Radio Times

Guests: Laura Little, Michael Moreland

President Trump nominated Federal Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.  If confirmed, Kavanaugh will give conservatives on the court a definitive 5-4 majority. This hour, we will discuss Kavanaugh’s record, the politics behind Trump’s pick, and what it might mean for the direction of the court on issues like abortion, health care, gun rights, voting rights, civil rights and big business. Our guests are LAURA LITTLE, professor of law at Temple University School of Law, and MICHAEL MORELAND, professor of law and religion at Villanova University School of Law.

Guests: Ethan Kross, Charles Fernyhough, Alexandra Horowitz

Do you talk to yourself? Many of us do when were at work, driving, or home alone. Far from a sign of mental illness, psychologists say that self talk is totally normal and useful for managing our emotions, helping us learn and remember, and setting goals. Today we’ll talk about talking to ourselves. Our guests are ETHAN KROSS, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, and CHARLES FERNYHOUGH, professor at Durham University and author of The Voices Within.  And we’ll ask ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ, a cognitive scientist who researchers dog cognition, about why we talk to our pets.

Guests: Tamir Harper, Shania Bennett, Anthony Rivera 

TAMIR HARPER is the co-founder of the student advocacy nonprofit UrbEd. SHANIA BENNETT is a committee member representing the 48th Ward, 12th Division. ANTHONY RIVERA is a filmmaker and poet whose documentary “I Am Philly” was showcased at the BlackStar Film Festival. All are just 18 years old — exceptional high school graduates in Philadelphia engaged in bettering their communities. They join us for a conversation about their accomplishments, their high school experiences, and their plans for the future.

Guest: Jonathan Rosen

Today we’ll discuss the MS-13 gang, who is so often referred to by President Trump when calling for increased immigration enforcement. JONATHAN ROSEN,  associate professor of criminal justice at Holy Family University has been studying Central American criminal enterprises, joins us to discuss MS-13, their presence in America, and some of the myths being perpetuated about their operation in the U.S.

Guests: Christy Thornton

Mexico just elected a new President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, more commonly referred to as AMLO. The unabashed leftist ran a populist campaign, eschewing the two major political parties in Mexico that have held power for almost 100 years. Today on the show, we’ll talk with associate professor of Sociology and Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University, CHRISTY THORNTON, about the AMLO, his message, his policies, and what his election might mean for U.S.-Mexico relations. We’ll also explore what the two leaders’ animosity toward NAFTA could mean for the trade agreement and international trade in general.

Guests: Edward Ayers

Most histories of the civil war focus on the decisive battles, the military leaders, the battlefield strategy, and the political forces that shaped the era. In historian EDWARD AYERS’ new book, The Thin Light of Freedom, he depicts the struggles of ordinary Americans during wartime – the soldiers, the civilians, and the enslaved. He focuses his book on the final years of the war and early reconstruction, both north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Ayers joins Marty in the studio to talk about his book and how average Americans coped and experienced the war. [from the Radio Times archives]

Guests: Michael Slepian, Maurice Schweitzer

How many secrets are you keeping? Most of us hold about 13 in our minds. Researchers have studied the kinds of secrets we keep, the types we share, and why secrecy can be so burdensome—it’s actually bad for our health. We’ll talk about the science of secrets, our decisions to conceal or reveal something and how it affects our relationships and well-being. Marty is joined by MICHAEL SLEPIAN, assistant professor at Columbia Business School and MAURICE SCHWEITZER, professor management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Guests: Lisa Tucker, David Rudovsky

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced this week that he would be retiring at the end of July. Kennedy was often the swing vote and his departure has enormous implications for the future of the court. President Trump says he will nominate a young, conservative judge that the Senate would confirm. This week was also the end of the Supreme Court term and a number of important decisions were released. In this hour, guest host Tracey Matisak and guests will discuss Kennedy’s retirement, and some of the most influential decisions of the term, including the rulings on the travel ban, public sector unions, and redistricting. Our guests are LISA TUCKER, associate professor of law at Drexel University, and DAVID RUDOVSKY, Penn Law professor and civil rights lawyer with the firm of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin. 

Guest: Larry Krasner

Philadelphia’s District Attorney LARRY KRASNER has garnered a lot of attention since assuming office in January, not just locally but nationally as well, being deemed the most progressive D.A. in the country. In his time in office he has instituted a number of broad reforms – he fired much of the holdovers from the prior D.A.’s administration, published the names of police officers he sees as problematic, advocated for safe injection sites, ending stop and frisk, and cash bail reform. Lately, his most scrutinized move was not seeking the death penalty in a plea deal for two men in the murder of a police officer. Today, Krasner joins us to talk about his litany of reforms, some of the critiques he is getting from the law enforcement community, and what his plans are for the coming years of his administration.

Guests: Tom Scocca, Sarah Sobieraj

Since the disrupted dining experiences of a few Trump administration officials over the past week, a debate has emerged from the political and media classes about this idea of ‘civility,’ and what it means to be ‘uncivil,’ when debating politics and engaging in activism. Last month, incidents in pop-culture such as Roseanne’s racist comments and Samantha Bee’s use of vulgar language were also tied up in this concept of appropriateness and civility. And of course, President Trump himself is quick to use insults and derogatory statements against opponents and members of the media.  Today, we’re going to discuss how and why these debates emerge, how these concepts are weaponized politically, and what constitutes civil and uncivil action. We’re joined by political writer TOM SCOCCA, and associate professor of Sociology at Tufts University, SARAH SOBIERAJ, to talk political civility.