The Leonard Lopate Show

Underreported: Violent Clashes in Eastern Congo

There is renewed violence and instability in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Clashes have erupted between troops loyal to the Congolese Tutsi general, Laurent Nkunda, and government forces. General Nkunda claims he is protecting ethnic minorities Tutsis living in Congo from the Hutu genocidal rebels that escaped Rwanda following the genocide in 1994. Rwanda has also entered the conflict by issuing thinly veiled threats to the Congolese government. On today’s Underreported, Arnaud Zajtman, a BBC reporter based in Kinshasa, and David Mugnier, Central Africa Project Director at the International Crisis Group, join Leonard to brief us on the conflict and how it may affect regional stability in central Africa.

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Underreported: Update on Newtown Creek Oil Spill

The oil spill in Newtown Creek in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is the largest in the country. The Environmental Protection Agency has just released a study that found the spill may be much larger than was originally reported, and that the oil may still be seeping into the waterway. Basil Seggos, Legal Investigator at Riverkeeper, joins Leonard to discuss how this study will affect cleanup efforts on the site.

Learn more about what you can do about Newtown Creek here

Listen to our Newtown Creek segment from November 2005 here

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Brother, I'm Dying

Writer Edwidge Danticat explores the painful legacy of her native Haiti’s violent history and the consequences of its diaspora in her deeply personal memoir, Brother, I’m Dying. It’s the story of her family’s move from Haiti to New York.

Brother, I’m Dying is available for purchase at amazon.com

Events: Edwidge Danticat will be speaking with Zakes Mda
The 92nd Street Y
Thursday, September 20 at 8 pm
1395 Lexington Avenue, at 92nd Street
For tickets, visit the 92nd Street Y website or call 212-415-5500.

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A South African's Perspective on the African-American Experience

The South African novelist and playwright Zakes Mda examines the dark and tragic experience of African-Americans in the United States – from slavery to the eve of the 2004 Presidential election – in Cion.

Cion is available for purchase at amazon.com

Events: Zakes Mda will be speaking with Edwidge Danticat
The 92nd Street Y
Thursday, September 20 at 8 pm
1395 Lexington Avenue, at 92nd Street
For tickets, visit the 92nd Street Y website or call 212-415-5500.

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Ike: An American Hero

Michael Korda believes that Dwight Eisenhower is an American hero. In his new book, Ike, Mr. Korda describes Eisenhower’s heroism during World War II as commander of Allied armies in Europe; he also says that Eisenhower's story should still be an inspiration to Americans today.

Ike is available for purchase at amazon.com

Weigh in: Do you/did you like Ike?

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