Radio Times

Guest: Melissa Dahl

Awkwardness isn’t just a teenage emotion that goes away once the braces are off and pimples disappear. Cringey feelings continue throughout our lives, but some of us experience them more than others. Writer MELISSA DAHL has struggles with awkwardness, so much so, that she decided to take a close look at this misunderstood emotion. Her research involved putting herself into some very uncomfortable moments–she talked with strangers on the New York subway, went on “Tinder-for-friendship” date, did improv comedy, and read her middle school diary to a crowd. Marty talks with Dahl about what she learned from these embarrassing experiences and about her new book, Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness.

Guests: Mickey Edwards, Joe Watkins, Sam Stein

This hour, we discuss the week’s news and the state of American politics. We’ll talk about the fallout and reaction to former FBI director James Comey’s book and the latest on the Russia and Cohen investigations. We’ll also look at what Paul Ryan’s retirement means for the GOP, Mike Pompeo’s confirmation hearings, Nikki Haley’s “confusion” about Russia sanctions, the continued scrutiny over Scott Pruitt’s spending, and we’ll remember Barbara Bush. Former Republican congressman MICKEY EDWARDS, JOE WATKINS, a political commentator who served in the H.W. Bush White House, and SAM STEIN, political editor for The Daily Beast, join Marty to talk about the latest news and the challenges facing the country in the age of Trump.

Guests: Ryan Hutchins, Brigid Harrison, John Mooney

We’re spending this hour catching up on some of the big stories out of New Jersey. The state’s new governor, Phil Murphy, is embarking on enacting his ambitious new agenda that will require increased spending compared to his predecessor, Chris Christie. Also, there are a slate of congressional races taking place this year, the results of which will have national consequences. POLITICO’s New Jersey bureau chief, RYAN HUTCHINS, and Montclair University professor of political science, BRIGID HARRISON, join guest host Mary Cummings-Jordan to talk about the latest in New Jersey political news. Then, NJ Spotlight education reporter, JOHN MOONEY, will tell us about the latest in education news, including the high-profile resignation of the superintendent of Camden School District and how the governor plans to improve education in the state.

Guests: Dale Russakoff

A recent report from ProPublica and The Philadelphia Inquirer found that Philadelphia’s office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the most aggressive in the country, in terms of the volume of arrests of those with no criminal convictions. This is often the result of “ sweeps,” mass arrests including people in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ICE jurisdiction includes Pa., Delaware and West Virginia. The report’s co-author DALE RUSSAKOFF joins Marty today to talk about the practices of Philly ICE and the people who have been most affected by them. But first, MARK JOSEPH STERN of Slate tells us about yesterday’s immigration-related Supreme Court ruling.

Guests: David Harris, Marc Lamont Hill, Gene Demby

The arrest of two black men at the Rittenhouse Square Starbucks in Philadelphia has caused an uproar among community members and social justice advocates and many of the public. A manager called the police after asking the men to leave because they had not purchased anything. The men said that they were waiting for a friend to arrive for a meeting, refused to leave, and were arrested, handcuffed and taken to the police department. This was all captured on video with bystanders saying the men did nothing wrong.  They were released hours later without charges. Today on the show we’ll talk about the incident, its implications, and its repercussions with Temple University professor and political commentator MARC LAMONT HILL, who owns the Germantown coffee shop Uncle Bobbie’s, and with GENE DEMBY, of NPR’s “Code Switch.” But first, we’ll get University of Pittsburgh law professor DAVID HARRIS’ thoughts on the legality and appropriateness of the police response at Starbucks.

Guest: Alan Blinder

By all accounts, the U.S. economy is strong. But, will this strength continue? The federal budget deficit is expected to top $1 trillion by 2020 according to new projections, in large part because of the new tax cuts. There’s also the lingering threat of a trade war with China, as President Trump continues to talk of tariffs and our country’s trade deficit. Princeton professor ALAN BLINDER says these are two examples of how politics often gets in the way of sound economic policy. Blinder, a former vice-chair of the Federal Reserve, joins us to explain the interplay of politics on economic policy in his new book, Advice and Dissent, and explains the divide between economists and politicians and provides a blueprint for closing that gap.

Guests: Debbie Goldstein, Eli Finkel

Do you want to know what your colleagues, family, friends, or even your spouse really think about you? Your work? Your habits? Your appearance? Most of us don’t, but hearing and applying criticism can often motivate us and help us grow. So how do we give constructive feedback to others without devastating the recipient? And how do we learn to be less thin-skinned when being critiqued? And finally, when is it worthwhile to speak up and tell someone what you really think? Marty talks with Harvad professor and managing director of Triad Consulting, DEBBIE GOLDSTEIN, and ELI FINKEL, a psychology professor at Northwestern University and the author of All-Or-Nothing Marriage.

Guests: Issie Lapowsky, Joseph Turow

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced two congressional inquiries this week, in which he was grilled about the collection and sale of user information. The most used social media site has been under much public scrutiny since the 2016 election, and recent reporting about the data mining firm, Cambridge Analytica’s use of user information in the political arena has increased the government’s interest into just what Facebook knows about us. Today on the show, we’ll speak with ISSIE LAPOWSKY of WIRED and JOSEPH TUROW, professor of communications at The University of Pennsylvania join us to talk about the congressional hearings, the questions Zuckerberg did, and didn’t, answer, and what policy could result from the inquiry.

Guest: Menno Schilthuizen

Our fast-paced crowded cities aren’t just impacting our lives, they are shaping animal evolution, even accelerating it. To survive the noise, smog, traffic, light and heat of our urban jungles, wildlife has had to quickly adapt. In his new book, Darwin Comes to Town, evolutionary biologist MENNO SCHILTHUIZEN explains how cities are driving natural selection in animals all around the world, including in mosquitoes in London, spiders in Vienna, and mice in New York.

Guest: Mimi Rocah

Yesterday the F.B.I. raided the offices and home of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer.  We’ll talk with MIMI ROCAH, former federal prosecutor in New York, about what we know so far about the investigation into Cohen and its connection to the Stormy Daniels allegations.