Day to Day

Mob Mentality

Friday, June 4, 2004

TV Club: Mob Experts Dissect The Sopranos
NPR’s Madeleine Brand talks with two crime writers about the HBO series The Sopranos and the show’s upcoming season finale. Journalists Jerry Capeci and Jeffrey Goldberg tapped their years of experience covering New York City-area mobsters to write about the 2004 season of the The Sopranos for Slate. Listen to the segment.

Summary Judgment: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Soul Plane
Ben Williams summarizes what critics are saying about recent movie releases, including the latest installment in the Harry Potter wizard-in-training series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the comedy Soul Plane. Listen to the segment.

Thursday, June 3, 2004

Culturebox: A Childhood Obsession With Race Horses
Meghan O’Rourke talks about her childhood obsession with race horses—and the day when going to the track lost its appeal. Listen to the segment.

War Stories: Did Chalabi Leak Secrets to Iran?
NPR’s Alex Chadwick talks with Fred Kaplan about reports that the United States had broken secret communication codes used by Iranian intelligence. Iraqi expatriate Ahmad Chalabi allegedly leaked word of the code-breaking secret to Iranian officials. Listen to the segment.

Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Kausfiles: Magazines in the Mail
Mickey Kaus delivers a new radio blog—this time, about a magazine he received in the mail recently. Listen to the segment.

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

Jurisprudence: Testing the Limits of Free Speech
NPR’s Madeleine Brand talks with Dahlia Lithwick about a case that tests the limits of free speech. A California teenager was expelled and incarcerated for writing a poem that threatened violence at his school. Now the state Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of his conviction. Listen to the segment.

Foreigners: The Arab Mind and Bush’s Worldview
NPR’s Madeleine Brand speaks to Lee Smith about his analysis of The Arab Mind, a book published in 1976 that’s proved to be very influential in shaping the Bush administration’s view of the Arab world. Listen to the segment.

Ballot Box: Iraq Handover and U.S. Elections
NPR’s Madeleine Brand speaks with William Saletan about the handover of power in Iraq and other issues that may affect the U.S. presidential election this November. Listen to the segment.

Monday, May 31, 2004

Chatterbox: Liking the World War II Memorial
Timothy Noah defends the new World War II monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., from an onslaught of criticism about its design. Listen to the segment.