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The Brian Lehrer Show / July 25, 2008

The Brian Lehrer Show

Friday, July 25, 2008
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Obama's World Tour

As Barack Obama’s trip to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe winds down, Josef Joffe, editor and publisher of Die Zeit, a weekly German newspaper, a fellow at the Hoover Institute and the author of Uberpower: The Imperial Temptation of America, then Rami Khouri, editor-at-large at The Daily Star in Lebanon, then Karen Tumulty, Time national poltical correspondent, discuss the trip.

Following Up: Timing Electricity Use

Ken Belson, New York Times Metro Utilities reporter, talks about off-peak pricing for electricity.

The City Of Tomorrow?

The city of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, is flush with oil revenues -- and investing billions in an audacious experiment in renewable energy: Masdar, a city they are building from scratch to be completely solar-powered with zero carbon emissions. We talk to the CEO of the Masdar initiative, Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber, about whether solar can scale up to power an entire city.

The 30% Solution

While New York can't be redesigned from scratch to be entirely powered by renewable energy, like Masdar, we can take our cues instead from Juneau. When an avalanche forced Alaska's capital to switch from hydro to diesel power, its citizens cut their energy demand by 30% -- and it's still down by 15-20%, months after hydro was restored. We talk to deputy mayor Randy Wanamaker about the city's new culture of conservation.

Hamdan Trial

Jane Mayer, staff writer for the New Yorker and the author of The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals (Doubleday, 2008), is following the war crimes trial of Salim Hamdan, underway in Guantanamo Bay.

Fighting Tobacco Use, Worldwide

Billionaires Mayor Bloomberg and Bill Gates announced this week that they will contribute a total of $500 million to reduce tobacco use worldwide. Heather Wipfli, project manager for the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explains where all that money is going.

Open Phones

We take your calls on summer-reading tips.

Your Suggestions
Do you have a book you're dying to recommend? Post it on our comments page!

30 issues in 30 days graphic

30 Issues in 30 Days

The Brian Lehrer Show

Once again, 30 Issues in 30 Days is taking on the election season by going beyond the horse race and examining the real issues that are at stake for the people of New York and New Jersey in the Mayoral and Gubernatorial contest. See the schedule and help craft the segments at the 30 Issues Wiki!

Michael Moore on Brian's 20th Anniversary

The Brian Lehrer Show

Live from the Greene Space: Michael Moore talks about his new documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story and Brian celebrates the 20 year anniversary of The Brian Lehrer Show.

A person dressed as a bear to represent a bear market performs outside the New York Stock Exchange on October 6, 200 in New York. Wall Street tumbled after the opening bell as fallout from the credit crisis triggered concerns about the economy and the Dow fell below 10,000 for the first time in four years.

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.

Help us map abandoned lots, stalled construction and unsold condos.

Digesting Politics

Brian, Bob, and Andrea

WNYC's political team of Brian Lehrer, Bob Hennelly, and Andrea Bernstein talk politics and more over lunch each week. Hear the latest episode and subscribe to the podcast here!

Video Picks

The Brian Lehrer Show

Check out some recent video clips of interviews with guests and Brian Lehrer's weekly Web video picks.