Hour 1 The Presidential election is six months away and the race is heating up. Political ads by the campaigns and Super PACs are popping up around the country.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has released two ads that lay out what he'd do on his first day in office if elected — cuts taxes, [...]

Filed under: business, economy, education, politics, world |

Hour 1 Last month, leaders of the School District of Philadelphia unveiled a radical reorganization plan that would transform – or “blow up” – the district’s structure, closing 40 schools over the next two years and more each year after that, slashing hundreds of administrative jobs, and creating entrepreneurial “achievement networks” to compete to lead [...]

Filed under: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, economy, education, family issues, politics |

Hour 2 According to our guest, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist STEVE COLL, ExxonMobil makes over $450 billion a year, the size of Norway’s GDP and about 3 percent of the U.S. GDP, positioning it as the largest company in the world, just ahead of Apple. The publicly traded ExxonMobil’s work in gas and oil exploration, [...]

Filed under: author, economy, history, journalism, politics, world |

Hour 1 JAMES FALLOWS’ new book, “China Airborne,” combines his two passions: flight & China. More than two-thirds of the new airports under construction today are being built in China; Chinese airlines expect to triple their fleet size over the next decade; and China is buying up American companies that manufacture airplanes and their parts. [...]

Filed under: business, economy, journalism, politics, world |

Hour 1 We present a recorded and lightly edited broadcast of Marty’s Tuesday interview with Pennsylvania Gov. TOM CORBETT at The Prince Music Theater. Marty asked the governor about cuts he's made to education and public welfare programs, the impact fee for Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction, taxes, gay marriage and gay adoption, among other [...]

Filed under: PA elected officials, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, business, economy, education, environment, family issues, politics, social issues, transportation |

Hour 1 Until a decade ago, the U.S. led the world in college graduation rates. Now we rank 12th globally in the number of young adults who hold a minimum of an associate's degree, and while almost 70 percent of high school students enroll in a higher education institution, only 57 percent graduate.  The numbers [...]

Filed under: business, economy, education, teens, work |

Hour 1 The EPA has set the first air pollution rules for natural gas drilling, requiring gas drillers to capture toxic gases, like benzene, that are released during the drilling process. The new rules go into effect in 2015.  The Obama administration has also proposed rules that would force companies to disclose the chemicals used [...]

Filed under: Pennsylvania, business, economy, environment, technology |

Hour 1 In February, the nation’s top mortgage lenders signed a $26 billion mortgage fraud settlement, including $5 billion in cash relief for faulty and sometimes fraudulent documentation of mortgages that cost underwater homeowners untold billions. At the heart of those negotiations was SHAUN DONOVAN, President Obama’s Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and [...]

Filed under: economy, politics |

Hour 2 What is in your chicken?  A new study found that chickens were eating feed containing a banned antibiotic and the active ingredients for pain relievers, antihistamines, and antidepressants. There’s been growing concern over the use antibiotics in animal farming. Close to three-fourths of all antibiotics are used for farm animals and this overuse, [...]

Filed under: business, economy, food, health, journalism, politics, science, technology |

Hour 2 Do you take your lunch break when you’re at work – leave your desk, walk to a restaurant or maybe brown bag it in the park? Turns out, more and more American workers are eating at their desks, plugging away on their computers while sandwich crumbs lodge in their keyboard.  While the two [...]

Filed under: business, culture, economy, health, work |