War, politics, idealism, passion, deceit, and betrayal: they all come together in the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the a-bomb and accused communist, told by KAI BIRD and MARTIN H. SHERWIN. Their book is American Prometheus: The Triumph of Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Plus: Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, nominated by Nixon [...]
LISTEN ONLINE TO THIS SHOW: RY COODER has a new CD: “Chavez Ravine.” It’s a story about Latino L.A. after World War II, about “cool cats,” radio, J. Edgar Hoover, and baseball — Mike Davis calls it “a magical-realist street opera celebrating the life and death of the barrio that the Dodgers killed.” Ry is [...]
Antonio Villaraigosa will be L.A.’s first Latino mayor in modern times; meanwhile, back in Washington, the Republican effort to abolish the filibuster–and put lots more far-right-wing judges on the federal bench–begins today. HAROLD MEYERSON will provide comment and analysis; he writes for the LAWeekly, the American Prospect, and the Washington Post op-ed page. READ Jon [...]
From Starbucks to the sidewalk to surfing the web, we are being watched. The power and pervasiveness of surveillance technology in America today is unnerving. Robert O’Harrow Jr. will explain: he is a reporter for the Washington Post and author of No Place to Hide. Plus: We’re still worrying about voting and vote-counting in presidential [...]