Archive for the ‘politics’ Category
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A reality check on the Benghazi and IRS investigations
May 17
Guests: Jonathan Landay and Jodi Schneider It's been a rough couple of days for President Obama when it comes to scandal, crisis and politics. On Wednesday, the White House tried to quell criticism over how it responded to [...]
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Peter Edelman on why U.S. is 'So Rich, So Poor'
May 17
GUEST: PETER EDELMAN [REBROADCAST] PETER EDELMAN has been working to raise awareness about and fighting to end poverty in the United States for four decades. Touring the Mississippi Delta in 1967 with his boss, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, [...]
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Governor Christie's weight-loss surgery
May 13
Guests: Matt Katz, Thomas Wadden, Margaret Bonafide New Jersey Governor Chris Christie revealed last week that he underwent gastric band surgery in February. The Governor explained his reasons for the secret weight loss surgery to the New York [...]
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The Brothers Emanuel
May 10
Guest: EZEKIEL EMANUEL HR 1 [REBROADCAST]EZEKIEL EMANUEL is the eldest brother of the current Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff, and a powerful Hollywood agent immortalized in the HBO series, “Entourage” – Rahm and [...]
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Maria Bello on her acting and activism
May 10
Hour 2 Guest: Maria Bello Actor MARIA BELLO has won acclaim for her roles in the films The History of Violence and The Cooler. She’s appeared in many television shows including starring as Detective Jane Timoney in last [...]
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Hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay — ethics and the law
May 8
Hour 1 Guests: Carol Rosenberg, Jonathan Marks and Scott Allen Over 100 inmates at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center have been on a hunger strike since February in protest of their seemingly indefinite detention and the alleged mishandling [...]
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Plan B, politics and parents
May 8
Guests: Jessica Arons and Joan Vennochi Back in 2011, in a controversial decision, Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius announced that the morning after pill, known as Plan B One-Step, would be available over-the-counter only to women [...]
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Analysis of President Obama's trip to Mexico
May 6
GUESTS: TIM JOHNSON and CHRISTOPHER WILSON Is a new Mexico emerging? That’s what President Obama said in a speech Friday during his two-day trip to Mexico, his fourth as President. He met with Mexico’s president, Enrique Pena Nieto [...]
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Health care law update
May 2
Hour 1 Guests: David Grande, Robert Field The Affordable Care Act, what’s popularly known as Obamacare, is three years old but a recent poll shows that 42 percent of Americans don’t even know it is law. According to [...]
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'Embers of War': Historian Fredrik Logevall traces long roots of Vietnam War
May 2
GUEST: FREDRIK LOGEVALL [REBROADCAST] Why did Vietnam became the setting for one of the longest and bloodiest struggles of the entire post-1945 era, and why did two Western powers, first France and then the United States, lose their [...]
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Syria: crossing the red line and U.S. action forward
May 1
Guests: Brian Katulis and Michael Noonan Back in August 2012, President Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that if he used chemical weapons against his own people, he would be crossing a “red line” and that such actions [...]
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Solitary confinement: the historical and contempory practice
April 30
Guests: Sean Kelley, Jules Lobel and Shirley Moore Smeal There are upwards of 25,000 prisoners in the United States who are housed in solitary confinement units, some of whom reside in these units for decades. In Pennsylvania, where [...]
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Pennsylvania politics with Baer and Micek
April 29
Guests: John Baer and John Micek There are some interesting things going on in Harrisburg. Next week's three scheduled Senate hearings on the effort to privatize Pennsylvania's liquor stores could tell us more about what it will take [...]
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Vali Nasr: Dispensable Nation
April 25
Guest: Vali Nasr Middle East scholar VALI NASR knows President Obama’s foreign policy inside and out. From 2009 to 2011, Nasr was a senior adviser to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and worked closely with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. [...]
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Senate politics: Immigration reform and gun laws
April 23
Last week was an interesting one in the U.S. Senate. A bi-partisan "Gang of Eight" unveiled their long-awaited bill to overhaul the nation's immigration system. Debate over the legislation began in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday in [...]
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Adam Rome and “The Genius of Earth Day”
April 19
GUEST: ADAM ROME Over forty years ago this month, an important political event took place that caused reverberations throughout the country. The Genius of Earth Day is the story of the first Earth Day, its significance, and how [...]
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Continuing coverage of the bombings in Boston
April 17
Guests: John Chovanes, Ron Fournier and Heather Hurlburt As the details surrounding Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon unfold, we'll continue our coverage. We're joined in this hour of Radio Times by Cooper University Hospital trauma surgeon JOHN [...]
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The ins and outs of federal tax policy
April 15
GUEST: ROBERTON WILLIAMS It's Tax Day. Have you filed your taxes yet for 2012? Are you claiming the right tax credits for education, a child and child care? ROBERTON WILLIAMS, Tax analyst and Sol Price Fellow at the [...]
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A conversation with Michael Smerconish; then Bill Adair on the future of journalism
April 12
Guests: Michael Smerconish and Bill Adair MICHAEL SMERCONISH announced last month that he is taking his syndicated, Philadelphia-based talk show to SiriusXM radio starting this Monday, April 15th. Calling his style a "non-ideological brand of talk" he's soured [...]
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Debating gun regulation
April 11
GUESTS: JOHN GRAMLICH, BOB CAVNAR and GAREN J. WINTEMUT Firearm background checks may expand to include online purchases, guns bought at shows and through private sales. A bi-partisan bill was announced yesterday sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin III [...]
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The debate on paid sick leave in Philadelphia
April 8
GUESTS: RANDY LOBASSO, MARIANNE BELLESORTE & WILLIAM DUNKELBERG Last week Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed the Earned Sick Days Bill recently passed by City Council. This is the second time around for the bill, championed by Councilman Bill [...]
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200 Years of Latino History in Philadelphia
April 4
Guests: Erika Almiron, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Victor Vazquez Hailing from several different regions and close to half a million strong, Latinos have played a central role in Philadelphia, from politics to civic life. From the time of the founding [...]
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The Brothers Emanuel
April 2
Guest: EZEKIEL EMANUEL EZEKIEL EMANUEL is the eldest brother of the current Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff, and a powerful Hollywood agent immortalized in the HBO series, “Entourage” – Rahm and Ari Emanuel. [...]
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An update on the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention facility
April 1
CAROL ROSENBERG, BENJAMIN WITTES & DAVID FRAKT At least 31 prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have joined a hunger strike to protest the conditions and their indefinite detainment, according to some of the detainees’ lawyers. When [...]
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The Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage
March 29
Guests: Ed Whelan, Tobias Wolff This week the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases related to same-sex marriage. On Tuesday the justices considered Hollingsworth v. Perry, debating the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. [...]
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New Jersey's gay conversion therapy ban is up for debate
March 27
Guests: BRIGID HARRISON, PETERSON TOSCANO and CLINTON ANDERSON Last week the New Jersey State Senate committee passed a bill that would outlaw licensed therapists practicing gay conversion therapy. Governor Chris Christie has not signed the bill, co-sponsored by [...]
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The health and stability of our financial system
March 26
Guests: Jesse Eisinger and Anat Admati Is the financial system any safer today four years after the bank bailout? The Dobb-Frank financial reform bill was supposed to bring stability, accountability and transparency to Wall Street but a lot [...]
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Salt, Sugar and Fat
March 21
GUEST: MICHAEL MOSS If you eat processed food, how much do you scrutinize the ingredients on the package? Our guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, MICHAEL MOSS, has considered the quality of these ingredients, including identifying the 8,500 milligrams [...]
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Should the PLCB be privatized?
March 20
GUESTS: LEW BRYSON and MARC STIER On Monday, Pennsylvania’s House Committee on Liquor Control presented their revised version of Governor Corbett’s bill to privatize the sale of wine and hard liquor. The plan includes potentially slowing down the [...]
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Dueling Budgets
March 18
Hour 1 Guests: Michael Tanner and Jared Bernstein Last week House Republicans and Senate Democrats unveiled their competing budget plans. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposal aims to balance the budget in a decade by cutting $4.6 [...]
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Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court
March 15
Guest: Sandra Day O'Connor Justice SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR was the first woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court. She joins us in studio to discuss her new book, "Out of Order: Stories from the History of [...]
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The justice gap — the challenge of providing legal services for poor people
March 13
Guests: MARC BOOKMAN, CATHERINE CARR, JAMES FUNT Fifty years ago this month, in the case Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme court ruled that poor people charged with a felony were entitled to government-financed legal representation. Over the [...]
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The Chavez Legacy
March 11
Guests: George Ciccariello-Maher, Francisco Toro Last week, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died after a two-year battle with cancer at the age of 58. He was a polarizing figure in Venezuela and the world. To some, he was a [...]
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The civil war in Syria: The conflict, U.S. policy and how might it end
March 6
GUESTS: SAMER ABBOUD and ANDREW TABLER Last week, for the first time since the civil war in Syria began two years ago, the U.S. announced its support for the Syrian opposition movement. In a major shift in policy, [...]
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Post-sequestration politics: Libertarian & progressive perspectives
March 4
GUESTS: MATT WELCH & MATT YGLESIAS To “resolve” the summer 2011 standoff over extending the federal debt ceiling, President Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to form a “supercommittee” to come up with a debt reduction plan. At the [...]
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The Future of Guantanamo Bay
March 1
Hour 1 Guests: Carol Rosenberg, Benjamin Wittes, David Frakt At least 31 prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have joined a hunger strike to protest the conditions and their indefinite detainment, according to some of the detainees’ [...]
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New Jersey and Pennsylvania politics deconstructed
March 1
GUESTS: CHARLES STILE, JOHN BAER, JOHN MICEK We'll start off this hour of Radio Times with an update on New Jersey politics in the week of Governor Chris Christie's budget address, which surprisingly included a reversal expanding Medicaid [...]
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'A Place at the Table' for Witnesses to Hunger: A new documentary
March 1
GUESTS: BARBIE IZQUIERDO, MARIANA CHILTON, LORI SILVERBUSH and KRISTI JACOBSON “A Place at the Table” is a new documentary about the crisis of hunger in America today that was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [...]
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David Leonhardt on the sequester, the debt, the deficit and economic growth
February 28
GUEST: DAVID LEONHARDT Tomorrow is the day the sequester is set to kick in — that's the $85 billion in government spending cuts for the coming year that resulted from the failure of Congress in 2011 to raise [...]
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Peter Edelman on why U.S. is 'So Rich, So Poor'
February 28
GUEST: PETER EDELMAN PETER EDELMAN has been working to raise awareness about and fighting to end poverty in the United States for four decades. Touring the Mississippi Delta in 1967 with his boss, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, exposed [...]
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The 'moral hazard' & Sandy relief: Do federal funds invite disaster?
February 26
Hour 1 GUESTS: HOWARD KUNREUTHER and SCOTT KNOWLES This morning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is briefing Philadelphia and Pennsylvania leaders about applying for federal aid in response to the storm called Sandy that ravaged the region at [...]
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What is AVI, and what will it mean for Philadelphia?
February 25
GUESTS: ROB DUBOW, PATRICK KERKSTRA and KEVIN GILLEN Philadelphia is in the midst of a massive overhaul of its property tax system. Mayor Michael Nutter’s Actual Value Initiative, known by its acronym AVI, is attempting to match city [...]
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Nuclear weapons and nonproliferation
February 21
GUEST: WARD WILSON North Korea conducted its third underground nuclear test last week, the same day President Obama addressed the country in his State of the Union speech. Obama has made reducing the nation’s nuclear arsenal a priority [...]
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'A Place at the Table' for Witnesses to Hunger: A new documentary
February 20
GUESTS: BARBIE IZQUIERDO, MARIANA CHILTON, LORI SILVERBUSH and KRISTI JACOBSON “A Place at the Table” is a new documentary about the crisis of hunger in America today that was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [...]
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Obama's early education proposal
February 20
President Obama wants to provide quality early education for all low to moderate income 4-year olds. Last week the White House provided more details on the proposal which would involve a partnership with states to guarantee preschool for [...]
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The complicated, internal secrecy of the Eisenhower administration
February 18
[REBROADCAST] President Dwight D. Eisenhower, known for his calm, grandfatherly demeanor, was the first American president that could have destroyed the world, according to our guest, writer EVAN THOMAS. The morning after his election in 1952, “Ike” was [...]
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Debating PA Gov. Corbett's budget proposal
February 15
GUESTS: DONNA COOPER and MATTHEW BROUILLETTE Earlier this month, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett unveiled a budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, and launched an annual battle over dollars and priorities across the commonwealth. The $28.4 [...]
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Cybersecurity and the growing threats
February 14
Guests: SIOBHAN GORMAN, ALAN PALLER and JAMES LEWIS On Tuesday, President Obama signed an Executive Order to protect the country’s critical infrastructure from cyber attacks. As he announced Tuesday night in his State of the Union address, the [...]
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Analyzing the State of the Union address and the Republican response
February 13
Guests: Ben Berger, Lara Brown and Imani Perry Last night, before Congress and the nation, President Obama addressed the state of the union and outlined his second term agenda. He focused on the middle class, pledging action on [...]
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California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on 'Citizenville'
February 13
GUEST: GAVIN NEWSOM You may recognize the name GAVIN NEWSOM from his historic 2004 decision as San Francisco Mayor to allow same-sex marriages. He is now the lieutenant governor of the State of California, following his two terms [...]
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How to predict the next financial crisis, with Steve Clemons & Richard Vague
February 12
GUESTS: STEVE CLEMONS and RICHARD VAGUE Are we missing the forest for the trees by focusing on government debt and not private debt? According to a recent report, “How to Predict the Next Financial Crisis” (link to pdf), [...]
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Guns and politics
February 11
GUESTS: RICHARD FELDMAN and ROBERT SPITZER Vice President Biden is in Philadelphia today to hold a roundtable discussion on gun violence with law enforcement officials. He’s been leading the White Houses effort for tougher gun laws including a [...]
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Obama's drone strike policy
February 8
The Obama administration’s use of drones for targeted killings has been drawing increasing attention and criticism from some. In his confirmation hearings yesterday, John Brennan, Obama’s nominee for CIA director and current top counterterrorism adviser, faced questions and [...]
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Philly Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; then Barbara Laker on 'Tainted Justice' 4 years later
February 6
Philadelphia Police Commissioner CHARLES RAMSEY joins us to brief us on his contribution to the Gun Violence Panel convened by Vice President Joe Biden and appointed by President Obama. That panel’s work culminated in four ambitious legislative proposals [...]
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Al Gore on 'The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change'
February 5
Former Vice President AL GORE has a new book out, inspired by his restless quest for understanding of the factors reshaping our world. It’s called “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change,” and it ties together global climate [...]
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A history of the financial crisis from economist Alan Blinder
February 4
In his new book, After the Music Stopped, economist ALAN BLINDER offers a history of the financial crisis — its causes and the government efforts to fight it — and provides his prescription for the work that needs [...]
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Immigration reform: reaction and response
January 30
Yesterday afternoon, President Obama announced his blueprint for immigration reform in response to a set of principles laid out by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Monday. The President's plan calls for a quicker path to citizenship [...]
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Debating mental health legislation after Newtown massacre
January 25
The massacre last month at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut galvanized the national conversation on gun control, but that wasn’t all. Family stories of shooter Adam Lanza’s mental health struggles – on the heels of mental [...]
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Will Obama's second term change prospects for climate?
January 24
In his inaugural speech, President Obama made climate change a central priority of his second term: “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future [...]
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Former Congressman Mickey Edwards on why political parties are the real problem with government
January 23
In his new book, The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans, former Republican Congressman MICKEY EDWARDS argues that it is the political parties that are the root of dysfunction in American government. [...]
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The Inauguration and Obama's next term
January 22
Yesterday President Obama was sworn into his second term as commander in chief of the United States , something that has only happened to 16 other U.S. Presidents. The inaugural ceremony, though full of pomp and pageantry, didn't [...]
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NPR's Andy Carvin, a 'Distant Witness' via social media
January 22
The Arab Spring changed history, and changed the way breaking news is reported around the world and who controls the news. NPR social media chief ANDY CARVIN – “the man who tweets revolutions” – offers a unique first-person [...]
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#innovateRT, pt. 4: Open Data Philly & bridging the digital divide
January 17
In the fourth part of our #innovateRT series exploring PHILADELPHIA INNOVATORS, we investigate: What is Philadelphia doing to use the Web, apps and digital technology to change its relationship with its citizens? What could open data and the [...]
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Guns & gun laws, after Newtown, CT: US, PA, Philly
January 16
In advance of President Obama’s much anticipated news conference later this morning outlining his agenda regarding gun and safety regulations in the wake of the horrific massacre in Newtown, Connecticut last month, we check in with three people [...]
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The pros and cons of privatizing the lottery
January 15
Late Friday afternoon, the Corbett administration announced it had issued a "notice of award" to the UK's Camelot Group to run the Commonwealth's lottery. Camelot, the only bidder on the contract, promised that over its 20-year contract it [...]
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Sarah Palin: Unlikely Liberal
January 14
Since her selection as Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin has become a popular partisan voice in conservative politics – she’s a strong Tea Party supporter and a commentator on FoxNews. But for people who [...]
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#innovateRT: Three Philly leaders innovating land-use
January 14
There are some cool and exciting things happening in Philadelphia: tech start ups and theater groups plus new ways of looking at land use and sustainability. Leading off our weeklong series on PHILADELPHIA INNOVATORS, we’re talking about some [...]
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Journalist Mark Bowden on "The Finish" of Osama bin Laden
January 11
[REBROADCAST] Journalist MARK BOWDEN returns to Radio Times to take us inside the rooms where the decisions were made to take down Osama bin Laden. Having access to President Obama, his national security advisors, and high ranking members [...]
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Forty years since Roe v. Wade
January 9
Forty years ago this month, the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade, the historic case that made abortion legal in the United States. The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, could have [...]
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Gov. Corbett's suit vs. the NCAA over Penn State/Sandusky penalties
January 8
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett sued the NCAA last week on behalf of the Commonwealth, claiming that the governing body for college sports went overboard in penalizing Penn State in response to the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal. In [...]
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A conversation with Philadelphia school chief William Hite
January 8
On Monday, after four months on the job, Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite, Jr. made public his blueprint for turning around the city’s public schools. Its two broad goals are to improve academics on all levels — from [...]
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Sandy relief bill, the fiscal cliff and GOP politics
January 4
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a $9 billion boost to the federal flood insurance program sucked dry by the catastrophic damage caused by Superstorm Sandy at the end of October. The vote [...]
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Marijuana politics in NJ, PA & the U.S.
January 3
Last month, JAY LASSITER of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, purchased the Garden State’s first legal medical marijuana from Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair, New Jersey. Battling HIV for two decades, the advocacy consultant and former BlueJersey.com blogger campaigned [...]
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Congress, politics and the fiscal cliff
January 2
In the wee hours of January 1, the Senate passed legislation that would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans — those earning over $400,000, extend unemployment benefits for 99 weeks, and delay for two months $110 billion cuts [...]
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2012's big stories in the Delaware Valley: PA, NJ & DE
December 28
We look back at the year’s biggest political stories in the three states of the Delaware Valley with a trio of excellent reporters. Joining guest-host Tracey Matisak to discuss the year in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia political news is [...]
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Gun violence in cross-hairs, in Philly & U.S.
December 27
As many families gathered over the holidays, the issue most hotly debated and discussed was guns and gun violence in the United States. With the Dec. 14 massacre of 20 first-graders and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut, still [...]
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Politics, foreign affairs and the year in review
December 26
In Washington, lawmakers are still wrangling over plans that would prevent a fiscal crisis in coming days and have put on hold further negotiations until after they take their Christmas break. Meanwhile on the city, state and federal [...]
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National politics: Guns, fiscal cliff & more
December 21
In this week’s national news roundup, Marty chats with two Washington D.C.-based journalists about the big two topics dominating the national political discussion this week: the Newtown, CT, massacre and possible gun legislation in response, and the "fiscal [...]
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Downsizing the Pentagon budget; then, what suicide bombers & rampage shooters have in common
December 19
Should the U.S. slide off the fiscal cliff in a few weeks, over $55 billion in spending cuts a year for the next decade will kick in at the Pentagon. That amount added to the $487 billion in [...]
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A conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker
December 13
Our guest in this hour of Radio Times, RYAN C. CROCKER, recently stepped down as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. Crocker is one of the nation’s most experienced diplomats, having served as Ambassador to Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and [...]
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Some suggestions about how we can live with guns
December 12
Gun control hardly came up during the 2012 election. Obama briefly mentioned an assault weapons ban in one of the debates but neither Governor Romney nor the President really weighed in on what’s become one of the most [...]
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The diverse school dilemma
December 11
For young middle-class families who are committed to living in a diverse, vibrant urban environment while contributing to the economic health of the city, the decision of where to send children to school is often fraught with conflict. [...]
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The complicated, internal secrecy of the Eisenhower administration
December 10
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, known for his calm, grandfatherly demeanor, was the first American president that could have destroyed the world, according to our guest, writer EVAN THOMAS. The morning after his election in 1952, “Ike” was informed [...]
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The Fiscal Cliff, government subsidies, and a carbon tax
December 7
The “fiscal cliff” debate continued this week with the President reiterating that tax hikes on the wealthy must be a part of any proposal and House Republicans pressing for entitlement and spending cuts. If the two sides can’t [...]
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Philly legal shenanigans: DA's cash machine & Traffic Court ticket-fixing
December 6
On today’s Radio Times, we look at two recent investigative reports raising questions about two different parts of the legal system in Philadelphia. In the first half of the hour, ISAIAH THOMPSON, who just left the City Paper [...]
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Post-Sandy politics of rebuilding the Jersey Shore
December 5
As New Jersey struggles with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, we follow up our look at the science and engineering with a look at the politics of whether, how, where and who pays for rebuilding the beloved Jersey [...]
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PA Task Force on Child Protection, post-Sandusky
December 5
The Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection has been meeting for 10 months with experts in all facets of child care and protection, tasked with reviewing the commonwealth’s laws and procedures protecting children, and where and why they [...]
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DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara
December 3
COLLIN O’MARA serves as Secretary of the Environment and Energy for Delaware Governor Jack Markell. He’s the chief steward of Delaware’s natural resources, including its coastal programs and shoreline efforts, and leads the state’s efforts to ensure access to [...]
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National politics: Fiscal cliff & changing electorate
November 30
In this week’s national political roundup, Marty talks about the fiscal cliff and the politics surrounding the negotiations, which has brought President Obama to a Montgomery County toymaker today, and the changing face of the American electorate. President [...]
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John Baer's years on the front lines of Pennsylvania politics
November 28
Harrisburg native and Philadelphia Daily News veteran reporter and columnist JOHN BAER comes in to discuss his irreverent observations on Pennsylvania politics from Governor Shapp to Governor Corbett. In between these administrations, we’ll hear about how close Baer [...]
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The attack in Benghazi, Susan Rice, and the GOP
November 28
Yesterday, UN Ambassador Susan Rice met with Republican senators in an effort to explain remarks she made immediately following the September 11 attack on the US consulate and a nearby CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya that killed US [...]
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Updates on Egypt & Syria
November 27
Egypt’s elected president, Mohamed Morsi, sparked a new political crisis less than two years after a popular uprising ousted Hosni Mubarak with a decree this week that his decisions would be exempt from judicial review. New mass demonstrations [...]
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States react to the Affordable Care Act
November 26
With President Obama’s reelection, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. During the presidential campaign, Republican candidate Mitt Romney promised to dismantle parts of “Obamacare” if elected, but now with Obama in office for four more years, [...]
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The role religion does play and should play in American government
November 23
[REBROADCAST] In this era of "faith and value politics,” we find ourselves frequently debating the role religion plays in modern American government. And the role it should play? In his recent book, writer Jacques Berlinerblau attempts to answer [...]
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The Jersey Shore, after Sandy: To rebuild or not to rebuild
November 21
When Superstorm Sandy slammed into and through the southern Jersey Shore near Ocean City in the evening of Oct. 29, the full-moon high tide and storm surge laid waste to structures, streets and stretches of shoreline up and [...]
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The Israel/Gaza conflict
November 20
As the air war over Israel and Gaza continues and Israeli's amass ground troops and tanks along the shared border, Egyptian-led efforts to negotiate a cease-fire are underway. Israel has demanded that Hamas stop the ongoing rocket fire [...]
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Economist Mark Zandi looks at the ending of the Great Recession
November 19
We check in with MARK ZANDI, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, on the economic recovery of the last four years. While the effectiveness of the $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to be challenged, Zandi reports [...]
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Considering the Impeachment of President Abraham Lincoln
November 16
[REBROADCAST] What if President Lincoln hadn't been killed at Ford's Theatre? What if John Wilkes Booth failed in his assassination attempt and Lincoln recovered, only to face an impeachment trial? That's the premise at the center of “The [...]
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A second casino for Philadelphia?
November 15
Hour 1 Today is the deadline for proposals to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for a second casino license set aside for the city of Philadelphia, and at least six proposals have been made public. Among them are [...]
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Same-sex marriage election victories and LGBT rights
November 15
Hour 2 Same-sex marriage supporters have a lot to celebrate this election. In Washington State, Maine and Maryland voters chose to legalize gay marriage through ballot referendums. In Minnesota, voters rejected a proposed State Constitutional ban on same-sex [...]
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A reality check on the Benghazi and IRS investigations
May 17
Guests: Jonathan Landay and Jodi Schneider It's been a rough couple of days for President Obama when it comes to scandal, crisis and politics. On Wednesday, the White House tried to quell criticism over how it responded to [...] -
Peter Edelman on why U.S. is 'So Rich, So Poor'
May 17
GUEST: PETER EDELMAN [REBROADCAST] PETER EDELMAN has been working to raise awareness about and fighting to end poverty in the United States for four decades. Touring the Mississippi Delta in 1967 with his boss, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, [...] -
Governor Christie's weight-loss surgery
May 13
Guests: Matt Katz, Thomas Wadden, Margaret Bonafide New Jersey Governor Chris Christie revealed last week that he underwent gastric band surgery in February. The Governor explained his reasons for the secret weight loss surgery to the New York [...] -
The Brothers Emanuel
May 10
Guest: EZEKIEL EMANUEL HR 1 [REBROADCAST]EZEKIEL EMANUEL is the eldest brother of the current Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff, and a powerful Hollywood agent immortalized in the HBO series, “Entourage” – Rahm and [...] -
Maria Bello on her acting and activism
May 10
Hour 2 Guest: Maria Bello Actor MARIA BELLO has won acclaim for her roles in the films The History of Violence and The Cooler. She’s appeared in many television shows including starring as Detective Jane Timoney in last [...] -
Hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay — ethics and the law
May 8
Hour 1 Guests: Carol Rosenberg, Jonathan Marks and Scott Allen Over 100 inmates at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center have been on a hunger strike since February in protest of their seemingly indefinite detention and the alleged mishandling [...] -
Plan B, politics and parents
May 8
Guests: Jessica Arons and Joan Vennochi Back in 2011, in a controversial decision, Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius announced that the morning after pill, known as Plan B One-Step, would be available over-the-counter only to women [...] -
Analysis of President Obama's trip to Mexico
May 6
GUESTS: TIM JOHNSON and CHRISTOPHER WILSON Is a new Mexico emerging? That’s what President Obama said in a speech Friday during his two-day trip to Mexico, his fourth as President. He met with Mexico’s president, Enrique Pena Nieto [...] -
Health care law update
May 2
Hour 1 Guests: David Grande, Robert Field The Affordable Care Act, what’s popularly known as Obamacare, is three years old but a recent poll shows that 42 percent of Americans don’t even know it is law. According to [...] -
'Embers of War': Historian Fredrik Logevall traces long roots of Vietnam War
May 2
GUEST: FREDRIK LOGEVALL [REBROADCAST] Why did Vietnam became the setting for one of the longest and bloodiest struggles of the entire post-1945 era, and why did two Western powers, first France and then the United States, lose their [...] -
Syria: crossing the red line and U.S. action forward
May 1
Guests: Brian Katulis and Michael Noonan Back in August 2012, President Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that if he used chemical weapons against his own people, he would be crossing a “red line” and that such actions [...] -
Solitary confinement: the historical and contempory practice
April 30
Guests: Sean Kelley, Jules Lobel and Shirley Moore Smeal There are upwards of 25,000 prisoners in the United States who are housed in solitary confinement units, some of whom reside in these units for decades. In Pennsylvania, where [...] -
Pennsylvania politics with Baer and Micek
April 29
Guests: John Baer and John Micek There are some interesting things going on in Harrisburg. Next week's three scheduled Senate hearings on the effort to privatize Pennsylvania's liquor stores could tell us more about what it will take [...] -
Vali Nasr: Dispensable Nation
April 25
Guest: Vali Nasr Middle East scholar VALI NASR knows President Obama’s foreign policy inside and out. From 2009 to 2011, Nasr was a senior adviser to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and worked closely with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. [...] -
Senate politics: Immigration reform and gun laws
April 23
Last week was an interesting one in the U.S. Senate. A bi-partisan "Gang of Eight" unveiled their long-awaited bill to overhaul the nation's immigration system. Debate over the legislation began in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday in [...] -
Adam Rome and “The Genius of Earth Day”
April 19
GUEST: ADAM ROME Over forty years ago this month, an important political event took place that caused reverberations throughout the country. The Genius of Earth Day is the story of the first Earth Day, its significance, and how [...] -
Continuing coverage of the bombings in Boston
April 17
Guests: John Chovanes, Ron Fournier and Heather Hurlburt As the details surrounding Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon unfold, we'll continue our coverage. We're joined in this hour of Radio Times by Cooper University Hospital trauma surgeon JOHN [...] -
The ins and outs of federal tax policy
April 15
GUEST: ROBERTON WILLIAMS It's Tax Day. Have you filed your taxes yet for 2012? Are you claiming the right tax credits for education, a child and child care? ROBERTON WILLIAMS, Tax analyst and Sol Price Fellow at the [...] -
A conversation with Michael Smerconish; then Bill Adair on the future of journalism
April 12
Guests: Michael Smerconish and Bill Adair MICHAEL SMERCONISH announced last month that he is taking his syndicated, Philadelphia-based talk show to SiriusXM radio starting this Monday, April 15th. Calling his style a "non-ideological brand of talk" he's soured [...] -
Debating gun regulation
April 11
GUESTS: JOHN GRAMLICH, BOB CAVNAR and GAREN J. WINTEMUT Firearm background checks may expand to include online purchases, guns bought at shows and through private sales. A bi-partisan bill was announced yesterday sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin III [...] -
The debate on paid sick leave in Philadelphia
April 8
GUESTS: RANDY LOBASSO, MARIANNE BELLESORTE & WILLIAM DUNKELBERG Last week Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed the Earned Sick Days Bill recently passed by City Council. This is the second time around for the bill, championed by Councilman Bill [...] -
200 Years of Latino History in Philadelphia
April 4
Guests: Erika Almiron, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Victor Vazquez Hailing from several different regions and close to half a million strong, Latinos have played a central role in Philadelphia, from politics to civic life. From the time of the founding [...] -
The Brothers Emanuel
April 2
Guest: EZEKIEL EMANUEL EZEKIEL EMANUEL is the eldest brother of the current Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff, and a powerful Hollywood agent immortalized in the HBO series, “Entourage” – Rahm and Ari Emanuel. [...] -
An update on the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention facility
April 1
CAROL ROSENBERG, BENJAMIN WITTES & DAVID FRAKT At least 31 prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have joined a hunger strike to protest the conditions and their indefinite detainment, according to some of the detainees’ lawyers. When [...] -
The Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage
March 29
Guests: Ed Whelan, Tobias Wolff This week the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases related to same-sex marriage. On Tuesday the justices considered Hollingsworth v. Perry, debating the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. [...] -
New Jersey's gay conversion therapy ban is up for debate
March 27
Guests: BRIGID HARRISON, PETERSON TOSCANO and CLINTON ANDERSON Last week the New Jersey State Senate committee passed a bill that would outlaw licensed therapists practicing gay conversion therapy. Governor Chris Christie has not signed the bill, co-sponsored by [...] -
The health and stability of our financial system
March 26
Guests: Jesse Eisinger and Anat Admati Is the financial system any safer today four years after the bank bailout? The Dobb-Frank financial reform bill was supposed to bring stability, accountability and transparency to Wall Street but a lot [...] -
Salt, Sugar and Fat
March 21
GUEST: MICHAEL MOSS If you eat processed food, how much do you scrutinize the ingredients on the package? Our guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, MICHAEL MOSS, has considered the quality of these ingredients, including identifying the 8,500 milligrams [...] -
Should the PLCB be privatized?
March 20
GUESTS: LEW BRYSON and MARC STIER On Monday, Pennsylvania’s House Committee on Liquor Control presented their revised version of Governor Corbett’s bill to privatize the sale of wine and hard liquor. The plan includes potentially slowing down the [...] -
Dueling Budgets
March 18
Hour 1 Guests: Michael Tanner and Jared Bernstein Last week House Republicans and Senate Democrats unveiled their competing budget plans. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposal aims to balance the budget in a decade by cutting $4.6 [...] -
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court
March 15
Guest: Sandra Day O'Connor Justice SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR was the first woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court. She joins us in studio to discuss her new book, "Out of Order: Stories from the History of [...] -
The justice gap — the challenge of providing legal services for poor people
March 13
Guests: MARC BOOKMAN, CATHERINE CARR, JAMES FUNT Fifty years ago this month, in the case Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme court ruled that poor people charged with a felony were entitled to government-financed legal representation. Over the [...] -
The Chavez Legacy
March 11
Guests: George Ciccariello-Maher, Francisco Toro Last week, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died after a two-year battle with cancer at the age of 58. He was a polarizing figure in Venezuela and the world. To some, he was a [...] -
The civil war in Syria: The conflict, U.S. policy and how might it end
March 6
GUESTS: SAMER ABBOUD and ANDREW TABLER Last week, for the first time since the civil war in Syria began two years ago, the U.S. announced its support for the Syrian opposition movement. In a major shift in policy, [...] -
Post-sequestration politics: Libertarian & progressive perspectives
March 4
GUESTS: MATT WELCH & MATT YGLESIAS To “resolve” the summer 2011 standoff over extending the federal debt ceiling, President Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to form a “supercommittee” to come up with a debt reduction plan. At the [...] -
The Future of Guantanamo Bay March 1
Hour 1 Guests: Carol Rosenberg, Benjamin Wittes, David Frakt At least 31 prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have joined a hunger strike to protest the conditions and their indefinite detainment, according to some of the detainees’ [...] -
New Jersey and Pennsylvania politics deconstructed
March 1
GUESTS: CHARLES STILE, JOHN BAER, JOHN MICEK We'll start off this hour of Radio Times with an update on New Jersey politics in the week of Governor Chris Christie's budget address, which surprisingly included a reversal expanding Medicaid [...] -
'A Place at the Table' for Witnesses to Hunger: A new documentary
March 1
GUESTS: BARBIE IZQUIERDO, MARIANA CHILTON, LORI SILVERBUSH and KRISTI JACOBSON “A Place at the Table” is a new documentary about the crisis of hunger in America today that was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [...] -
David Leonhardt on the sequester, the debt, the deficit and economic growth
February 28
GUEST: DAVID LEONHARDT Tomorrow is the day the sequester is set to kick in — that's the $85 billion in government spending cuts for the coming year that resulted from the failure of Congress in 2011 to raise [...] -
Peter Edelman on why U.S. is 'So Rich, So Poor'
February 28
GUEST: PETER EDELMAN PETER EDELMAN has been working to raise awareness about and fighting to end poverty in the United States for four decades. Touring the Mississippi Delta in 1967 with his boss, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, exposed [...] -
The 'moral hazard' & Sandy relief: Do federal funds invite disaster?
February 26
Hour 1 GUESTS: HOWARD KUNREUTHER and SCOTT KNOWLES This morning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is briefing Philadelphia and Pennsylvania leaders about applying for federal aid in response to the storm called Sandy that ravaged the region at [...] -
What is AVI, and what will it mean for Philadelphia?
February 25
GUESTS: ROB DUBOW, PATRICK KERKSTRA and KEVIN GILLEN Philadelphia is in the midst of a massive overhaul of its property tax system. Mayor Michael Nutter’s Actual Value Initiative, known by its acronym AVI, is attempting to match city [...] -
Nuclear weapons and nonproliferation
February 21
GUEST: WARD WILSON North Korea conducted its third underground nuclear test last week, the same day President Obama addressed the country in his State of the Union speech. Obama has made reducing the nation’s nuclear arsenal a priority [...] -
'A Place at the Table' for Witnesses to Hunger: A new documentary
February 20
GUESTS: BARBIE IZQUIERDO, MARIANA CHILTON, LORI SILVERBUSH and KRISTI JACOBSON “A Place at the Table” is a new documentary about the crisis of hunger in America today that was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [...] -
Obama's early education proposal
February 20
President Obama wants to provide quality early education for all low to moderate income 4-year olds. Last week the White House provided more details on the proposal which would involve a partnership with states to guarantee preschool for [...] -
The complicated, internal secrecy of the Eisenhower administration
February 18
[REBROADCAST] President Dwight D. Eisenhower, known for his calm, grandfatherly demeanor, was the first American president that could have destroyed the world, according to our guest, writer EVAN THOMAS. The morning after his election in 1952, “Ike” was [...] -
Debating PA Gov. Corbett's budget proposal
February 15
GUESTS: DONNA COOPER and MATTHEW BROUILLETTE Earlier this month, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett unveiled a budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, and launched an annual battle over dollars and priorities across the commonwealth. The $28.4 [...] -
Cybersecurity and the growing threats
February 14
Guests: SIOBHAN GORMAN, ALAN PALLER and JAMES LEWIS On Tuesday, President Obama signed an Executive Order to protect the country’s critical infrastructure from cyber attacks. As he announced Tuesday night in his State of the Union address, the [...] -
Analyzing the State of the Union address and the Republican response
February 13
Guests: Ben Berger, Lara Brown and Imani Perry Last night, before Congress and the nation, President Obama addressed the state of the union and outlined his second term agenda. He focused on the middle class, pledging action on [...] -
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on 'Citizenville'
February 13
GUEST: GAVIN NEWSOM You may recognize the name GAVIN NEWSOM from his historic 2004 decision as San Francisco Mayor to allow same-sex marriages. He is now the lieutenant governor of the State of California, following his two terms [...] -
How to predict the next financial crisis, with Steve Clemons & Richard Vague
February 12
GUESTS: STEVE CLEMONS and RICHARD VAGUE Are we missing the forest for the trees by focusing on government debt and not private debt? According to a recent report, “How to Predict the Next Financial Crisis” (link to pdf), [...] -
Guns and politics
February 11
GUESTS: RICHARD FELDMAN and ROBERT SPITZER Vice President Biden is in Philadelphia today to hold a roundtable discussion on gun violence with law enforcement officials. He’s been leading the White Houses effort for tougher gun laws including a [...] -
Obama's drone strike policy
February 8
The Obama administration’s use of drones for targeted killings has been drawing increasing attention and criticism from some. In his confirmation hearings yesterday, John Brennan, Obama’s nominee for CIA director and current top counterterrorism adviser, faced questions and [...] -
Philly Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; then Barbara Laker on 'Tainted Justice' 4 years later
February 6
Philadelphia Police Commissioner CHARLES RAMSEY joins us to brief us on his contribution to the Gun Violence Panel convened by Vice President Joe Biden and appointed by President Obama. That panel’s work culminated in four ambitious legislative proposals [...] -
Al Gore on 'The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change'
February 5
Former Vice President AL GORE has a new book out, inspired by his restless quest for understanding of the factors reshaping our world. It’s called “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change,” and it ties together global climate [...] -
A history of the financial crisis from economist Alan Blinder
February 4
In his new book, After the Music Stopped, economist ALAN BLINDER offers a history of the financial crisis — its causes and the government efforts to fight it — and provides his prescription for the work that needs [...] -
Immigration reform: reaction and response
January 30
Yesterday afternoon, President Obama announced his blueprint for immigration reform in response to a set of principles laid out by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Monday. The President's plan calls for a quicker path to citizenship [...] -
Debating mental health legislation after Newtown massacre
January 25
The massacre last month at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut galvanized the national conversation on gun control, but that wasn’t all. Family stories of shooter Adam Lanza’s mental health struggles – on the heels of mental [...] -
Will Obama's second term change prospects for climate?
January 24
In his inaugural speech, President Obama made climate change a central priority of his second term: “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future [...] -
Former Congressman Mickey Edwards on why political parties are the real problem with government
January 23
In his new book, The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans, former Republican Congressman MICKEY EDWARDS argues that it is the political parties that are the root of dysfunction in American government. [...] -
The Inauguration and Obama's next term
January 22
Yesterday President Obama was sworn into his second term as commander in chief of the United States , something that has only happened to 16 other U.S. Presidents. The inaugural ceremony, though full of pomp and pageantry, didn't [...] -
NPR's Andy Carvin, a 'Distant Witness' via social media
January 22
The Arab Spring changed history, and changed the way breaking news is reported around the world and who controls the news. NPR social media chief ANDY CARVIN – “the man who tweets revolutions” – offers a unique first-person [...] -
#innovateRT, pt. 4: Open Data Philly & bridging the digital divide
January 17
In the fourth part of our #innovateRT series exploring PHILADELPHIA INNOVATORS, we investigate: What is Philadelphia doing to use the Web, apps and digital technology to change its relationship with its citizens? What could open data and the [...] -
Guns & gun laws, after Newtown, CT: US, PA, Philly
January 16
In advance of President Obama’s much anticipated news conference later this morning outlining his agenda regarding gun and safety regulations in the wake of the horrific massacre in Newtown, Connecticut last month, we check in with three people [...] -
The pros and cons of privatizing the lottery
January 15
Late Friday afternoon, the Corbett administration announced it had issued a "notice of award" to the UK's Camelot Group to run the Commonwealth's lottery. Camelot, the only bidder on the contract, promised that over its 20-year contract it [...] -
Sarah Palin: Unlikely Liberal
January 14
Since her selection as Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin has become a popular partisan voice in conservative politics – she’s a strong Tea Party supporter and a commentator on FoxNews. But for people who [...] -
#innovateRT: Three Philly leaders innovating land-use
January 14
There are some cool and exciting things happening in Philadelphia: tech start ups and theater groups plus new ways of looking at land use and sustainability. Leading off our weeklong series on PHILADELPHIA INNOVATORS, we’re talking about some [...] -
Journalist Mark Bowden on "The Finish" of Osama bin Laden
January 11
[REBROADCAST] Journalist MARK BOWDEN returns to Radio Times to take us inside the rooms where the decisions were made to take down Osama bin Laden. Having access to President Obama, his national security advisors, and high ranking members [...] -
Forty years since Roe v. Wade
January 9
Forty years ago this month, the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade, the historic case that made abortion legal in the United States. The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, could have [...] -
Gov. Corbett's suit vs. the NCAA over Penn State/Sandusky penalties
January 8
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett sued the NCAA last week on behalf of the Commonwealth, claiming that the governing body for college sports went overboard in penalizing Penn State in response to the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal. In [...] -
A conversation with Philadelphia school chief William Hite
January 8
On Monday, after four months on the job, Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite, Jr. made public his blueprint for turning around the city’s public schools. Its two broad goals are to improve academics on all levels — from [...] -
Sandy relief bill, the fiscal cliff and GOP politics
January 4
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a $9 billion boost to the federal flood insurance program sucked dry by the catastrophic damage caused by Superstorm Sandy at the end of October. The vote [...] -
Marijuana politics in NJ, PA & the U.S.
January 3
Last month, JAY LASSITER of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, purchased the Garden State’s first legal medical marijuana from Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair, New Jersey. Battling HIV for two decades, the advocacy consultant and former BlueJersey.com blogger campaigned [...] -
Congress, politics and the fiscal cliff
January 2
In the wee hours of January 1, the Senate passed legislation that would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans — those earning over $400,000, extend unemployment benefits for 99 weeks, and delay for two months $110 billion cuts [...] -
2012's big stories in the Delaware Valley: PA, NJ & DE
December 28
We look back at the year’s biggest political stories in the three states of the Delaware Valley with a trio of excellent reporters. Joining guest-host Tracey Matisak to discuss the year in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia political news is [...] -
Gun violence in cross-hairs, in Philly & U.S.
December 27
As many families gathered over the holidays, the issue most hotly debated and discussed was guns and gun violence in the United States. With the Dec. 14 massacre of 20 first-graders and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut, still [...] -
Politics, foreign affairs and the year in review
December 26
In Washington, lawmakers are still wrangling over plans that would prevent a fiscal crisis in coming days and have put on hold further negotiations until after they take their Christmas break. Meanwhile on the city, state and federal [...] -
National politics: Guns, fiscal cliff & more
December 21
In this week’s national news roundup, Marty chats with two Washington D.C.-based journalists about the big two topics dominating the national political discussion this week: the Newtown, CT, massacre and possible gun legislation in response, and the "fiscal [...] -
Downsizing the Pentagon budget; then, what suicide bombers & rampage shooters have in common
December 19
Should the U.S. slide off the fiscal cliff in a few weeks, over $55 billion in spending cuts a year for the next decade will kick in at the Pentagon. That amount added to the $487 billion in [...] -
A conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker
December 13
Our guest in this hour of Radio Times, RYAN C. CROCKER, recently stepped down as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. Crocker is one of the nation’s most experienced diplomats, having served as Ambassador to Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and [...] -
Some suggestions about how we can live with guns
December 12
Gun control hardly came up during the 2012 election. Obama briefly mentioned an assault weapons ban in one of the debates but neither Governor Romney nor the President really weighed in on what’s become one of the most [...] -
The diverse school dilemma
December 11
For young middle-class families who are committed to living in a diverse, vibrant urban environment while contributing to the economic health of the city, the decision of where to send children to school is often fraught with conflict. [...] -
The complicated, internal secrecy of the Eisenhower administration
December 10
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, known for his calm, grandfatherly demeanor, was the first American president that could have destroyed the world, according to our guest, writer EVAN THOMAS. The morning after his election in 1952, “Ike” was informed [...] -
The Fiscal Cliff, government subsidies, and a carbon tax
December 7
The “fiscal cliff” debate continued this week with the President reiterating that tax hikes on the wealthy must be a part of any proposal and House Republicans pressing for entitlement and spending cuts. If the two sides can’t [...] -
Philly legal shenanigans: DA's cash machine & Traffic Court ticket-fixing
December 6
On today’s Radio Times, we look at two recent investigative reports raising questions about two different parts of the legal system in Philadelphia. In the first half of the hour, ISAIAH THOMPSON, who just left the City Paper [...] -
Post-Sandy politics of rebuilding the Jersey Shore
December 5
As New Jersey struggles with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, we follow up our look at the science and engineering with a look at the politics of whether, how, where and who pays for rebuilding the beloved Jersey [...] -
PA Task Force on Child Protection, post-Sandusky
December 5
The Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection has been meeting for 10 months with experts in all facets of child care and protection, tasked with reviewing the commonwealth’s laws and procedures protecting children, and where and why they [...] -
DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara
December 3
COLLIN O’MARA serves as Secretary of the Environment and Energy for Delaware Governor Jack Markell. He’s the chief steward of Delaware’s natural resources, including its coastal programs and shoreline efforts, and leads the state’s efforts to ensure access to [...] -
National politics: Fiscal cliff & changing electorate
November 30
In this week’s national political roundup, Marty talks about the fiscal cliff and the politics surrounding the negotiations, which has brought President Obama to a Montgomery County toymaker today, and the changing face of the American electorate. President [...] -
John Baer's years on the front lines of Pennsylvania politics
November 28
Harrisburg native and Philadelphia Daily News veteran reporter and columnist JOHN BAER comes in to discuss his irreverent observations on Pennsylvania politics from Governor Shapp to Governor Corbett. In between these administrations, we’ll hear about how close Baer [...] -
The attack in Benghazi, Susan Rice, and the GOP
November 28
Yesterday, UN Ambassador Susan Rice met with Republican senators in an effort to explain remarks she made immediately following the September 11 attack on the US consulate and a nearby CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya that killed US [...] -
Updates on Egypt & Syria
November 27
Egypt’s elected president, Mohamed Morsi, sparked a new political crisis less than two years after a popular uprising ousted Hosni Mubarak with a decree this week that his decisions would be exempt from judicial review. New mass demonstrations [...] -
States react to the Affordable Care Act
November 26
With President Obama’s reelection, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. During the presidential campaign, Republican candidate Mitt Romney promised to dismantle parts of “Obamacare” if elected, but now with Obama in office for four more years, [...] -
The role religion does play and should play in American government
November 23
[REBROADCAST] In this era of "faith and value politics,” we find ourselves frequently debating the role religion plays in modern American government. And the role it should play? In his recent book, writer Jacques Berlinerblau attempts to answer [...] -
The Jersey Shore, after Sandy: To rebuild or not to rebuild
November 21
When Superstorm Sandy slammed into and through the southern Jersey Shore near Ocean City in the evening of Oct. 29, the full-moon high tide and storm surge laid waste to structures, streets and stretches of shoreline up and [...] -
The Israel/Gaza conflict
November 20
As the air war over Israel and Gaza continues and Israeli's amass ground troops and tanks along the shared border, Egyptian-led efforts to negotiate a cease-fire are underway. Israel has demanded that Hamas stop the ongoing rocket fire [...] -
Economist Mark Zandi looks at the ending of the Great Recession
November 19
We check in with MARK ZANDI, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, on the economic recovery of the last four years. While the effectiveness of the $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to be challenged, Zandi reports [...] -
Considering the Impeachment of President Abraham Lincoln
November 16
[REBROADCAST] What if President Lincoln hadn't been killed at Ford's Theatre? What if John Wilkes Booth failed in his assassination attempt and Lincoln recovered, only to face an impeachment trial? That's the premise at the center of “The [...] -
A second casino for Philadelphia?
November 15
Hour 1 Today is the deadline for proposals to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for a second casino license set aside for the city of Philadelphia, and at least six proposals have been made public. Among them are [...] -
Same-sex marriage election victories and LGBT rights
November 15
Hour 2 Same-sex marriage supporters have a lot to celebrate this election. In Washington State, Maine and Maryland voters chose to legalize gay marriage through ballot referendums. In Minnesota, voters rejected a proposed State Constitutional ban on same-sex [...]

