The Brian Lehrer Show Archive
April 2006
Half-Pipe
Friday, April 28, 2006
Halliburton’s contract for Iraq infrastructure repairs was awarded with no competitive bids. New York Times correspondent James Glanz reports on how their pipeline repair project failed, costing American taxpayers $75 million. Also, Marshall Berman on spectacular Times Square, and Chris Abani, Yiyun Li, and Greg Palast on writing from exile.
Property Values
Thursday, April 27, 2006
In a cut-and-paste society, the way information travels is rapidly changing, but copyright laws are staying the same. Novelist Jonathan Lethem, cartoonist Art Spiegelman and Professor Siva Vaidhyanathan debate the evolving role of intellectual property laws. Plus: Richard Brodsky makes a pitch for the Attorney General's race, Michael Hudson on the real costs of real estate and listeners' calls on the impending immigrant strike.
Empirical Evidence
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
With recent talk about regime change in Iran, it’s easy to forget America’s history with that country and with regime change in general. New York Times correspondent Stephen Kinzer says Americans would do well to remember. He’s the author of Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Also: an appreciation of the late Jane Jacobs, the golden game of Larry Silverstein, art that focuses on New York’s post-industrial interstitial spaces and listeners' calls on United 93.
Pillar of the Intelligence Community
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The leak of the U.S. secret prisons program got the "leaker" at the CIA fired and facing criminal prosecution while the "leakee" at The Washington Post was just awarded a Pulitzer Prize. New York Times columnist and Columbia Journalism School professor Samuel Freedman offers insight into the ethics of leaking and advice from his new book, Letters to a Young Journalist, then former CIA analyst Paul Pillar on dissent in the intelligence community. Plus, the latest from Albany and Trenton and the legacy of Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum.
Offside
Monday, April 24, 2006
While he still was an Atlanta Falcon, defensive tackle Esera Tuaolo kept his gay relationship a secret. But after leaving the NFL, he went public, introducing the world to his partner and two adopted kids, and netting some major advertising endorsements. Also: the most famous foreign policy guru you've never heard of, Monday morning politics, and your calls.
Ga-Ga for Gu-Ge
Friday, April 21, 2006
Google angered human rights activists when it agreed to censor web searches in China earlier this year. The New York Times Magazine writer Clive Thompson joins guest host Siddhartha Mitter. He believes an appetite for curiosity in the country will overcome the restrictions. Plus: can retired members of the military get court-martialed for speaking out against their civilian leaders?, breaking news from Nepal and listeners call in with their music picks.
Desperate For Housewives
Thursday, April 20, 2006
It may be hard for working women to focus on their families, but New Yorker writer Caitlin Flanagan says they should channel their “inner house wife.” Flanagan talks to guest host Sree Sreenavasan about her new book “To Hell With All That”. Also: the White House staff reshuffle continues. Who will take over Scott McLellan’s job as White House press secretary?
Keep on Rocking in the Friedman World
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
With Ford shuttering its plants, and GM sending its workers into early retirement, the US auto industry is ailing badly. New York Times columnist Tom Friedman says that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Plus: Irish reporter Carole Coleman, who angered President Bush with her probing questions, on putting the press back into pressure, Joel Klein and Noreen Conell on wooing teachers with homes, and 69 New Yorkers get caught in a Houdini moment over the East River.
Jason's Voyage
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Every summer for 60 years, a top-secret group of about 100 physicists has met near San Diego. Dubbed “the Jasons”, this group advises the government on defense and intelligence matters, offering scientific wisdom that sometimes clashes with political expediency. Also: labor relations and surveillance cameras in New York, results of the STAR study, employment retaliation and your calls.
Monday Morning Politics
Monday, April 17, 2006
As the situation in Iraq fails to stabilize, an insurgency is growing among some key US military figures. A slew of retired generals are now calling for the ouster of Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Find out what this means for the administration as we talk Monday Morning politics. Also: the radio diary of a South African teenager living with AIDS, the impact illegal immigration has on African Americans and your calls.
The Howl Heard Round the World
Friday, April 14, 2006
Beat poet Allen Ginsberg was expelled twice as from Columbia University in the 1940s, but came back in the 80s to teach. Now some modern-day beats say Columbia is trying to sanitize his legacy with a symposium on his poem Howl. Also: AG candidate Charlie King, the state budget, and should the IRS prepare your taxes for you?
It's Hard Out There For A Pump
Thursday, April 13, 2006
As gas prices continue to rise, drivers are hit hard at the pump while the profits of oil companies are soaring. Are the oil industry’s billions fair on consumers? Also: when to tuck your tail and give up on the New York dream, how NYC principals are being put to the test and your phone calls on what Easter, Passover and Maulid mean to you.
Do You Have What It Takes To Go To Harvard?
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
With tuition surpassing $40,000 a year at many private colleges, some middle-income parents are telling their kids to pay for college themselves. But should a 22-year-old ever graduate with over $100,000 in debt? Also: Iran claims to have joined the nuclear club.
Can I Buy You A Drink?
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
With Jack Abramoff headed for jail, two journalists recently decided to go undercover as lobbyists and find out how “the Hill” really works. Among their discoveries: it’s good to practice saying the phrase “my clients will be seeking some regulatory relief'”. Also political showdowns in Italy and France, pro-life's bait and switch, the ethics of gossip columnists, and the US plan for Iran.
Pressing the Flesh
Monday, April 10, 2006
The White House Press Corps is often criticized for being too soft on the administration, but some critics say it’s over fears they’ll lose access to top officials. Former CNN CEO Walter Isaacson and former newspaper editor Harold Evans assess the correspondents’ record. Plus: Monday morning politics, City Council speaker Christine Quinn and your calls.
Urban Conversations: Cities at Risk
Friday, April 07, 2006
As the Gulf Coast grapples with the challenges of rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and New York City looks at its own ability to deal with disasters, a special edition of the show from the New School looks at how we can learn to be prepared for future emergencies. Guests include 9/11 Commissioner Bob Kerrey, former FEMA director, Michael Brown along with his predecessor, James Lee Witt.
NY Climate Watchers
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Spring is here and scientists are watching the New York area for signs of climate change. Global warming is the thought to be the culprit for early lilac blooms and the disappearance of islands in Jamaica Bay, but the effects could soon be much more drastic than that. Also: Richard Wolffe with the Washington roundup, poverty hits a new low in NYC, and the New Yorker's George Packer on a counterinsurgency plan that's worked in Iraq.
As The Weld Turns
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
In all of history, only one man has ever managed to be elected governor of two US states (Sam Houston - Tennessee and Texas). Now ex-Bay Stater William Weld wants to be the governor of New York, and he’s promising a big tax cut for low and middle-income New Yorkers. Also, Tamar Jacoby talks immigrants, Moikgantsi Kgama finds a homeland for the films of the African Diaspora, healthcare experts discuss the small state with a big plan and two entertainment journalists navigate the turbulence caused by a 9/11 trailer.
“Who Then Will Speak for the Common Good?”
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
In 1976, Rep. Barbara Jordan gave what is widely considered the best keynote address in recent history at the Democratic Convention. Jordan, the first black woman elected to Congress from the South, warned that if Americans did not come together, America could become “a collection of interest groups: region against region, individual against individual.” Also: immigration, the migration of African Americans out of New York City, gender-based college admission and Republican New Jersey State Senator Tom Kean, Jr.
Being There
Monday, April 03, 2006
Since the 1990s, many hospitals have encouraged patients’ loved ones to stay with them in the emergency room, even during procedures that could be disturbing. Now some MDs are questioning that policy. They say that shows like “ER” do not really prepare ordinary people for the emergency room. Also: Fred Barnes does Monday morning politics, Bob Hennelly on the Silverstein-Pataki-Bloomberg quarrel over Ground Zero, and your calls.
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