Radio Times

Guests: Joshua Landis, David Fahrenthold

We begin this hour of Radio Times by taking a look at the collaboration between Washington and Moscow in ending the fighting in Syria.  A recent ceasefire agreement has some Pentagon officials ill at ease about the potential outcomes and the effectiveness of the deal.  We’ll be joined by JOSHUA LANDIS, associate professor and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the President of the Syrian Studies Association. Then, we’ll spend the second half of the show taking a look at the finances of The Donald J. Trump Foundation.  The presidential candidate has attacked the Clinton Foundation for less-than-noble practices. But recent investigations from the Washington Post reveals that Trump’s organization, while significantly smaller than Clinton’s, has engaged in questionable practices.  We’re joined by the lead investigative reporter for that story, DAVID FAHRENTHOLD to hear about where the foundation’s money comes from and where it goes.

Guests: William Reed, Chris Ward, Sandy Salzman, Sandy Smith

In this hour, Radio Times producer Elizabeth Fiedler takes us on a journey through one Philadelphia neighborhood that’s experienced dramatic change over the past few decades. Fishtown, just northeast of Center City, is now home to many new residents, restaurants and shops. We’ll start with producer Elizabeth Fiedler’s interview with WILLIAM REED, the co-owner of a bar/restaurant/music venue called Johnny Brenda’s, and with Johnny Brenda’s Talent Buyer CHRIS WARD. Then, Lizz talks with SANDY SALZMAN, the Executive Director of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation. Salzman has experienced the change firsthand: she’s lived in Fishtown her entire life and has lead the community group for almost 20 years. Finally, Lizz talks with Philadelphia Magazine Editor SANDY SMITH, about how things have changed since he wrote an article a few years ago called, "Confession, I'm Black, and I Used to Be Afraid to Walk Around Fishtown."

Guest: Ian McEwan

Marty talks with author IAN McEWAN about his new novel Nutshell, a murder mystery that’s narrated by a fetus. They’ll talk about how McEwan conceived of the non-traditional storyteller, and how he dreamed up with the first sentence: “So here I am, upside down in a woman.” McEwan is the bestselling author of fifteen previous books, including the novels Atonement; The Comfort of Strangers and Black Dogs, both short-listed for the Booker Prize; Amsterdam, winner of the Booker Prize; and The Child in Time. He has also published the story collections First Love, Last Rites, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and In Between the Sheets.

Guests: Sean McQuay, Kent E. Allison, Helaine Olen

Many millennials are working low-paying jobs, drowning in large amounts of student debt, and using debit cards. The thoughts of applying for credit cards has kept many away from establishing a good credit rating. Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with SEAN MCQUAY, credit cards expert at NerdWallet and discusses financial literacy with KENT E. ALLISON, national leader of Pricewaterhouse Coopers' Employee Financial Wellness Practice talks financial literacy. HELAINE OLEN, columnist for Slate and the host of the Slate Academy podcast The United States of Debt says "financial literacy education doesn't work." We’ll hear her reasons for this argument and what Americans should do instead.

Guests: Brian Stelter and Alexios Mantzarlis

Should we expect moderators and reporters to fact-check candidates during live interviews and debates? As we head into the Presidential debate season, we take a look back at lessons learned from the Commander-in-Chief forum, and we get insight into best practices. We’ll be joined by BRIAN STELTER, the senior media correspondent for CNN and the host of “Reliable Sources” and ALEXIOS MANTZARLIS, who leads Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network, where he writes about fact-checking, trains fact-checkers and organizes conferences on fact-checking.

Guests: Anne Trubek, Laura Dinehart, Joshua Goodman

Remember all the hours you spent practicing cursive? All the tracing of loops and curlicues? The Common Core curriculum got rid of cursive instruction in the classroom. But some states aren’t ready to let cursive writing fade and have passed laws making it a requirement. Today we look at whether handwriting really matters in this digital age, after all most of us spend more time typing on a keyboard or screen then holding a pen or pencil. Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with ANNE TRUBEK about her new book The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting, and with Florida International University professor LAURA DINEHART about what how handwriting effects brain development and learning. Then, we take a left turn and look at the research around lefthandedness. Harvard University professor JOSHUA GOODMAN dispels some of the myths around southpaws.

Guests: Heather Ann Thompson, Malcolm Bell

The Attica Correctional Facility uprising in western New York in 1971 is the bloodiest prison riot in our nation’s history.  The inmates, who had lived in deplorable conditions, took control of the prison and held a number of guards hostage. This started a four-day standoff that ended violently when Governor Nelson Rockefeller sent in heavily armed state troopers to take back Attica.  After 2000 rounds of ammunition were fired, twenty-nine inmates and 10 guards were killed and over a hundred people were seriously injured.  Historian HEATHER ANN THOMPSON tells the story of the Attica uprising and the state’s effort to cover-up their actions in a revealing new book Blood in the Water.  She talks to Marty about the Attica rebellion and how it shaped civil rights and mass incarceration.  We’ll also hear from MALCOLM BELL, who was the chief special assistant to the Attica special prosecutor and first blew the whistle on the state’s investigations.  He's the author of The Attica Turkey Shoot.

Guests: Ray Didinger, Mike Sielski

The Eagles began their regular season on Sunday, so today we’re going to see what the first game, and some recent roster changes, say about Philadelphia’s team this year.  We’ll talk about their game against the Browns, how newly-crowned starting quarterback Carson Wentz fared, and how the transition from the Chip Kelly-era bodes for the team. Mary Cummings-Jordan is joined by  Comcast SportsNet football analyst RAY DIDINGER and Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist MIKE SIELSKI to talk about the 2016 season.

Guest: Christina Lamb

How has Afghanistan changed since the attacks of September 11th?  In the fifteen years since 9/11, the US has led a sustained military presence in the country that has been at war for centuries, and a new terror organization has manifested, ISIS. Journalist CHRISTINA LAMB  has covered Afghanistan since 1988 when Russian forces were attempting to occupy their country.  Her book, Farewell Kabul is a thorough examination of how the nation was changed by September 11th, and how the US-led invasion continues to shape it today. Lamb is also the co-author of the bestselling I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by The Taliban.

Guests: Joe Queenan, Stephan Fatsis, Michael MacCambridge

The football season officially began last night, so for this week’s edition of Radio Times in Review, we’re bringing you three conversations about the game of the gridiron. First, we’ll hear from JOE QUEENAN.  He’s a longtime downtrodden Philadelphia sports fan and writer who basks in the masochism of rooting for our city's often-struggling teams.  We’ll also hear from sports writer and commentator STEPHAN FATSIS. A regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered, Fatsis attempted to become an NFL kicker at the age of 43. He described this unlikely journey in his book A Few Seconds of Panic.  We’ll also listen to a portion of Marty’s conversation with writer MICHAEL MacCAMBRIDGE, author of America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation. He joined us to discuss how the game’s development and design helped it surpass baseball as America’s preferred spectator sport.