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The Brian Lehrer Show

Friday, July 20, 2007
  • Does Harry Potter Get Whacked?

    Like the iPhone and the Sopranos rolled into one, New Yorkers will be waiting in line to buy a book that won’t sell out, to find out if the main character gets whacked. Pottermania, New York-style, with Sarah Vowell. Also: there are four bad options facing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Which should he choose? What exactly was agreed to in the congestion pricing plan? Also, how racism is bad for your health, and we open the phones for your calls on gentrification - where are you supposed to go?

Deal or No Deal?

New York State Senator Martin Golden, R-22, and New York City Council member John Liu, D-20, explain what was and what was not agreed upon in the congestion pricing deal.

Trouble in Pakistan

The National Intelligence Estimate released this week revealed the continuing role of Pakistan in the survival of Al Qaeda. Former CIA analyst Paul Pillar and Lehigh University professor of international relations Rajan Menon talk about how US foreign policy could best address the problem.

Paul Pillar bio
Rajan Menon bio

Pottermania

Sarah Vowell, contributing editor to This American Life and author of Assassination Vacation, and Nancy Pearl, librarian and author of Book Crush: For Kids and Teens - Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Interest (Sasquatch Books, 2007), provide spoiler-free Potter discussion, as well as suggestions on what to read next after finishing the final Harry Potter novel.

Buy Book Crush at Amazon.com
Buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at Amazon.com

Following Up: Judith Miller

When former New York Times reporter Judith Miller came on the show to discuss her City Journal article about Ray Kelly, many listeners protested that her credibility as a reporter had been irretrievably damaged. We ask Geneva Overholser, chair in public affairs reporting for the University of Missouri School of Journalism, former ombudsman for The Washington Post and a contributor to the book, What Good Is Journalism?: How Reporters and Editors Are Saving America's Way of Life (University of Missouri Press, 2007) and Daniel Okrent, writer, editor, (inventor of Rotisserie League Baseball), and the first public editor at The New York Times (October 2003 – May 2005). His columns are collected in Public Editor Number One: The Collected Columns (with Reflections, Reconsiderations, and Even a Few Retractions) of the First Ombudsman of The New York Times (PublicAffairs, 2006).

Following Up: Is racism hazardous to your health?

Evidence is mounting that experiencing discrimination causes physical changes in the body that may contribute to the development of disease. Vickie Mays, professor of psychology at UCLA and William Gordon, a post-doctoral fellow at UCLA, explain what the latest research points to.

Following Up: Bushwick and Gentrification

We take your calls on gentrification: How does one find affordable housing without contributing to displacement?

Uncommon Indicators

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The Brian Lehrer Show wants to hear how the economy is affecting the little things in your daily life. Share your stories and photos of the downturn.

Just Launched! The Uncommon Economic Indicators Video Contest. All the details here!

The Rocky Road Ahead

The Brian Lehrer Show

Ray Young, the chief financial officer of General Motors, talks about GM’s bankruptcy.

Then, Damon Lester, president of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, and Greg Williams, former owner of the recently closed Huntington Chevrolet in Huntington Station, NY., discusses the effect GM’s bankruptcy has had on dealerships and their employees.

Tweet If You Use Twitter

The Brian Lehrer Show

Farhad Manjoo, Slate's technology columnist and the author of True Enough: Learning To Live in a Post-Fact Society talks about what Twitter means and how different groups use it.

What's your take on Twitter? How do you use it? Comment below!

Don't Say That, Literally

The Brian Lehrer Show

John Flansburgh of the band They Might Be Giants discusses the running list the band keeps of "things we can no longer say." (a few examples: "my bad" "don't go there" "one hundred and ten percent" and "voted off the island")

What would be on your list of banned words or phrases? Comment below!

From Denmark with Love

The Brian Lehrer Show

Jesper Grunwald, senior managing editor with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, talks about the Danish economy, biking to work, and why the Danes are allegedly the happiest people in the world.

Squatting, Then and Now

The Brian Lehrer Show

As former squats in the East Village make the transition to coops, making homes from abandoned housing is again an issue. Andrew Reicher executive director of Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, Frank Morales an Episcopal priest involved in East Village/Lower East Side squatting and homelessness activism since the late '70s, and Rob Robinson, a leader of the Housing Campaign of Picture the Homeless, discuss the return of squatting.

Video Picks

The Brian Lehrer Show

Check out some recent video clips of interviews with guests and Brian Lehrer's weekly Web video picks.