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The Brian Lehrer Show Archive


July 2006

Liberal Language

Monday, July 31, 2006

Some pundits say Democrats fail to win elections because they don’t use the right language. linguist Jeffrey Nunberg says the party’s losses can’t be blamed on communication in a new book called, Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show. Plus: What next for the Middle East now with Condoleezza Rice’s new shuttle diplomacy approach.


A Good Man is Easy to Train

Friday, July 28, 2006

“What Shamu Taught Me about a Happy Marriage” is the New York Times most emailed story of the summer. Author Amy Sutherland learned a few behavior modification tricks while writing a book on training wild animals that she successfully tried out on her husband. Also, recent developments at the World Trade Center site, Ned Lamont on his race against Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic primary and listeners call in with suggestions for our next Flickr project.


Hard of Hearing

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Congress has held immigration hearings all summer, but there’s still no sign of any new legislation. The final episode of the summer series, The Border looks at its chances with NPR’s Juan Williams. Plus: two Flickr users talk about their photos about immigration in New York and the possibility of universal health coverage in New York State.

View featured photos in "The Border" Flickr group


My Life and the Black Panther Party

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Flores Forbes went from the Black Panther Party to prison to his life now as chief strategic officer of the Abyssinian Development Corporation in Harlem. His memoir Will You Die With Me? My Life and the Black Panther Party is a look back at the turmoil of the 60s and 70s. Also, highlights and analysis of the Iraqi Prime Minister's address to Congress and more from the Spitzer/Suozzi debate.


Women on the Move

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

“Women’s issues” are magnified for undocumented women immigrants who often have little protection from domestic violence, employer exploitation and family dislocation. In part 15 of The Border immigration series, listeners voted for a look at the particular problems facing women who migrate. Also: it’s the Daily News versus the New York Post on the new Bravo series Tabloid Wars and an analysis of the military side of the Israel/Lebanon conflict.


The Sheriff of Wall Street

Monday, July 24, 2006

A son of the Bronx, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer made his name prosecuting brokerages that inflated their stock value artificially. Now he’s running for Governor. A Spitzer biographer says family scrabble games early in life made young Eliot competitive. Plus, Monday Morning Politics, the power outage and outrage in Queens and investigating suspicious fires.


Let A Thousand Permits Bloom

Friday, July 21, 2006

Mayor Bloomberg is trying new approaches in fighting homelessness, garbage and protesters. The Times’ Diane Cardwell joins guest host Errol Louis of the Daily News to talk about running the city, Bloomberg-style. Also, closing New York’s digital divide, your calls on the Queens blackout, and who had more influence on your psyche – Mom & Dad or your siblings?


Breaking Point?

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Is common ground possible on the question of whether to shut down the Indian Point nuclear power plant? The Garrison Institute’s Hudson River Project is hosting a public discussion on the question of Indian Point. A representative from Entergy, the plant’s owner, and from the environmental group Riverkeeper will be joined by conflict resolution experts and other interested participants. Plus, the next installment of The Border: How do other countries handle illegal immigration and guest workers? And swimming across the Hudson, and your calls on in-vitro fertilization.


On Impact

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Environmental Impact Statement for the Atlantic Yards Development Project offers more ammunition in the battle between the developers and the neighborhood preservationists. Plus: actor and playwright Wallace Shawn on the release of a cd of his 1990 one-man play, The Fever, about a traveler who falls ill in an unnamed Latin American country; and the continuing developments in Lebanon and Israel.


Shuttle Diplomacy

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

With 13 trips under his belt, no member of Congress has traveled to Iraq more often than Chris Shays. But although he has criticized the President’s handling of the war, an anti-war challenger threatens to deprive Shays of an 11th term. Also, Nelson Mandela's legacy is discussed on his 88th birthday, what lessons have cities learned since the deadly heat wave in Chicago in 1995 and Part 13 of "The Border" series deals with the power of employers.


With Greater Power Comes Greater Responsibility

Monday, July 17, 2006

Under a new plan, principals in nearly a quarter of all city schools will get more powers in exchange for testing their students more frequently. Four years after the Mayor won control of city schools, does Chancellor Joel Klein have them on the right track? Also, Slate.com's chief political correspondent John Dickerson talks monday morning politics and Brian opens the phone lines to see what listeners think about Russian President Vladimir Putin and again to find out whether they think Mayor Bloomberg should run for President.


Gender Jihad

Friday, July 14, 2006

Islamic scholar Amina Wadud made the headlines last year when she led a prayer for a group of Muslims in New York. It was a protest of the tradition that forbids female imams in Islam and it drew condemnation from conservative Muslims as well praise from secular feminists. She outlines her arguments for change in a new book, Inside The Gender Jihad: Women’s Reform in Islam . Plus: accounts from the conflict in Beiruit and Israel's consul-general in New York responds, what it's like being an EMT in NYC, and the recent contract changes to residency requirements for city workers.


On The Fence

Thursday, July 13, 2006

One of the loudest voices against giving legal status to immigrants is Congressman Tom Tancredo. The Colorado Republican wants a fence built on the Mexico border. In the next installment of “The Border” immigration series, we look at the arguments for this tenet of stronger enforcement of immigration laws. Plus: live coverage of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on US laws governing detention of foreign terrorist suspects, suicide attempts by latina teenagers and lacrosse comes to New York.

» Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions


Geneva Conventional Wisdom

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Four years after the White House counsel derided the Geneva Conventions as “quaint”, the Department of Defense has embraced them as a guideline for handling enemy combatants. But does it mark a major shift in policy, or more of the same? Also: friendship from Aristotle to Central Perk, and how globalization connects extremists.

» Read the July 2006 Pentagon document committing to the application of the Geneva Conventions (via NY Times)
» Read then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez' 2002 memo on the Geneva Conventions (via MSNBC)


Keeping Up With Bill T. Jones

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Enlightenment values are the inspiration for Bill T. Jones’ latest dance creation. Jones says the 18th century philosophes are as relevant today as they ever were, and that their thinking can even be translated into human movement. Also: city $ for parochial schools, the search for Chanel Petro-Nixon's killer, and The Border, part 11: how legals view illegals and a look at listeners' Flickr photos.


Parklife

Monday, July 10, 2006

With the announcement this week that more city parks will offer free wireless internet, expect to see more laptops in a playground near you. But a recent support says prostitution and drug abuse are also on the rise. Today Parks Commish Adrian Benepe takes your questions, comments, and helpful suggestions for keeping the city leafy and green. Plus: Rolling Stone's Eric Boehlert critiquing the White House press corps, calls measuring this year's World Cup fever, and how common are our ancestors?


Race Gets Spicy in the Nutmeg State

Friday, July 07, 2006

In a televised debate last night, Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman vigorously defended himself against charges that he is too close to President Bush. But did his challenger in the Democratic primary, Ned Lamont, do enough to convince Connecticut Dems to dump an incumbent?


One of Us?

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Prior generations of immigrants felt the need to conform to American culture, but many of today’s immigrants wish to express the culture of their homeland. How do current views of assimilation compare to the attitudes of yesterday’s immigrants? Plus: The impact of the government shutdown in New Jersey, and the uncertainty clouding Mexico’s presidential election.

Have a photo that tells an immigration story? Join our flickr group The Border.


Am I Blue?

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Mid-term elections are approaching as the Democrats try to regroup and recapture Congress and everyone has an opinion on how best to do that. A variety of voices from Congress to the blogosphere to our listeners weigh in on “The Future of the Democratic Party.” Plus, our common ancestors are closer than we think and a return of a muckraking tradition.


"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor"

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

When the line from an Emma Lazarus poem was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty in 1886, it quickly became a symbol of welcome for oppressed immigrants around the world. But more than 120 years later, does America still want “your tired your poor?” In the next installment of “The Border” immigration series, we look at the US’ changing relationship to immigrants – what people we want coming to our country today. Plus: the lack of the upper middle class in the military and competitive eating on the day of Nathan's hot dog contest.

Have a photo that tells an immigration story? Join our flickr group The Border.


Baerer of Truth

Monday, July 03, 2006

You may know him as Bob Barnes, the fictional CIA agent played by George Clooney in the movie, “Syriana.” The real-life person is Robert Baer, a 20-year veteran of the agency and author of a new novel about an alternative history of the events leading up to 9/11. Plus: Laurie David, the producer of the Al Gore global warming film, “An Incovenient Truth,” why fewer African Americans are getting married, and former assemblyman Nelson Dennis.