National News Roundup with Joan Walsh and Ben Berger July 30
Hour 1 In this week’s national news roundup, an Arizona court puts the state’s immigration law on hold and Senator Lindsey Graham says he may try to repeal the 14th amendment which grants birthright citizenship.  Also, Shirley Sherrod [...]

Writer Francine Prose on why the Diary of Anne Frank continues to inspire July 30
Hour 2 In her new book, "Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife," writer Francine Prose explores how the life and death of one girl became emblematic of the lives and deaths of so many and why her words continue to inspire. She contends that Anne Frank was not an accidental writer or casual teenage chronicler, but a writer of considerable talent and ambition.

Is state takeover of Atlantic City a good bet? July 29
Hour 1 Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced plans for a state takeover of Atlantic City’s casino and entertainment district along the boardwalk, citing declining casino revenues, rampant corruption and persistent urban problems. Joining Marty on [...]

Wikileaks, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the U.S. July 29
Hour 2 On Sunday night, the shadowy international network of open-government and antiwar activists known as WikiLeaks posted online more than 92,000 classified documents that documented the realities of the nine-year war in Afghanistan. WikiLeaks shared the documents, [...]

An HIV/AIDS Update July 28
Hour 1 With the close of the International AIDS Conference last week and the recent announcement of Obama’s HIV/AIDS plan, we thought we’d look at where we stand in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Globally, some 33.4 million people [...]

The Summer Learning Slide July 28
Hour 2 Summer vacation used to be a time when kids could pack away their school books and calculators. It was a time for kids to run in the sun in the neighborhood or at camp, and maybe [...]

Happiness is a worn gun with writer Dan Baum July 27
Hour 1 In the cover story of  the August issue of Harper's Magazine, writer DAN BAUM documents his experiences as an owner of a concealed weapon.  He joins us to talk about it. Listen to the mp3 Listen: [...]

Rethinking 'Only' Children July 27
Hour 2 Is it time to dispel the negative stereotype of ‘onlies?’ We talk to journalist LAUREN SANDLER on her recent of TIME magazine cover story about how only-children are not lonely, over-privileged and self-centered. And we’ll also [...]

What's up with this weather? July 26
Hour 1 It’s been sizzling hot this summer. What’s up with this heat wave? We’ll talk about the weather with JOE MIKETTA of the National Weather Service, how it affects our health with LARRY KALKSTEIN from the University [...]

Journalist Lee Kravitz on his year of making amends July 26
Hour 2 As the editor-in-chief of Parade Magazine, journalist LEE KRAVITZ was at the top of his game and he worked long, hard and intensely to get there.  After getting fired and finding himself with a lot of [...]

National News Roundtable with Terence Samuel & Greg Mitchell July 23
Hour 1 Shirley Sherrod, the USDA official who was forced to resign over accusations of racism, dominated a lot of the news this week.  The Sherrod story comes on the heels of last week's  NAACP/Tea Party fight also [...]

Writer Isabel Allende July 23
Hour 2 Isabel Allende's new novel is "Island Beneath the Sea." It's set in Haiti during its turbulent colonial era and bloody slave rebellion at the turn of the 19th century. She's hear with Marty to talk about it, her life and her recent activities in Chile and Haiti.

Update on the BP oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico July 22
Hour 1 BP has capped the well that for three months gushed hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil each day into the Gulf of Mexico. But that’s not the end of the story, not by a long [...]

Radio Times Celebrates Lyricist and Composer Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday July 22
Hour 2 June 29th would have been the 100th birthday of Frank Loesser, the multi award-winning Broadway musical, film composer, director and playwright by discussing his life and listening to his music with DAVID FOX, University of Pennsylvania Theater [...]

Economic recovery, the deficit and politics July 21
Hour 1 The news on the economic recovery is mixed.  For example, inflation is under control and corporate earnings are rising.  At the same time job grown is almost non-existent and foreclosures are increasing.  What's the government to [...]

Oysters and the Ecosystem July 21
Hour 2 While some people may see oysters as only a delicious delicacy, researchers are using them to understand the long term environmental impact of the Gulf oil spill. Oyster shells turn out to hold important clues about [...]

David Kilcullen, on surges and counterinsurgencies July 20
Hour 1 Only one member of the inner circle around Gen. David Petraeus, the architect of the surge in Iraq and just named to replace ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal in Afghanistan, speaks with an Australian accent. DAVID KILCULLEN [...]

An Iraqi Interpreter's Story July 20
Hour 2 American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan depend on Arabic translators.  However, being an Iraqi interpreter for the U.S. military is a dangerous job.  Dozens of translators have been killed by insurgents and many more targeted for [...]

The debate over Pennsylvania’s state stores – privatization or the status quo? July 19
Hour 1 As Pennsylvania faces an ongoing budget crisis, there are renewed calls for privatizing the Commonwealth's liquor stores.  In April, House Republican Whip Mike Turzai unveiled legislation to privatize the wholesale and retail operations of the Pennsylvania Liquor [...]

Why Are We Mortal? July 19
Hour 2 Why are we mortal? How do we end aging? Increased life expectancy is making headlines daily, with technology and cultures accommodating this ancient desire.  Pulitzer-Prize winning science writer JONATHAN WEINER interviews leading scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs [...]

National News Roundup with Jason Johnson & Reid Wilson July 16
Hour 1 In this week’s national news roundup, we’ll look at the passage of the financial reform bill and what it took to push it through.  Also, the fallout from the NAACP’s resolution against “racist elements” in the [...]

Inside the complicated world of hoarders July 16
Hour 2 In their new book, "Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things," researchers Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee take us into the complicated physical and psychological world of hoarders. They’ve been researching and working with hoarders for twenty years and offer a range of explanations and strategies for people who struggle with excessive clutter and acquiring.

Vandana Shiva, on global sustainability July 15
Hour 1 Dr. VANDANA SHIVA is one of the world’s leading environmental thinkers, authors and activists. Her work connects the dots between global poverty, sustainability, agriculture and human rights, particularly the full participation of women in society. Among [...]

The Human Quest: Eating from the Perfect Fire July 15
Hour 2 Keep it hot, keep it clean and keep it lubricated. What, you say? We’re talking about your Grill. Righteous griller, author, educator, TV host, and five-time James Beard award-winner STEVEN RAICHLEN spends his life in the [...]

Immigration in the U.S., PA and Philadelphia July 14
Hour 1 Arizona’s controversial immigration-enforcement legislation is scheduled to take effect July 29th, though the U.S. Justice Department is suing to stop it. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania lawmakers have drafted their own version of an immigration-enforcement bill, which is drawing [...]

Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: The "Black Mozart" July 14
Hour 2 In pre-Revolutionary Paris Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, son of a white plantation owner and African slave, was well known as an all-around athlete and considered the finest swordsman in Europe. He was also a composer, conductor and [...]

Chester: Murders, curfews and violence prevention July 13
Hour 1 Parts of the small city of Chester are under curfew in response to a series of murders earlier this summer. Those murders, with victims including a 2-year-old child, competed for headlines with the successful debut of [...]

David Mitchell on 'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet' July 13
Hour 2 DAVID MITCHELL’s new novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, immerses readers into a unique time and place: a tiny, manmade floating island off the Nagasaki coast of Imperial Japan in 1799, where the Dutch [...]

Update on the Duck Boat Accident July 12
Hour 1 This hour, we get an update on the duck boat tragedy on the Delaware River that claimed two lives.  Last week, the amphibious tour boat stalled on the Delaware River and was struck by a barge. [...]

"To Kill a Mockingbird" Turns 50 July 12
Hour 2 This month, Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird turns 50.   Half a decade after its publishing, the classic novel still sells almost a million copies a year and is one of the most widely read [...]

National news roundup, with Scott Huffmon, David Mark & Dick Polman July 9
Hour 1 We’ll survey the national scene on this week’s Radio Times political news roundup, with a trio of sharp political observers. Guest host TRACEY MATISAK will talk politics with DICK POLMAN, columnist and blogger for the Philadelphia [...]

A History of Gossip July 9
Hour 2 "Confidential" was the proto TMZ.com. From 1952 to 1958, the sensational magazine was the go-to gossip source of its day. It's publisher was a staunch fact-checking advocate, but held no virtue in getting most of his material through blackmail and a payroll that included waiters, bartenders, and jilted lovers. "Confidential" outed homosexuals, mixed race couples and affairs. Our guest, HENRY SCOTT, has put these lurid tales together in his new book, "Confidential: Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential, 'America’s Most Scandalous Magazine.'"

Taking Another Look at the Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony July 8
Hour 1 The New Jersey Supreme Court is questioning the reliability of eyewitness testimony.  A report on the scientific evidence for the Court shows that  eyewitness accounts are often faulty and easily tainted by police procedures.  Studies have [...]

How Do You Know Your Pet is Getting the Right Nutrition? July 8
Hour 2 Can you understand the labels on your pet food containers? Is there a big difference in the supermarket brand food and the high-end animal boutique kibble? What foods should your pet avoid eating? Our guests New [...]

Jere Van Dyk, 'Captive' along Afghanistan-Pakistan border July 7
Hour 1 Six years after Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and eventually killed, veteran journalist JERE VAN DYK was captured in February 2008 by the Taliban in the tribal lands along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. He was held for 44 [...]

American Jews and Israel: Can they criticize Israel and still be Zionists? July 6
Hour 1 In a recent article in the New York Review of Books, writer Peter Beinart argued that the American Jewish mainstream establishment has failed to embrace younger American Jews who may be critical of Israel’s policies.  The [...]

Garbage In – Power Out July 6
Hour 2 As people look for cleaner forms of energy, some are touting waste-to-energy plants, or incinerators, that turn garbage into electricity.  Waste-to-energy plants are popular in Europe but have never really taken off in the United States.  How [...]

Confederate Reckoning July 5
Hour 2 We're coming into the 150th anniversary of the American South's first organized attempt to secede from the Union. Our guest, University of Pennsylvania professor of history STEPHANIE MCCURRY, looks at the Confederate War through the experience of the South's women and slave struggles in her new book, "Confederate Reckoning." We'll talk to her about how women and slaves influenced the demise of the Confederacy, including how they took on the Jefferson Davis government on government enlistment, and tax and welfare policies.

Getting to Know Your Neighbors Through Sleepovers July 5
Hour 2 If you wanted to get to know your neighbors better, how would you go about it? What about inviting yourself to stay overnight at their homes? Our guest PETER LOVENHEIM lived out this social experiment in his leafy Rochester, NY suburb by staying over night at many of his neighbor’s homes on his street. After seven years of sleepovers and interviews, he’s written a book of his experience, "In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time." We'll talk about how a traumatic incident on his street inspired him to understand his neighbors deeper in a world of digital social networking and insular suburban living.

NJ, PA & DE political roundup: Tom Moran, John Baer & Ginger Gibson July 2
Hour 1 New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has just signed his first budget into law, to the delight of fellow Republicans, with the help of legislative Democrats and to the horror of advocacy groups who have seen their [...]

Rebecca Skloot, 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' July 2
Hour 2 Henrietta Lacks was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors; she died in obscurity more than 60 years ago, buried in an unmarked grave. But her cells, taken by scientists without her knowledge, became one of the most important tools in medicine, the first "immortal" human cells grown in cultures. Called "HeLa" cells, they were involved in scientific breakthroughs ranging from a polio vaccine to in vitro fertilization, cancer to cloning. REBECCA SKLOOT's new book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," tells this remarkable story, as well as what happened when Lacks’ ancestors discovered Henrietta’s pivotal role in modern science, and the many bioethical issues it raises.

What have we learned about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan? July 1
Hour 1 The Senate Judiciary Committee is in day four of the Kagan Supreme Court confirmation hearings.  She’s been asked about her judicial philosophy, gun rights, abortion, the rights of terror suspects, and where she was on Christmas [...]

Philadelphia's Sinful History/Aronimick Gulf Club's First African American Member July 1
HR 2            11:00-11:40a As locals and tourists walk around Philadelphia this Independence Day weekend pondering the founding fathers’ aspirations of virtue, social historians now view the prim city in the late 18th century as a destination party town. [...]