Radio Times with Marty Moss-CoaneA thought-provoking, engaging and timely call-in program that tackles wide-ranging issues of concern to listeners in the Delaware Valley, the nation and beyond. Hosted by Marty Moss-Coane.
A thought-provoking, engaging and timely call-in program that tackles wide-ranging issues of concern to listeners in the Delaware Valley, the nation and beyond. Hosted by Marty Moss-Coane.
Almost three years after the devastating explosions and fire the led to the closure of the PES refinery in South Philadelphia, high levels of a cancer-causing chemical have been detected at the site's perimeter, worrying residents and community activists. We'll talk with WHYY environmental justice reporter Sophia Schmidt. (@tough_schmidt_) When stay-home orders began at the start of the pandemic in the U.S., Medicare and private insurers began to support telemedicine with little restriction to patients in need. Virtual appointments helped close the racial gap in completed doctor visits and offered easier access to therapy for people struggling with mental illness. Now that we've adjusted to hybrid healthcare, we discuss the future of telemedicine with Judd Hollander, Senior Vice President of healthcare delivery innovation and emergency medicine physician at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. (@Judd Hollander) Peter Serpico, Executive Chef at KPOD restaurant, joins us to discuss his journey from Momofuku in New York to "kinda Korean" cuisine in West Philly, and how traditional foods and flavors helped him finally connect with his Korean heritage. His new cookbook is Learning Korean: Recipes for Home Cooking.
With nearly 2 billion followers, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. It's the third largest religion in the U.S. after Christianity and Judaism. Writer HAROON MOGHUL explores its history, how teachings of the Prophet Mohammed apply to the modern world, and his own relationship to the Muslim faith in his new book, Two Billion Caliphs: A Vision of a Muslim Future. His 2017 memoir How to be a Muslim, was about trying to reconcile the more orthodox religious practices of his childhood with his beliefs and experiences as an adult and finding his Muslim-American identity. This hour, we'll talk to Moghul about his faith, the questions he continues to wrestle with, and his vision for a more modern version of Islam. Read more CNN, Opinion: American Islam gets this beautiful thing right – "But at a time when Muslims everywhere are searching for new visions, American Islam has something special to offer." NBC, Social isolation isn't part of Ramadan now. But many Muslims remain spiritually isolated – "Many mosques leave no room for anyone who might want to do some things differently."
The Buffalo shooting and the rise in violent extremism
The 18-year-old white man who allegedly targeted and killed 10 Black Americans in a Buffalo grocery store on Sunday was motivated by white supremacist and violent extremist ideology and previous domestic terrorist attacks. The Buffalo suspect, Payton Gendron, posted a long hate-filled racist and antisemitic screed online with many similarities to other far-right terrorist attacks, including the New Zealand Christchurch massacre in which a gunman killed 50 people as they attended mosque. This hour, we'll talk about this horrific mass shooting, why violent extremism appears to be on the rise, and how we can counter it. Guests Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director of POWER, the largest faith based social justice organization in Pennsylvania. @ddroyster Kurt Braddock, Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and faculty fellow at Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). His research focuses on the persuasive strategies used by violent extremist groups to recruit and radicalize.@kurtbraddock Recommended reading Mother Jones, Violent Far-Right Extremism Is Fueling Mass Shootings in America – The repugnant massacre in Buffalo also highlights the urgent need for greater attention on shooter warning signs. The New York Times, A Fringe Conspiracy Theory, Fostered Online, Is Refashioned by the G.O.P. – Replacement theory, espoused by the suspect in the Buffalo massacre, has been embraced by some right-wing politicians and commentators. NBC News, A community leader and a retired Buffalo officer are among victims killed in racist shooting at supermarket – "She would do anything for anyone," Dawn Massey said of Katherine Massey. "Very family-oriented. She was the closest extension of our grandmother."
The Buffalo shooting and the rise in violent extremism
There was a lot on the line in the Pennsylvania primary, with many tight races, late surging candidates and results of major national importance. In the race for retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey's seat, Lt. Governor John Fetterman swept the Democratic field, while the Republican nominee for Senate is still too close to call between Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick. For Governor, Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano will face Democrat Josh Shapiro this November. We'll talk about yesterday's primary election results, what we learned about the state's electorate, the issues that motivated voters and the influence of former President Trump's endorsements. We'll also discuss the direction of our major political parties and what it all means for the general election this fall. Guests Katie Meyer (@katieemeyer4) is a political reporter for WHYY News Lara Putnam (@lara_putnam) is the UCIS Research Professor of History and the co-lead of the Southwest PA Civic Resilience Initiative of the Pitt Disinformation Lab John Micek (@ByJohnLMicek) is Editor-in-chief of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star Recommended WHYY News' LIVE election coverage is here. Billy Penn: Why Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race is drawing attention from around the country "Tuesday's crowded Pa. primary sets the stage for a November election that could alter the balance in Washington."
Prices keep going up for food, gas and other goods and American families are feeling the pain. At a forty year high, inflation has become a major worry for most households trying to make ends meet. According to a recent Pew poll, 70% of Americans say it's the top problem facing the country. At the same time, stock and bond markets have fallen, and the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates. But still there are some good economic signs, like low unemployment and strong consumer spending. This hour, we look the U.S. economy, what's causing continuing inflation, and how to rein it in. And, we'll look abroad at how the U.S. economy compares to other nations who also face increasing demand and supply chain disruptions from Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. We're joined by Financial Times columnist RANA FOROOHAR and New York Times Federal Reserve and economy reporter JEANNA SMIALEK.
The 2022 Pennsylvania primary election is just one day away, with especially tight margins in the Republican races but a sizable number of undecided voters on both sides of the aisle. We're taking a final look at the candidates, expected turnout and top issues before Tuesday's heated race with polling expert Berwood Yost. Our guest, Berwood Yost, is the Director of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy at the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College (@FandMPoll) Ala Stanford, MD brought Covid-19 testing and vaccines to underserved Philadelphians, gained national recognition for her commitment to health equity and has now been appointed to U.S. Health and Human Services by President Biden. We'll talk about how she'll bring her expertise from our city to her new role, lessons learned early in the pandemic, and get the latest on Covid-19 numbers in the region. Our guest, Dr. Ala Stanford, is a Regional Director for the Department of Health and Human Services and founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (@alastanford) This year marks the 60th anniversary of A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy, when over 80 million viewers tuned in to see the outcome of the former first lady's restoration of the most important residence in the United States. Elaine Rice Bachmann, who curated a new behind-the-scenes exhibition at Winterthur Museum, joins us to discuss how the historical broadcast set a new precedent, and its ties to a prominent Delawarean. Our guest, Elaine Rice Bachmann, is the Maryland state archivist and guest curator of the new exhibition "Jacqueline Kennedy and H. F. du Pont: From Winterthur to the White House." She and James Archer Abbott co-authored Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration and Its Legacy (@WinterthurMuse) Tracey Matisak is in for Mary Cummings-Jordan.
Smell is a powerful and important sense that can transport us back in time to our favorite memories, keep us healthy and make meals taste delicious. But it's often forgotten, under-appreciated, and still has lots of room for scientific exploration. Why do we have favorite aromas, or find certain odors particularly unpleasant? Do some of us have smarter noses than others? We'll explore the weird, surprising, wonderful world of smell with Jude Stewart, author of Revelations in Air: A Guidebook to Smell. First, we'll take a closer look at what's happened to our sense of smell since the pandemic began over two years ago. Many people infected with Covid-19 lost their usual capability for scent and taste, and months after recovering, have not regained their normal sense of smell. Monell Chemical Senses Center's Dr. Danielle Reed joins us to explain how the loss of this vital sense impacts patients and how researchers are trying to help. Danielle Reed is the Associate Director of The Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia Jude Stewart is a writer. Her latest book is Revelations in Air: A Guidebook to Smell.
LGBTQ rights have been the target of Republican politicians in recent months. Florida's Parental Rights Education Law, or what opponents have dubbed the "Don't say gay" law, bans teachers from talking about gender identity or sexual orientation in K-3 grade classrooms. It also has a controversial parental notification requirement and opens districts up to lawsuits by parents. Supporters say it gives parents and guardians the power to decide how and when to talk about sexuality and gender with their kids, while opponents argue it harms and alienates LGBTQ students and family members. Republican legislators are also taking aim at transgender rights. In the past year, there have been 240 anti-trans bills proposed in states across the U.S., including legislation around school curriculums, bathrooms, religious exemptions to discriminate, transgender youth sports participation and access to gender-affirming health care (Alabama's ban went into effect this week). Today, we look at the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation, the politics behind it, and its impact on LGBTQ people. We'll also talk about how the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that potentially overturns Roe v. Wade could also put same-sex marriage in jeopardy. GUESTS Tobias Barrington Wolff, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. @barringtonwolff Zein Murib, political science professor at Fordham University. @zeinmurib RECOMMENDED New York Times, If Roe Falls, Is Same-Sex Marriage Next? – It said a right to abortion cannot be found in the Constitution or inferred from its provisions. The same could be said, using the draft opinion's general reasoning, for contraception, gay intimacy and same-sex marriage, rights established by three Supreme Court decisions that were discussed at some length in the argument in December. NPR, Rachel Levine calls state anti-LGBTQ bills disturbing and dangerous to trans youth – "Trans youth in particular are being hounded in public and driven to deaths of despair at an alarming rate. Fifty-two percent of all transgender and nonbinary young people in the U.S. seriously contemplated killing themselves in 2020. Think about how many of them thought it was better to die than to put up with any more harassment, scapegoating and intentional abuse." NBC News, Nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ bills filed in 2022 so far, most of them targeting trans people – The annual number of anti-LGBTQ bills to have been filed has skyrocketed over the past several years, from 41 in 2018 to 238 in less than three months of this year.
Even if you don't consider yourself to be a great artist or writer, your DNA is rich in creativity. It's part of our primitive physiology, explains MATT RICHTEL in his new book, Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul. Richtel, a New York Times journalist, says that you don't have to be a genius to be creative – just open-minded and curious, no matter how old you are. Richtel joins us to talk about creativity and share some of the lessons he learned from speaking with creators like Yo-Yo Ma and Rhiannon Giddens. We'll also talk about how it enabled our species to thrive, the myths that surround it and techniques to unleash our creative power.
Last week's leaked draft majority opinion potentially overturning Roe v. Wade has shaken confidence in the Supreme Court. Polls show that public trust in the high court has been eroding in recent years, and according to Gallup, less than 50% of both Republicans and Democrats have a 'fair amount of confidence' in the institution. Politicization and recent reports of ethical lapses, like Justice Thomas' refusal to recuse himself on cases related to his wife's work, may in part explain the declining support. Concerns have also been raised about the performative and often hostile nomination process and the increasing use of the shadow docket, in which rulings are made without oral hearings. This hour, we examine the state of the Supreme Court, the secrecy in which it operates, and increasing questions about its legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Guests Joan Biskupic, CNN legal analyst and Supreme Court biographer. Her most recent book is The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of John Roberts. @joanbiskupic Leah Litman, Assistant professor at University of Michigan law school and co-host Strict Scrutiny. She clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy. @leahlitman Craig Green, Temple University law professor Read more CNN, Behind the scenes at the secretive Supreme Court – "Among the issues: that the justices often issue late-night orders with no recorded votes or explanation; that they keep secret certain procedural rules related to when cases are accepted for review; and that they lack a formal code of ethics and fail to explain recusals and potential conflicts of interest." Washington Post, Alito's aggressive ruling would reach way beyond Roe – "...the opinion by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. adopted such an aggressively maximalist position, not only giving states extraordinary leeway to prohibit abortion but also implicitly inviting a flurry of challenges to other precedents, including cases protecting contraception and LGBTQ civil rights."
