British Police Arrest 8 in Alleged Kidnapping Plot (NY Times)

Reporter Who Was Jailed Testifies in Libby Case (NY Times)

Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare (NY Times)

Rising Costs Put N.Y. Transit Projects at Risk (NY Times)

Parents In Bus Mutiny (NY Post)

Mad as El at Choice of Controller (NY Daily News)

Albany Weighs In On Models (NY Post)

Posted by leboheme at 01:51 PM

Micah Schaeffer, director of , talks about his film, "Death of Two Sons", about the death of Amadou Diallo and Jesse Thyne.

Posted by Seamus at 12:48 PM

Kadiatou Diallo, talks about her son, Amadou Diallo, and a recent film made about the death of Amadou and Jesse Thyne, a friend of the Diallo family killed in Guinea.

You can listen to the interview here

Posted by Seamus at 12:47 PM

Barbara Ehrenreich, author of "Dancing In the Streets: A History of Collective Joy", explains the social history of public celebrations

You can listen to the interview here.

Posted by Seamus at 12:46 PM

Director of the Juvenile Justice Project with the Correctional Association of New York

Posted by Seamus at 02:48 PM

Iraqis Raid Insurgents Near Shiite Holy City (Washington Post)

Iranian Reveals Plan to Expand Role in Iraq (NY Times)

It Has Unraveled So Quickly (Sunday NY Times)

Feeding Frenzy for a Big Story, Even if It's False (NY Times)

Readin', Writin' & Rookies (NY Daily News)

Parents Cuss Bus Fuss (NY Post)

He's A Metrocartiste: Booth Clerk Sculpts With Throwaways (NY Post)

Posted by leboheme at 11:36 AM

Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq (Washington Post)

Cooperative Tone Of Sadr Surprises U.S. (LA Times)

Secrecy Is at Issue in Suits Opposing Spy Program (NY Times)

Column: In Ex-Aide's Testimony, A Spin Through VP's PR (Washington Post)

Comptroller Panel Nixes Silver Picks (NY Post)

City Is 'Flying High' On Surplus (NY Daily News)

In Clue to Addiction, a Brain Injury Halts Smoking (NY Times)

Fox Seeks YouTube User's Identity (Hollywood Reporter)

Posted by leboheme at 10:25 AM

Elissa Schappell, contributing editor to Vanity Fair and co-editor, "Money Changes Everything: Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo with Tales of Sudden Windfalls, Staggering Debts, and other Surprising Turns of Fortune", discusses money and the unusual role it plays in our society. January 25, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 02:16 PM

Jenny Offill, teaches at Brooklyn College and co-editor "Money Changes Everything: Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo with Tales of Sudden Windfalls, Staggering Debts, and other Surprising Turns of Fortune", explores the psychological affects of the all mighty dollar. January 25, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 02:15 PM

President Bush's State of the Union Address (NY Times)

Contradictions Seen In Alternative Energy Plan (LA Times)

Defense Portrays Libby as Scapegoat (Washington Post)

Hezbollah Leads a Fiery Strike (Washington Post)

Iraq Parliament Finds a Quorum Hard to Come By (NY Times)

E. Howard Hunt, 1918-2007: Ex-Spy Crafted Watergate, Other Schemes (Washington Post)

New York Public Hospitals Fear Proposed Medicaid Changes (NY Times)

Renting From The Worst (NY Daily News)

Spitz-Shined Deal On Ethics Reform (NY Post)

Pfizer Workers' Woe At B'klyn Plant (NY Post)

State Comptroller Candidates Continue To Make Case (NY1)

Posted by leboheme at 11:26 AM

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois professor of the Humanities and chair of African American Studies at Harvard University and series host and executive producer of "African American Lives" on PBS.

You can listen to the interview here

Posted by Seamus at 01:11 PM

Professor of English language and literature at Smith College; has spent the past seven years working full-time as a Sudan researcher and analyst.

Posted by Seamus at 01:10 PM

Kelefa Sanneh, pop critic for the New York Times and contributing editor at Transition, an international review of race and culture.

Posted by Seamus at 01:09 PM

Bush: Iraq War Plan Will Prove Its Worth (USA Today)

Burdened U.S. Military Cuts Role In Drug War (LA Times)

Hawkish Gates Sees More Force as Leverage (NY Times)

Undermanned NATO Troops Face A Spring Challenge In Afghanistan (Boston Globe/Chi Tribune)

War's Arab Supporters Bitter Over Its Results (Washington Post)

Leader of Somali Islamists Surrenders (NY Times)

U.S. Tries to Interpret China's Silence Over Test (NY Times)

Lobbyists Find New Congress Is Open For Business (LA Times)

Campaign $$ Buys Pols' Power Perks (NY Post)

New York [Hearts] Hillary (NY Post)

Bloomberg Pushes Lawsuit Cap: New York's Future as Financial Capital at Risk, Report Says (NY Sun)

Same Old Song, but With a Different Meaning (Washington Post)

Posted by leboheme at 11:36 AM

On today's show, Brian took listeners' calls about cheerleaders rooting for female teams and here's one response:

Hello!

My apologies in advance if I misheard since I was trying to write and listen at the same time (so much for the efficacy of multi-tasking). But I believe you were asking why Ivy leaguers - with all the other things they could be focusing on - would want to be cheerleaders.

If that is the question, then I just have to ask my own "Is there some underlying belief that Ivy Leaguers don't share the same dreams, desires, needs, and very human motivations that non-Ivy Leaguers have? Are they really of a different species? It felt like you thought this was a demeaning choice to those in the Ivy league and that they, somehow, should be above such inane diversions - even if non-Ivy Leaguers aren't. Now at times I have also wondered why people choose to do stuff like this, but I don't limit the question to only those who are more "elite". The very same things that appeal to non-Ivy would appeal to Ivy. They are all just people and people at the core are similar, no matter what school you go to. In fact, i would go so far as to guess that fi it weren't looked down upon, even more would try out in the Ivies.

Note: My young cousin, who was into things like this in high school, helped me see how many organizational skills and life skills can be gained from such activities. The fact that you can wind up as president from such a choice will be left to history to assess.

Thanks for listening. If I misheard and ranted a bit for naught, please excuse.

R.A.H.

Brian also took calls about corporate law firms doing pro bono work on behalf of Guantanamo detainees and here's a response:

As a former appellate attorney in the Bronx District Attorney's Office, where countless tax dollars are spent fielding ridiculous claims raised on behalf of allegedly indigent convicts by attorneys also paid with tax dollars, my patience for the concept that everyone is entitled to legal representation was routinely tested. Nevertheless, it never broke. In short, I remain convinced that the defense bar is on the front line in keeping our criminal justice system from deteriorating into a collection of kangaroo courts. Law-abiding citizens will be thankful for the efforts of the defense bar when, god forbid, they find themselves wrongly-accused and facing the power of a prosecutor's office.

That members of the current administration wish to turn of one part of our criminal justice system into what would amount to a kangaroo court is indeed frightening. Unfortunately, it seems we have come a long way from the day when John Adams represented at trial the British soldiers who fired on a number of Boston citizens, prior to the American Revolution, in what came to be known as the Boston Massacre . While we may still have attorneys willing to fight for the right to fair trials for everyone - no matter how unpopular - I am afraid a person of such principal would never even be considered electable as President.

W.C.

Posted by leboheme at 02:57 PM

Michael Musto, entertainment columnist at the Village Voice, in the WNYC studios on 1/19/07 to talk about his new book, La Dolce Musto: Writings by the World's Most Outrageous Columnist.

Posted by Seamus at 12:24 PM

P.J. O'Rourke, political satirist and author, "Books that Changed the World: On the Wealth of Nations", explains the significance of Adam Smith's theories. January 18, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 12:25 PM

Zev Chafets, journalist and author, "A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Christian Alliance", after discussing his book on the Brian Lehrer Show. January 18, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 12:24 PM

Tarell McCraney, playwright and Yale graduate student, talks about his contributions to the Public Theater's "Under the Radar" Festival. January 17, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 01:30 PM

Mark Russell, producer of the Public Theater's "Under the Radar" festival, discusses the festival which highlights contemporary theater from around the world. January 17, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 01:30 PM

Lee Sander, CEO and Executive Director of the MTA, weighs in on the future of mass transit in New York City. January 17, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 01:29 PM

Iraqi Death Toll Exceeded 34,000 in 2006, U.N. Says (NY Times)

Oil Lease Chief Knew of Error, Report Asserts (New York Times)

Senators Try Again to Fund and Reform Amtrak (Washington Post)

Letter to the Editor: An Apology to Detainees' Attorneys (Washington Post)

Mike to Roll Out $1B in Tax Cuts (NY Daily News)

Working-Class Housing Complex Will Rise as Part of the Greenery (NY Times)

Gov Blocks Pataki's End Run On Rent Regs (NY Daily News)

Medic Finds Crash Pilot Was His Dad (NY Daily News)

A Promise That Never Bloomed, a Post-Minimalist You've Never Heard Of (NY Times)

Posted by leboheme at 10:18 AM

Elizabeth Holtzman, former Congresswoman and author, talks in studio on the Brian Lehrer show about the similarities between the Iraq war and the Vietnam war.

Posted by Seamus at 12:21 PM

Two Hussein Allies Are Hanged (NY Times)

U.S. and Iraqis Are Wrangling Over War Plans (NY Times)

Bush Insists Congress Can't Halt Iraq Buildup (LA Times)

At Libby Trial, Power Players Face Uncomfortable Spotlight (Washington Post)

Once at Cotillions, Now Reshaping the Cityscape (NY Times)

New Player Emerges In Newark Land Deals (Newark Star-Ledger)

Pair Killed Baby For Crying: Cops (NY Post)

Brrrace for 20-Degree Drop into Winter (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 11:55 AM

Sarah Seltzer, a student at Harvard College, Karina Beras a student at Cornell University, and Joelle Menan a student at Health Opportunities High School in New York City, talk about the college admissions process

Posted by Seamus at 02:34 PM

Stephen Singer, director of college counseling at the Horace Mann School, and Jon Roure director at the Young Women's Leadership Foundation, at the WNYC studios on 1/12/2007, weigh in on the college admissions process

Posted by Seamus at 02:30 PM

Eric Cadora, director and co-founder of the Justice Mapping Center, discusses criminal justice as a neighborhood issue. January 11, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 01:11 PM

Eddie Ellis, host of WBAI's "On the Count", and director of Prison Ministry at Riverside Church, shares his views on crime and the justice system. January 11, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 01:10 PM

Bush Adds Troops in Bid to Secure Iraq (NY Times)

Analysis: Bush's Strategy for Iraq Risks Confrontations (NY Times)

Bush Aides Work to Sell Buildup Plan (NY Times/AP)

Dodd Enters The '08 Race (Hartford Courant)

Ex-Prisoners Recount Guantanamo Ordeals (USA Today/AP)

City Stalkin' Trash (NY Daily News)

Locker Shocker (NY Post)

Spitz Job-Seeker Err-Mail (NY Post)

A Boost For N.J. 'Idiots' (NY Post)

Dogs Feeling Wuff In The City Getting A Boost From Prozac (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 11:10 AM

Today's guests Eric Cadora and Eddie Ellis argue that crime is a neighborhood issue. The Justice Mapping Center created these maps which show, on a block-by-block basis, how much the State spends on incarceration.

16-19 Year Olds Admitted to Prison

Men Admitted to Prison

Prison Expenditures

Posted by leboheme at 10:09 AM

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, discusses his stance on national issues, along with his presidential aspirations. January 10, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 12:18 PM

Bush Works To Rally Support for Iraq 'Surge' (Washington Post)

Most Say No to Iraq Buildup (USA Today)

U.S. Strike in Somalia Targets Al-Qaeda Figure (Washington Post)

Gov. Offers Bold Prescription (LA Times)

'It Came from New Jersey' (NY Daily News)

Jailbirds Get Cheep Line To Home Nest (NY Post)

Years After His Death, Orbach Still A Class Act (NY Daily News)

Brooklyn's the REAL Vacation Hot Spot (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 11:23 AM

War's Toll on Iraqis Put at 22,950 in '06 (Washington Post)

Plan Sets Series of Goals for Iraq Leaders (NY Times)

Column: A Bush Tax Increase? (Washington Post)

Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells (Washington Post)

Charlie Rangel: Chairman of the Money (New York Magazine)

In Hevesi's Seat, Rising Potential for Party Split (NY Times)

Cops Pay Big Price For 25G Salary (NY Daily News)

Budget Bust-ers (NY Post)

Gas-Like Odor Permeates Parts of New York City (NY Times/AP)

Bill Aims To Boost Electronics Recycling (AM New York)

In Obesity Fight, Many Fear a Note From School (NY Times)

Talk of the Town - Pest Dept.: Roach! (The New Yorker Magazine)

Posted by leboheme at 10:43 AM

Dr. Ivan Oransky, from The Scientist magazine, comes into the WNYC studios on 1/5/07, to discuss how Gov. Spitzer wants to overhaul the redistricting process.

Posted by Seamus at 12:24 PM

Jubilant Democrats Assume Control on Capitol Hill (NY Times)

Job Market Ends 2006 on Strong Note (NY Times)

Remain Silent? Some in Custody Spell It All Out (NY Times)

Rangel Boots Veep (NY Post)

Study Will Examine Cops' Gun Training (NY Daily News)

Spitzer: Gay Rites Ahead (NY Sun)

Sedative Withdrawal Made Rehnquist Delusional in '81 (Washington Post)

Gag! Diet Pill Ads Full Of It (NY Daily News)

Posted by leboheme at 11:51 AM

Today on the Brian Lehrer Show we discussed the issue of electronic waste and the proper ways to recycle your computers, cell phones and other electronics. We were joined by Christine Datz-Romero, executive director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center, who are holding their Electronic Waste Recycling Drop-Off Event this coming Sunday at Union Square Park - North Plaza, from 8am to 4pm. You can recieve more info at their website, www.lesecologycenter.org

Here are some E-waste suggestions from our listeners:

A caller from Consumer Reports suggested visting their e-recycling website,
www.greenerchoices.org

Verizon suggests that its customers turn in their old phones upon receiving replacement phones so that their old phones can be donated to women who are victims of domestic violence so that they can have phones to use in emergencies. There are drop-off boxes at most Verizon stores in NYC. I've done it in the past and it's a great way to "recycle" your electronics with an aim towards a good cause.
-E.S.

In reference to other ways to recycle electronics, my cell phone service provider does it for me. They provide me with a new cell phone every other year, and send me a post-paid box to ship my old cell phone to a recycler. The company is Working Assets, and they also provide access to non-profits, donating, and other civic information.
www.workingassets.org
-A.

You can use freecycle.com to recycle electronics.... it's a local board to wherever you are. I see lots of requests for these items either stuff that is working or not working.
-D. K.

Please remember the economical disparity of computer users. There are so
many families and individuals in the 'Metropolitan Area' that could benefit
from a used computer and monitor attached to the household phone line.
The simplicity of any kind of online access in our area brings to savvy
Users - sales at the local supermarkets, free community services, and direct
information from local schools. Reusing is education, dumping on
the underprivileged is heinous.
-S.T.G.

Posted by leboheme at 03:27 PM

Verizon suggests that its customers turn in their old phones upon receiving replacement phones so that their old phones can be donated to women who are victims of domestic violence so that they can have phones to use in emergencies. There are drop-off boxes at most Verizon stores in NYC. I've done it in the past and it's a great way to "recycle" your electronics with an aim towards a good cause.
-E.S.

In reference to other ways to recycle electronics, my cell phone service provider does it for me. They provide me with a new cell phone every other year, and send me a post-paid box to ship my old cell phone to a recycler. The company is Working Assets, and they also provide access to non-profits, donating, and other civic information.
http://www.workingassets.org/
-A.

You can use freecycle.com to recycle electronics.... it's a local board to wherever you are. I see lots of requests for these items either stuff that is working or not working.
-D. K.

Please remember the economical disparity of computer users. There are so
many families and individuals in the 'Metropolitan Area' that could benefit
from a used computer and monitor attached to the household phone line.
The simplicity of any kind of online access in our area brings to savvy
Users - sales at the local supermarkets, free community services, and direct
information from local schools. Reusing is education, dumping on
the underprivileged is heinous.
-S.T.G.

Posted by leboheme at 03:02 PM

Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrsophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and author of "Death by Black Hole and other Cosmic Quandries" discusses the totality of celestial existence. Janurary 3, 2007.

Posted by Seamus at 12:49 PM

FBI Reports Duct-Taping, 'Baptizing' at Guantanamo (Washington Post)

Iraq to Review Abusive Acts at Hussein's Execution (NY Times)

A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School (NY Times)

A Man Down, a Train Arriving, and a Stranger Makes a Choice (NY Times)

Cuomo Has Ethics Talks (NY Post)

No Hail to the Thief (NY Daily News)

Courts Gets Case Of Grandparental Visitation Rights (NY Sun)

Early Blooms in Brooklyn (NY Sun)

Posted by leboheme at 10:38 AM

Democrats To Start Without GOP Input (Washington Post)

Chaos Overran Iraq Plan in '06, Bush Team Says (NY Times)

Few Iraqis Are Gaining U.S. Sanctuary (NY Times)

A New Reality in Somalia (LA Times)

Power-Sipping Bulbs Get Backing From Wal-Mart (NY Times)

Free Will: Now You Have It, Now You Don't (NY Times)

Revealed: Rudy's '08 Battle Plans (NY Daily News)

City Saves Pets - & Their 'Hoarders' (NY Post)

Weather Is A Polar Opposite (NY Post)

Posted by leboheme at 10:59 AM