The Brian Lehrer Show

Red Ink

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Layoffs and interest rates and Bear Stearns, oh my! We get the latest economic news from New York Times business editor and columnist Gretchen Morgenson. Plus: in finance and out of work. We open our phones for people who used to work on Wall Street—until the credit crunch hit. We want to know what—and how--you’re doing now. And: art (talk) therapy by phone, and what we talk about when we talk about Islam.

Listen to the whole show

Market Stall

Gretchen Morgenson, assistant business and financial editor and columnist at The New York Times, discusses the latest economic news, including the Fed's rate cut and the Bear Stearns sale.

Open Phones

About 30,000 people with Wall Street jobs have been let go since the beginning of the mortgage crisis last fall, and more layoffs are expected. Have you lost your job? Or are you making plans in case you’re laid off? We want to hear from you.

Art Talk Therapy

Need advice? Bert Rodriguez, conceptual artist, will offer "art therapy" (meaning therapy from an artist) to listeners and talk about his piece In the Beginning. . ., part of the Park Avenue Armory extension to the Whitney Biennial.

more about Bert Rodriguez
Bert Rodriguez' website

Why Can't We Talk About Islam?

Eboo Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, discusses his autobiography Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation (Beacon, 2007). We also get his thoughts on the role religion is playing in the Presidential campaign, and his reaction to Barack Obama's speech yesterday on race and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Eboo Patel's blog, "On Faith"

Crowdsourcing: Hillary Clinton’s Schedule

Hillary Clinton just released 11,000 pages of her schedule as First Lady. The papers were released after New York Times reporters and the conservative group Judicial Watch filed freedom of information requests and they give a glimpse into her priorities as First Lady. She frequently refers to her work as First Lady as a credential for her White House bid, but until now the Clinton Library has not released her day-to-day schedules. WNYC’s political director Andrea Bernstein invites listeners to pore through and see what’s there.

Post your findings here:

Click here to read the documents.

Five Years Later

Robin Wright, diplomatic correspondent for the Washington Post and author of Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East, on McCain's Middle East gaffe and the anniversary of the Iraq war.

And click here for a selection of Iraq war coverage from the Brian Lehrer show archives.