Radio Times

Guests: Mark Mazzetti, Scott Kelly

SCOTT KELLY spent 340 days in space, setting the record for the longest space flight by an American. The purpose of the NASA mission was to study what effects of living in space for an extended time had on the human body. An identical twin, Kelly was the perfect subject since any physiological changes could be compared to those of his brother, astronaut Mark, who remained on Earth. Floating in the International Space Station for a year, Kelly had a unique vantage point which he captured with a camera. His book of beautiful and otherworldly photos in now out, Infinite Wonder. We’ll talk with Kelly about his view from space, life on the ISS, and what scientists learned from his lengthy stay in zero gravity. But first, President Trump fired embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday. We’ll discuss Sessions’ tenure, his stormy relationship with Trump, and the future of the Mueller investigation with MARK MAZZETTI, Washington investigative correspondent for The New York Times.

Guests: Kevin Robillard, Jill Colvin, Marc Lamont Hill, Chris Potter

The high-stakes midterm elections took place yesterday across the country. Democrats won back the House, but the expectations of a so-called “blue wave” were not met. Republicans managed to pick up a few Senate seats, and the high-profile races in Florida, Texas, and Georgia did not produce the upsets that some were expecting. Today, we’re going to discuss the implications of the results, discuss the key races that determine who controls congress, the upsets, and the campaigning that led us to this moment in political history. Joining us for the hour are political reporters KEVIN ROBILLARD of The Huffington Post and JILL COLVIN of The Associated Press. We’ll also check in with political commentator MARC LAMONT HILL to get his thoughts, and we’ll hear about the elections in Pennsylvania when we talk with CHRIS POTTER of WESA.

Guests: David Bianculli, Douglas Howard, Robert Thompson

There’s so many different reasons a television show comes to an end. They can decrease in popularity, they can lose cast members, they can decide to end while they are still on top, or maybe there was no more story to tell. But how each series chooses to finish their run is so highly anticipated, scrutinized, and analyzed that it can make or break how the show is remembered. Do you sew up all the loose ends like Breaking Bad did? Do you leave some mystery as the The Sopranos did? Or, was it all a dream like in Newhart? Today on the show, we’re going to talk about some of the best, worst, and strangest television finales from over the years. Today we’re joined by three TV critics, DAVID BIANCULLI, DOUGLAS HOWARD, and ROBERT THOMPSON to talk about saying goodbye.

Guests: Julie Norem, Emiliana Simon-Thomas

It’s hard to be an optimist these days. The synagogue shooting and the pipe bombs, the hate online and divisive politics, all the anxiety that people across the political spectrum feel around the mid-terms. In fact, a recent survey found the 69% of Americans were stressed about the country’s future. Pessimism seems to be overwhelming our nation these days, so we thought we’d take a look at the effect negative thinking has on our lives. Can we, should we, learn to adopt a more sunny outlook and at what price? This hour, we explore the science of optimism and pessimism – from the health benefits of positive thinking and the usefullness of defensive pessimism. Our guests are EMILIANA SIMON-THOMAS, science direct of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and JULIE NOREM, professor of psychology at Wellesley College.

Guests: Dave Davies, Holly Otterbein, Joe Hernandez

Tuesday is Election Day, so we’re going to give our listeners a primer on what to think about before voting next week in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We’ll talk about the hotly contested congressional races in the two states that will play a big role in determining the makeup of the US House next year. We’ll also look at how Pennsylvania’s newly redistricted congressional map has altered this election cycle. The Democrats are trying to hold on to seats in the Senate in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well while Pa. Governor Tom Wolf is running for reelection against a Trumpian Republican challenger. We’ll also dissect  money being spent on the campaigns, and how President Trump’s shadow looms large over all the races.  Our guests are WHYY’s DAVE DAVIES and JOE HERNANDEZ, and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s HOLLY OTTERBEIN.

Guests: Katherine Howe, Mark Binelli

People accused of witchcraft in the 17th and 18th century were often on the fringes of society, women (and sometimes men) who had pushed back against rigid and puritanical hierarchy. Novelist and historian KATHERINE HOWE says that accused witches were “being punished for being the wrong kind of person” — not following gender norms, or not respecting people who outrank you. She joins us to explain the stew of circumstances that lead to witch trials in Salem and around the country, and to trace the history of witches in the United States. Then, to round out our Halloween special, we’ll turn to candy with MARK BINELLI. His recent piece in the New York Times Magazine dives into the history of licorice, including salmiakki, a savory, salty variety found in Finland.

Guests: Heath Fogg Davis, Leonore Carpenter, Nadia Dowshen

The Trump administration is considering legally defining a person’s sex as either male or female as listed on a person’s birth certificate. This is a policy reversal from the Obama era and could mean that transgender people aren’t protected from discrimination. In addition to eroding trans rights, many worry that this will make it more difficult for people struggling with gender identity to seek help. We’ll talk about the legal, psychological and social implications if this policy is implemented with HEATH FOGG DAVIS, director of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program at Temple University, LEONORE CARPENTER, associate professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, NADIA DOWSHEN, director of the Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Guest: Lynsey Addario

LYNSEY ADDARIO has spent two decades photographing some of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. She’s documented the genocide in Darfur, life in Afghanistan under the Taliban, the US-led invasion in Iraq, and the plight of Syrian refugees. She’s worked in some of the most dangerous places in the world and has been kidnapped twice. Throughout her career, she’s also focused her lens on women living through conflicts. Addario’s photojournalism has been awarded a MacArthur and a Pulitzer Prize and she’s the author of the memoir, It’s What I Do. This hour, we’ll talk with Addario about the wars, atrocities, humanity and resilience that she’s witnessed and her new book of photography, Of Love & War.

Guests: Nancy Baron-Baer, Emile Bruneau, Christian Picciolini

Eleven people were killed and six injured when a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The attacker was reportedly shouting anti-Semitic slurs as he started shooting. It’s the worst attack on Jews in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League, and it comes just a day after a suspect was arrested for sending pipe bombs to prominent Democrats around the country. This hour, we talk about the Pittsburgh attack and the rise in anti-Semitism and hate crimes in the United States. We’ll also look at the violent rhetoric and fear mongering in our politics today. Our guests are NANCY BARON-BAER, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, EMILE BRUNEAU, director of the Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, and CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI, a former Neo-Nazi who now works to counter racism and help people disengage from violent extremism.

Guests: Orlando Almonte, Nelson Flores, Alicia Fernandez 

The United States doesn’t have an official language, but navigating daily life without speaking English is still tough in America. According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey, 10 percent of Philadelphians don’t speak fluent English. We’ll take a look at how the city government and public schools serve this population with ORLANDO ALMONTE, Language Access Program Manager for the Office of Immigrant Affairs, and NELSON FLORES, Associate Professor of Educational Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Then, we’ll turn to physician ALICIA FERNANDEZ, who specializes in healthcare disparities and language barriers. She says that, even though there’s a federal mandate hospitals provide interpreters for their non-English speaking patients, access to proper translation can be patchwork.