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The Brian Lehrer Show Archive


May 2006

Convention-al Wisdom

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The state nominating conventions are getting underway. We speak to Republican gubernatorial candidate William Weld, get analysis of the conventions, including highlights from Eliot Spitzer’s speech to the Democrats. Also, a debate on the acceptibility of the "n" word; Middle East Studies professor Fawaz Gerges puts the battlefronts of Iraq and Afghanistan in context and talks about his new book, Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Militancy; and coverage of Secretary Rice's announcement about negotiating with Iran.


The Era of the Amateur

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Through “crowd-sourcing,” amateurs using today’s media technology sometimes make better movies, clothing and encyclopedias than the professionals. Find out what happens when companies open up their labor to the masses. Also, a conversation with former Drug Czar and Secretary of Education William Bennett.


You Must Remember This

Monday, May 29, 2006

For Memorial Day, Deborah Tainsh talks about her memoir Heart of a Hawk: One Family’s Sacrifice and Journey Toward Healing. She writes about her step-son, Patrick, a soldier killed in action in Iraq and about his family’s struggles to face the loss. And a different kind of memorial, as the widow of Spalding Gray is joined by actors James Urbaniak and Hazelle Goodman to preview the upcoming performance of his works at P.S. 122, called Leftover Stories to Tell. Plus, Monday Morning Politics with Mark Halperin of ABC News.


B & B

Friday, May 26, 2006

Join guest host Danyel Smith for highlights and analysis of the joint news conference by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Plus, more on the Enron verdicts, a guide to summer movies with New York Times critic A.O. Scott and a blogger who plans to see them all, and listeners' suggestions for summer fun.


Tavis Talks

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Tavis Smiley’s book, Covenant with Black America, has been a bestseller for 10 weeks. On the next Brian Lehrer Show, find out what he thinks the black community can do about criminal justice and healthcare. Plus: the only formal nominee for NY governor -- former Republican assemblyman John Faso, "He Says, She Says" on wedding planning, and a listener poll of 2008 candidates


David and Gore-liath

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Laurie David, the environmentalist married to Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David, is the producer of the new movie, An Inconvenient Truth, about Al Gore and combating global warming. Plus: Ned Lamont, the anti-war Democrat who is seeking to unseat Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman -- his showing at the State Democratic convention has forced a primary in the race; a psychology professor on why she thinks Generation Me is the right moniker for today's young adults; and listeners speak to Brian, and each other, on the topic of English as the national language.


Healthy Debate

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Storytelling is not just for fiction writers. The Moth, a New York-based arts club is holding a storytelling event centered on the art of news reporting, hosted by Jonathan Ames. CBS correspondent Randall Pinkston spins some of his media yarns. Plus: a roundup of news from the Middle East, a second look at a study that showed Britons were healthier than Americans and listeners calls on whether the US should have dealings with Hamas.


Stumped

Monday, May 22, 2006

We talk Monday Morning Politics with time.com’s political editor Matt Cooper, including the news that possible presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani was stumping for Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, in Georgia. Plus, memorable public apologies, the effect of Wal-Mart on organic food and healthcare and more on the John McCain commencement address at the New School University


Lacking Authority

Friday, May 19, 2006

New York State’s hundreds of public authorities, including the MTA and the Empire State Development Corporation, often work in mysterious ways. A bipartisan committee has issued a report calling for better regulation of their operations. Also, Vernon Geberth, the former Commanding Officer of the Bronx Homicide Task Force, on investigating murders in reality versus what we see on the ever-popular television shows, more on the Hayden confirmation hearings and the theology and the marketing of The Da Vinci Code.


Hearing Hayden

Thursday, May 18, 2006

The Senate hearings on the nomination of Michael Hayden to head the CIA come in the wake of new claims about NSA data mining. Listen to live excerpts of the hearings followed by guest analysis.


Rudy's Time

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

While Rudy Giuliani was dubbed “America’s Mayor” after 9/11, the creators of a new documentary called Giuliani Time want to highlight his New York policies as he considers a run for the presidency. Plus: the latest on the NSA and telephone companies, FDNY counselors look at what has and has not worked in treating World Trade Center survivors and Ian Buruma and Irshad Manji on Somali-born, Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali's blend of liberal and conservative politics.


On the Fence

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

President Bush is trying to bring immigration reform back on the agenda. What will reform mean for border enforcement and for the millions of illegal immigrants already here? Plus, the new New York City Council Education Committee chairman Robert Jackson on cell phones in the classroom and No Child Left Behind, students commence protesting John McCain and listeners call in on cell phones ... in schools.


Can’t See the Forest

Monday, May 15, 2006

Forest City Ratner VP Jim Stuckey says architect Frank Gehry’s new slightly scaled-down plans for the Atlantic Yards arena development in Brooklyn make it a better fit in the neighborhood. Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, which opposes the project, disagrees. Plus: Monday Morning Politics, the editors of a new literary arts and politics journal on American writing today and the Part D deadline.


Wall Street Bull

Friday, May 12, 2006

When the business host Louis Rukeyser died last week, he was lauded for his 32 years as the purveyor of stock market advice for the masses. But New York Times columnist Joe Nocera says Ruykeyser’s bullish message was the wrong one to send. Also: gubernatorial candidate Tom Suozzi and public radio travel expert Rudy Maxa.


What's the Big Idea?

Thursday, May 11, 2006

8 years ago The American Prospect editor Michael Tomasky argued that the Democratic movement was being ruined by identity politics. Now his argument that Democrats should unite around the idea of the common good is gaining traction in post-9/11 politics. Plus, why Americans are sicker than Britons.


Corzine's 100+ Days

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

New Jersey governor Jon Corzine recently passed his 100th day in office. Find out how he plans to close the state's $4 billion budget deficit and why its hurting him in the polls. Plus: Newsweek writer Jonathan Alter with a history of FDR and Pulitzer Prize public health journalist Laurie Garrett on ABC's treatment of a possible bird flu pandemic.


Pop Protest

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Protest music is not just for the 60s set. Beyond the Dylans and the Seegers of an earlier generation, artists of today are coming out with their own form of protest song. Find out what’s making Pink and Kanye West go political. Plus ex-CIA agent (anonymous no longer) Mike Scheuer on the changes at the Agency.


Oh My Goss

Monday, May 08, 2006

Porter Goss was CIA director for just two years before he submitted his resignation on Friday. The move followed a massive restructuring of intelligence and harsh criticism over pre-war intelligence. Find out the political implications with Time columnist, Joe Klein. Also, historian Simon Schama looks at the Revolutionary War from the standpoint of the slaves.


Cage Door

Friday, May 05, 2006

Dutch Parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali wrote the screenplay for Theo van Gogh’s film, Submission, about the abuse of Muslim women. Van Gogh was murdered by extremists who objected to the film and Hirsi Ali has lived under the threat of death since. In her new book, The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam, she calls for an Islamic Enlightenment. Also: Poets gather to craft a "New New York City Epic."


Drug of Choice

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Mexico’s President Vincente Fox is considering a bill that would legalize the use of narcotics for personal consumption. The move is an attempt to defang Mexico’s powerful drug cartels, but it will make the country one of the most permissive in the world. Hector Tobar, Mexico City bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times looks at the implications for Mexico and the US. Plus: former Homeland Security Department Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin exposes the softspots in American security.


Evo-lution

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

After 100 days in office, President Evo Morales announced the nationalization of Bolivia’s oil and gas reserves. What effect will there be on American consumers and Bolivia’s poor? Plus, the Greenpoint fire, Newark's mayoral race and antiquities in museums: plunder on display or preserved heritage? A museum director and an archaeologist discuss the ethics of acquiring and studying artifacts of the ancient world.


Darfur Deadline

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

As the deadline runs out for a peace treaty in Darfur, world leaders are scrambling for a way to end the genocide. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Harvard professor Samantha Power look at what can be done in the region. Plus: paleontologist Niles Eldridge, the president of Medgar Evers College and listeners call in about political humor.


Not OK on K Street?

Monday, May 01, 2006

Republicans took control of the House by vowing to clean up corruption in Washington. But Weekly Standard writer Mathew Continetti says the party has succumbed to the same problems in his new book The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine. Find out why in Monday Morning Politics. Plus: a lobbyist and Democratic activist on Living Large in politics and the impact of immigrants’ day long boycott.