Midday on WNYC

Ken Bensinger discusses his book, Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal, which breaks down how the FIFA scandal took shape and how the IRS initiated an international corruption case. This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Zack O'Malley Greenburg discusses his new book, 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise. This history of contemporary hip-hop traces how these three superstars went from musicians to tycoons and expanded their net worth by widening their output to well outside the bounds of music. This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Writer/director Shana Feste and actors Vera Farmiga and Peter Fonda discuss their new film Boundaries. This family road-trip film focuses on Laura (Farmiga) and her son as they travel across the country to help her pot-dealing father move after being kicked out of a retirement community. On June 22 Boundaries opens at The Angelika Film Center and The Paris Theatre.  This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Actress and author Sheetal Sheth discusses her new children’s book, Always Anjali, which encourages pride in being different and embracing the things that make us culturally unique. This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Fatima Farheen Mirza discusses her debut novel A Place for Us, which tells the story of a family reuniting for a Muslim-Indian wedding and the reckoning it provokes. A Place for Us is the first book published in Sarah Jessica Parker's new Penguin Random House imprint,"SJP for Hogarth."  On June 13 at 7 pm Fatima Farheen Mirza will be in conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker at the Union Square Barnes & Noble. The event will be moderated by Lisa Lucas, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. A limited number of wristbands for event access will be distributed with purchase of the book from B&N Union Square beginning at 9 am on the day of the event. This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications for President Obama, discusses his new book, The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. Rhodes takes us on an intimate journey inside the White House and offers his uniquely personal perspective on Obama, his work, and how his eight years in office looked from inside the West Wing. On June 12 at 7:30 pm Ben Rhodes will be in conversation with U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power at the 92nd Street Y.  This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu.   

Sofija Stefanovic discusses her memoir, Miss Ex-Yugoslavia: A Memoir, which charts her journey as a child coming of age in a country torn apart by war and her family’s struggle to acclimate to a new culture in Australia. On June 27 at 7 pm Sofija Stefanovic will be at Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston, New York. On June 13 at 7 pm Sofija Stefanovic will host This Alien Nation, a monthly salon featuring stories by people with immigrant backgrounds at Joe’s Pub (425 Lafayette Street). This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Dave Itzkoff discusses his new biography, Robin, which takes a close look at the life, celebrity, and struggles of the late Robin Williams. This intimate portrayal draws on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends, and colleagues. This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Austin Channing Brown discusses her book, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Brown offers a powerful perspective on race with her first-hand account of growing up black, Christian, and female in middle-class white America. This segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolu. 

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer discusses her new book, From You to Two: Dr. Ruth's Rules For Real Relationships, written with Pierre A. Lehu. Dr. Ruth offers clear-headed advice for singles looking for committed relationships while navigating online dating, and how to get what you want without getting jaded about the process. On June 13 at 12:30 pm Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer will be speaking at Bryant Park's author series (42nd street between 5 and 6 Avenues).  The segment is guest hosted by Hari Kondabolou.  

Morgan Neville discusses his new documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, which explores the life and legacy of the iconic Mr. Rogers. Won't You Be My Neighbor opens in theaters on June 22. This segment is guest hosted by Rebecca Carroll. 

Nathanael Johnson discusses his recent piece, “Are avocados toast?: What will we eat in 2050? California farmers are placing bets.” It takes a close look at what farmers are experiencing due to climate change and a deep dive into how produce yields in California are declining as a result. It was originally published in Grist and syndicated in Mother Jones. The segment is guest hosted by Rebecca Carroll. 

Rob Reiner discusses his new film, Shock and Awe, which looks at the journalists who questioned the Bush White House’s justification for the Iraq War. While criticized at the start of the war, history has ultimately proven that their concerns were valid. The film will be in theaters in July and available as a DIRECTV exclusive in June. This segment is guest hosted by Rebecca Carroll.

Dr. Dave Hudson, staff research scientist at the Maritime Aquarium, and Dr. Jeremy B. C. Jackson, a biologist/ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and co-author of Breakpoint: Reckoning with America’s Environmental Crises, discuss intertidal communities, from tide pools to shallow waters. They explain how sand gets made, where oysters thrive, and what invasive species we need to worry about on the east coast. They also provide a scientific perspective on our favorite summer habitat – the beach! This segment is guest hosted by Rebecca Carroll. 

Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury and Soho Rep. artistic director Sarah Benson discuss the play Fairview, which Drury wrote and Benson directs. In Fairview, the Frasier family is gearing up for Grandma’s birthday, and Beverly needs the dinner to be perfect. But the silverware’s wrong, the radio’s on the fritz, her sister Jasmine is drinking, her husband Dayton isn’t helping, her daughter Keisha is a typical teenager, and her brother Tyrone might not show up at all! Fairview is playing at Soho Rep. through July 8. This segment is guest hosted by Jonathan Capehart.