wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The Brian Lehrer Show

Wednesday, October 03, 2007
  • President Bush and Vice President Cheney on October 1, 2007 in Fort Myer, Virginia.
    President Bush and Vice President Cheney on October 1, 2007 in Fort Myer, Virginia. (Getty Images)

    “SCHIP” On His Shoulder

    President Bush doesn’t veto much, but – of all things – he’s vetoing the expansion of SCHIP, the children’s health insurance program. Both New York and New Jersey are suing him over tightened federal standards for the program. Two guests debate whether more health insurance for children can be a bad thing. Also, is it now legal to scalp Yankee playoff tickets? We’ll clarify Major League Baseball’s new resale rules. We discuss the legal implications of the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment verdict. And, when is it okay to let your children watch television? For the open phones, we talk to people who fish-and sometimes eat what they catch- in the New York City area.

    Take part in our crowdsourcing project: Are You Being Gouged?

“SCHIP” On His Shoulder

President Bush vetoed the expansion of the SCHIP program today. Elisabeth Ryden Benjamin, director, New York Healthcare Restructuring Initiatives at the Community Services Society, thinks this is a wrong move, while Ben Zycher, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, sides with the President.

Hot Tickets

Scott Wenger, assistant managing editor for money and business and editor of the "Your Money" section in the Daily News and Neil Best, sports writer for Newsday, talk about whether Yankees season ticket holders can resell their tickets on StubHub.

MSG Penalty

Liz Shalet, employment discrimination attorney and partner at Lippman and Plesur, discusses the legal implications of the sexual harassment verdict against Madison Square Garden and Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas.

Molding Young Minds

When is it safe to seat your young children in front of the television? Lisa Guernsey, an education, science and technology writer, explores the subject in her new book Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five (Basic Books, 2007).

Into the Minds of Babes is available for purchase at Amazon.com

Open Phones: Fishing in New York City

New York City anglers call in and talk about the "catch" of the day, a City Council hearing on the safety of fishing in and around New York City.

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.

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.