Radio Times

Guest: Michele Margolis

It is conventional wisdom in American politics that Christian voters gravitate to the GOP because of their religious convictions, and that the Democratic Party is home to more secular voters. In other words that religion defines political identity. But our guest, MICHELE MARGOLIS, believes that the inverse is true; it is our political polarization that shapes our religious affiliations. Through research and reporting, Margolis lays out her theory in her new book, From Politics to the Pews. Margolis is an assistant professor of political science at The University of Pennsylvania, and joins Marty this hour to discuss faith and voting.

Guest: Al Vernacchio

Sex education curricula vary hugely across the country. 24 states mandate some kind of sex education, but 18 require sex ed teachers say it’s important to only have sex if you’re married. 12 states require that sex ed include some discussion of sexual orientation — but 3 of them require that information be negative. AL VERNACCHIO, author of For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens About Sexuality, Values, and Health, has been a human sexuality educator for more than 25 years. He currently teaches N – 12 at Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, PA. He joins Marty for a conversation about what good sex ed looks like — from basic conversations about consent and gender with younger children, to more complex discussions about identity, orientation, contraception, abstinence, porn literacy, and more with his juniors and seniors.

Guest: Katie Meyers

We’re going to begin with a bill making it’s way through the Pennsylvania legislature that would expand the statute of limitations in sexual assault cases. It comes on the heels of the massive Catholic Church abuse report by the Attorney General released earlier this year, and would allow victims to file retroactive claims against their abusers. WITF’s State Capitol Bureau Chief, KATIE MEYER, joins us with the latest.

Guests: Jim Saksa, Jake Blumgart

We end today’s show on a lighter note; what do you think of the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot Gritty? He’s become a flashpoint, not only in the sports arena, but in the political arena as well, with Antifa and other leftist organizations staking their claim to Gritty’s likeness. PlanPhilly’s JAKE BLUMGART and JIM SAKSA are kind of obsessed with this story and will join Marty, and our listeners, to opine about Philly’s big orange mess of a mascot.

Guest: Ben Strauss

The new U.N. climate report that paints an urgent and dire picture of the Earth’s future if extreme measures are not taken to stop and reverse the effects of climate change. BEN STRAUSS, CEO and chief scientist at Climate Central joins us with his thoughts.

Guests: Russell Buetner, Jennifer Bird-Pollan

Donald Trump has long-bragged about being a self-made billionaire but a recent New York Times investigation into the Trump’s and his father’s business empire dispute that claim. According to the reporting, Trump received today’s equivalent of $400 million from his father, Fred Trump, over his lifetime. The Trump family business also employed dodgy tax practices over the years, avoiding some $550 million in taxes. New York Times investigative reporter RUSS BUETTNER fills us in on the questionable ways that Fred Trump, and then Donald, grew their wealth. And JENNIFER BIRD-POLLAN, an expert on wealth transfer taxation and professor of law at the University of Kentucky, explains which Trump family schemes are legal, which are suspect, and which look like tax evasion.

Guest: Casey Gerald

CASEY GERALD had a tough childhood. He grew up in a low-income suburb of Dallas. His father had substance abuse problems. His mother suffered from mental illness and left when he was 12.  Growing up, Gerald struggled with his faith and his homosexuality. Despite all these challenges, he was recruited to play football for Yale and went on to Harvard Business School, to Wall Street, and to become an entrepreneur.  His “rags-to-riches” story, however, convinced Gerald of just how great and insurmountable the inequities are for those living on the edges. Gerald comes in to talk about his life, our broken system and the role that race, queer sexuality, poverty, and class play in success.  His new memoir is, There Will Be No Miracles Here.

Guest: Rebecca Traister

Brett Kavanaugh’s anger seen next to Christine Blasey Ford’s composure and the public reaction to their testimonies, highlights our culture’s double standard about around women and rage. Would Ford have been seen as a credible witness if she had yelled accusations with fury, as Kavanaugh did? Why are we so uncomfortable with angry women, especially when women have so much to be justifiably angry about? Journalist REBECCA TRAISTER explores women’s relationship with anger and how it’s been used and viewed from the suffragettes to #MeToo in her new book, Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger. Traister argues that while women have been shamed in the past for being mad, it’s now time to own their outrage and channel it into real political change.

Guest: Hampton Sides

General Douglas MacArthur was certain that the Chinese would not step into the Korean War in 1950. Unfortunately, he was terribly wrong.  As 20,000 U.S. Marines and U.N. Forces moved into the frozen mountains of North Korea, 300,000 Chinese crossed the border and surrounded the soldiers around the Chosin Reservoir. The “Frozen Chosin” battle as it is sometimes called, is one of the most brutal and dramatic of the Korean War. Historian and writer HAMPTON SIDES joins us today to talk about the leadership missteps, the hellish fighting, the frigid temperatures, and the desperation and heroism of the trapped First Marine Division. Sides new book is, On Desperate Ground.

Guests: Kevin McCorry, Phyllis Subin, Rich Long

Pennsylvania is the only state that does not provide state funding or oversight for its public defense system, leaving the job to its 67 different counties. Today, we’ll explore the effects that this has when it comes to citizens getting adequate representation in court as required by The Constitution. Also, we’ll explore how this funding method affects the politics of the state. Guest host Tracey Matisak’s speaks with KEVIN McCORRY, editor of WHYY’s Keystone Crossroads project, which has put together a series of stories, called “No Justice for All,” about the problems that inadequate public defense can cause. We’ll also speak with PHYLLIS SUBIN, executive director of PA Coalition for Justice, and RICH LONG, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorney Association.