Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI Radio in New York

Dr. Alejandro Bendaña is a Nicaraguan historian. During the first Sandinista government between the years of 1979 and 1990, he served as ambassador to the UN and secretary general to the Nicaraguan foreign ministry. Julio Martinez Ellsberg is co-coordinator of the International Relations Commission for the Nicaraguan Platform for Social Movements and Civil Society Organizations (Articulación de Movimientos Sociales y Organizaciones de Sociedad Civil de Nicaragua) as well as part of the support group to one of Nicaragua's main student movements, the Coordinadora Universitaria por la Democracia y la Justicia. In this installment of “Leonard Lopate” on WBAI, Dr. Alejandro Bendaña and Julio Martinez Ellsberg discuss the repression of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's administration along with other issues facing the region.

“Within about 15 years, China’s economy will surpass America’s and become the largest in the world,” reads the opening line of Kishore Mahbubani’s cover story for this month’s Harper’s Magazine entitled “What China Threat? How the United States and China can avoid war. He continues, "as this moment approaches, meanwhile, a consensus has formed in Washington that China poses a significant threat to American interests and well-being.” In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, Kishore Mahbubani, a professor in the practice of public policy at the National University of Singapore, discusses what is driving the US-China conflict and what can be done to ease tensions between the two countries.

Daniel Berrigan’s play “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine,” based on the court transcripts from the trial of nine Vietnam War peace activists, tells the story of a break-in at the Maryland draft office on May 17, 1968, which resulted in the incineration of 378 draft cards with homemade napalm. Brothers Philip Berrigan and Daniel Berrigan—both Catholic priests—led the movement and are joined by seven church parishioners in their protest for peace. In sharp contrast to the wave of young, liberal extremists that were making headlines at the time, The Nine offered a fresh face to the anti-war movement and inspired a new generation of activists in the process. In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, Daniel Berrigan’s editor, close friend and executor John Dear and director Jack Cummings III talk about staging the first New York production of “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine” in more than three decades.

“A kindling sense of apocalypse is business as usual for Californians, who live almost nonchalantly with impending doom,” read the opening lines of “California: The State of Resistance” the second of a two-part New York Review of Books series on the politics of the state by Michael Greenberg. “Wildfires eat up the landscape, roar into the cities, drop tons of choking ash in the mountain-locked valleys. Mudslides come in winter and spring. Underfoot is the constant threat of 'the big one,' the earthquake that will end everything in a few minutes.” In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, Michael Greenberg discusses his NYRB series and the latest major developments in California’s political realm.

What is it about coffee that is just so great? Though there has always been debate about whether it’s good or bad for you (or really bad), for the devout believers, nothing can top a steaming or icy cup of java as the best way to confront a hot or cold day. In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” the makers of Abracadabra Coffee, founders Clint and Antoinette Hunt and their business partner Sarah Yetter, discuss the basics of roasting and brewing those magic beans.

Tonya Pinkins is probably best known for her portrayal of Livia Frye on the soap opera “All My Children” but she is a familiar face to Broadway audiences. A Tony Award-winner, Tonya has won the Obie, the Drama Desk Award, the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and been honored at the NAACP Theater Awards. Anne Hamburger is the executive producer of En Garde Arts, an interdisciplinary, multimedia theater production company she founded in 1985. On today’s “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI Tonya Pinkins and Anne Hamburger discuss their new collaboration “Truth and Reconciliation of Women” a collection of 10-minute plays being performed at the Brooklyn Commons.

When Lincoln Plaza Cinema closed almost exactly a year ago, the screen had gone dark on a New York City cultural institution that had introduced audiences to art-house pictures for decades. New Plaza Cinema, the reboot of the historic movie house founded by legendary film impresario Dan Talbot who died in 2017, is keeping the spirit of the Lincoln Plaza Cinema alive while it continues its search for a permanent home. In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, director Toby Talbot who was married to the late Lincoln Plaza founder, New Plaza Cinema film curator Gary Palmucci and founder of the Coalition for the New Plaza Cinema Norma Levy discuss the efforts to keep the legacy of art house cinema alive in New York and reflect on one of New York City’s most important movie houses.

Have you ever wondered what to do with your outdoor plants when the wintertime comes? Are there plants that you aren’t sure if you can leave outside for the colder months? With snowy weather hitting much of the East Coast in the past week, we thought we'd check in with all our listeners who also happen to be gardeners. On today’s “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, gardening expert Pete Muroski takes your calls and offers tips on gardening through the winter months.

In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, we welcome a familiar voice for any regular weekend WBAI listener, David Rothenberg—the host of “Any Saturday,” Saturdays from 8 to 10 a.m. A veteran Broadway producer and revered prisoners' rights activist, David was a civilian observer during the Attica Prison riot, which inspired his lifelong activism for prisoner's rights. That has included his work through the group he founded, The Fortune Society, a prisoner's rights organization that works with former inmates to aid them in adjusting to life after prison. Join Leonard and David for a conversation between two giants of New York City radio.

Bob Hennelly has always had a keen interest in the role of immigration in the evolution of the United States historically. Before working at WNYC he was national affairs correspondent for Pacifica Network News. His written 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 work has been featured on “60 Minutes” and C-Span's “America and the Courts.” In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, Bob Hennelly discusses his long career in journalism including his recent work on pay equity for union workers.