Radio Times

Guests: Kristin Finger, Darryl Charles, Shannon Fahey

A couple weeks ago, we here at Radio Times decided it might be a good idea to take a break from the news– so we hosted a night of improv comedy right here at the WHYY headquarters. We asked comedians KRISTIN FINGER, DARRYL CHARLES, and SHANNON FAHEY to perform some improv comedy for us, and to discuss the techniques and pitfalls of performing without a script.

Guests: Lisa Tucker, Michael Moreland

The back-to-back testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh about an alleged sexual assault before the Senate Judiciary committee yesterday has put Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in jeopardy. This hour, we’ll discuss what we learned from hearings, how its playing out across the country, and the political implications. We’ll be joined by LAURA LITTLE, professor of law at Temple University School of Law, and MICHAEL MORELAND, professor of law and religion at Villanova University.

Guests: Beth Macy, Aubrey Whelan

A “bad batch” of drugs, most likely a mix of heroine, fentanyl and K2, killed seven people in Philadelphia over the summer, and sent more than 110 people to the hospital. A new study out from the CDC found that Pennsylvania has among the highest overdose death rates in the country. Despite the growing awareness of the overdose epidemic, the deaths persist. This hour, we’ll talk with journalist BETH MACY who’s been tracking the opioid crisis in America and its impact on Appalachia and other rural parts of the country, from the development of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, to the medical and regulatory failures, to the people and communities destroyed by drug addiction drug-related deaths. Her new book is Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America.And we’ll hear from reporter AUBREY WHELAN, who covers the opioid epidemic for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.

Guests: Howard Fineman, Victoria Bassetti

For several hours on Monday we didn’t know if Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein was going to be fired, if he had resigned or something else. This was after a story in the New York Times claiming he had suggested secretly taping President Trump. They are planning to meet on Thursday, the same day that Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford will be questioned before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Today, we’ll parse out this dizzying barrage of news with NBC contributor HOWARD FINEMAN, and Brennan Center for Justice Fellow VICTORIA BASSETTI.

Guests: Maurice Schweitzer, Brad Bitterly

Telling a joke is a risk, especially at work. Humor can make the office a fun, lively, more productive place, but what happens when a joke falls flat, offends, or alienates a colleague, or even your boss? Today, we’ll talk about cracking wise at the workplace – the kinds of jokes that work, the kind to avoid, and the effect that being a cubicle comic can have on your career. We’re joined by University of Pennsylvania Wharton School professor MAURICE SCHWEITZER, and BRAD BITTERLY, postdoctoral research Fellow at the University of Michigan who have co-authored a number of studies on humor in the workplace.

Guests: Chyke Doubeni, Michael Hobbes

Obesity continues to be a major public health issue in America. As this problem persists, so does the interest in stemming the negative effects of excessive weight. We begin today’s show talking with University of Pennsylvania physician and professor CHYKE DOUBENI. He’s a member of the US Preventative Services Task Force, who just released a report advising physicians to direct their obese patients to specialists, including mental health professionals who can help overweight individuals overcome the mental roadblocks that come with trying to lose weight. Then, We’ll talk with HuffPo’s  MICHAEL HOBBES, who just wrote a widely circulated piece entitled Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong. The piece, based on several interviews, conveys what life is like living with the stigma of being obese, including from medical professionals.

Guests: Scott Detrow, Ron Hosko, Carol Tracy

The sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have complicated the confirmation hearings. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on Monday for Kavanaugh and Ford to testify about the three-decade old assault, but Ford’s lawyers are asking for an FBI inquiry before she appears. Republicans have called the allegations a smear campaign and a delay tactic, while Democrats argue that it’s in everyone’s best interest to uncover the truth. This hour, we’ll get an update on this ever-evolving story from SCOTT DETROW, congressional correspondent for NPR. Then, we talk with RON HOSKO, former assistant director of the FBI and president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, about what an investigation would look like. And finally, we end the hour discussing the allegations, the public response, and if we’ve learned anything from the Anita Hill hearings. CAROL TRACY, executive director of the Women’s Law Project is our guest.

Guests: Ray Didinger, Marcus Hayes

It’s an hour of Philly sports! The Eagles are coming off a rough Week 2, having lost to the Bucs – and they’re looking to bench their Super Bowl-winning QB Nick Foles, for their other star quarterback who got them to the championship, Carson Wentz. The Phillies are currently on a downward slide after showing some signs of promise. What happened? And how can they come back from their current losing streak. Plus, the basketball season is around the corner, so we’ll look ahead at the 76ers prospects. Guest host Mary-Cummings Jordan is joined by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s RAY DIDINGER and MARCUS HAYES of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Guests: Ayodele Gansallo, David Glosser, Lee Gelernt

To qualify for asylum in the United States, you have to prove that you can’t return to your home country because you have suffered, or are likely to suffer, persecution there. But how do you provide evidence that returning home could put you in danger? Who’s actually deemed eligible for asylum, and who’s turned away, especially under the Trump administration? We’ll be joined by HIAS immigration attorney AYODELE GANSALLO, who regularly helps her clients gain asylum, and by neuropsychologist DAVID GLOSSER, who works with Gansallo to document trauma and mental health conditions of asylum-seekers. Glosser is also an uncle of President Trump advisor, Steven Miller, whom he called an immigration hypocrite in Politico. Then, we’ll check in with ACLU attorney LEE GELERNT, who is litigating a national class-action lawsuit against ICE, on the effort to reunite children separated from their parents when crossing the U.S. border.

Guests: Gary Shteyngart,

Novelist GARY SHTEYNGART’s new novel Lake Success follows a self-absorbed one-percenter through a nervous breakdown. The novel is set during the 2016 election. Hedge-fund manager, Barry Cohen, boards a greyhound bus to escape his swanky Manhattan life, his wife, and son who has autism, and an SEC investigation. Marty talks with Shteyngart about the book, his inspiration, and Trump’s America. But first, we look back at the financial crisis that started a decade ago with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. We’ll talk with ProPublica’s JESSE EISINGER about what happened, who benefited and who’s still hurting, and whether we’ve taken the proper precautions to prevent another recession.