Will Al Gore ride the momentum of last night's Oscar win to announce a presidential run? Ben Merens and his guest discuss the former V-P's unique political road, and the political power of Hollywood.
Guest: David Canon, professor of political science, UW-Madison.


Coverage of the Great Decisions Series continues, after five, as Ben Merens and his guest discuss the latest news from Iraq, and the war debate in Washington.
Guest: Ivan Eland (EYE-ven EE-land), senior fellow and director of the Center on Peace and Liberty, Independent Institute.

Join Ben Merens for "Your Views on the News." It's the weekly Friday feature that welcomes your thoughts and opinions on the top news stories of the week.


Living without technology takes work… the work of an Eastern Michigan University masters student. She joins Ben Merens, after five, to talk about why she's low-tecking her life.
Guest: Christina Wall, masters student, Eastern Michigan University. www.retrochicky.blogspot.com

Ben Merens welcomes state lawmakers from each side of the aisle to discuss their legislative priorities for Wisconsin.
Guests:
4:00 - State Representative Robin Vos, 63rd Assembly District, Republican
4:30 - State Representative Jennifer Shilling, 95th Assembly District, Democrat


What would happen if George W. Bush was charged with fraud against the United States due to his justification for invading Iraq? YOU are the juror, as Ben Merens talks with the prosecution and the defense for the “United States v. George W. Bush et al.”
Guests:
5:00 - Elizabeth de la Vega, retired federal prosecutor. Contributor, TomDispatch.com. Author, “United States v. George W. Bush et al.”
5:30 - Ronald Kessler, author, “A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush” and, “The CIA At War: Inside the Secret Campaign Against Terror.”

After four, Ben Merens’ guest examines the origin and meaning of religion from the scientific perspective of evolutionary biology.
Guest: Daniel C. Dennett, professor of philosophy, co-director, Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University. Author, “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon”


Ben Merens’ talks with an alternative energy expert, after five, about a new waste ethanol project in Wisconsin that could be just what President Bush is looking for in his call to reduce the need for foreign oil.
Guest: Barry Hanson, alternative energy consultant, author, “Energy Power Shift: Benefiting from Today's New Technologies” www.energypowershift.com

Ben Merens’ guest, after four, says the Scooter Libby trial has provided a unique window into how the White House was operating in President Bush’s first term, and confirms that Dick Cheney is the most powerful vice president to hold the office.
Guest: Joel K. Goldstein, Professor of Law, St. Louis University. Author, “The Modern American Vice Presidency: The Transformation of a Political Institution”


Ben Merens hosts his monthly open line, after five. Call in with your topic and guest suggestions for future shows.
FEBRUARY OPEN LINE

According to a recent study by UNICEF, Britain and the United States ranked last among wealthy nations for child welfare. Peter Donalds and his guest discuss the impact of globalization on social programs.
Guest: Jeffry A. Frieden, professor, Department of Government, Harvard University. Author, “Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century”


Peter Donalds talks with former Secretary of Defense William Cohen and his wife, Janet, about how one diverse couple has overcome the barriers of racial bigotry and found happiness together.
Guests: William and Janet Cohen, authors, "Love in Black & White: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Romance" (Rowman & Littlefield)

After four, Ben Merens and his guest education expert discuss findings and recommendations released today by The Commission on No Child Left Behind.
Guest: Jonathan Plucker, Professor of educational psychology and cognitive science, director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP) at Indiana University www.ceep.indiana.edu


After five, Ben Merens examines the future of the newspaper industry with a guest who says the days of print may be numbered.
Guest: Dan Kennedy, visiting assistant professor, School of Journalism, Northeastern University www.medianation.blogspot.com

The Great Decisions Series, Mondays at five, continues today with Ben Merens and his guest who says the U.S. is still in desperate need of immigration reform as we approach the one-year anniversary of last year’s massive protests in Wisconsin and across the country.
Guest: Christine Neumann-Ortiz, director, Voces de la Frontera.She will speak at the UW-Milwaukee Great Decisions Series on Tuesday, February 13th at 7pm. For more information: https://www3.uwm.edu/dept/cie/iwa/

Join Peter Donalds, after four, for "Your Views on the News." It's the weekly Friday feature that welcomes your thoughts and opinioins on the top news stories of the week.

After five, Peter Donalds and his guest discuss a new P-B-S Frontline documentary that uses the C-I-A agent Valerie Plame outing and investigation as a case-study of the conflicting rights and responsibilities of prosecutors and the press.
Guest: Raney Aronson, producer, “News War: Secrets, Sources & Spin.”The documentary airs Tuesdays, February 13 and 20. Check local listings. www.pbs.org/frontline

Americans are more overweight then ever, and yesterday the Federal Food and Drug Administration made history by approving an nonprescription diet pill. After four, Peter Donalds and his guest discuss why weight loss in a bottle may or may not be the answer.
Guest: Ann Yelmokas (yell-MO-kiss) McDermott, Licensed Dietician Nutritionist, Lifestyle Nutrition Management. Research scientist, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University Lipid Metabolism Laboratory. www.lifestylenutritionmanagement.com

Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy and presidential candidate Joe Biden have sparked the latest conversations about race in America. Join Peter Donalds and his guest, after five, to continue the conversation.
Guest: Bruce A. Jacobs, author, “Race Manners for the 21st Century: Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americans in an Age of Fear”

It was revealed yesterday that the U.S. airlifted several hundred tons of cash amounting to over four billion dollars into Iraq early in the war. Ben Merens talks with a defense analyst about the President’s military budget, the cost of the war, and how nearly nine billion dollars has gone missing.
Guest: Winslow Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information www.cdi.org


Ben Merens talks with NPR Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan.

President Bush sent his 2.9 trillion-dollar budget plan to Capitol Hill yesterday, asking billions more for Iraq and Afghanistan while cutting the federal deficit. Ben Merens and his guest discuss the highlights, after four.
Guest: Corey Davison, director of legislative relations, The Concord Coalition www.concordcoalition.org


Ben Merens’ guest, after five, says the takeover might make sense financially, but Wisconsinites are justifiably proud of Midwest Airlines and he hopes AirTran’s bid is not successful.
Guest: Aaron Gellman, professor of management and strategy, Transportation Center, Northwestern University

A much-anticipated international report released Friday confirms and details the urgency of climate change and the impact of human activity. After four, Ben Merens talks with one of the panel’s lead authors.
Guest: Gary Yohe (Yo), Woodhouse-Sysco Professor of Economics, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT. Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Working Group 2. View the report: http://www.ipcc.ch

Continuing the Great Decisions Series (Mondays at five), Ben Merens talks with a representative of UNICEF about protecting the world’s children against violence and abuse. Guest: Pamela Shifman, child protection advisor, UNICEF. www.unicefusa.org www.violencestudy.org Ms. Shifman will speak at UW-Milwaukee’s Great Decisions Series, Tuesday, February 6 at 7pm. For details: https://www3.uwm.edu/dept/cie/iwa/