Bob Collins
Wednesday December 20, 2017
(Subject to change as events dictate)
9 a.m. – MPR News with Kerri Miller (Stephanie Curtis hosts)
We get a snapshot of the latest news from three countries recently in the headlines — Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and Germany.
Guests: Peter Godwin,born and raised in Africa, studied law at Cambridge University, and international relations at Oxford. He is an award winning foreign correspondent, author, documentary-maker and screenwriter; Dany Bahar, Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program and an associate at Harvard Center for International Development; Jeffrey Anderson the Graf Goltz Professor & Director of the BMW Center for German and European Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and Professor of Government, Georgetown University.
10 a.m.- 1A with Joshua Johnson
Why some countries have more women in congress. Today, 21 women are U.S. senators and 84 women hold seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But compared to other developed nations, the U.S. doesn’t hold a candle to the political parity found abroad. A 2015 Pew Research study says: “The U.S. ranks an unimpressive 33rd when it comes to women in the national legislature, among 49 “high-income” countries (defined as those with per-capita incomes above $12,615).” What do other countries get right when it comes to electing women and encouraging them to participate in the political process? And what lessons can the U.S. take away from its foreign neighbors that can help bridge the gender gap on Capitol Hill?
Guests: Aili Mari Tripp, professor of political science and gender and women’s studies, The University of Wisconsin Madison. She is author of “Women and Power in Post-Conflict Africa” and “African Women’s Movements: Transforming Political Landscapes“; Odette Nyiramilimo, Secretary General, The Liberal Party of Rwanda; former Senator, the first female senator in Rwanda; Swanee Hunt, chair and founder, The Institute for Inclusive Security; founding director, Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, author of “Rwanda Women Rising” and “This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace“; Mona Lena Krook, political science professor, Rutgers University. She is author of “Quotas for Women in Politics.”
11 a.m. – MPR News with Tom Weber (Marianne Combs hosts)
How does your faith influence your politics?
Guests: Guests: David Montgomery, Reporter, MPR News; Marcia Zimmerman, Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel Minneapolis; Kevin Meyer, Lead Pastor at Wayzata Free Church and former executive director of Trinity International University; Michael Wear, founder, Public Square Strategies LLC and author of “Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America.”
12 p.m. – MPR News Presents
From former NPR host Neal Conan’s “Truth, Politics and Power” series. “The Bully Pulpit.” How Presidents use the power of speech to persuade, console, encourage and inspire. Guests include a renowned linguist and two former presidential speechwriters for Presidents Reagan and Clinton.
1 p.m. – The Takeaway
What’s really in the tax bill? Separating fact from fiction in the the $1.5 trillion Republican plan.
2 p.m. – BBC NewsHour
An update on increased fighting in Ukraine.
3 p.m. – All Things Considered
Talks to avert a government shutdown; the UK’s mysterious professor; and a visit to Cabela’s hometown.
7 p.m. – The World
The U.S. is heavily involved in a civil war 7,000 miles away in Yemen. A reporter who has friends on both sides of that country’s north/south divide — Iona Craig — reflects on 1,000 days of war there.
8 p.m. – Fresh Air
The new documentary Quest is about a North Philly family by film maker Jonathan Olshefski, who for eight years closely followed Christopher “Quest” Rainey and Christina Rainey and their family. Chris runs a hip-hop studio in their basement. Christina worked for years at a homeless shelter. The film begins with President Obama’s election and ends with Trump’s. The Raineys are mentors and confidants for the other people in their tight-knit neighborhood. The film was an official selection of The Sundance Film Festival and has won numerous awards at other film festivals.
