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The Brian Lehrer Show

Wednesday, March 05, 2008
  • Army man

    Wages of War

    Columbia University’s Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the Iraq War will up costing three trillion dollars by the time everything is added up. He and Linda Bilmes of Harvard’s Kennedy School offer their account of the war’s cost in The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict. Plus, Clarence Page and Marie Cocco on yesterday’s primaries; and should “colorblind” casting be a two-way street?

"Mini Tuesday" Results

Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page, Marie Cocco, syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group, and Matt Bai, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, talk about yesterday's primaries.

Politics and Color-Blind Casting

Tricia Rose, professor of Africana Studies at Brown University and the author of the forthcoming The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop--and Why it Matters (Basic Civitas Books, December 1, 2008), looks at SNL's decision to use a non-black actor to play Barack Obama.

Tricia Rose’s website

The Wages of War

Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and Linda Bilmes, of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, say we’re underestimating the cost of the war in Iraq in their new book The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict.

McCain Supporters Weigh In

President Bush is to formally endorse John McCain today. McCain supporters call in with their views of whether that will help or hurt the presumptive Republican nominee.

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

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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.