The Brian Lehrer Show

After an initial worldwide terror alert issued Friday, the State Department has now closed diplomatic posts in 19 North African and Middle Eastern countries. Karen Greenberg of Fordham's Center on National Security discusses the warnings, what they say about the state of al Qaeda, and how they fit into our ongoing conversation about the role of NSA surveillance.

Adelle Waldman, Brooklyn-based journalist and the author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.: A Novel (Henry Holt and Co., 2013), looks at the 21st century Brooklyn dating scene through the characters in her new novel. Event: Adelle Waldman will be appearing with other authors for a reading at McNally Jackson on August 19th.  Excerpt: The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.: A Novel // Excerpt Love Affairs of Nathaniel P (PDF) Excerpt Love Affairs of Nathaniel P (Text) From the book The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.: A Novel. Copyright (c) 2013 by Adelle Waldman. Reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Co. All rights reserved. .

Jim Rash, host of Sundance Channel's 'The Writer's Room' (who also plays Dean Pelton on "Community") talks about what it takes to write a hit television show. The episode with writers from Parks & Recreation airs tonight.

In response to criticism of his plans for a revamped Midtown East business district, Mayor Bloomberg has added more housing and public space to the proposal for taller office buildings.  Laura Kusisto, Wall Street Journal reporter covering economic development in New York, including housing, jobs, hospitals and city planning, talks about the prospects of the plan.   // Office District (PDF) Office District (Text)

James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic, and his wife, linguist and author Deborah Fallows, on their cross-country trip to discover America's most unique small towns.

Susan Grundberg, executive director of You Gotta Believe, talks about her organization's work to help young adults who are phasing out of the foster care system. Joining her is Yolanda Perry, who will be talking about her experience as someone who was adopted through You Gotta Believe. The agency helps facilitate adoptions between teens/young adults and families who help guide them into adulthood.

Matt Gross and Theodore Ross, co-founders of the parenting blog Dad Wagon and regular contributors to TheAtlantic.com, talk about the "CTFD" school of parenting and whether its a good idea or a disaster-in-the-making.

Choire Sicha, former editor of Gawker, founder of The Awl, and author of the new book Very Recent History (Harper, 2013) discusses his new non-fiction semi-novel about life and love in NYC, circa 2009. Listeners: What defines NYC's "very recent history"? Describe New York c.2009 in a few lines -- call 212-433-9692 or post here. In WNYC Studio 2: @Choire discussing NYC's "Very Recent History" http://t.co/HgDPmZNtG0 pic.twitter.com/iktzIyO1zt — Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) August 1, 2013

Hassan Rouhani is set to be sworn in as Iran's new president this weekend. Does this signal a turning point for Iran? Robin Wright, joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center, former diplomatic correspondent at the Washington Post, and author of Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World (Simon & Schuster, 2011) examines what this means for Iran's relationship with the West, and possible challenges to the new regime.

As fast food workers organize for higher wages, Elise Gould, director of Health Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute discusses the landscape of minimum wage and living wage employment -- including who should make $7.25 an hour and what burden employers have to provide for their employees. EPI has recently released their 2013 Family Budget Calculator, which shows regional differences in how much income is needed for economic security.

2013 may be remembered as the year of the flop. Six major movies have fallen far short of expectations already: After Earth, White House Down, The Lone Ranger, Pacific Rim, R.I.P.D, and Turbo. A. A. Dowd, film editor for The A.V. Club, discusses the box office disasters of the summer, and explains how the industry might try to avoid a similar string of flops in the future.

Karen Greenberg, head of the Center on National Security at Fordham University discusses what practical changes to our government's surveillance systems that may restore a balance between privacy and security, from more oversight to limiting the number of people who have access to phone and email records. Plus: the latest on Edward Snowden, who has left the Moscow airport and been granted asylum by Russia.

We've noticed a number of people in their late-20s being characterized - and characterizing themselves, as not yet adult. Traditionally, the five signs of adulthood are: finishing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying, and starting a family. How much has that changed? What are the new milestones? When does adulthood start, anyway? Jeffrey Arnett, psychology professor at Clark University and co-author with Elizabeth Fishel of When Will My Grown-Up Kid Grow Up?: Loving and Understanding Your Emerging Adult, talks about his theory of emerging adulthood and the age when people really become responsible for their actions.   [View the story "What Are The New Milestones of Adulthood?" on Storify]

David Robertson, Wharton Business School professor, former "LEGO Professor of Innovation and Technology Management" at IMD in Switzerland and the author of Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry (Crown Business, 2013), talks about the LEGO company and what it learned following its near-bankruptcy and its expansion into videogames, robotics, amusement parks and even fine art.

Is a new "grand bargain" in the works? Roben Farzad, contributing editor for Bloomberg Businessweek, discusses the proposal President Obama made to lower corporate tax rates in exchange for increased revenue, as part of his jobs creation efforts.