Let the Sun Shine In

Friday, June 27, 2008

With the price of oil going higher and higher, alternative sources of energy like solar power are becoming much more attractive. On Please Explain, find out how solar power works, and whether it could help solve our energy problems. Mercedes Ruehl on her star turn in “Edward Albee’s Occupant.” A new documentary about Dalton Trumbo. Plus, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Zeitgeist films.

Tune in next Tuesday, July 1, for the latest in our Political Projections film series! We'll talk about how Hollywood has depicted the President in the role of Commander in Chief.

Coming to America

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Find out how well the children of recent immigrants to the metropolitan NYC area are adjusting to American society. Also: the newly-discovered letters of Philip Slier, a Dutch Jew killed in the Holocaust. Rivka Galchen on her debut novel. A look at how sharing the womb with a brother may affect a girl's development. Plus, on our latest Underreported: where the world’s failed states are, and why they’re a threat to other countries.

Tune in next Tuesday, July 1, for the latest in our Political Projections film series! We'll talk about how Hollywood has depicted the President in the role of Commander in Chief.

Tough Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

With the war in Iraq, a slowing economy, rising gas and food prices...everyone knows that times are a little tougher right now. Barbara Ehrenreich believes that these past few years in the U.S. have been the worst in recent memory! Then, States of the Union is all about Alabama. A new novel explores the limits of language. Plus: former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky.

Television for Toddlers

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two not watch television, but only 6% of parents take this to heart. We go behind the scenes of the booming $21-billion preschool entertainment industry. Also, legendary Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai. And how baseball replaced a missing, mentally ill father for Nicholas Dawidoff. Plus: how the period between the end of the Cold War and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 gave rise to the profound challenges America faces today.

Big Brain

Monday, June 23, 2008

Karl Rove has become a mythic figure in the political world. We take a look at the man behind the myth. Also, hear the story of how one woman confronts her family's past as prominent slave traders. Federico Garcia Lorca's 1929 poems, written in New York City during a difficult time in his life. Plus: is the human brain an elegant organ, or a clumsy contraption?

You Will Listen

Friday, June 20, 2008

Please Explain is all about brainwashing! But first: veteran Magnum photographer Bruce Davidson talks street photography, in conjunction with wnyc.org’s hit new Street Shots project. Also: a look at how Niagara Falls became a major tourist attraction. And a son tells us about helping his 80-something newly-widowed father date again.

Book Power

Thursday, June 19, 2008

How much does the theory of intelligent design hold up to scientific scrutiny? Also: a new edition the classic book The Histories, by Herodotus...it chronicles the rise of the Persian Empire and its war with Greek city-states. States of the Union takes a look at Maryland. And on Underreported: how a single book can have a dramatic effect on a country's political climate.

All Together Now

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

China, India, and Japan are increasingly focusing on each other as economic rivals. Find out how that rivalry is shaping America's economy! Also: Nam Le on his debut story collection, The Boat. Former NFL defensive end Tim Green. Plus, a Jordanian diplomat talks about the promises and problems of taking a moderate road to reform in the Middle East.

Tomorrow, Thurs. June 19, we'll talk about how a single book can transform a country's political climate. And we'd like to hear from you: has a single book changed your own political views?

Crazy But Possible

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Physicist Michio Kaku explains how scientific advances could be making impossible things like time travel and telepathy possible. Also: Stefan Merrill Block’s debut novel. Isabel Allende on her new memoir. And Nicaragua's leading writer and former Vice President Sergio Ramirez, talks about the complicated history of his country.

What's for Dinner?

Monday, June 16, 2008

Michael Pollan tells us what to eat, for our health, and the well-being of the planet: Eat food, not too much, and mostly plants. Also, find how humans went from hunting and gathering, to trading on the stock market. A look at the science of sex. Plus: how the Kurds' quest for statehood is shaping the Middle East.

Life in a War Zone

Friday, June 13, 2008

Richard Engel, NBC’s Middle East Bureau Chief, talks about covering 5 years of war in Iraq. Also, Mark Rylance on his hilarious turn in the hit revival of “Boeing-Boeing.” Hear about New York’s Floating Pool Lady project. And Please Explain is all about food poisoning!...and what’s up with all those tomatoes we’re being told not to eat.

City of the Future

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Find out why Mexico City, a megalopolis of 20 million people, may represent the world’s urban future. Also: States of the Union is all about California. Martha Plimpton talks about her roles in the revival of Caryl Churchill’s "Top Girls." And on Underreported, an update on the recent peace deal in Somalia. Also: why the horseshoe crab population is dwindling.

True Blue

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Twelve-time Grammy winner Emmylou Harris's career spans forty years! She tells us about her new album, “All I Intended To Be.” Also: the rise of a new generation of liberal media, from Jon Stewart to MoveOn.org. A look at how illness changes sibling relationships. Plus, Al and Larry Ubell!

Check out Leonard's interviews with 2008 Tony Award nominees!

Mind the Gap

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

We look at the complicated link between race and poverty, and what America’s public school systems can do to improve racial equity. Also: Jesuit priest Uwem Akpan on his debut short story collection. Turner Classic Movie host Robert Osborne on Asian-Americans in film. Plus, Debra Winger on how she’s created a life for herself beyond acting!

Check out Leonard's interviews with several of the 2008 Tony Award nominees!

Missing Persons

Monday, June 09, 2008

Federal public defender Steven Wax says the U.S. government has ways of making a person disappear. He tells the frightening stories of two men who got caught up in post-9/11 counterterrorism measures. Also: Peter Matthiessen on his new novel. Ian Frazier’s latest collection of humorous essays. And find out how Muqtada Al-Sadr became the leader of Iraq's poor Shi'ites and the resistance to the occupation.

Way Down Under

Friday, June 06, 2008

Werner Herzog talks about his new film about the miracles of nature in Antarctica. Also: Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov on the early life of Genghis Khan. Find out about Evelyn Nesbit, a model and celebrity in the early 1900s who got caught up in a lurid murder scandal. States of the Union is all about Utah. And on Please Explain: what your stuff reveals about who you are!

Remember Me

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Find out what scientists are doing to prevent and treat Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. Also: on the 40th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, a look at images of Bobby on the campaign trail. David Sedaris on his new essay collection, When You Are Engulfed in Flames! And on Underreported: what’s happening in Nepal since the king was deposed last week.

Expedition to the Other Side

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Long-time counterterrorism agent Fred Burton on how America’s anti-terror efforts have evolved since the 1980s. Also: two explorers, recently returned from a dogsled expedition in Canadian Arctic. Andrew Sean Greer on his new novel. And Daily Show regular and bestselling author Lewis Black searches for the funny side of religion!

Machine Politics

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Find out about The Family, a powerful elite corps of fundamentalist Christianity which has members on both sides of the aisle in Congress. Also: Colin Firth and Anand Tucker on their new film about father/son relationships, "When Did You Last See Your Father?" A look at Conor McPherson’s new play, "Port Authority." And – the latest in our Political Projections film series is all about how Hollywood has depicted machine politics over the years!

Scott Speaks

Monday, June 02, 2008

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan responds to the criticism he’s gotten from his former colleagues over his new book about the Bush administration. Also: George Packer revisits the issue of Iraqi interpreters who’ve jeopardized their lives on behalf of the Americans in Iraq. Salman Rushdie on his new romance novel. And, a look at the amazing growth of cities around the world – did you know that by the year 2050, an estimated 75% of the world’s population will be living in cities?

Tune in for our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, June 3! We'll talk about how Hollywood has portrayed political machines. We're also hosting a special film screening of "The Great McGinty" TONIGHT, Monday, June 2. The screening is free, but there's a $10 minimum for food and drink.