Radio Times

Guests: Joe Hernandez, Ryan Hutchins, Brigid Harrison

The corruption trial of New Jersey’s Democratic Senator, Bob Menendez, is underway, the outcome of which could have consequences on a national scale. If he is found guilty and is forced to leave office before the election of the next governor, then Republican Governor Chris Christie will have the ability to appoint his replacement, tipping the balance in the U.S. Senate further in Republican control. And as the trial is playing out, the governor’s race between Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno is heating up. Today on Radio Times, guest host Marty Cummings-Jordan is joined by POLITICO’s New Jersey bureau chief RYAN HUTCHINS, and political science professor BRIGID HARRISON of Montclair State University to discuss the Menendez trial, the potential fallout, as well as the New Jersey race for governor the political status of their current one. But first, we’ll hear from WHYY’s JOE HERNANDEZ about New Jersey’s new law which essentially eliminates cash bail and has sparked efforts to stop this measure.

Guests: KEENA CORE, ZAHMU SANKOFA and LENA NAMNUN

We’re just a week away from the start of a new school year. Parents are shopping for school supplies, students are squeezing out their last days of summer fun and teachers are prepping their lesson plans. In this hour, Marty talks with a roundtable of award-winning teachers in the Philadelphia School District about their plans for the year. The guests are KEENA CORE, first-grade teacher at Mitchell Elementary School, ZAHMU SANKOFA, language arts and social studies teacher at James Martin School and LENA NAMNUN, social studies teacher at Frankford High School.

Image: BES Photos

Guests: Kelley Hodge, Mary Mann

Interim district attorney of Philadelphia KELLEY HODGE joins Marty at the top of the hour today. The former city prosecutor is completing the second term of former DA Seth Williams, who resigned last month and plead guilty in a federal corruption case. We’ll hear what she has to say about the city’s DA office, and about what she plans to accomplish in her brief five month term. Then, we switch gears and have a very not-boring talk about being bored! We’re joined by MARY MANN, author of Yawn, about what makes something boring, what it means to be bored, and the pros and cons of feeling bored.

Image: Emma Lee/WHYY

Guests: Jeff Flake, Carrie Jung, Jim Newell

President Trump held a campaign-style rally in Arizona last night following a tumultuous week at the White House, which included a controversial statement about the racist activity in Charlottesville and the ominous departure of his Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon. One of the focuses of Trump’s ire has been Arizona Senator, Republican JEFF FLAKE, who has been full-throated in his criticism of the president and his party. He joins us this hour to give us his thoughts on Trump’s rally, the state of the GOP, and to talk about his book, The Conscience of a Conservative. But first, we’ll hear about the events of the night from CARRIE JUNG, senior field correspondent for KJZZ, and JIM NEWELL of Slate will give us the background on the Trump/Flake rivalry.

Guests: Dan De Luce, Michael Kugelman, Marla Keenan

The war in Afghanistan is currently being overseen by its third presidential administration. After 16 years of trying to rid the country of Taliban influence, the U.S. is still trying to find a way to claim victory. On Monday night, President Trump announced his plans to send more troops to the country despite years of calling for a withdrawal of American fighters. Today, we discuss America’s longest war, how we can end it, and if a win is even possible. We’ll talk with DAN DE LUCE, Foreign Policy’s national security correspondent, and with MICHAEL KUGELMAN, deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at The Wilson Center. We’ll also talk about civilian casualties, and how American forces can reduce them, with MARLA KEENAN, senior director of programs at Center for Civilians in Conflict at the Truman National Security Project.

Guests: Ron Elving, Mark Zandi

President Trump had been expressing his displeasure with his advisor Steve Bannon for months and finally, on Friday, the White House announced that Bannon was out.  Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist with alleged ties to the white nationalist movement, has been a controversial figure since joining the Trump campaign last summer.  We’ll talk with RON ELVING, senior editor on the NPR's Washington desk, about what Bannon brought to the White House,  what might change now that he is gone and how Trump is weathering the fallout since his much maligned response to the events in Charlottesville.  Then, MARK ZANDI of Moody's Analytics explains the  “Trump bump” in the stock market and why CEO’s have abandoned their official roles as advisors to the President.

Guests: Jay Pasachoff, Derrick Pitts, Dave Goldberg

The excitement is growing in anticipation of Monday’s solar eclipse. Parts of the United States lie in the “path of totality” and will experience a total solar eclipse as the moon completely covers the sun. Those of us in the Delaware Valley, however, will see a partial eclipse, when about 80 percent of the sun will be blocked by the moon. Today we’ll talk about what to expect on Monday, where to go and how to view it safely. And we’ll talk about the science – what astronomers have learned from studying eclipses in the past and what they hope to learn on Monday. Marty’s guests are JAY PASACHOFF, a professor of astronomy at Williams College who has seen over 60 eclipses, DERRICK PITTS, chief astronomer and director of the planetarium at the Franklin Institute, and DAVE GOLDBERG, a professor of physics at Drexel University.

Guests: Reverend Mark Kelly Tyler, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, Howard Stevenson

Thousands of Philadelphians marched last night against the racism and hate that was on display at the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. But as nation tried to understand the violence and what it revealed, many Americans were shocked by the President’s seeming defense of the actions and ideology of the Klansman, white supremacists and neo-Nazis. This hour, we’re continuing our coverage and conversation about the Charlottesville aftermath. We’ll talk about racism and bigotry in this country and how we can confront it as a nation and as individuals. Marty talks with a round table of guests including, REVEREND MARK KELLY TYLER, pastor for Mother Bethel AME Church, RABBI MORDECHAI LIEBLING, director of the Social Justice Organizing Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, HOWARD STEVENSON, professor of urban education and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Guests: A.C. Thompson, David Cunningham, Christian Picciolini

President Trump finally condemned white supremacists responsible for the deadly riots in Charlottesville on Monday, after facing days of intense criticism.  But many people say it’s too little, too late -- neo-Nazis and other hate groups interpreted Trump’s hesitancy as tacit support for their beliefs. This hour, we discuss the violence in Charlottesville and the white supremacist movement – its roots, its supporters, its growth and its political power. Our guests include A.C. THOMPSON, a reporter for ProPublica who covered the demonstrations, Washington University sociologist DAVID CUNNINGHAM, author of Klansville, USA, and former white supremacist CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI, who is co-founder of the nonprofit peace advocacy organization, Life After Hate, and author of the memoir, Romantic Violence: Memoirs Of An American Skinhead.

Guests: Anthony Cordesman, Michael Horowitz, Suzanne Scholte

While President Trump has responded to North Korea’s nuclear threat with tough talk, behind the scenes American officials are working on diplomatic solution to the crisis. This hour, we discuss the challenges North Korea presents to the U.S. and the path to a peaceful resolution with ANTHONY CORDESMAN, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at Center for Strategic and International Studies, and MICHAEL HOROWITZ, Professor of political science and associate director of Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. Then, we hear about what life is like for North Koreans with human rights activist SUZANNE SCHOLTE, President of the Defense Forum Foundation.