, from the historical record through to the sharpest contemporary arguments on all sides.
America at 250: Due Diligence is a program for listeners who want more than hot takes and name calling — who want to understand how the country arrived at this moment, what the founding generation actually intended and what serious people across the political spectrum believe the next 250 years should look like.
Before there was a United States, there was an American postal system. Benjamin Franklin helped build it, the founders used it to conduct a revolution, and for 250 years, the mail helped connect a growing nation. But with fewer letters being sent, rising costs, and mounting financial challenges, can the Postal Service continue to deliver?
Bill Bernardoni and Steve Herman are joined by U.S. Postal Service historian Stephen Kochersperger to explore the fascinating history of American mail, from the Revolution and westward expansion to the Pony Express, rural free delivery, ZIP codes, and even some unusual attempts to deliver letters.
Then, Mike Plunkett, president and CEO of the Association for Postal Commerce, examines the challenges facing today's Postal Service. Is its current business model sustainable? Could Americans eventually see fewer delivery days, higher postage rates, or major changes to the system?
From the institution that helped build America to the difficult decisions that could shape its future, this episode explores how the Postal Service has survived 250 years of change—and whether it can do so again.
10 Oct 2026
The Little Red School House
The Little Red Schoolhouse
The Constitution never explicitly gives the federal government responsibility for education. So how did America's public schools become such an essential part of our democracy?
In this episode of America at 250: Due Diligence, Bill Bernardoni and Steve Herman trace the evolution of American public education, from the one-room schoolhouses of the early republic to the modern debate over the federal government's role in the classroom.
Historian Johann Neem, author of Democracy's Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America, explores why the founders believed an educated citizenry was essential to self-government, how Horace Mann helped transform public education, and the role religion, immigration, and local communities played in shaping American schools.
Then, constitutional law scholar Derek W. Black, author of Dangerous Learning: The South's Long War on Black Literacy, examines the darker side of America's educational history. From laws that criminalized Black literacy to the fight for schools during Reconstruction, Brown v. Board of Education, and the expansion of federal oversight, Black explains how education became inseparable from the struggle for freedom and equal citizenship.
It's a story about far more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. It's about the relationship between education and democracy, and a question Americans have wrestled with for generations: Who is responsible for educating the citizens who ultimately govern the nation?
3 Oct 2026
A Chicken for Every Pot
From George Washington buying beer, rum, wine and brandy for voters to the famous 1928 "A Chicken for Every Pot" advertisement supporting Herbert Hoover, American campaigns have long wrestled with the line between persuading voters and improperly influencing them.
Historian Andrew Robertson joins Bill Bernardoni and Steve Herman to trace how American elections evolved from public voting, treating and political spectacle to secret ballots, political parties and modern election safeguards. Then UCLA election law expert Richard Hasen examines where the law draws the line today between vote buying and campaign promises — including what happens when a candidate promises voters a direct financial benefit.
It's a look at how Americans have tried to win votes across nearly 250 years, and why the distinction between a political promise and an illegal inducement still matters.
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