The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

Americans are still spending money, even with recession fears. What gives? Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

Economy got you down? We get it. Interest rates have soared. Inflation has been surging. A recession could be on the horizon...yet based on the numbers, we're still spending money, despite our decreasing confidence in the economy. What factors are driving this inherently contradictory trend? Which demographics of people are being disproportionately affected the most? Is there any end in sight? La Salle University Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Meghan Pierce offers some answers, and tries to help us make sense of a very whacky economic moment.

Hidden in plain sight: the insidious spread of online radicalization Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Raise your hand if you know someone who was radicalized online during COVID-19. A lot of people have gone down an online video rabbit hole and emerged with some pretty wild beliefs and worldviews. Some situations strain families. Other times, the outcomes can be a lot worse. When we hear about tragedies like mass shootings, we often hear the term online radicalization attached to the person behind the atrocity. So how does this happen, how does someone become radicalized? What does that look like, and how easy is it to fall down the rabbit hole? We asked Dr. Dustin Kidd, Associate Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at Temple University.

How bad was pandemic learning loss? We have an idea now Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

Kids in the US have had a couple of rough years at school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One academic year was turned upside down as everyone scrambled to online learning on the fly. The next year was better, but you still had kids in and out of the classroom and there wasn't always consistency. And throughout it all, there has been a lot of concern for how much learning for kids was interrupted, and the impact that has. So is this something we can measure? The not-for-profit organization NWEA supports students and educators, and they've done some research into how far kids fell behind and if we are seeing them bounce back. We wanted to talk about this research, what it says and what it means so we caught up with Karyn Lewis, PhD, Director of the Center for School and Student Progress.

Behind China's 'unprecedented' reaction to Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

Political leaders take trips to other countries and areas all the time, and usually they don’t draw a lot of attention. But that was not the case with a recent trip that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made. The Speaker traveled to Taiwan on a recent trip through Asia, and that did not sit well with China, which responded with fiery rhetoric and alarming military drills. So what’s the big deal? Why did this strike such a nerve? We asked Dr. Edward Wang, Professor of History and Coordinator of Asian Studies at Rowan University.

Update: Did COVID make the US weaker than other countries? Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

A few months ago we asked Sigal Atzmon, the CEO and founder of medical science & tech company Medix Global to come on the podcast to talk about her concern that the US would emerge from the pandemic weaker than other countries. A lot has happened since then -- new variants, new information about long COVID, and another health emergency in monkey pox. We wanted to follow up with Atzmon, ask if her thinking has changed since the last time we talked, and figure out where we are in this very long pandemic.

Al-Qaeda: the rise and deterioration of a worldwide face of terror Aug 06, 2022

Show notes

There was stunning news out of Afghanistan recently -- the US had killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. His name became all too familiar to Americans in the wake of 9/11, and he had been leading the terrorist organization since Osama Bin Laden was killed by US forces back in 2011. So what does his death mean for the terrorist organization? Is the world any safer today than it was a week ago? What does the terror landscape even look like now? We asked Dr. Lisa Baglione, Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University.

Jobs numbers that would make an economist blush: Pandemic economy update Aug 05, 2022

Show notes

The most optimistic economists wouldn't have believed these jobs numbers. Are we finally back to pre-pandemic employment figures? We've been overwhelmed the last few weeks with GDP and recession talk -- how do smart people square the strength of the labor market with all the talk of a recession? What's the Federal Reserve going to do next, and which direction are mortgage rates going? Philadelphia economist David Fiorenza is on the podcast to break down the biggest economic stories of the week and why they're important to you and me.

"I worry about this every day": nurses look at the overturning of Roe v. Wade Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Terri Hinkley understands and respects why people might be opposed to abortion. But in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the CEO of the Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses is concerned about the unintended consequences she thinks the ruling will cause, particularly for nurses and other health care practitioners. Unprecedented gray areas. Life or death judgement calls. Mental trauma risks. Hinkley believes volatile dynamics like these will now all be in play in a state-driven, post-Roe world.

New public health funding report is eye-opening and disturbing Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

Public health has been front and center the last few years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its importance, it still doesn't get the respect it deserves and funding is a consistent problem. The non-profit, non-partisan health policy advocacy organization Trust for America's Health is out with its annual report, called The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System. We wanted to talk about the report which looks at trends, risks, and makes recommendations for how we can boost public health in the US, so we caught up with Rhea Farberman, the Director of Strategic Communications and Policy Research at Trust for America's Health. Look at the report here: https://www.tfah.org/report-details/funding-report-2022/

What if there was an NBA arena in Center City, Philadelphia? Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

The Sixers recently announced plans to build a new arena in Center City. It would be located in the Fashion District and right next to Chinatown. It would be called 76 Place, and it's being targeted for a 2031 opening. It's a long time away and a lot can happen between now and then, but we wanted to ask a few questions anyway. What would it look like? How would it change Center City? How would it impact the neighborhood? We asked all these questions and more to Harris Steinberg, Executive Director of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected