The debt debate, the Congress and the President July 29
Hour 1 As the Tuesday, August 2, deadline to raise the debt ceiling approaches, and the U.S. edges ever nearer to defaulting on its loans, Americans are growing increasingly frustrated over the bickering in Congress and the inability [...]

More on the debt ceiling stalemate July 29
Hour 2 Our coverage of the debate in Washington over raising the debt ceiling continues.  We'll start off this hour getting a reading on the opinion of American voters when it comes to the stalemate in Congress from [...]

Massacre in Norway & Europe's far right July 28
Hour 1 The attacks in Norway on Friday killed 76 people, most of them teens and young adults slaughtered at an island camp for young political leaders in training. Early on, speculation about the murderers focused on Al [...]

Dressing for Success: Has 'Business Casual' Gone Too Casual? July 28
Hour 2 It’s summer in Philadelphia. Therefore it’s very hot and humid, and putting on a pair of closed-toe shoes or a tie is the last thing you want to do going out the door to work in [...]

A Check-up on Big Pharma July 27
Hour 1 In the next few years, dozens of the world’s top-selling drugs will go off patent, drugs like Lipitor and Plavix, which millions of people take daily.  Generic versions of these popular medications will finally be available [...]

E.B. White’s Eccentric Life and The Story of Charlotte’s Web July 27
Hour 2 Do you look at a spider web for secret messages? No? Then you probably never read the 1952 classic, “Charlotte’s Web, ” about the farm pig whose impending slaughter is put off by the high-praising messages [...]

Humane Society's Wayne Pacelle on 'The Bond' July 26
Hour 2 REBROADCAST: In his recent book The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them, WAYNE PACELLE, the president of the Humane Society of the United States, speaks to the deep connection he sees between [...]

Philadelphia Cold War Spy Harry Gold July 26
Hour 2 REBROADCAST: Harry Gold, a low-key South Philadelphia industrial chemist, son of Russian Jewish immigrants, hand-delivered U.S. atomic bomb classified information to the Soviets between 1935 – 1950. He was so under the radar, his obituary wasn’t [...]

The plight of Iraqis who have helped the U.S. government July 25
Hour 1 When the U.S. went to war in Iraq it relied heavily on local Iraqis to help interpret the language, explain local customs, provide intelligence tips and make contact with others who could be helpful to the [...]

The Art of Pizza July 23
Hour 2 There’s nothing like the perfect pizza – crispy crust, gooey cheese, just the right amount of sauce bubbling through.  We all have our own idea of the perfect pie.  Some people love thin crust while others [...]

Marcellus shale update: Pooling & local impacts July 22
Hour 1 Today, Pennsylvania Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley, is expected to publish their recommendations for moving forward with the burgeoning industry. Joining us to report on the Commission’s process, politics and [...]

Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us July 22
Hour 2 A blackboard is more a memory than a tool used in schools now, but the sound of fingernails across that blank slate still captures a universal cringe. Overhearing others’ cell phone conversations may have taken that dubious [...]

Facial Recognition Technology July 21
Hour 1 Police and sheriff departments around the country are testing facial recognition technology. They are building databases of suspects using photos, iris scans and fingerprints that will allow law enforcement officials to identify people remotely using handheld [...]

Esmeralda Santiago on Conquistadora July 21
Hour 2 In 19th century Spain, Ana Cubillas dreams of following in her ancestors’ footsteps and traveling to the new world as a Spanish conquistador.  Bestselling writer ESMERALDA SANTIAGO makes her heroine’s dreams come true in her new [...]

Declaration of Independents: Reason's Matt Welch & Nick Gillespie July 20
Hour 1 Reason Magazine’s editor-in-chief MATT WELCH and Reason.TV and Reason.com editor NICK GILLESPIE have a new book out: The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong with America. It’s a witty libertarian manifesto, putting [...]

Political comedy, with Lizz Winstead July 20
Hour 2 Guest-host MAIKEN SCOTT leads a discussion of political comedy, how it works and what makes a news story good material to mine for comedy, with LIZZ WINSTEAD, co-creator and former head writer of The Daily Show [...]

The resignation of Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia July 19
Hour 1 This morning, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will hold a press conference announcing the resignation of Cardinal Justin Rigali as the Archbishop of Philadelphia.  As required by canon law, the Bishop submitted his resignation to the Pope [...]

Drinking and Diving in the City of Brotherly Love July 19
Hour 2 Food and music editor of the Philadelphia Weekly BRIAN MCMANUS’ liver has given him the go-ahead to be on Radio Times. This is an optimistic clearance as McManus has toured over 100 bars in his colloquial [...]

The job crisis — Policies, fixes and the unemployed July 18
Hour 1 Roughly 14 million Americans, 9% of us,  are out of work.  There are five workers available for every one job.  The average unemployed person has been looking for a job for more than nine months.  And [...]

Princeton historian JAMES MCPHERSON on 150 years of the Civil War July 18
Hour 2 We’ll continue to look back at what we learned and what we still need to correct from the American Civil War. A lot has been covered the last 150 years, but since we’re talking to our [...]

Politics, Policy & the Debt Ceiling Debate July 15
Hour 1 As the President and top House and Senate leaders continue to battle over raising the federal debt ceiling, the name-calling and blame game continues.  Despite warnings that a lack of action could have dire consequences for [...]

Philly jazz saxophonist Odean Pope July 15
Hour 2 [Rebroadcast] Philadelphia jazz saxophonist ODEAN POPE’s good friends and collaborators include the Heath brothers, drummer Max Roach and trumpeter Lee Morgan. He and the saxophone giant John Coltrane’s paths crossed more than once – in fact [...]

Status report on green jobs & the 'clean economy' July 14
Hour 1 So-called “green jobs” were a central part of candidate Barack Obama’s stump speech on his way to the presidency in 2008. These were billed as the next most important hope for the U.S. workforce. But with [...]

The New Gold Rush and the Women's World Cup July 14
Hour 2 Advertisements offering to buy gold are all over television, magazines and newspapers. Utah just made gold and silver coins legal. Presidential contender Ron Paul is urging the country to return to a gold standard. And some [...]

Are Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise? July 13
Hour 1 A recent study in the Journal Pediatrics found that food allergies among children are more widespread than previously thought.  According to the report, almost six million children have allergic reactions to peanuts, milk, shellfish or other [...]

Gabrielle Hamilton serves up Blood, Bones and Butter July 13
Hour 2 Bucks County-bred GABRIELLE HAMILTON was washing dishes before the legal age and was working in kitchens and dining rooms in Manhattan by the age of 16. She’s been the owner of the Manhattan restaurant “Prune” since [...]

Phone-hacking fallout in British/U.S. media July 12
Hour 1 A media scandal across the pond has implications for the U.S. media landscape, because it revolves around Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire. The Australian-born Murdoch is best known in the U.S. for founding the FOX Network, [...]

Why We Fear Flying: The Hassles and Real Phobias Behind Today's Air Travel July 12
Hour 2 It’s summertime and planes are packed with vacationers trying to escape their hectic and stressful lives for a few days or a few weeks.  But for most of us, airline travel these days is the antithesis [...]

Built on a dream & a hope: 2 Philadelphia schools providing an alternative to public schools July 11
Hour 1 Community Partnership School, the vision of Germantown Academy head James Connor, opened its doors in 2006 to 34 children in grades pre-K to 1st grade. A collaboration between Germantown Academy and Project H.O.M.E., the school was [...]

A Cultural History of Shoplifting July 11
Hour 2 It’s called the “five finger discount” and it’s been around for centuries – Plato, Zeno and St. Augustine all had thoughts on shoplifting.  In her fascinating new book, The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting, writer [...]

Tracking, predicting & planning for sea-level rise July 8
Hour 1 The good news: The drive to the beach is getting shorter. The bad news is the time isn’t shrinking, but the distance. Scientists increasingly believe sea level is on the rise, and have rising evidence to [...]

Debt-ceiling politics, with Major Garrett & Jay Newton-Small July 8
Hour 2 The countdown to the August 2nd deadline for raising the U.S. debt ceiling continues. On Thursday, President Obama emerged from the White House negotiations with Congressional leaders with no deal in hand, and reported that Democrats [...]

The space shuttle's legacy & the Apollo spacesuit July 7
Hour 1 Tomorrow the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off on its final mission (if weather doesn't interfere) to carry critical supplies to the International Space Station. This last launch marks the end of NASA’s three-decade-long [...]

Sapphire's "The Kid" chronicles life of Precious' son July 7
Hour 2 Do you want to know what happened to the tragic character, Precious, from the 2009 film of the same title and the book Push? Well, her son is the protagonist of a new novel by our [...]

PA's budget as felt by the poor July 6
Hour 1 Governor Tom Corbett signed into law Pennsylvania’s first on-time budget last week in nine years. The $27.15 billion budget fulfilled Corbett’s campaign promise of not raising taxes, and was characterized by Harrisburg Republicans as the beginning [...]

Is Young Adult Fiction Too Dark? July 6
Hour 2 There’s a debate going on about young adult fiction.  In an article in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago, children's book critic MEGHAN COX GURDON argued that young adult books (or YA for short) [...]

New Jersey political roundup, featuring NJN's Michael Aron and more July 5
Hour 1 The state of New Jersey has undergone a significant political upheaval, with the strongest evidence yet the passage of Governor Chris Christie’s pet project: a bill requiring public employees to pay more for their health care [...]

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter July 5
Hour 2 After journalist Jennifer Reese lost her job as book reviewer for Entertainment Weekly in 2008, she decided it was time to save her family some money.  So she  started cooking from scratch and making foods usually purchased in [...]

Andrew Johnson, Accidental President July 4
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Andrew Johnson wasn’t supposed to be president of the United States. Less than two months after he was sworn in as vice-president, he was President Lincoln’s successor after his running mate’s assassination. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian [...]

Colin Quinn's Long Story Short July 4
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Comedian COLIN QUINN came in last month to the Radio Times studio to discuss how he tackled reducing the history of the world in 75 minutes. Just coming off a successful run on Broadway, “Long [...]

The Untold Story of American Superhighways July 1
Hour 1 Are you traveling cross-state this weekend and going the fast, efficient route? Have you considered what went on behind the development of America’s interstate system? Journalist EARL SWIFT has written a book about the pioneering engineers, [...]

Historian Adam Goodheart on '1861: A Civil War Awakening' July 1
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Today we're looking towards the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg starting tomorrow, 7/01. This April we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Confederate forces shelling Fort Sumter offshore Charleston, South Carolina – the [...]