The Brian Lehrer Show

Democratic Candidates Participate in YouTube-CNN Debate (Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

Presidential Debates 2.0

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Democratic presidential hopefuls just had their first ever debate using questions from YouTube video. Was the experiment a better act of democracy? We assess how the candidates did with Ana Marie Cox of Time and blogger Jeff Jarvis and we take your comments. Also, what sports have to do with progressive politics, everything you wanted to know about the New York City public housing system, an update from Albany, and an explanation of the possible link between diet soda and metabolic syndrome.

Listen to the whole show

Democratic Debate Scorecard

Ana Marie Cox, political correspondent for Time Magazine and Jeff Jarvis, who writes the blog Buzzmachine.com, reveal who they thought won the debate and whether the YouTube/CNN format worked.
You can still post your comments on the CNN YouTube Debate:

Who did you think won the debate and why?
Who made you think about an issue in a new way?
What was the most memorable response?
And...grade CNN on how they handled the YouTube questions.

Missed the CNN YouTube debate?
Listen | Download MP3

Managing Public Housing

In part two of our public housing series, Tino Hernandez, chair of the New York City Housing Authority explains New York City's public housing system as we continue our look at life in public housing developments.

Part 1: Nathan Glazer on architecture and public housing

Albany Follies

Aides to Governor Spitzer improperly used state police to gather information on Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. Daily News columnist Liz Benjamin analyzes the fallout.

Left Hook

Dave Zirin, author of Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports (Haymarket Books, 2007), reviews sports news about NBA officiating and NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting and talks about being a "progressive" sportswriter.

Welcome to the Terrordome is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Listen to an earlier discussion about pit bulls.

Dave Zirin’s website “Edge of Sports”

Soft Drinks, Harsh Results

Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, senior author of the Framingham Heart Study and professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, explains that drinking carbonated increases your risk of developing a metabolic syndrome, even if it is a diet soda.