Exploring Trump’s Popularity; Putin’s Imperial Gamble; Patti Smith’s Second Memoir

On this week's podcast:

Frank Luntz, founder and CEO of the research firm Luntz Global and a frequent commentator on Fox News and CBS, previews the upcoming Iowa caucuses and looks at what’s behind Donald Trump’s growing popularity.

Veteran broadcast journalist, Harvard professor and Brookings Institution fellow Marvin Kalb discusses his new book, “Imperial Gamble: Putin, Ukraine, and the New Cold War,” which looks at worsening relations between Russia and the West and what Russian President Vladimir Putin’s provocative policies mean for the future of both his nation and Ukraine.

It’s been 40 years since singer-songwriter Patti Smith’s landmark debut, “Horses,” which has been hailed as one of the top 100 albums of all time.  Also highly acclaimed was her first memoir, “Just Kids,” the 2010 book that chronicled her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Now Smith has written a second memoir – it’s called “M Train,” and it’s about her relationship with her late husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith. She joins us now to talk about the book and her career.