The Brian Lehrer Show Archive
December 2007
New York New Year’s News Quiz
Monday, December 31, 2007
Were you paying attention in 2007? It’s the New Year’s Eve morning end-of-year news quiz. There’ll be fun, games, prizes, fanfare, and, of course, bragging rights at stake for your New Year’s Eve parties. Also: Iowa, 3 days before the caucuses. And, a call-in: what's on your "life list"?
Tell All
Friday, December 28, 2007
In his book Snitch: Informants, Cooperators and the Corruption of Justice, author Ethan Brown offers a different way to look at the “Stop Snitchin’” movement. He says it’s not so much about protecting criminals from the police, it’s more about safety from thugs who snitch on others...then terrorize the streets with impunity. Also, your neighborhood heroes of 2007, and when “starchitects” put form over function.
Iowa’s Home Stretch
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The clock is ticking to the Iowa caucuses: one week to go. How are candidates and voters spending the week between Christmas and New Years? Also, following up on the Bhutto assassination; the end of the incandescent lighbulb; and the next installment of our ongoing series on personal finance with Alvin Hall. This week: how to deal with holiday debt.
Healthier Bodegas
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Joel Rivera, majority leader of the New York City Council discusses new WIC regulations and the push to bring more healthful food to bodegas plus the editor of a new magazine, "Good."
When Art Mirrors Life
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, actress on The Wire, connects her life to the HBO series and talks about her new memoir plus light bulbs, DNA and supper clubs.
Life On The Street
Monday, December 24, 2007
DVDs of the original Sesame Street are labeled “for adults only.” 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. Plus, how did Bliss Broyard react when she learned her father was black? And, the authors of Good Calories, Bad Calories and Proust Was a Neuroscientist.
Reading at Risk
Friday, December 21, 2007
A National Endowment for the Arts report indicates that our country is reading less and less. Historian David McCullough weighs in on the importance of teaching literature. Then, The New Yorker’s Caleb Crain wonders what would happen if we dropped books for good. Plus, a look back at Joseph Bruno’s rocky year.
See the list of books mentioned on Wednesday's 2007 Book Review show
Young, Homeless and Gay
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A new report that finds more than 25% of all homeless teens in New York are gay. What does being gay have to do with being homeless? Why are they more at risk? Also, personal finance expert Alvin Hall continues the series on doing a year-end financial audit.
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See the list of books mentioned on Wednesday's 2007 Book Review show.
Sex Ed in New York City
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
AIDS education is required in the NYC schools, but sex education is not. Hear the case for mandatory sex ed with an advocate, a teenager, and a Unitarian minister. Also, your favorite books of 2007, the ethics of regifting. Amy Eddings sits in for Brian.
World War IV
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Norman Podhoretz’s latest book is called World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism. He thinks we should bomb Iran – now. He’s also principal foreign policy advisor to Rudy Giuliani. Podhoretz discusses Iran, terrorism, and the presidential campaign. We review Elliot Spitzer's eventful first year with Lt. Governor David Paterson. And, when it comes to marrying for money – how low would you go? Finally, tips on tipping for the holiday season.
Perpetual War
Monday, December 17, 2007
The release of the Iraq War documentary No End in Sight has prompted more public figures to come forward with the real reasons they think the war was launched. The film’s director, Charles Ferguson, talks about the ongoing story of the film and the forthcoming book. Two political writers discuss the coveted Democratic newspaper endorsements and the Huckabee factor. We get an update from the floor of Senator Dodd's filibuster on phone companies and NSA wiretapping. And a senior adviser to Eliot Spitzer wants to change the statewide public university system. Also, do silver trees have a green lining?
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Missed Connections
Friday, December 14, 2007
Since 2002, New York City has paid $500 million to settle civil claims against the NYPD—everything from car accidents to police brutality. We’ll examine those payouts and see if any policies change after cops are found liable. Also: actress Felicia Pearson connects the HBO series “The Wire” to real life, and personal finance expert Alvin Hall. And, what are you and your kids saying about steroid use in Major League Baseball.
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W00T's up?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
When Condoleezza Rice became secretary of state, American foreign policy went in a new direction. New York Times correspondent Elizabeth Bumiller, author of a new biography of Rice’s life, explains. And: are you a locavore? How very leet of you. We talk to the editor-at-large of the Oxford English Dictionary about the new words of 2007. Also, a preview of the Mitchell Report on steroids and baseball, and where people go to get their work done.
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Love and Marriage
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A question for some immigrants to America: should I go home to find a spouse? It’s a decision fraught with questions of class, money, equality, even fraud. Two views—plus your calls—on marrying here or there. Also: how America’s best known companies turn their workers into true believers.
Horsing Around
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Is Midtown Manhattan any place for a horse? A fixture of the New York tourist trade is the horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park, but Queens City Councilman Tony Avella wants to abolish that business as cruelty to animals. Also: race and IQ, race and the Mormon Church, airport adjustments, the MTA fare hike and the public Webinar that went awry.
Rudy Meets the Press
Monday, December 10, 2007
As a follow up to Rudy Giuliani’s interview over the weekend, we will compare what Candidate Giuliani says now to what Mayor Giuliani said in the past. Also: Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz on the big three television networks and what’s left of their news programming. Pete Donahue, New York Daily News transit reporter, on the new MTA fare plan. And: are you ready for a New York parking revolution?
Realty Bites
Friday, December 07, 2007
After Mitt Romney channeled John F. Kennedy, we will check in with the states that matter to see how his speech about his faith is playing in the major primary states. Also: a look at the rules governing commercial realty, and the lack of commercial rent control, and two views on the legacy of Dan Doctoroff.
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Fashionably Clean
Thursday, December 06, 2007
These days we’re obsessed with being clean, some times to a fault. But that hasn’t always been the case. Today we look at a social history of filth in a new book called The Dirt on Clean. Also, entrapment in the subways and our regular Thursday discussion for the month of December: personal finances.
The Mexican Model
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
One reason immigration is so controversial now is that Mexicans are the largest immigrant group in U.S. history. Guest host David Cruz talks to author Gregory Rodriguez who forecasts the cultural and political impact of so many Mexican migrants. Also, how honor and bureaucracy collide over who is a 9/11 murder victim.
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Community Domain
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
With Imagine Flatbush 2030, the community of Flatbush hopes to include their plans and concerns in the inevitable development of the Brooklyn neighborhood. Also, we examine what will be at stake when the Supreme Court will rule on Wednesday in a case on Prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Also, an analysis of Bush's White House press conference about the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. And, Mormonism explained.
“Black Eye” on Facebook
Monday, December 03, 2007
The social networking site Facebook gets caught sharing its members’ transactions without getting permission. Hear what they’re doing in response to the protests. Time Magazine correspondent Karen Tumulty discusses Huckabee's response to Romney's Mormonism and Obama's new role as the leading democratic contender in Iowa. Also, going to the polls in Russia and Venezuela – what it means to people there and people here.
Finally, a call-in: Imus is back, should we forgive and forget?
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