Radio Times

Guests: Mike Felker, Anna Stormer, Patrick Dugan

Veterans Day was Sunday so we thought we’d talk with a couple military veterans about their experiences serving and returning to civilian life, and about what they see as the most pressing needs for America’s troops coming home. MIKE FELKER was a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman in the Vietnam War and a member of Veterans For Peace. Felker is outspoken on matters of war, gun control, and shares to his experiences being queer and a veteran. PATRICK DUGAN is a Captain in the US Army Reserve and served in Iraq. He’s the chief judge of the Philadelphia Veterans Court, which provides a holistic approach to aiding veterans who are in the criminal justice system, such as drug treatment and mental health services. And we’ll also speak with a military spouse who works with women veterans. ANNA STORMER is a trauma counselor and program manager of the Women Veterans Center in Philadelphia.

Guests: Helen Gym, Earlene Bly, Mark Price, Melissa Bova

Hourly workers in the hotel, retail and fast-food industries cope with unpredictable schedules. They often get little notice about the hours and days they will be working. This makes budgeting, balancing school or a second job, and caring for a family challenging. The Fair Workweek bill before Philadelphia’s City Council would require employers to give workers their schedule two weeks in advance, compensate them for last minute changes, and provide them opportunities to work more hours.  With the vote on the bill planned for the end of November, we thought we’d discuss the Fair Workweek legislation, how inconsistent hours impact employees, what it would mean for business owners, and look more broadly at the state of low-wage workers in the city.  Our guests include HELEN GYM, Philadelphia City Councilwoman, EARLENE BLY, hotel housekeeper and labor organizer, MARK PRICE, Keystone Research Center labor economist, and MELISSA BOVA, vice-president for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Guests: Kelly Ditmar, Dawn Teele, Anthea Butler, Madeleine Deane

This week’s midterm elections were record-breaking and historic for female candidates, with at least 100 women elected to the House of Representatives and a wave of victories for women across the country. South Dakota and Maine elected their first female governors, and Tennessee elected its first female Senator. Four women — Madeleine Dean, Mary Gay Scanlon, Chrissy Houlahan, and Susan Wild —were elected to the House in Pennsylvania, a state that previously had an all-male Congressional delegation. Nation-wide, voters supported diverse candidates, electing the first Muslim women and the first Native American women in Congress.  Soon-to-be Representative Ayanna Pressley was the first woman of color voted into Congress in her state, Massachusetts. Is 2018 the Year of the Woman? And what will happen when this new crop of female politicians step into office? We’re joined by KELLY DITTMAR, political science professor at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, DAWN TEELE, political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and ANTHEA BUTLER, professor of Religious and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss. We’ll also hear from MADELEINE DEANE, who was just elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 4^th Congressional District in the House.

Guests: Mark Mazzetti, Scott Kelly

SCOTT KELLY spent 340 days in space, setting the record for the longest space flight by an American. The purpose of the NASA mission was to study what effects of living in space for an extended time had on the human body. An identical twin, Kelly was the perfect subject since any physiological changes could be compared to those of his brother, astronaut Mark, who remained on Earth. Floating in the International Space Station for a year, Kelly had a unique vantage point which he captured with a camera. His book of beautiful and otherworldly photos in now out, Infinite Wonder. We’ll talk with Kelly about his view from space, life on the ISS, and what scientists learned from his lengthy stay in zero gravity. But first, President Trump fired embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday. We’ll discuss Sessions’ tenure, his stormy relationship with Trump, and the future of the Mueller investigation with MARK MAZZETTI, Washington investigative correspondent for The New York Times.

Guests: Kevin Robillard, Jill Colvin, Marc Lamont Hill, Chris Potter

The high-stakes midterm elections took place yesterday across the country. Democrats won back the House, but the expectations of a so-called “blue wave” were not met. Republicans managed to pick up a few Senate seats, and the high-profile races in Florida, Texas, and Georgia did not produce the upsets that some were expecting. Today, we’re going to discuss the implications of the results, discuss the key races that determine who controls congress, the upsets, and the campaigning that led us to this moment in political history. Joining us for the hour are political reporters KEVIN ROBILLARD of The Huffington Post and JILL COLVIN of The Associated Press. We’ll also check in with political commentator MARC LAMONT HILL to get his thoughts, and we’ll hear about the elections in Pennsylvania when we talk with CHRIS POTTER of WESA.