Radio Times

Guests: Mike Isaac, Liza Mundy, Sigal Barsade

Uber fired 20 employees, including some top executives, over allegations of harassment, discrimination, and inappropriate behavior. The rideshare company’s workplace has been described a competitive, aggressive, even toxic. And complaints of sexual harassment and sexism have allegedly been ignored.  Uber’s unchecked “bro culture” is also part of broader claims that Silicon Valley is rife with misogyny. We start off today’s show with MIKE ISAAC, a technology reporter for The New York Times to talk about the Uber shakeup. Then, we’ll look at the workplace culture in Silicon Valley companies with LIZA MUNDY, a journalist and author with the Atlantic and New America fellow, and SIGAL BARSADE, a professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Guest: David Baron

A total solar eclipse will occur on August 21st of this year over the United States. That hasn’t happened since in the U.S. since 1878.  Science writer DAVID BARON tells the story of the last solar eclipse and the scientists who chased it across the country, in his new book, American Eclipse: The Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World.  Among these scientists was a young Thomas Edison, and Vassar astronomer Maria Mitchell, who wanted to prove women’s worth in science.  Baron writes about their adventures across the American frontier, facing train robberies, run-ins with Native Americans, and threatening clouds.

Guests: Pema Levy, August Tarrier, Miles Orion Butler, Paul, Cody

Songs in the Key of Free has a mission. Through music, they are showing solidarity with incarcerated individuals and to bring their voices, perspectives, and experiences to the public via song. The group is working with inmates at the SCI-Graterford prison, providing workshops on songwriting and performance. Today, we’re going to speak with the two founders of the organization, AUGUST TARRIER and MILES ORION BUTLER, and we’ll speak to two of the inmates from Graterford who are participating in the project. PAUL is a 70-year-old inmate who has served 50 years of his life sentence and heads the Prison Literary Project, and CODY, who is in his 30s, having served 17 years of his 20 year sentence. We’ll hear their songs, and about the effect that creating music has for those on the inside. But first, we’ll get a re-cap of Tuesday’s hearing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions with PEMA LEVY from Mother Jones.

Guests: Jennifer Haberkorn, Sahil Kapur, Renae Merle

While political watchers were gripped by the testimony of James Comey, Congress was chugging along with various legislative activity. Senate Republicans are currently working to find common ground in order to pass the AHCA, which moved through the House last month, and they’d like to get it to President Trump’s desk as soon as possible.  We’ll hear about these latest efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act when we speak to JENNIFER HABERKORN, health care reporter for POLITICO. Then, we’ll talk about what Republicans are considering in order to pay for the big tax cuts in their budget plan. SAHIL KAPUR of Bloomberg News will join us to describe the various proposals legislators are mulling over. Lastly, we’re going to talk about measures to overhaul the Dodd-Frank Act that just moved through the House. RENAE MERLE, who covers Wall Street for The Washington Post will give us the details.

Guest: Mitch Prinstein

Most of us have some painful memories from our school days – maybe we were always the last pick in gym, had no one to sit with at lunch, or weren’t asked to the school dance.  We may laugh about it today, but back then we probably wished we were popular.  The drive for popularity turns out to be part of our DNA, something that’s evolved over thousands of years.  MITCH PRINSTEIN, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, believes that these social dynamics have a profound effect on our lives and who were are. As he explains in his book Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World, that our social standing effects our jobs, our relationships, our happiness, and our health.  In fact, being unpopular has a more significant effect on our mortality then obesity, binge-drinking, and physical activity.

Guests: Claire Finkelstein, Jay Caruso, Carol Lee

We’re going to discuss the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey, and what it means for President Trump and the investigations into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. We’re joined by CLAIRE FINKELSTEIN, professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, JAY CARUSO, assistant managing editor for RedState, and by CAROL LEE, White House Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.

Many recovery homes in Philadelphia are not licensed, unregulated and are illegally receiving thousands of dollars per month from drug treatment centers. On the streets, this practice is known as “pimping out” where opioid addicts are forced to attend so-called group therapy sessions at drug treatment centers or face eviction from their recovery home. Marty talks with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, ALFRED LUBRANO who has been covering this story and urban studies professor at University of Pennsylvania and author of How it Works: Recovering Citizens in Post-Welfare Philadelphia, ROBERT FAIRBANKS, about what looks like a lucrative, complex, and illegal scam. JENNIFER SMITH, Acting Secretary of Drug and Alcohol Programs will discuss how the state is responding to the opioid epidemic, monitoring drug treatment centers, and dealing with the proliferation of recovery homes.

Guests: Ron Elving, Reid Wilson

It’s been yet another busy news week in the Trump world. Today, we’re going to break down some of the issues buzzing around the White House. A series of statements from President Trump has insinuated that he is unhappy with the DOJ, and perhaps his Attorney General Jeff Sessions, over their inability to pass his ‘travel ban’ – a term which in and of itself might hinder its ability to get past the appellate process. Recent reports suggest that Trump’s speech to NATO included language about Article 5 – that is the mutual defense clause of NATO – but Trump excluded these passages when he delivered his remarks, unnerving American’s long-held allies and even members of his administration. Also, a leaker from the NSA was arrested and charged by the DOJ for giving The Intercept top-secret documents pertaining to Russian election hacking. And speaking of that, former FBI Director James Comey is set to testify on Thursday. We’ll talk about all of this with NPR’s RON ELVING, and REID WILSON of The Hill.

Guests: Frank Langfitt, Paul Lewis

The terror attacks at London Bridge this weekend have amplified the fears of British citizens as election day approaches. Britain has seen a spate of attacks in recent months, leaving citizens wondering how the these mass-fatality events can be prevented. We open today’s show with FRANK LANGFITT, NPR’s London correspondent, to discuss the latest news on the attack, the reaction to President Trump’s response on Twitter, and how all of this will affect Thursday’s election. Then, we’ll discuss President Trump’s infrastructure plan which he kicked off Monday by announcing his intention to privatize air traffic control. Beyond that initiative, Trump is aiming to create a public-private partnership that would give states and cities funding to improve their roads, bridges, and pipes. PAUL LEWIS, vice president for policy and finance at Eno Center for Transportation will tell us what’s in the plan.

Guests: Janet Benton, David Titley

Local writer JANET BENTON’s debut novel, Lilli de Jong, is about an unwed Quaker woman in Philadelphia in 1883 who is thrown out of her family and community when she becomes pregnant.  Lilli ends up at a lying-in hospital for unwed mothers and is expected to give up her child for adoption.  Benton based her story on years of research into the lives of single mothers and their children in 19th century Philadelphia. She comes into the studio to talk with Marty about her novel, motherhood, and the difficult choices unwed mothers had to make to survive.  Then, NOAA has predicted an “above average” hurricane season in the Atlantic this year.  But while the ocean warms up, President Trump has proposed budget cuts to both NOAA, the agency in charge of weather forecasting, and FEMA, which is responsible for disaster relief.  Both agencies are also without their top administrator.  Marty talks with Penn State professor of meteorology and retired Rear Admiral DAVID TITLEY about hurricane predictions, the state of our agencies and our preparedness for storms and emergencies.