wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Program Schedule

Topics

The Brian Lehrer Show / September 03, 2007

The Brian Lehrer Show

Monday, September 03, 2007
Previous Episode | Next Episode
  • NYC Skyline at Night

    Urban Conversations: Strengthening the Middle Class

    Is an urban middle class still possible in the 21st century? As income disparity becomes more pronounced, studies show middle-class neighborhoods are disappearing from many American cities. Two panels discuss how today's urban leaders try to ensure their cities remain – or become – livable for middle-income families.

Livable Cities for the Urban Middle Class

Panelists Hon. Shirley Frankin, mayor of Atlanta, GA; Hon. Adrian Fenty, mayor of Washington, DC; Hon. Thomas R. Suozzi, Nassau County Executive (D); and Ester Fuchs, professor of international and public affairs and political science, the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University and former advisor to Mayor Bloomberg; discuss the national picture for the urban middle class.

A Viable New York City for Working Families

Panelists Nicole Gelinas, contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute's City Journal; Dan Cantor, executive director of the Working Families Party; Dennis Walcott, New York City deputy mayor for education and community development; and Andrea Batista Schlesinger, executive director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy; look what New York City can, and should, do to strengthen its middle class.

A person dressed as a bear to represent a bear market performs outside the New York Stock Exchange on October 6, 200 in New York. Wall Street tumbled after the opening bell as fallout from the credit crisis triggered concerns about the economy and the Dow fell below 10,000 for the first time in four years.

Uncommon Indicators

The Brian Lehrer Show

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.

Cast your vote for our video contest semi-finalists.

Ray Young, General Motors Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

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.

paper trail small

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!

(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexerde/80417539/">alexerde</a>/flickr)

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!

happiness

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.

Judge Sotomayor

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.