Financial Industry Bonuses & Rules
Listen
The debate over big bonuses for executives at bailed-out A.I.G. heats up again on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are hearing from the special inspector general for the $700 billion financial rescue program. Lawmakers are also considering whether to set up a consumer protection finance agency, which the banking industry is fighting. We speak with Steve Geimann, Washington Editor for Bloomberg News.
A Who’s Who of Insurgents in Pakistan
Listen
The U.S. is increasingly shifting attention to Pakistan–some American military strategists argue that it’s the real ground zero in the war on terrorism–but whom are we fighting there? We’ll speak with Nicholas Schmidle, fellow at The New America Foundation and author of “To Live or Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan.”
Rush Limbaugh and the St. Louis Rams
In this Jan 18, 2009, file photo, talk show host Rush Limbaugh is interviewed on the sidelines before the start of the NFL AFC championship football game in Pittsburgh. (AP)
Listen
We discuss the controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s bid to become part owner of the St. Louis Rams. Our guest is Roman Oben, a former NFL player who opposes the Limbaugh effort. Limbaugh resigned from ESPN in 2003 after he said the media wanted a black quarterback to do well. Yesterday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also threw cold water on the Limbaugh effort, referring to the talk show host’s “polarizing comments that we don’t think reflect accurately on the NFL or our players.”
Five Farms, Part Three
Listen
Our series, Five Farms, moves to Colrain, Massachusetts today where we visit with the Hager family. They’re dairy farmers who are trying to survive in a tough economy. A lot is riding on making it through the current crisis because the Hagers plan on a future for their farm that involves two of their children. Our producers are John Biewen and Susannah Lee.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Listen
Greg Heffley is back. He’s the scrawny kid, with the concave chest, a few strands of hair and an older brother who torments him in the “Diary of the Wimpy Kid” book series. The fourth installment of his adventures, “Dog Days,” chronicles his summer vacation – which he prefers to spend inside, playing video games. Author Jeff Kinney takes us inside the pages of the widely popular series and tells us why he thinks his morally-challenged protagonist is a powerful anti-hero for kids.
Music from the show
- Radiohead, “There, There”
- Charles Mingus, “Open Letter to Duke”
- Steve Earle, “Amerika Version 6″
- Charles Mingus, “Es Flat Ahs Flat Too”
- Ahmad Jamal, “Patterns”
