Thinking Twice: Reading the Constitution with Justice Stephen Breyer
Celebrate Independence Day with Open to Debate
Justice Stephen Breyer will be a special guest on a new episode of Open to Debate that debuts on Friday July 4th.
As an associate justice on the Supreme Court for almost three decades, Stephen Breyer was no stranger to hearing arguments for different sides in major cases. In this episode, our moderator-in-chief, John Donvan, and Chief Content Officer, Lia Matthow, interview Justice Breyer and discuss his book “Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, not Textualism.” He discusses how he used this philosophy to guide his decisions and why he thinks jurists should choose this approach.
Free Speech in the Trump 2.0 Era
With Donald Trump back in the White House, the First Amendment is under pressure, and his efforts are up for interpretation.
In just six months, his administration has moved aggressively: threatening state and university funding, restricting press access, defunding public media, including NPR and PBS, and targeting campus speech. Across the country, schools face mounting demands to dismantle DEI programs. In a recent escalation, Harvard’s $100 million in federal contracts, $2.6 billion in research grants, and international student enrollment are in jeopardy after allegations of antisemitism.
Some say that some of his actions can be viewed as a break from political correctness and a restoration of viewpoint diversity. Critics warn it’s a dubious crackdown, with the government punishing institutions and voices that don’t align with its agenda.
As the line between free expression and political enforcement blurs, Open to Debate, in partnership with the Cascades PBS Ideas Festival, discusses the evolving concept of free speech under a second Trump presidency in a debate-y conversation.
This Summer, Dive into the history of recorded sound!
Sound Beat is a daily, 90-second public radio show that showcases recordings from Syracuse University Libraries’ Belfer Audio Archive, one of the nation’s largest sound archives.
Episodes feature a wide range of recordings from all musical genres, film scores, and great thinkers and political figures such as Albert Einstein and Teddy Roosevelt, and more. Listeners will hear fascinating rare gems, old favorites, and some never heard before recordings.
For more information about Sound Beat, check out our Program Listing
Searching For The First Rock and Roll Song
A two decade long staple on WWOZ in New Orleans, Searching For The First Rock and Roll Song features records coveted by collectors from the era when rock and roll was emerging but hadn’t yet settled on a definition of itself.
On Searching For The First Rock and Roll Song, listeners will hear music
- from before rock and roll was domesticated into a commercial music industry.
- when country and western sounded like swing,
- when pop music sounded like rockabilly,
- when rockabilly sounded like rhythm and blues,
- when doo wop sounded like girl groups,
and all those musics sounded an awful lot like what we now call “rock and roll.”
Not a hits, oldies, or “history of” radio show. it’s all the songs that influenced our now-legendary musicians who are regularly featured in all those hits, oldies, and “history of” radio shows.
P.S. We never find the first rock and roll song. Just like our journey through life, the search is the joy. Finding the final destination in life or music is something to continually delay until after next week’s episode.
Available FREE on PRX & Download
The Best of Broadway and Hollywood
Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Musical
Public Radio’s Most Popular and Longest Running Broadway and Hollywood Musical Program
Since 1998, Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Musical has been presenting the best of Broadway and Hollywood, from the early 20th century to current hits: from Gershwin, Berlin and Rodgers & Hammerstein to Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The best of Broadway and Hollywood music including rarely heard recordings.
“Bill Rudman brings musical theater history to life with charm, wit, insight, warmth, convivial chat and a wealth of knowledge”.
Entertaining and insightful backstage stories, anecdotes, and historical perspectives from Host and Producer Bill Rudman, a nationally recognized authority on musical theatre.
“I don’t know which I prefer: the music or your informative and entertaining commentary. BOTH are excellent!”
Exclusive archival interviews with, and in-depth interviews with of such acclaimed artists as lyricist Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me), composer John Kander (Cabaret and Chicago) and singers Mandy Patinkin and the late Barbara Cook, and many more!
“Bill’s in-depth interviews with all manner of artists provide a permanent, irreplaceable archive.”
Cost: FREE
Length: 56:50
Available: PRX Automated Delivery, Downloads