January 5th Show

Here's a quick look at today's show:

President-elect Barack Obama meets with congressional leaders later today to discuss a $775 billion economic recovery plan that aims to create 3 million jobs while providing tax relief. In our first hour, we'll talk with two economists, to hear what they think the stimulus plan should include. Then, on our opinion page Clarence Page, syndicated columnist for The Chicago Tribune, will explain why he feels Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is playing to white guilt in choosing Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Obama.

In 2006, Norah Vincent spent the year disguised as a man. The deception triggered a brutal bout of depression and she checked herself into a mental institution. In our second hour, Vincent will talk about committing herself into three separate mental institutions, each with different ways of treating patients. She documented her experiences in her latest book, entitled Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin. Following that, Scott Shane, a reporter for The New York Times, will talk about his profile of Bruce Ivins, a suspect in the 2001 anthrax mailings. In his article, Shane describes Ivins as an "amateur juggler with mental illness, alcoholism and secret obsessions with hints of violence."