The Brian Lehrer Show Archive

YouDebate

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Hear excerpts from and react to the candidates or the Republican presidential hopefuls YouTube debate. What was learned from the candidates and the videos? Also, a third of New York State children live in immigrant-headed households. Two reports look at how the state is changing.

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The Military Mind

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

We might have to wait until Labor Day for a presidential candidate, but it’s never too early to start talking running mates. General Wesley Clark, whose name has come up as a potential VP, lays out the direction he thinks the next president should take on military policy. Plus, how the Middle East is viewing Annapolis and we mourn the death of the Washington party scene.

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Lobbying Limits

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Trent Lott’s resignation from the Senate may be timed to get out before new restrictions on lobbying kick in. What does the law say on when former members of Congress can become lobbyists and why is it changing on January 1st? Also, Naomi Wolf on lessons from the Weimar Republic for America today. We check in on the Middle East Peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland, and get the scoop on the West Side rail yards development plans. Finally, a call in: will Oprah's endorsement of Barack Obama affect your vote?

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'Tis the Season to Run for President

Monday, November 26, 2007

The holiday season is in full swing—and so are the primaries. Time Magazine political analyst Mark Halperin has the latest in political news. Also: what impact will teaching English as a second language have on New York’s workforce? And on the anniversary of the shooting of Sean Bell, what has changed a year later? Finally, what are the holidays all about anyway (besides shopping)?

The Impact of Good Manners

Friday, November 23, 2007

Is it ever okay to send an e-card? Is re-gifting ever appropriate? Manners maven Caroline Tiger provides holiday etiquette guidance. Also: how genetic science shapes our lives, and Colin Beavan--a.k.a. No-Impact Man--on the next phase of his experiment.

Politics as a Laughing Matter

Thursday, November 22, 2007

George Carlin talks about finding humor in politics and Nora Ephron confesses her addiction to online shopping. Also: how New York is portrayed on the silver screen, and the physical perils of heavy handbags.

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Get $aved

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Do you belong to the Church of Stop Shopping? Reverend Billy does, and he's prowling for converts. The pompadoured performer preaches in favor of local economies, Christmas without consumerism, and putting the “odd” back in God. Paging all shopaholics--call in and confess! Also: a natural history of New York City, and the resurgence of the Valerie Plame blame game.

Gang Culture For Sale?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Just how much is Bill Clinton worth to Hillary Clinton’s campaign? We detail the results of our group journalism program with the Huffington Post on the dollar value of the husband ex-president. And a New York City councilman takes on what he says is the selling of gang culture. The Guggenheim gets a new paint job, and a discussion about another possible MTA fare hike. Also: a call in for immigrants on moving back home. So many say they plan to—so few ever do.

Read the results of the WNYC/Off The Bus group journalism project

Beware the Cookie Monster

Monday, November 19, 2007

DVDs of the original Sesame Street are labeled “for adults only.” On our next program, New York Times media columnist Virginia Heffernan explains why 1970’s-era Sesame Street episodes are now seen as inappropriate for many of today’s preschoolers. Also, why New Jersey Govenor Corzine wants toll hikes; and what tourists are doing now that the Broadway shows have closed. We look at why reading rates for students are so low, and Columbia professors discuss choosing the new Post-War literature canon for their students. Finally, a call-in: do strikes work?

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Decades of Deployment?

Friday, November 16, 2007

The Army's Vice Chief of Staff says that the American military is planning to be fighting for the next twenty to thirty years. We examine what two decades of sustained military conflict might do to the structure and recruitment of our current all-volunteer military. Also, the latest pulse of the Democratic campaign, anti-pornography laws that restrict reporters and how to talk knowledgeably about books you’ve never even read.

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Leading Women

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Hillary Clinton might be running as the first female candidate with a shot at winning the White House, but she’s running in the tradition of women who have gone before. We discuss women leaders and global security with Canada’s former Prime Minister Kim Campbell and Liberia’s Foreign Minister Olubanke King-Akerele. Also, we take our weekly reading of presidential politics in South Carolina.

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When Cops Can Shoot

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

After the fatal shooting of a Brooklyn teenager this week, we learn more about the events that led to an apparently mentally ill young man confronting the police. Plus, a round table discussion on American Indian identity in the 21st Century; the future of Coney Island after Bloomberg's new plan; and how Manhattan apartments compare to Berlin's.

Take part in our latest crowdsourcing project: What's Bill Clinton's financial impact on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign?

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The Fate of Pakistani Lawyers

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Many of the protesters getting arrested by the government in Pakistan are lawyers, and human rights activists say their fate is uncertain. Find out how New York lawyers are trying to help their counterparts in Pakistan. Also, a Daily News reporter talks about last night's fatal police shooting in Brooklyn. Jimmy Breslin remembers Norman Mailer's 1969 New York campaign for mayor, and a debate on the pros and cons of pigeons. And finally, some striking TV writers for the Daily Show, Conan and the Colbert Report let off some pent up comedic steam.

Take part in our latest crowdsourcing project: What's Bill Clinton's financial impact on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign?

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Returning From Iraq

Monday, November 12, 2007

Like other wars, PTSD is common among soldiers returning from the war in Iraq. Find out what’s unique about this war for returning veterans. Also, Ronald Brownstein compares partisanship in the U.S. to a second civil war. CUNY starts a recruiting program specifically for veterans; and we open our phones for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to talk about what it was like to come home. Also, we dig into the alleged connections between Bernard Kerik and organized crime. And finally, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt on his new children's book and memories of Norman Mailer.

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Take part in our latest crowdsourcing project: What's Bill Clinton's financial impact on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign?

Opening Transnational Adoptions

Friday, November 09, 2007

“Open” adoptions are becoming more common for children adopted within the U.S., but that’s not yet the case for transnational adoptions. Guest host Marty Goldensohn talks to two adoptive mothers about how much they should know about where their children came from. Also, is it in us? Testing our bodies for toxic chemicals found in everyday products. What do first names say about gender? And, tips for navigating New York's public transit system.

Take part in our latest crowdsourcing project: What's Bill Clinton's financial impact on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign?

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Bill Clinton’s Deep Pockets

Thursday, November 08, 2007

All the presidential candidates are using their spouses in their campaigns. But only one has an ex-president on hand. Help us find out the true financial impact of Bill Clinton on the Hillary Clinton campaign in our latest group journalism assignment. Also, the book version of the StoryCorps oral history project.

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Playing the Gender Card

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Was it sexist for the other Democrats to all go after Hillary Clinton in the last debate or was it just the politics of fighting the front-runner? What do you think? Also, yesterday’s and today’s feminists convene; what art can teach science about the brain; and your downloads and the writers’ strike.

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Help us dig into the Clinton and Giuliani finance filings in our crowdsourcing project, Hillary, Rudy, Money

Reviving Democracy

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Larry Sabato, founder and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virgina, believes that it is time to rewrite the American Constitution. We find out why. Plus, a plan to abolish the St. Patrick's Day parade in its current form, the future of the city's streetscape, New Jersey's stem-cell research proposition, and defying stereotypes in the NYPD.

What Would George Orwell Do?

Monday, November 05, 2007

Financier George Soros and an all-star cast of contributors to a new book about George Orwell’s theories of political doublespeak talk about the particular relevance of Orwell’s theories today. Also, a preview of the New Jersey election – will Gov. Corzine lose the Senate to the GOP?

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Help us dig into the Clinton and Giuliani finance filings in our crowdsourcing project, Hillary, Rudy, Money

Is Waterboarding Torture?

Friday, November 02, 2007

Will waterboarding sink the Mukasey nomination? By refusing to declare the technique illegal, Bush’s attorney general nominee has put himself in a tricky legal position. For counterterrorism consultant Malcolm Nance, the issue is much clearer: waterboarding is torture. How does Nance know? He’s done it. Also, Shaun Powell on how blacks lose out in sports.

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See the winners of our photo contest -- Scary Smart.

Help us dig into the Clinton and Giuliani finance filings in our crowdsourcing project, Hillary, Rudy, Money

Red and Green

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Is there any such thing as conservative environmentalism? Newt Gingrich argues that there is in his new book The Contract with the Earth. Also, "Don’t Cry for Me, Mrs. Kirchner" – why female heads of state are becoming commonplace in Latin America; and tracking the presidential primary races in South Carolina.

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Help us dig into the Clinton and Giuliani finance filings in our crowdsourcing project, Hillary, Rudy, Money

Enter our Halloween photo contest -- Scary Smart.