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Word for Word (Current Affairs)

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Host: Melinda Penkava
You've heard the sound bites. Word for Word gives you a chance to hear from the newsmakers at length. Each week we feature an interesting and timely speech on a hot topic in the news: from the war in Iraq to intelligence-gathering, education reform to immigration. Word for Word strives for balance, featuring top policymakers, thinkers and opinion leaders from the left, right and center.
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Genres: Current Affairs, Politics
Location: St. Paul, MN
Language: English
Networks: American Public Media

Last updated 270 days ago Update show info

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Aug. 8, 2008: Word for Word: Stephen L. Carter

Fri, Aug 8 2008 Listen

War is a major issue in the 2008 presidential election. But Yale University law professor and author Stephen Carter says the U.S. has a bigger problem than just withdrawal or escalation of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says the western theory of "just wars" makes it too easy for a nation to fight wars it should not fight ... and too difficult to fight wars that it should. Stephen Carter discussed the "Just War Theory" at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

Aug. 1, 2008: Word for Word: Lincoln Hall

Fri, Aug 1 2008 Listen

In 2006, Australian mountain climber Lincoln Hall was left for dead on Mount Everest. Twelve hours later, he was found by a fellow climber, alive and sitting cross-legged on the ridge of the mountain. Lincoln Hall recounts this remarkable tale in his book, "Dead Lucky" and also in a speech at the Commonwealth Club of California.

Jul. 25, 2008: Word for Word: How the rich get richer (David Cay Johnston)

Fri, Jul 25 2008 Listen

You may have heard there's no such thing as a free lunch, but David Cay Johnston says there is -- and wealthy Americans do get richer because of it. In an April 14, 2008 speech at the Commonwealth Club of California, Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of Free Lunch, outlines how government-private sector collusion affects the middle class and the poor.

Jul. 18, 2008: Word for Word: The history of insect control

Fri, Jul 18 2008 Listen

The human battle with bugs has been going on for centuries, but James McWilliams says chemical insecticides came into the picture by accident. McWilliams is a fellow in the Agrarian Studies Program at Yale University and an associate professor of history at Texas State University. His new book is "American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT" and he was one of the featured speakers at the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

Jul. 11, 2008: Word for Word: "Who Speaks for Islam?"

Fri, Jul 11 2008 Listen

In a July 1 panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Dalia Mogahed director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and Irshad Manji, author of "The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in her Faith" debated the question: "Who Speaks for Islam?"

Jul. 4, 2008: Word for Word: The Aspen Ideas Festival

Fri, Jul 4 2008 Listen

A half dozen pundits and commentators joined in this conversation, including David Brooks of the New York Times, Jim Wallis of Sojourner magazine, Arianna Huffington of Huffington Post, Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report, Amy Goodman of The Pacifica Network's Democracy Now! And Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post. Moderating the roundtable was Jonathan Alter, columnist with Newsweek magazine.

Jun. 27, 2008: Word for Word: Paul Roberts

Fri, Jun 27 2008 Listen

Bestselling author Paul Roberts argues in his new book "The End of Food," that our global food economy is careening toward disaster. In a June 18th speech at the Commonwealth Club of California, Roberts discussed his book and how problems like food scarcity, food borne illness, obesity and malnutrition are all rooted in the industrial mass-production of food.

Jun. 20, 2008: Word for Word: Tim Weiner

Fri, Jun 20 2008 Listen

Weiner's latest book, "Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA," draws on hundreds of interviews and archival documents, revealing decades of blunders that have compromised the country's national security. During a recent speech at the Minneapolis Public Library, Tim Weiner discussed how the CIA evolved over the past six decades, and where it went wrong.

May 23, 2008: Word for Word: Sen. Edward Kennedy

Fri, May 23 2008 Listen

The news of Sen. Edward Kennedy's incurable brain tumor struck hard in Washington this week. Capitol Hill's boldest liberal, the Massachusetts senator is respected by members on both sides of the aisle and well-known as a skilled and passionate orator. This week, Word for Word features excerpts from some of the Senator's speeches over his 46-year career that earned him a reputation as Washington's "liberal lion."

May 16, 2008: Word for Word: Gene Healy

Fri, May 16 2008 Listen

As the presidential race heats up, author Gene Healy is concerned the candidates — and the voting public — have a grandiose idea of what it means to be president. In his latest book, "The Cult of the Presidency," he argues that American presidents enjoy too much unchecked power. According to Healy, that's far from what the founding fathers envisioned in the Constitution.

May 9, 2008: Word for Word: Roger Mudd -- The CBS eye on history

Fri, May 9 2008 Listen

Roger Mudd covered some of the country's biggest news stories for CBS News in the 1960s and 70s, including the March on Washington and the Watergate scandal. He went on to work elsewhere, but says his heart was always with what was then known as "The Tiffany Network."

May 2, 2008: Word for Word: Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Fri, May 2 2008 Listen

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has been under fire this spring because of the controversial comments his former pastor made in some of his sermons. Rev. Jeremiah Wright defended his comments in an April 28 appearance at the National Press Club.

Apr. 25, 2008: Word for Word: Steve Coll

Fri, Apr 25 2008 Listen

In his new book — "The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century" — author Steve Coll delves into the history of the bin Ladens. In an April 15 speech at the Commonwealth Club of California, Coll reveals how all the bin Ladens used money, mobility and technology to dramatically varied ends.

Apr. 18, 2008: Word for Word: Ward Connerly and Marvin Krislove

Fri, Apr 18 2008 Listen

Ward Connerly and Marvin Krislov differ in their views on affirmative action. Connerly, chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, is strongly opposed to the program and believes race has no place in American life or law. Krislov, president of Oberlin College, is the former vice president and general counsel at the University of Michigan, where he defended affirmative action lawsuits and admissions policies.

Apr. 11, 2008: Word for Word: George Schultz and William Perry

Fri, Apr 11 2008 Listen

Many people increasingly fear that nukes could fall into the hands of extremists or terrorists. Former U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz and former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry teamed up in an April 2 speech at the Commonwealth Club of California to discuss the urgency of the global elimination of nuclear weapons.

Apr. 4, 2008: Word for Word: Joseph Nye

Fri, Apr 4 2008 Listen

Nye says America must redefine its idea of leadership -- that the key to future international success is a balance of "hard" and "soft" power, plus learning how and when to use it. Joseph Nye explained these new definitions of power and leadership March 28 at the Commonwealth Club of California.

Mar. 28, 2008: Word for Word: E.J. Dionne

Fri, Mar 28 2008 Listen

Author and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne says the era of the religious right is over and faith can no longer be used as a tool to gain political ground. In his new book, "Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith & Politics After the Religious Right," Dionne argues that America is about to enter a new progressive era of civic activism and government reform.

Mar. 21, 2008: Word for Word: Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes

Fri, Mar 21 2008 Listen

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard professor Linda Bilmes say their research finds that the real cost of the war -- past, present and future costs -- will easily reach $3 trillion.

Mar. 14, 2008: Word for Word: Christiane Amanpour

Fri, Mar 14 2008 Listen

Christiane Amanpour recently discussed her long and distinguished career with award-winning journalist Marvin Kalb at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Mar. 7, 2008: Word for Word: Parker Palmer

Fri, Mar 7 2008 Listen

Palmer says a truly functioning democracy must contain elements of tension and conflict in order to thrive. Parker Palmer described these building blocks of the American democratic experiment in a February 19 speech at the Commonwealth Club of California.

Feb. 29, 2008: Word for Word: Ben Stein

Fri, Feb 29 2008 Listen

Stein's experience extends far beyond the entertainment world. As a former speech writer for Presidents Ford and Nixon, a lawyer, a financial expert, and author of over a dozen books, Ben Stein spoke recently at the Commonwealth Club of California about the financial, political and social challenges he sees facing the world today.

Feb. 22, 2008: Word for Word

Fri, Feb 22 2008 Listen

As founders of The Breakthrough Institute and authors of "Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility," Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger outlined their new approach to more effective environmentalism in a Feb. 13 speech at the City Club of Cleveland.

Feb. 15, 2008: Word for Word

Fri, Feb 15 2008 Listen

Recently, American journalist Barbara Slavin, Iranian-American historian Dr. Abbas Milani and moderator Jamal Dajani took a look inside Iran's politics, history and culture and discussed the future of U.S -- Iranian relations at the Commonwealth Club of California.

Feb. 8, 2008: Word for Word: Anthony Lewis

Fri, Feb 8 2008 Listen

Lewis discussed the evolution of free speech and what it means to defend speech we disagree with in a Feb. 5 speech at the Commonwealth Club of California.