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Talk of the Nation (News)

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  • Host: Neal Conan
  • Journalist Neal Conan leads a productive exchange of ideas and opinions on the issues that dominate the news landscape. From politics and public service to education, religion, music and healthcare, Neal Conan offers call-in listeners the opportunity to join enlightening discussions with decision-makers, authors, academicians and artists from around the world.
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  • Genres: News
  • Location: Washington, DC
  • Language: English
  • Networks: NPR
Last updated 301 days ago Update show info

New Yorkers Disagree Over Plans For Sept. 11 Trial

Thu, Nov 19 Listen
Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, will be tried in a civilian court in New York City. Some argue it will open old wounds, while others insist it will provide closure.

Indentured Servitude Persists In Florida's Fields

Thu, Nov 19 Listen
Slavery was abolished in the U.S. in 1865, but the specter of slavery persists today for the tomato and citrus pickers working in Florida's fields. Reporter Amy Bennett Williams joins Neal Conan in Fort Myers, Fla. to discuss indentured servitude, human trafficking, and how prosecutors are fighting it.

'Googled': From Brainchild To Behemoth

Thu, Nov 19 Listen
How much do you know about the company that knows so much about you? In Googled: The End of the World as We Know It, Ken Auletta chronicles the growth of Google, from the brainchild of two computer science graduate students, toiling in a California garage, to the multi-billion dollar, multi-nation corporation it is today.

Books That Will Help You Understand Afghanistan

Thu, Nov 19 Listen
The conflict in Afghanistan dominates headlines, but many people seek a deeper understanding of the country and the war the U.S. is fighting there. In the first of a series of suggestions for an Afghanistan "reading list," Washington Post special military correspondent Tom Ricks shares his recommendations, ranging from a collection of Afghan proverbs, to a history of the CIA's involvement in the country.

USDA Study Show Hunger On The Rise In U.S.

Wed, Nov 18
A new report on hunger in America from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly 15 percent of all American households struggled to get enough to eat in 2008. That's the largest percentage since the agency began measuring hunger in 1995. Alfred Lubrano, reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer explains the study’s findings.

Matthew Continetti On The 'Persecution' Of Palin

Wed, Nov 18 Listen
It's been all Palin all the time ever since the former Alaska governor unveiled her memoir on Oprah on Monday. Matthew Continetti of the Weekly Standard comes to Palin's defense in his new book, The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star.

Understanding The New Mammogram Guidelines

Wed, Nov 18 Listen
For years, women were encouraged to get breast cancer screenings at 40. Now, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued new guidelines saying that the average woman can wait until 50. The guidelines also discourage the teaching of self breast examinations. Experts explain how the study was conducted, and how to interpret the new recommendations.

Doc Ford Gets To The Bottom Of Florida Mysteries

Wed, Nov 18 Listen
Crime writer Randy Wayne White spent 13 years as a tackle fishing guide before he began to probe the mysteries of southwest Florida. White is best known for his series of crime novels featuring Doc Ford, an NSA agent turned marine biologist living on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Is Palin's 'Going Rogue' A Good Read?

Tue, Nov 17 Listen
Just one day after its release, Sarah Palin's new memoir, Going Rogue, is already on its way to the bestseller lists. Pundits are combing the book for signs of the former vice presidential candidate's political ambitions and prospects. NPR's Congressional correspondent Andrea Seabrook gave it a read.

As Unemployment Rises, Where Are The Jobs?

Tue, Nov 17 Listen
Unemployment numbers in the U.S. are the highest they've been since 1983, but there are still some jobs out there. Businessweek's Dean Foust breaks down where the jobs are, and which industries are growing. The alternative energy business is getting a lot of buzz; Reed Hundt, co-chairman of "the coalition for a green bank" explains.

Modern Blackface: Offensive Or Just Irreverent?

Tue, Nov 17 Listen
Blackface white actors in black make-up, perpetuating over-the-top stereotypes of African Americans was traditional in theater and the movies in the days of segregation. Chicago Tribune columnist Dawn Turner Trice weighs in whether modern takes on blackface are insensitive or just irreverent?

Comedian George Carlin's 'Last Words'

Tue, Nov 17 Listen
Before his death in June 2008, comedian George Carlin spent 10 years working on a memoir, Last Words, with his longtime friend Tony Hendra. Hendra, a writer and comedian, talks with Rebecca Roberts about Carlin's life and legacy.

Letters: Berlin Wall, Gay Rights, Sesame Street

Tue, Nov 17 Listen
Listeners comment on past shows, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the state of gay rights where they live. Some share fond memories of growing up with Sesame Street, and many wrote in to praise NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton's reporting from Africa.

Was Iraq 'Worth It'?

Mon, Nov 16 Listen
Ernesto Londono, Baghdad bureau chief for The Washington Post, looked to the city of Samarra to answer the question: Was the Iraq war worth it? Samarra appears to be a surge success story, but it remains deeply divided along Sunni and Shia lines.

A Haunting American Dream Set In 'Luna Park'

Mon, Nov 16 Listen
Writer Kevin Baker says he never thought he'd be "hip enough" to venture into graphic novels. But with illustrator Danijel Zezelj, he has created Luna Park a ghostly graphic novel set in the decaying amusement parks of Coney Island. It profiles a Russian immigrant plagued by nightmares of the Chechen War.

Byron Pitts Found Faith To 'Step Out On Nothing'

Mon, Nov 16 Listen
When CBS correspondent Byron Pitts was 12 years old, he had a debilitating stutter and a terrible secret: he couldn't read. In his new memoir, Step Out On Nothing, Pitts describes how, with faith and family, he overcame illiteracy to become an award-winning correspondent.

What Can We Learn From Fort Hood?

Mon, Nov 16 Listen
The mass shooting on Nov. 5 in Texas left 13 dead and dozens wounded. In the aftermath of the violent outburst, guests and callers weigh in on the troubling questions raised by the tragic shooting: What motivated the Army psychiatrist to allegedly open fire on his fellow soldiers? Could the shooting have possibly been prevented?

Sailing Through Space, On A Starboard Tack

Fri, Nov 13 Listen
In the vacuum of space, photons not wind may someday fill the sails of lightweight spacecraft, propelling them without need for engines or fuel. Louis Friedman, executive director of The Planetary Society, discusses the society's plans for a sailing spaceship prototype.

Do Moon Craters Harbor Caches Of Water Ice?

Fri, Nov 13 Listen
A NASA rocket slammed into a lunar crater in October. A second spacecraft followed minutes later, taking inventory of kicked-up debris and sending data to Earth. Scientists have now analyzed those data, which may reveal whether the moon harbors significant quantities of water ice.

Two Graphic Novels Explain Science, Colorfully

Fri, Nov 13 Listen
Moving beyond traditional superheroes, two new graphic novels recount the epic tales of scientists and the research that made them famous. Ira Flatow talks with authors Michael Keller and Apostolos Doxiadis about their graphic novels on natural selection and logic.

One-Woman Show Explores Human Side Of Health Care

Fri, Nov 13 Listen
Actress Anna Deavere Smith traveled across the country interviewing people about their thoughts on health care. From an injured bull rider to a medical school dean, she recounts what she heard through monologues in her latest documentary-style theater production, Let Me Down Easy.

Clone That Smile, Digitally

Fri, Nov 13 Listen
Researchers have figured out how to track the facial expressions of one person and map those movements onto a digital image of another person's face in real time. The result is something like a digital video puppet, which psychologists say may reveal something about human nature.

Therapists Split On Multiple Personalities

Fri, Nov 13 Listen
Can people develop different personalities in response to abuse? Some therapists say up to one percent of the population suffer from dissociative identity disorder. Others say the disease doesn't exist, or is very rare. Two therapists discuss the controversial diagnosis.

On Sesame Street, 'C' Is For Controversy

Thu, Nov 12 Listen
The beloved television show has been educating children for 40 years but not without plenty of grown-up controversy. From Cookie Monster's unbalanced diet, to Elmo's bad grammar, to Grover's civil disobedience, The Week magazine explains why some days aren't sunny days on Sesame Street.

Hudson Landing An Engineering Miracle, Pilot Says

Thu, Nov 12 Listen
In January, pilot Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger was hailed as a hero, after he glided his U.S. Airways plane which had lost both engines to a safe landing in the Hudson. In Fly by Wire, writer and former pilot William Langewiesche argues that it was the engineering of the plane, and not Sullenberger's skill, that made the "miracle" possible.

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton On Reporting From W. Africa

Thu, Nov 12 Listen
In the past year, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR's West Africa correspondent, has brought us stories about everything from political violence, to natural disasters, to Senegalese rappers, to post-apartheid South African poets. She joins Neal Conan to talk about the stories she doesn't get a chance to cover.

Gay Rights In America: Past, Present And Future

Thu, Nov 12 Listen
Salt Lake City has unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment and housing. And a measure legalizing same-sex marriage is moving forward in Washington, D.C. Eugene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, weighs in on the state of gay rights in America.

Greeters Welcome Troops With Heartfelt Thanks

Wed, Nov 11 Listen
More than 900,000 troops have passed through Bangor, Maine since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003 and the "troop greeters" have been there to offer a handshake, kind words, and cookies to each and every one. Director Aron Gaudet discusses The Way We Get By, his new documentary about the retired men and women who turn out day and night to show their respect for troops going to and from war.

'Hallowed Ground': A Final Resting Place At Arlington

Wed, Nov 11 Listen
Thousands of people will visit Arlington National Cemetery on Veteran's Day just a snapshot of the four million visitors who pass through America's revered burial ground each year. Author Robert M. Poole discusses his new book, On Hallowed Ground, which traces the history of the nation's most celebrated military cemetery.

NARAL Pro-Choice To Challenge Moderate Dems?

Wed, Nov 11 Listen
It's Wednesday, so NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin is here to round up all the latest political news. This week: health care, Afghanistan, and Democratic primaries. Also, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, discusses whether her group will throw its weight behind challengers to moderate Democrats.

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