Radio Times

Guests: Elizabeth Dwoskin, Lawrence Norden, Eugene DePasquale

We’re going to discuss three different stories related to secure and safe elections. First, we’ll talk about the latest steps that Facebook is taking to rid the platform of so-called “fake news,” which is widely cited as a major factor in the 2016 election cycle. This week, their efforts are being tested in the run up to the Mexican presidential election on Sunday. ELIZABETH DWOSKIN of The Washington Post joins us. Then, we’ll discuss the security of voting machines in America with LAWRENCE NORDEN of The Brennan Center for Justice. They just completed an audit of the machines and whether they are at risk for attack and tampering. Lastly, we’ll talk with Pennsylvania Auditor General EUGENE DePASQUALE, who is also currently conducting a statewide audit of our voting machines. He’ll explain his advocacy for open primary elections as a means of increasing engagement and enthusiasm for the electoral process.

Guests: Dustin Wax, Timaree Schmit

The word “burlesque” likely conjure images of seduction and striptease, but the art form began as satire with very little nudity. DUSTIN WAX, director of the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, will walk us through burlesque’s history, from its appearance in ancient Greek theater to its eventual transformation to 80’s pole dancing — and its more classical revival in the 90s. We’ll also be joined by burlesque performer and sex educator TIMAREE SCHMIT, who will tell us why she thinks burlesque is important, relevant, and empowering.

Guest: Clint Watts

Former FBI special agent and counterterrorism expert CLINT WATTS was among the first people to publicly sound the alarm on Russia’s efforts to disrupt the 2016 Presidential election. He has been tracking the Russian disinformation campaign since 2015 and has repeatedly warned politicians and the public about Russia’s attempts to undermine democracy. Watts comes in today to talk about cybercriminals, social media, fake news, bots, and trolls and the countries that use them. Watt’s new book is, Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News.

Guests: Adam Serwer, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Anil Kalhan

President Trump felt the mounting public and political pressure to end his administration’s policy of separating children from their families who cross the U.S. – Mexico border, signing an executive order ending the practice Wednesday afternoon. The images, reporting, and even sounds, of families being ripped apart proved to be something of a bridge-too-far when it came to immigration enforcement. Today on the show, we’ll talk about Trump and his administration’s view on immigration, why his base is activated by this issue, why they are willing to go to extreme measures to keep people out of the country, and the history of anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. Joining us will be The Atlantic senior editor ADAM SERWER, Philadelphia-based journalist SABRINA VOURVOULIAS, and Drexel University Law professor ANIL KALHAN.

Guests: Jamie Bernstein, Jonathan Coopersmith

Leonard Bernstein would have turned 100 this year. The revered conductor composer died in 1990, but most of us are still familiar with his work including his musicals West Side Story, Candide or On the Town, his film score toe On the Waterfront, his symphonies, ballets and television shows on musical education. We are less familiar, however, with the man himself. JAMIE BERNSTEIN, the eldest Bernstein child, provides an intimate look of her dad and what it was like growing up with him in her new memoir Famous Father Girl. And we’ll also talk hear from JONATHAN COOPERSMITH, chair of musical studies at the Curtis Institute of Music which a young Mr. Bernstein attended.

Guests: Julián Aguilar, Laura Benshoff, Dana Sinopoli

It’s estimated that in the last 6 weeks, 2,000 children have been separated from their families and detained after crossing the southern border. This is a new Trump administration policy of using harsher tactics to dissuade immigrants from coming to the U.S. Public scrutiny and outrage have increased as reporters have been granted access to detention centers dispatching stories and images of children being held in cages, given little access to fresh air, and in one case, kept from hugging their siblings in grief. Today on the show, we’ll talk to JULIÀN AGUILAR in El Paso, Texas, who covers border affairs and politics for The Texas Tribune. Then, we’ll hear about the latest in immigration enforcement in Pennsylvania when we talk to WHYY’s LAURA BENSHOFF. And, we’ll close out with Dr. DANA SINOPOLI. She’s a Philadelphia-based psychologist who wrote an open letter and petition, with over 9,000 cosigners, urging the mental health community to denounce the child separation policy.

Guests: Tasha Eurich, David Dunning

We all know someone–a co-worker, friend, or family member–who is blissfully un-self-aware – someone who overestimates themselves and is oblivious to their actions and how they affect other people. But what if you are that person? One study found that 95% of people think they’re self-aware, when in fact only 10-15% were truly introspective.This hour, we talk with two psychologists about ways to be more self-aware and the dangers of self-delusion. Our guests are TASHA EURICH, an organizational psychologist and the author of Insight, and DAVID DUNNING, a psychologist at the University of Michigan.

Guests: John Moor, Cindy Zipf

New Jersey passed the one of the toughest offshore drilling bans in the nation in April. It was in response to the Trump administration’s decision to open most U.S. coastal waters to gas and oil drilling. The New Jersey law bans drilling or construction of pipelines or rigs along the state’s coast, three miles out, which it controls. This week, republicans in Congress introduced a bill that would fine states that prohibit drilling off their shores. We’ll talk about the Garden State ban, what other states are doing to protect their coastlines and how it will impact the oil industry with Mayor of Asbury Park, JOHN MOOR, executive director of Clean Ocean Action CINDY ZIPF, and THOMAS PYLE, president of the Institute for Energy Research and the American Energy Alliance.

Guest: Amy Rosenberg

People are talking once again about an Atlantic City revival, but it’s not just about casinos and gambling. There’s an effort to makeover Atlantic City into a hip destination, hoping that affordable housing, cool music venues, funky hotels and restaurants, even a boardwalk beer garden, will attract millennials.  The Philadelphia Inquirer’s AMY ROSENBERG fills us in on what’s happening in AC.

Guests: Kevin Dow, Inga Saffron, David Brownlee

A portion of the new Reading Viaduct Rail Park opens today – it’s a converted rail track that will act as an elevated scenic walkway, which may eventually stretch three miles across Philadelphia. We’ll hear  producer Jon Ehrens walk and talk on the new path with KEVIN DOW, executive director of Friends of the Rail Park. The Rail Park is one of several formerly industrialized sites turned into green spaces in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic INGA SAFFRON and University of Pennsylvania architectural historian DAVID BROWNLEE join us for a look at how public spaces have changed as the city has evolved, and how we utilize these places now.