Radio Times

GUEST: ERICA ARMSTRONG DUNBAR

When America's founding father George Washington was elected president, he left his Mount Vernon home to live in Philadelphia. During the transition, he took nine slaves. However, Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state. As a way around the law, Washington decided to send slaves down south when the deadline drew close. Even though the slaves lived relatively comfortably, a slave named Ona Judge saw an opportunity to leave the Washington family. One day, the 22-year-old ran away. This ensued an intense manhunt led by George Washington who used his political power to try to recapture his property. ERICA ARMSTRONG DUNBAR, author of "Never Caught," writes the captivating narrative of Judge's intense journey to reach freedom.

Reading List

Meet the slave you who escaped from George Washington's Philly mansion and was never caught

In Search of the Slave Who Defied George Washington

Guests: Erika Almiron, Caitlin Barry, Erika Guadalupe Nunez, Steven Camarota

The Trump administration laid out its plans for stricter immigration enforcement this week, which includes empowering state and local law enforcement to more aggressively pursue, detain and deport undocumented immigrants. Critics worry the directives are too broad, will pull families apart, and could lead to abuse by local authorities. We wanted to hear about how immigrant communities in Philadelphia, a sanctuary city, are feeling about the Trump administration’s crackdown, particularly coming just weeks after Trump’s immigration ban was stopped by a federal appeals court. Marty talks with ERIKA ALMIRON, executive director of Juntos, a South Philadelphia immigrant advocacy group, CAITLIN BARRY, an assistant professor at Villanova University School of Law, and ERIKA GUADALUPE NUNEZ, an artist and community organizer.  And we’ll hear from STEVEN CAMAROTA, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports enhanced immigration enforcement.

Reading List:

"Fact Sheet: Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements" - U.S. Department of Homeland Security

"Major Elements of Trump's New Immigration Policies" - Nicholas Kulish, Vivian Yee, Caitlin Dickerson et al. (New York Times)

"Trump Looking to Local Police for Immigration Enforcement" - Matthew Feeney (Cato Institute blog)

"Since Nov. 8, deportation for some at Berks immigrant detention facility accelerates" - Laura Benshoff  (Newsworks)

Guests: Sara Goldrick-Rab, Aaron Schenk, Aminata Sy

 Betsy DeVos, the recently minted Secretary of Education has faced scrutiny and praise primarily based on her positions regarding K-12 schools.  But amidst this, her advocacy for for-profit and career colleges is also at odds with the previous administration’s increased oversight of institutions like DeVry, ITT and Phoenix University. Today on the show, we’ll talk about what the Trump administration’s position on for-profit colleges, college affordability, and community colleges will look like, and what it may mean for students who wish to obtain a degree. We’ll talk with SARA GOLDRICK-RAB,  professor of higher education policy and sociology at Temple University, and from AARON SCHENK, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators.  But first, we’ll hear about student AMINATA SY’s dream to attend the University of Pennsylvania was made possible by the Community College of Philadelphia.

Reading List:

"For Profit Schools, an Obama Target, See New Day Under Trump" - Patricia Cohen (New York Times)

"Guess Who's Taking Remedial Classes" - The Editorial Board (International New York Times)

Guest: Judy Dempsey, John Judis

At the Munich Security Conference and at yesterday’s meeting in Brussels, Vice-President Mike Pence tried to reassure European leaders of the United State’s commitment to its transatlantic allies. Countering Trump’s “America First” policy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week, that “No country can solve the problems alone, joint action is more important.”  We start out this hour talking with JUDY DEMPSEY, nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and editor in chief of the Strategic Europe blog, about the Munich summit, Pence’s trip to Brussels, and the state of US/Europe relations.  Then, there’s been a lot written about the populist surge behind Trump’s victory and its resurgence in Europe.  Writer JOHN JUDIS, looks at the history of populism which started in 1890’s America, and traces the phenomenon on the left and right.  He joins Marty to talk about his new book, The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics.  

 

Reading List:

"May's Myopic Gamble with Trump" - Judy Dempsy

"Sweden has no idea what Trump meant when he said, 'You look at what's happening...in Sweden'" - Nick Noack

"Donald Trump's appeal is not just about 'anger' and 'resentment'" - Carlos Lozada

Guests: Annette Gordon-Reed, John Dean, Robert Dallek

We’re going to celebrate President’s day today by playing back three interviews about Presidents that we have done over the years. First, we’ll learn about the early Presidency of John F. Kennedy.  Presidential historian ROBERT DALLEK tells us about the people who Kennedy chose in his cabinet, and the effect they had on his presidency. We’ll also listen to Marty’s interview with JOHN DEAN, who worked in Richard Nixon’s White House as legal counsel.  He joined us a few years ago to talk about his book The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It. And, we’ll hear about Andrew Johnson, who was thrust into the nation’s highest office after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  Historian ANNETTE GORDON-REED describes his controversial tenure and why he is considered one of our worst presidents.

Guests: Tony Campolo, Bart Campolo

At fifty years old, BART CAMPOLO told his prominent Evangelical pastor father, TONY CAMPOLO, that he no longer believed in God. The announcement, understandably, caused tension within the Campolo family, altering the relationships they had with each other, and with their faith.  Tony was dismayed, and Bart felt guilty for disappointing the family he loved. But, through introspection and love, their bond endured and they have reached a sense of mutual admiration and understanding. They chronicled this experience and their thoughts on faith in their new book Why I Left, Why I Stayed, and they join Marty on the show today to tell us their story.

 

Reading List:

The New York Times: The Evangelical scion who stopped believing

GUEST: YVONNE ORJI

From the outside, it looks like Molly has it all—a secure job as a corporate attorney, a beautiful downtown apartment in LA and active love life.  So what’s the catch? In the HBO comedy series “Insecure,” Molly, played by YVONNE ORJI, battles racial, sexual and gender insecurities that are blocking her from true happiness. In this hour, Marty talks with Orji about her role on the show, her sitcom “First Gen” about a Nigerian girl who trades medical school for a career as a stand-up comedian, and her decision to remain a virgin until she gets married.  Then we shift gears and talk to JEET HEER, senior editor of The New Republic about the ongoing leaks linking President Trump’s campaign to Russia, and how Trump has responded to them.

GUESTS: RANA FOROOHAR, SHANNON COULTER, KAREN KERRIGAN

President Donald Trump has made good on a lot of this campaign promises. Within the first few weeks of his presidency, he has signed executive orders, reduced regulations, called out Nordstroms and instituted a temporary refugee ban that have all had an impact on business and the economy. Should business executives speak out and risk being called out by President Trump or should they remain silent and face criticism from consumers, employees and activists? In this hour, Marty talks with RANA FOROOHAR, global business columnist for the Financial Times, as well as Associate Editor, CNN’s global economic analyst and author of “Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business” about how the business world is responding to Trump. During the hour, we’ll hear from SHANNON COULTER, co-founder of #GrabYourWallet, a campaign which encourages consumers to boycott retailers that sell Trump-branded goods. And, we’ll talk with KAREN KERRIGAN, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, about how small business owners are feeling about the Trump presidency and how White House tax and regulation policies might affect them.

 

Reading List:

Politico: Businesses grow concern about Trump after early excitement

The Washington Post: The woman behind the boycott that is pressuring retailers to dump Trump 

The Hill: Let's make the American dream of starting a business a reality

Guests: Tom Hamburger, Larry Noble

President Trump rose to prominence, not as a politician, but as a reality TV star and a businessman.  His potential conflicts of interest and unfamiliarity with the inner-workings of government have caused ethics watchers to pay particular attention to the actions of the White House.  Michael Flynn, President Trump’s national security advisor, resigned last night after misleading VP Pence and others at the White House about the content of his phone conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US. Flynn's call raised questions about the new administration's relationship with Russia. And, Trump recently tweeted criticism of Nordstrom for their decision to drop his daughter’s brand, followed by White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway’s television appearance encouraging viewers to buy Ivanka’s line of clothing.  Today, we’ll talk about all of this and more with Washington Post reporters TOM HAMBURGER and ROBERT COSTA, and with LARRY NOBLE, General Counsel of the Campaign Legal Center.

Guests: Sarah Pallalardo, Jeffrey Hall and Art Aron

Love is in the air today, so we’re dedicating this hour to talking about it. We’ll start talking to Reductress co-founder SARAH PAPPALARDO about what makes love and romance ripe for humor. Next up is University of Kansas communications professor JEFFREY HALL who offers advice on how to flirt in-person and online. And finally psychologist ARTHUR ARON joins us to talk about the role of intimacy in falling in love.