Radio Times

Guests: Julian Zelizer, Jonathan Landay, Mara Liasson, Amie Ferris-Rotman

It’s been a rough week for the White House as unflattering news to the President seemed to emerge each day, due to a combination of damaging leaks and mismanaged responses to them. This ‘drama,’ as Mitch McConnell recently put it, has President Trump on the defensive, claiming  that ‘no politician in history…has been treated worse or more unfairly.’ Today on the show, we’ll talk about the downpour of news, and if, in fact, Trump has been treated more unfairly than any politician in history.  We’re joined by JONATHAN LANDAY, national security correspondent for Reuters, Princeton professor JULIAN ZELIZER, and national political correspondent for NPR, MARA LIASSON.  Then, we’ll hear about how Russia feels about the turmoil in Washington when we talk with AMIE FERRIS-ROTMAN, Moscow correspondent for Foreign Policy.

Guests: Sandra Postel, Abbie Gascho Landis

The Trump administration is rolling back many environmental regulations, including those that protect American waterways.  This spring, the President signed an executive order designed to undo the Clean Water Act.  We’ve asked SANDRA POSTEL, director of the Global Water Policy Project and Freshwater Fellow of the National Geographic Society, to come in to discuss threats to fresh water resources in the United States and around the globe, as well as the effect climate change is having on our water supply.  We’ll also talk with veterinarian and naturalist ABBIE GASCHO LANDIS about the important role freshwater mussels play in the ecosystem and why so many of them are endangered.  She’s the author of, Immersion: The Science and Mystery of Freshwater Mussels.

Experiencing poverty, domestic abuse and sexual violence as a child lead SUSAN BURTON down a long, dark road of emotional despair. Then, after the hit-and-run incident that killed her five-year-old son, Burton turned to drugs as a way to cope with her pain. But, it wasn’t until she entered the California prison system and spent nearly two decades behind bars until she finally received drug treatment and therapy. In this hour, Marty talks with Burton about her memoir, Becoming Ms. Burton which she coauthored with Cari Lynn that tells Burton’s story of prison, recovery and creating A New Way of Life—a nonprofit that supports formerly incarcerated women. MARIE GOTTSCHALK, professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and JEAN FRIEDMAN-RUDOVSKY project editor of The Reentry Project, discuss resources available to women in prison and difficult challenges they face when reentering into society.

Guests: Shane Harris, Howard Fineman, John Brabender

Last night, the Washington Post reported that President Trump bragged about classified information to Russian officials during their visit to the Oval Office. This comes a week after the Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in a move that stunned many in Congress, the intelligence community, and even members of President Trump’s own team. Today, we’ll look at the political and legal ramifications of Trump’s leaks, Comey’s ouster, and what it means for the investigation into the Trump camp’s ties to Russia. We’re joined by the Wall Street Journal’s SHANE HARRIS, The Huffington Post's HOWARD FINEMAN, and by Republican consultant JOHN BRABENDER.

Reading List:

"Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador" - Gregg Miller and Greg Jaffe (The Washington Post)

"Yes, Trump thinks he can defeat the Russia probe" - Howard Fineman (HuffPost)

"Rosenstein role in Comey firing raises more questions than answers" - Kouroun Demirjian, Ed O'Keefe and Paul Kane (The Washington Post)

"Reports: Trump gave classified info to Russians during White House visit" - Jessica Taylor (NPR)

Guests: Matt Friedman, Brent Johnson, Peter Ungar

The primary election for New Jersey governor is less than a month away.  But, close to 60 percent of voters say they don’t know enough about the candidates to make a decision according to a Quinnipiac survey.  Two Republicans and four Democrats are running and so far the frontrunners are Democrat Philip Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and U.S. ambassador, and the current Republican Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno.  We start the hour off talking about the candidates, their positions, and what effect President Trump and Governor Chris Christie are having on the election.  Mary Cummings-Jordan is joined by MATT FRIEDMAN, who writes the New Jersey’s Playbook blog for Politico and BRENT JOHNSON, who covers politics for NJ Advance Media.  Then, open wide! – our teeth tell the story of how we became human.  University of Arkansas paleoanthropologist PETER UNGAR discusses his new book, Evolution's Bite: A Story of Teeth, Diet, and Human Origins.

Guests: Doug Fierberg, Gentry McCreary

18 members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State University face criminal charges in the hazing –related death of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza. His death, caught on video, shows the fraternity brothers essentially ignoring the unconscious student who had consumed a fatal amount of alcohol and falling down the stairs. This event is the latest in what has long been a problematic nationwide trend of hazing related injuries and deaths. Today on the show, we’ll examine the particulars of what transpired at Penn State and, we’ll discuss the persistent epidemic of violent and toxic fraternity rituals.  We’ll be joined by attorney DOUG FIERBERG, who specializes in hazing-related lawsuits, and by  GENTRY McCREARY, affiliated consultant who works with fraternities and universities to foster better practices in fraternity practices.

Guest: Paula Poundstone

Comedian PAULA POUNDSTONE joins Marty to talk about her new memoir, The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness.  In it, Poundstone, who’s also a regular panelist on the NPR quiz show, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, tracks her experiments trying to uncover the secret to happiness.  She tries exercising, hugging everyone she meets, and even rents a Lamborghini, but that turns out to bring her more guilt then joy.  While her book has a lot of laughs, it also delves into Poundstone’s struggles in life with her career and as a mother of three.

Guests: Jim Kenney

Philadelphia Mayor JIM KENNEY has a lot on his plate. President Trump has been ramping up deportations and the state senate has passed a bill that would withhold funds from sanctuary cities like Philadelphia. Critics of the sugary beverage tax are marshaling forces to overturn the levy, one of Kenney’s key policy achievements.  Marty will talk with Kenney about how and why he plans to keep the city’s sanctuary status and the beverage tax that pays for Pre-K and community schools. We’ll also hear his thoughts about the state of the Democratic Party and why the mayor is an advocate for legalized marijuana.  We’ll close out the hour talking with McClatchy’s ANITA KUMAR about Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey.

Guests: Andy Wright, Hala Alyan

Poet HALA ALYAN’s debut novel Salt Houses follows a Palestinian family’s uprooting from Nablus after the Six-Day War in 1967, and how that displacement reverberated through several generations. Alyan’s story explores how people hold on to their culture, their language and identity when they can’t go home. This is a story that resonates today amidst the current refugee crisis and immigration debate. Alyan, who is also a clinical psychologist, comes in to talk with Marty about writing her new book.  But first, we’ll discuss Monday’s testimony about Michael Flynn from former interim-Attorney General, Sally Yates.  We’ll be joined by professor at Savannah Law School, ANDY WRIGHT, founding editor at Just Security.

Guests: Guy Diamond, Carolina Hausmann-Stabile, Matthew Wintersteen

The controversial Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, is based on a bestselling young adult novel about a girl who commits suicide after being raped and bullied.  Some have praised the series for its realistic depiction of the teenage life and its frank portrayal of sexual assault and suicide.  But many parents, educators, and mental health professionals worry that the series glamorizes suicide, and could inspire copycats.  Today, we’ll discuss how to recognize kids at risk, what interventions work, and the challenges of talking about suicide without influencing vulnerable adolescents.  Marty’s guests are GUY DIAMOND, associate professor at Drexel University and director of Family Intervention Science, CAROLINA HAUSMANN-STABILE, assistant professor at the School of Social Work at Temple University, and MATTHEW WINTERSTEEN, associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University and Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative.