Radio Times

Guests: Bobby Allyn, Larry Bleiberg, Kelly Dittmar

First up on today’s show; we’ll talk about District Attorney Seth Williams, who plead guilty to federal corruption charges yesterday. WHYY’s BOBBY ALLYN joins us with the latest. Then, it’s summer and that means it’s time to hit the road for your travel destinations. Travel writer LARRY BLEIBERG joins us to talk about summer road trips – where to go, where to eat, and how to plan.  And lastly, Marty will speak with assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University KELLY DITTMAR about President Trump’s tweets directed at “Morning Joe” co-host, Mika Brzezinski.

Guests: Katie Meyer, Eugene DePasquale, Sam Wood

The Pennsylvania state budget is due on Friday, and, as usual lawmakers are having a difficult time reconciling the way to reduce the roughly $1.5 billion shortfall in this fiscal year, and to continue funding government services. This is a perennial issue, with Republicans and Democrats continuing to quibble about their preferred methods to gain more revenue. So what about legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana? It’s meant more money in the the states where recreational pot is sold. But, there is the societal concern about allowing people to participate in government sanctioned drug use. Today, we’ll talk about the budget negotiations in Harrisburg with NewsWorks’' KATIE MEYER. Then, we’ll speak with Pennsylvania Auditor General, EUGENE DePASQUALE who estimates that legalizing marijuana would bring $200 million to state coffers. Lastly, we’ll talk with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s SAM WOOD about how medical marijuana is currently being rolled-out across Pennsylvania, who’s allowed to grow and dispense it, and why the state just legalized industrial hemp.

Guests: Will Bunch, Paul Farhi, Josh Dawsey

“So they caught Fake News CNN cold, but what about NBC, CBS & ABC? What about the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost? They are all Fake News!” This was President Trump’s statement yesterday, following a retraction of a CNN story related to the Trump team’s ties to Russia. The President’s antagonism toward the media has increased tensions with the White House and the press, and has drastically altered the way that the White House is covered. Twitter and other digital means of distributing information have also changed journalism. Reporters are expected to have a scoop in the instant it drops, and many editorialize online more than they would in print. Today, we’ll talk about the changing landscape of journalism in the age of Trump. We’ll be joined by Philadelphia Daily News columnist WILL BUNCH, Washington Post media reporter PAUL FARHI, and by POLITICO White House reporter, JOSH DAWSEY.

Guests: Kermit Roosevelt, Jack Ewing

The Supreme Court concluded its 2016-17 term yesterday with a significant church-state decision in favor of a Missouri religious school which requested funds from state government to improve its playground.  The Court also allowed part of the President’s travel ban to take effect and ordered states to list same-sex parents on birth certificates.  We’ll review these decisions and look forward to future cases with the help of Penn Law professor KERMIT ROOSEVELT.  Then, JACK EWING, European economics correspondent of New York Times and author of Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal uncovers how Volkswagen engineers installed software in 11 million cars that deceived emissions-testing mechanisms and cost them 20 billion dollars.

Guests: Margot Sanger-Katz, Julie Rovner, Ralph Muller

The Senate released their health care plan to repeal and replace the ACA after weeks crafting the legislation behind closed doors. The proposed bill met with a lot of negative reactions from conservative Republican lawmakers, consumer groups, the health care industry, and democrats.  But Senator Mitch McConnell says he still hopes to get a vote by the July 4th break. Today, we will dissect what’s in the Senate bill and how it compares to the ACA and the House bill. And, we’ll discuss what it all means for consumers with MARGOT SANGER-KATZ, a correspondent for the New York Times, and JULIE ROVNER, chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News. Then, RALPH MULLER, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, one of the largest integrated health systems in the country, comes in to share his views of the Senate bill and ways to fix our health care system.

GUESTS: WENDY RUDERMAN, BARBARA LAKER & THOMAS FARLEY

Some residents in Philadelphia are finding the soil in their backyards, dirt on their front stoop and sidewalks has high levels of lead. The “River Ward”—which includes Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond—was once the heart of Philadelphia’s industrial hub with many factories and smelters. Lead dust emitted from those smokestacks is now being unearthed by the area's many construction projects. Small amounts of lead can lower a child’s IQ and cause behavioral problems— something of great concern to residents. In this hour, Marty talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists  WENDY RUDERMAN and BARBARA LAKER, about their series in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Phila’s toxic lead legacy. THOMAS FARLEY, commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Health, will discuss the recent report and recommendations from the Philadelphia Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Group that says that lead paint is a persistent problem.

SHERMAN ALEXIE’s relationship with his mother was complicated. Lillian showed love in unconventional ways. She was abusive, had a drinking problem, and was incapable of showing him and his siblings affection. In search of a better life, Sherman leaves, but returns home for Lillian’s funeral. In this hour, Marty speaks with Alexie, author of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, about his memoir that is made up of poems and chapters on growing up on an Indian reservation, family drama and brain surgery.

Guests: Angela Nagel, Jillian Jordan, Conor Friedersdorf

Political discourse has turned into an outrage machine. Part of this cycle of indignation can be attributed to provocations from public figures like Kathy Griffin, Milo Yiannopoulos, or Bill Maher. It can also be argued that President Trump’s confrontational demeanor is also ‘triggering’ many to be offended and angered. Outrage is being voiced by pundits, politicians, and the public. It can be seen on TV, online, at work, or at the dinner table. Today, we’re going to talk about the effects, after-effects, and effectiveness of outrage in political discourse, and how it is employed by all points on the partisan spectrum. Our guests today are JILLIAN JORDAN, a psychologist at Yale who studies morality, ANGELA NAGLE, who has spent years studying the ‘online culture wars,’ and CONOR FRIEDERSDORF, staff writer for The Atlantic.

Guests: Christopher Sabatini, Roger Noriega

It’s been two years since President Obama announced his plans in restoring and opening relations with Cuba. On Friday, President Trump announced his partial rollback of Obama’s policy. The move pleased much of the Cuban exile community, but the Cuban foreign minister called Trump’s announcement a “grotesque spectacle.” Today on the show, we’re joined by CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, lecturer at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and by ROGER NORIEGA, of the American Enterprise Institute, to get their perspectives on US-Cuba relations.

Guests: Bobby Allyn, Laura Benshoff, Michael Nutter, Josh Sevin

Is Philadelphia good for business? Like any city, there is a delicate balancing act in meeting the needs of the citizens and the needs of the company’s that call it home. Recent laws, such as the beverage tax, or the new law that prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their previous salary, have ruffled feathers of business leaders and small business owners alike. That said, for the first time in 25 years, Philadelphia is growing its job market at a faster rate than New York City. Today, we’ll discuss some of the ways Philly is, and isn’t, a good place to do business. We’re joined by former Mayor of Philadelphia, MICHAEL NUTTER, and by JOSH SEVIN, acting executive director of The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. But first, we'll hear about the Cosby mistrial from WHYY's BOBBY ALLYN and LAURA BENSHOFF.