Radio Times

Guests:  Heather Long, Edward Alden, Josh Bivens

President Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports Thursday, a decision that’s been fiercely debated over recent weeks. It’s led to the resignation of his chief advisor Gary Cohn, roiled the markets, and may lead to a trade war. So what effect will a 25% tax on steel imports and a 10% tax on aluminum have on the economy? This hour, we’ll debate the potential impact of tariffs and look more closely at Trump’s trade policy. Marty’s guests are HEATHER LONG, economics correspondent for The Washington Post, JOSH BIVENS, director of research at the Economic Policy Institute, and EDWARD ALDEN, senior fellow at the council on Foreign Relations and author of Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy.

Guests: Josepf Federman, Dan Shapiro

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warm welcome when he met with President Trump this week. Netanyahu remarked that, “I have less disagreements with President Trump than I had with President Obama. Actually I still haven’t encountered any disagreement with Trump.” The two talked about the Iran Nuclear Deal, Iran’s expanding influence in Syria, and the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem. Much like Trump, Netanyahu has been dogged by a corruption scandal, including criminal allegations of graft. This hour, we’ll discuss the embattled Prime Minister and his visit to the U.S. with JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories. Then, DAN SHAPIRO, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel under the Obama Administration, joins Marty to talk about U.S. relations with Israel, the significance of the embassy move, and the potential for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks under the Trump Administration.

Foreign lobbying is a huge industry in Washington. It’s common for Washington D.C. elites to curry favor with lawmakers on behalf of foreign governments. Yet the regulations on the practice are slim and loosely enforced. The indictment of Paul Manafort for neglecting to register his various ties overseas has some on K Street worried. BEN FREEMAN, director and founder of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy joins us.

Guests: Andrea Bernstein, Andrew Prokop

Jared Kushner lost his top-level security clearance last week. Since this incident, information has come out alleging conflicts-of-interest with the President’s son-in-law, who may have been using his closeness to President Trump as leverage in his financial dealings. Today, we’ll talk with WNYC’s ANDREA BERNSTEIN, who is co-host of the new podcast “Trump, Inc.,” and by ANDREW PROKOP, political reporter for Vox.

Guests: David Newall, David Bianculli, Sherri Hope Culver

Mister Rogers Neighborhood premiered 50 years ago on PBS. Generations of children grew up watching Fred Rogers and being reassured that they were special for simply being themselves. Fred Rogers’ songs, stories, and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe emphasized self-esteem, friendship, compassion, curiosity and imagination. Speaking directly to his young audience, Rogers often tackled tough topics like war, death, and divorce. Sadly Fred Rogers died of cancer in 2003 but the lasting influence of his show continues. This hour, we’ll pay tribute to Mister Rogers and look at his impact with DAVID NEWALL, who played Mr. McFeely on the show, DAVID BIANCULLI, TV critic and guest host for Fresh Air, and SHERRI HOPE CULVER, professor of media and communication at Temple University

Guest: Steve Coll

Afghanistan’s president Ashraf Ghani wants to talk peace with Taliban. He’s offered to forgive their war crimes and allow the Taliban to become a legitimate political party in an effort to end the almost 17 years of fighting. Journalist STEVE COLL has been covering Afghanistan before and after 9/11. His new book, Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan looks at the many missteps the U.S. military apparatus has made in this war. This includes the misapprehension that the Pakistani intelligence agency was our ally in the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, which was simultaneously aiding and funding these terrorist organizations. Coll joins Marty for the hour to walk us through America’s role in the region.

Guests: Daniel Hopkins, Jorge Ramos

Journalist JORGE RAMOS joins Marty for the hour. He’s the host of Univision’s news program Noticiero Univision and the Fusion-TV show America with Jorge Ramos. Ramos is known for being a tough questioner, a trait which famously got him escorted out of a campaign press conference of President Trump’s back in 2015. His new memoir is called Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era. He joins Marty to talk about his life, career, and to get his perspective on modern American culture and politics. But first we’ll talk to University of Pennsylvania political scientists DANIEL HOPKINS about American attitudes towards immigration and why it’s become such a divisive issue.

Guests: Troy Herion, Michael Phillips

Close your eyes and think of the shark from Jaws. Are you hearing the slow ba-dum, ba-dum? How about the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? Are you able to divorce high-pitched violin stabs that from the terror you felt the first time you saw it? A good score can make or break a film. Today on the show, we’re going to talk about the art of scoring films, what makes a good score, and some of the best composers to have taken up the form. And because the Academy Awards are this Sunday, we’re going to discuss this year’s nominees for Best Original Score. Joining us is TROY HERION, a composer who has written for film and theater, and by MICHEAL PHILLIPS, film critic for the Chicago Tribune who is part of an ongoing radio project called “The Film Score” for WFMT in Chicago.

Guests:  Americus Reed and Robert Spitzer

Hertz, Enterprise, United Airlines, and MetLife are among the large companies that, in recent weeks, have ended partnerships with the National Rifle Association.  Others like Fed Ex and Amazon are facing increasing consumer pressure to do the same.  We’ll start off the hour talking with University of Pennsylvania’s  Wharton professor AMERICUS REED about the power and effectiveness of the Boycott NRA movement.  Then, when the NRA was founded 150 years ago, its focus was marksmanship and gun-safety.  Today it is considered the most influential and powerful voices in politics.  We’ll talk with political scientist ROBERT SPITZER about the evolution and history of the NRA.

Guests: Michio Kaku

Physicist and futurist MICHIO KAKU theorizes that humans living in outer space could eventually become a reality not just the stuff of science fiction.  Whether due to climate change or catastrophic cosmic events, it’s possible that our species might one day be forced to evacuate planet Earth and live among the stars.  In his new book The Future of Humanity, Kaku explores how developments in robotics, nanotechnology and biotechnology could enable us to someday build habitable cities on Mars.  He joins Marty for the hour to enlighten us about how humans might survive in the future.