Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

(9/3/21) Police officers are nine times more likely to kill African-American men than they are other Americans. Yet, in his new book Presumed Guilty: How the Supreme Court Empowered the Police and Subverted Civil Rights, legal scholar and dean of the law school at UC Berkeley Erwin Chemerinsky argues that the problem goes way beyond racism in law enforcement. Join us for a look at why it is our judicial system and, more specifically, the Supreme Court where the lion’s share of the blame for inequity in policing belongs in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/2/21) In her new book What About the Baby? Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction, bestselling novelist Alice McDermott assembles the pithiest wisdom about the act of writing that she has collected throughout her career as an acclaimed novelist and college professor. Join us for musings on the art of creating great literature in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(9/1/21) Every drug certified by the FDA must be tested using the horseshoe crab derivative known as Limulus lysate. Because of this, a multimillion-dollar industry has emerged involving the license to bleed horseshoe crabs and the rights to their breeding grounds. In the latest edition of his book Crab Wars: A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Ecology, and Human Health, William Sargent breaks down this exploitation of the horseshoe crab at the hands of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates. Join us for a look at an issue with profound implications not only for the future of the crabs themselves but for the ecosystems that depend on them in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(8/27/21) Investigative journalist and regular contributor to the show Bob Hennelly’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the Village Voice, the Christian Science Monitor, the Miami Herald, the Detroit Free Press along with dozens of other magazines and newspapers. His reporting has been featured on 60 Minutes and C-Span's America and the Courts and he is the author of the new book Stuck Nation: Can the United States Change Course on Our History of Choosing Profits Over People? In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Bob talks about the scandals that brought down New York Governor Andrew Cuomo along with what the state’s first female governor Kathy Hochul will mean for local politics.

(8/26/21) From the initial discovery of the coronavirus, President Trump refused to take responsibility and encouraged the entire GOP to ignore safety guidelines. In their book Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, Washington Post economics editor Damian Paletta and national health policy reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb reveal how backstabbing and sniping among cabinet members, staff and aides created a toxic environment that did profound damage to the public health institutions that Americans needed the most during the pandemic. Join us for a look at how we got here in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(8/25/21) In the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, the US government implemented a wave of overt policies to fight the nation’s enemies. Unseen and undetected by the public, however, another set of tools was brought to bear on the domestic front. In her new book Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham University School of Law Dr. Karen J. Greenberg shows how these “subtle tools” imperiled the very foundations of democracy. Join us for a look at the deeper consequences of the War on Terror in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(8/24/21) The history section of your local bookstore is most likely stacked with books by and about Presidents, First Ladies even First Pets. In his new book First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents, former Bill Clinton aide Gary Ginsberg provides fresh insights into the lives of the men who held the most powerful political office in the world by looking at the friends on whom they relied. Join us for a look at the company some of our former presidents kept in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(8/19/21) From his star-making performances in Bull Durham and The Professional to his celebrated role alongside Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption, from his Oscar for best supporting actor in Mystic River or for directing Dead Man Walking, Tim Robbins holds a special place in film history. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, Tim returns to the show to discuss his new play We Live On, an update of Studs Terkel’s Hard Times.

(8/18/21) Public defenders represent more than 80 percent of the people accused of a crime in this country. More often than not, even the best of those defenders are overworked, underpaid and incentivized to put the interests of judges and politicians above those of their clients. Jonathan Rapping’s book Gideon's Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice looks at the role public defenders play in upholding an unjust status quo. Join us for a look at one way to change the criminal justice system from the inside in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.

(8/16/21)"Climate change is a hoax and so is coronavirus." "Vaccines are bad for you." These days, many of our fellow citizens reject scientific expertise and prefer ideology to facts. They are not merely uninformed—they are misinformed. How can we get them to change their minds and accept the facts when they don't believe in facts? In his new book, How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason, Lee McIntyre, a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University, shows that anyone can fight back against science deniers. Join us for a look at why science denial can kill in this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI.