On today's show: Eric Alterman looks at how the idea of liberalism has changed from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama. Benjamin Busch talks about his memoir Dust to Dust. Today’s installment of A History of the World in 100 Objects takes a look at a statue from Easter Island. Rajesh Parameswaran talks about his collection of stories, I Am an Executioner. Plus Jim Abbott discusses his remarkable baseball career—and about pitching a no-hitter—despite being born without a right hand.

On today's show: Eric Alterman looks at how the idea of liberalism has changed from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama. Benjamin Busch talks about his memoir Dust to Dust. Today’s installment of A History of the World in 100 Objects takes a look at a statue from Easter Island. Rajesh Parameswaran talks about his collection of stories, I Am an Executioner. Plus Jim Abbott discusses his remarkable baseball career—and about pitching a no-hitter—despite being born without a right hand.

Morning Edition is your perfect morning companion: gentle, but straightforward, explaining the vagaries of international diplomacy, reporting weather and even recommending the best film in town.

Elisabeth Benjamin of the Community Service Society explains how a new health insurance marketplace for New York State could work. Plus: NYU professor and educational policy analyst Diane Ravitch; inside the exclusive brotherhood of former U.S. presidents; and NY1’s Errol Louis on the legacy of Congressman Edolphus Towns.

This week Neil MacGregor is exploring the great empires of the world around 1500 - from the Inca in South America to the Ming in China and the Timurids in the Middle East.

Read more about the Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent.

For years, big-name directors have struggled to make a movie about the late reggae legend Bob Marley. Now, a new documentary aims to tell the story behind the superstar. Today: Bob Marley’s eldest son, Ziggy Marley and filmmaker Kevin Macdonald tell us about "Marley." Plus, a live performance from fast-playing Minnesota bluegrass band, Trampled By Turtles. And, our weekly Pick Three.

Reporters scour the globe for the most direct and compelling information, from the spread of AIDS in India to the inexplicable fluctuations of the Brazilian economy.

Reporters scour the globe for the most direct and compelling information, from the spread of AIDS in India to the inexplicable fluctuations of the Brazilian economy.

Tell Me More focuses on the way we live, intersect and collide in a culturally diverse world.

There’s music from Finland for this New Sounds, which is a musical hotbed of many genres: classical, folk, weirdly dressed heavy metal rock bands, and some of the less easily defined new music types.  We’ll hear from accordion virtuoso Maria Kalaniemi along with something else for accordion (& electronics) by Kimmo Pohjonen.