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Topic: Politics & Society

Politics & Society

Treasury Pick Buoys Wall St., Citigroup Shares Dwindle

November 21, 2008

US stocks rallied today on word that president-elect Barack Obama has picked Tim Geitner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, to be treasury chief. But more ominous signs from Citigro....


Foreclosure Crisis Trickles Down: Report

November 21, 2008

A new report from New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says the national foreclosure crisis is hitting every level of government. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more. REPORTER: Comptroller DiNapoli's a....


Day Traders React to Market Volatility

November 21, 2008

Maybe you’re checking the stock market every day, a few times a day, or never … particularly in a week like this. Investors saw another bottom yesterday, when the Dow closed at its lowest level i....


Mounting Anxiety and a Falling Market

November 21, 2008

It keeps on getting worse. As the Dow Jones tumbles lower and lower, individual investors face mounting confusion and anxiety. And that’s not an ideal state of mind for decision making -- as one f....


Health Officials Defend Closure of Dental Clinics

November 21, 2008

City health officials are defending their plan to eliminate dozens of public dental clinics that serve 17,000 children. Commissioner Thomas Frieden says the $3 million cut is necessary, because the ....


At NYC's Green Markets, Increased Use of Food Stamp Cards

November 21, 2008

The city's green markets have seen a surge in shoppers using food stamp debit cards. Council Speaker Christine Quinn says that's due a 2006 program that brought credit card style scanners to green m....


NJ Gov Proposes Delayed Pension Payments for Towns

November 21, 2008

Gov. Corzine says he will seek a delay of some municipal pension contributions as a way to help local communities cope with the faltering economy. Corzine says without help, the communities may have....


Bailout Plan: Gas Price Floor

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 21, 2008

Daniel Sperling,director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, talks about his proposal to bail out the auto industry by implementing a $3.50 price floor on gas.


Increased Fares, Un-Fair to Riders

November 20, 2008

The MTA says it needs to get 23% more money from tollbooths and fare boxes to break even next year. That's on top of numerous service cuts. The agency wants to raise express bus fares from $5.00 to ....


Paying More & Getting Less

November 20, 2008

Some of the highlights: fare and toll hikes of 23 percent, reductions in off-peak bus, subway and commuter train service, the elimination of the W and Z lines and the phasing out of 2,700 jobs. Sande....


Dental Clinics Vs. Anti-Smoking Ads

November 20, 2008

The City Council is fighting back over a proposal to eliminate dozens of public dental clinics for the poor, most of them based in schools. In hearings today, Health Commissioner Doctor Thomas Frie....


James Kwak's Financial Wrap

November 20, 2008

Stocks dropped through the floor today as Democrats chose to delay action on bailing out the auto industry. The Dow sunk even further below 8,000, down 445 point to 7552, a 5.5 percent drop. The Nasd....


Bill Ayers’s Fugitive Days

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 21, 2008

Bill Ayers talks about how he became a flashpoint in this year’s election – and whether he really has been “palling around” with Barack Obama. His new memoir about his days with the Weather Underground is Fugitive Days.


Celebrating Obama Win

November 20, 2008

MoveOn says its members raised $88 million towards Barack Obama's win. Now it intends to maintain the momentum. MoveOn's executive director, Eli Pariser, says tonight's gatherings will help set the ....


A Man Cured of AIDS

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 21, 2008

A man in Germany was unexpectedly cured of AIDS. Nobel Prize winning biologist Dr. David Baltimore explains how it happened and what it means in the search for a cure.


AIDS cure?

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 21, 2008

A man in Germany was unexpectedly cured of AIDS. Nobel Prize winning biologist Dr. David Baltimore explains how it happened and what it means for the future of AIDS research.


Mayor Aims to Curb Salt Intake

November 20, 2008

First it was cigarettes. Then trans-fats. Now, Mayor Bloomberg is targeting salt shakers. Well, some of them. Speaking yesterday at a food policy conference presented by Manhattan Borough President ....


Job Fair Offers Prospects and Training

November 20, 2008

With the current economic crisis, job training fairs are getting popular for the unemployed or people looking to switch careers. As WNYC's Kathleen Horan reports, more than 200 people came out for a....


Con Game

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 20, 2008

Peter Coy, economics editor at Business Week, looks at the role of consumer confidence in driving the economy.


University Blues

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 20, 2008

Michael Dannenberg, Senior Fellow in the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation and founder of the HigherEdWatch Blog ; and Catharine Bond Hill, president of Vassar College, talk about how institutions are handling the economic crisis.


Influencers Change Their Tactics

November 19, 2008

Marketing companies love New York City because of the high concentration of so-called “influencers”. But with the downturn in the economy, some marketers who target the young and hip are revising....


Underreported: Opening Public Land for Drilling in Utah

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 20, 2008

On Election Day, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a Dec. 19 auction of over 50,000 acres of oil and gas parcels right next to national parks in Utah. Steve Bloch, attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, explains why Utah’s Park Service and national conservation groups are concerned.


Underreported: Bush’s Last-Minute Environmental Policy Changes

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 20, 2008

The Bush administration is working to rush through some environmental policy changes before leaving power in January - including relaxing regulations protecting endangered species. John Kostyack is Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming at the National Wildlife Federation.


Jonathan Alter: 25 Years of American Politics

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 20, 2008

Newsweek senior editor and columnist Jonathan Alter looks back at covering 25 years of the most important political events in American history. His new book Between the Lines.


Behind "The Cost of Doing Business"

November 19, 2008

Twenty-seven construction workers have died on the job this year, and a slowing economy may not do a whole lot to solve this problem. REPORTER: For the past nine months, WNYC reporters Cindy Rodrigu....