Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

(12/20/21) Everywhere we look, corporations and governments are spying on us—seeking personal information about who we are and whom we know. Ad networks monitor our web-surfing to send us "more relevant" ads. The NSA screens our communications for signs of radicalism. Schools track students' emails to stop school shootings. Cameras guard every street corner and traffic light and drones fly in our skies. In his new book Privacy Matters, Neil Richards asserts that privacy isn't dead, but rather up for grabs. Join us for a discussion of how we can preserve our right to confidentiality in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(12/17/21) In addition to his work on WBAI and WNYC, investigative journalist Bob Hennelly’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, the Village Voice, the Christian Science Monitor, the Miami Herald, the Chief-Leader, the Detroit Free Press along with dozens of other magazines, online publications and newspapers. In his latest appearance on Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Bob discusses his latest reporting on the government response to Covid and the union workers whose jobs place them at the highest risk.

(12/16/21) When attorney Chris Hansen discovered that women were being charged exorbitant fees to test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, tests they desperately needed—all because Myriad Genetics had patented BRCA genes, he sued them. In his new book The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA, attorney and human genetics expert Jorge L. Contreras tells the tale of how Hansen and his team of ACLU lawyers took their case all the way to the Supreme Court. Find out who owns the right to our own genetic code in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(12/15/21) Ever since President Ronald Reagan successfully branded government as a dangerous threat, privatization has touched every aspect of our lives, from water and trash collection to the justice system and the military. However, citizens can, and are, wresting back what is ours. The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back, the new book from Donald Cohen, founder and executive director of In the Public Interest, and journalist Allen Mikaelian exposes the hidden crisis of privatization that has been slowly unfolding over the past 50 years and offers a road map for taking the country back. Join us for a look at the dangers of privatization in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(12/13/21) As we being to emerge from the pandemic, other crises move center stage—outrageous inequality, climate disaster, desperate refugees, mounting tensions of a new cold war. The abiding motif of our time appears to be relentless chaos. Acknowledging the possibilities for new beginnings at moments of catastrophe, Mao Zedong famously proclaimed, “there is great disorder under heaven; the situation is excellent.” As Slovenian philosopher and international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities of the University of London Slavoj Žižek examines in his new book Heaven In Disorder, the modern relevance of Mao’s observation depends on whether today’s catastrophes can be a catalyst for progress or have passed over into something terrible and irretrievable. Join us for a look at what the fracturing of the Left, the empty promises of liberal democracy and the tepid compromises offered by the powerful mean for the rest of us in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(12/10/21) Sibling language experts and regular contributors to the program Kathryn and Ross Petras are the authors of the bestselling You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words—and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse and the hosts of a popular NPR podcast. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Kathy and Ross sound off on some of the more bizarre language trends of the past year.

(12/7/21) Have you ever wondered what really goes on at your insurance provider’s office? Why do your claims get denied? Why are your prescription drug prices so high? How To Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient's Handbook for Survival, the new book by Dr. David Wilcox, offers tips on how to get more from your health care provider. Join us for a look at a better way to navigate our thorny healthcare system in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(12/2/21) In the 1982 Supreme Court decision Island Trees School District v. Pico, the justices ruled that school officials can’t ban books in libraries simply because of their content. However, attempts to censor syllabi or ban books in one form or another continue to shape our education system. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Deborah Caldwell Stone, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, discusses the past, present and future of banned books.

(12/1/21) Chemist, artist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol is the founder of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety, Inc. The not-for-profit corporation is dedicated to providing health and safety services to the arts. She is also the health and safety director for the Local 829 Union of the United Scenic Artists International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Monona offers advice on how to protect yourself from the Delta and Omicron variants as we head into the holidays.

(11/30/21) In 2005, Gloria J. Romero became the first woman ever to hold the title of Democratic majority leader of the California State Senate. In her new book, Just Not That Likable: The Price All Women Pay for Gender Bias, Senator Romero explores the conundrum faced by female leaders in all fields—expected to exhibit strength and a strong will, yet penalized as being abrasive (or worse) when they do. Join us for a look at the challenges women face after they break through the glass ceiling in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.