Radio Times

Guests: Peter Simi, John Gartner, Christine Aschwanden

We start this hour discussing the violence in Charlottesville over the weekend and the response from President Trump with PETER SIMI, a professor of sociology at Chapman University who studies extremist groups.  Then, Trump is known, and sometimes lauded, for his impulsive and unpredictable behavior. This has some psychological observers questioning the president’s mental health, thereby reigniting a decades old debate over the so-called “Goldwater Rule.” In 1964, Fact magazine published a headline that read “fact: 1,189 Psychiatrists Say Goldwater Is Psychologically Unfit To Be President!” Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater sued the magazine, and in response, the American Psychiatric Association officially discourages its members from diagnosing public figures from afar. But is there a so-called “duty to warn?” Today, we’ll talk about the appropriateness of diagnosing Donald Trump from afar with psychologist JOHN GARTNER, and FiveThirtyEight’s science writer, CHRISTIE ASCHWANDEN.

Guests: King Britt, Tim Motzer, Winnie O'Kelley

DJ, musician, and producer KING BRITT joins Marty on the show today. The Philadelphia-based musician has jumped from genre to genre, making him one of the more interesting people making music in the region. He began making Philadelphia dance, first as a DJ, and then by assembling and curating the disco-soul act Sylk 130. Since, Britt’s career has taken several turns, including many stints in the experimental and avant-garde realm.  His newest release is a series of soundscape collaborations under the moniker Fhloston Paradigm. Britt joins Marty along with his longtime musical partner TIM MOTZER to talk about the new record and the virtues of bucking expectation. But first, we’ll talk about why the FBI raided the home of President Trump’s former campaign advisor, Paul Manafort, as a part of the ongoing Russia investigation. Executive Editor at Bloomberg, WINNIE O’KELLEY, gives us the details.

Guests: Carl Van Horn, Dean Baker, Robert Litwak

Companies often complain that they have job openings but can’t find workers with the skills to fill them.  It’s called the “skills gap,” but some people say this idea is overblown.  Today we’ll debate the skills mismatch in the U.S. workforce and look at how to get more workers employed and prepare them for the jobs of the future.  We’ll also discuss the state of manufacturing in America and at what the recent job numbers from the Department of Labor tell us about the economy.  Marty’s guests are DEAN BAKER, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and CARL VAN HORN, director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. But first, we’ll talk about the rising rhetoric and tensions between the U.S. and North Korea with ROBERT LITWAK, director of international security studies at the Wilson Center and author of Preventing North Korea's Nuclear Breakout.

Guests: Nic Esposito, Michelle Feldman, Leo Sewell

Philadelphia has a serious problem with garbage. Each year, Philadelphians throw out nearly two million tons of trash. That’s more than one ton per person. In an effort to combat waste, littering and dumping, Mayor Jim Kenney created the Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet—a 16 member group—that released an action plan to make the city cleaner and greener by 2035. They want to divert 90 percent of waste that currently gets dumped in landfills, by that year and encourage more recycling. Today on the show, we’ll discuss the plan with NIC ESPOSITO, Zero Waste and Litter Director, and with MICHELLE FELDMAN, director of Keep Philadelphia Beautiful.  And, we’ll talk with artist LEO SEWELL, about how he recycles trash by making works of art.

Guest: Joshua Green

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is perhaps the most enigmatic figure in the Trump administration. The former editor-in-chief of Breitbart News is known for his out-of-the-box political ideology rooted in various obscure philosophical texts. He is the leader of the “populist” or “nationalist wing” of the Trump White House contrasted with the “establishment wing,” of GOP stalwarts. Currently, Bannon and Breitbart are fighting against the influence of H.R. McMaster, Trump’s National Security Advisor for his more neoconservative interventionist outlook. Today on the show, we’ll discuss the various lives of Steve Bannon, his strange career, and the development of his unique political ideas with JOSHUA GREEN, author of Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency.

Guests: Benjamin Bergen, Ben Zimmer

The swift fall of former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci can be attributed, at least in part, to his foul-mouthed interview in The New Yorker, which was as filthy as an R rated movie. And, we have all heard the President himself say profane things on and off camera. That said, most of us use vulgar language to express different emotions or for the sake of humor. Some posit that swearing can effective not only in politics but at work and in our relationships. Today on the show, we’re going to talk about profanity and the role it plays in our lives. We’ll also talk about the different types of profanity, how they are used, and their origins. We’ll be joined by BENJAMIN BERGEN professor of cognitive science at the University of California San Diego and author of What the F, and by BEN ZIMMER, linguist who writes the Word on the Street column for The Wall Street Journal.

GUESTS: Harry Holzer, Maori Karmael Holmes, Michael Premo

President Trump announced his support for legislation that would significantly curb legal immigration.  The RAISE Act, a plan put forth by Republican Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, would use a merit-based system to decide who to admit into the country. It gives extra weight to more highly skilled workers who are fluent in English.  We start this hour looking at the proposal and how it would affect the economy with HARRY HOLZER, professor of public policy at Georgetown University who previously served as chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Then, we’ll talk about who gets to tell certain stories. There’s controversy surrounding the Game of Thrones writers developing Confederate, an alternative history series in which American slavery was never abolished. Also, the film Detroit directed by Kathryn Bigelow has received criticism because of its white director and screenwriter, its subject matter and missing role of black women. We’re joined by MAORI KARMAEL HOLMES founder of the Black Star Film Festival and MICHAEL PREMO, co-founder and executive producer at Storyline, to discuss the relationship of filmmaker and story.

Guests: Zinzi Clemmons, Carol Leonnig

Author ZINZI CLEMMONS grew up in Philadelphia and Swarthmore. Her father is African American and her mother was from South Africa. Her debut novel, What We Lose, is semi-autobiographical, set in a Philadelphia suburb, and is winning critical acclaim.  Like Clemmons, the protagonist, Thandi, loses her mother to cancer, and struggles with her grief, her relationship with her mother, and her racial and ethnic identity as a “strange in-betweener.” Clemmons comes in to talk with Marty about writing, loss, and her unconventional approach to the page. Then, we’re going to talk with Washington Post reporter CAROL LEONNIG. She was part of the reporting team that broke the story of President Trump’s involvement in crafting his son’s response to his controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer.

Guests: Dave Davies, Jake Liefer, Joe LiTrenta

Bob Brady has long enjoyed a reputation as the consummate politician, deftly building relationships and getting election victories for his allies throughout the state. But now, the Congressman from Pennsylvania’s First District is in trouble. Federal authorities are claiming Brady had paid his 2012 democratic primary opponent $90,000 in campaign cash to drop out of the race. WHYY’s DAVE DAVIES will join us today to give us the full story on what happened five years ago and what will happen should he face charges. Then, we’ll hear about the controversial practice of parking in the median of South Broad Street, which while illegal, continues to be an unenforced infraction. We’ll hear from JAKE LIEFER of the 5th Square PAC who is trying to get the PPA to enforce the median parking law, and from  JOE LiTRENTA, lifelong South Philadelphia and host of the YouTube series Philadelphia Block by Block, who wished to see median parking legalized.

Guests: James Serpell, Bridgett VonHoldt, Elaine Ostrander

Dogs are one of the most diverse mammal species on earth. There are Great Danes and Mastiffs, tiny teacup poodles and Chihuahuas, and all sorts of variations in between. This hour, we are going to look at dogs and their evolution – when, where and how they became domesticated, why they’re so friendly, and why there are so many different breeds. Marty will be joined by JAMES SERPELL, professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, BRIDGETT VONHOLDT, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University, and ELAINE OSTRANDER, chief investigator with the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health.