Daily Schedule

On today’s show, veteran China analyst Ethan Gutmann reveals China’s secret program to eliminate political dissidents while profiting from the sale of their organs—in many cases to Westerners. We’ll find out how the country’s ex-presidents maneuvered, plotted, advised, aided Lincoln during the Civil War. Ben Tarnoff describes how Mark Twain and San Francisco writers gave voice to the America’s emerging identity. Alvin and Lawrence Ubell, our Gurus of How-To, tackle home repair questions and give advice for keeping your home ship shape.

Your morning companion from NPR and the WNYC Newsroom, with world news, local features, and weather updates.

The author and New School professor Jennifer Michael Hecht contextualizes the news of Robin Williams’ suicide. Plus: what you found when we asked you to investigate City Council members’ discretionary spending; a look at the future of casinos in our area after news broke that another casino is closing soon in Atlantic City; and the author of a best-selling job hunting manual explains what’s changed in the more than forty years since he first published the book and offers advice for job hunters and career changers.

The Peabody Award-winning program features Terry Gross’ fearless and insightful interviews with big names in pop culture, politics and the arts.

A wrap-up of the day’s news, with features and interviews about the latest developments in New York City and around the world, from NPR and the WNYC newsroom.

A wrap-up of the day’s news, with features and interviews about the latest developments in New York City and around the world, from NPR and the WNYC newsroom.

In this episode: Soundcheck's How To Be Smarter About... series -- about addressing musical blind spots -- continues with WNYC host Brian Lehrer, who tells us a musical topic he’d like to know more on – and we help to fill in the gaps.

Then: Claudia Roth Pierpont discusses her new essay for the New Yorker which explored Nina Simone’s complicated relationship with the civil rights movement and with her own racial self-identification. Pierpont tells Soundcheck about how these issues influenced both the singer’s public persona and works like her perceptive song “Four Women.”

And: Hear the infectious, expansive synth pop of Wildcat! Wildcat! as the L.A. band performs songs from its debut, No Moon At All, in the Soundcheck studio.

This New Sounds is all about party music from the Balkans, Near East, and Central Asia.  From the frantic and sweaty pop that provides the soundtrack for celebrations in Egypt, to Punjabi wedding music, it’s all here.  Listen to music from the Albanian horn band Fanfara Tirana, along with a Bjork tune arranged by Syrian pop legend Omar Souleyman.  Then there’s music from Egyptian DJs of the Cairo Liberation Front, and music from Brooklyn-based Punjabi sweaty-making party band, Red Baraat.  Plus, listen to the highly danceable Syrian electronic dabke music, also heard at weddings and parties.  And more.