I'm excited about today's Scramble. WNYC podcaster Anna Sale, host of Death, Sex & Money, is our superguest, which means she gets to pick three topics for her conversation with me.
Her choices are LeBron James and the notion of going home, a new Jenny Lewis song about a ticking biological clock, and the long agonizing death of the husband of NPR broadcaster, Diane Rehm. At least on paper, that's a perfect combination for the Scramble.
We move from there to a conversation with media analyst Ken Doctor about a new kind of battle between an American celebrity and a British tabloid. George Clooney is mad. This week, he went after British tabloid The Daily Mail, for falsely reporting that the Lebanese mother of his fiancee objected to their wedding on religious grounds, and that relatives of the bride joked about killing her if she defied her mother's wishes.
Last, Warren Harding was considered one of the worst presidents the nation ever experienced. His administration has been deemed inefficient, corrupt, and clueless. He once said of his presidency that he was "not fit for this office and should never have been here." We'll spend some time on the recently revealed letters from Warren G. Harding to one of his mistresses. You may have heard about those but meet the novelist who imagined that scenario two decades ago.
GUESTS:
- Anna Sale is the host and managing editor of Death, Sex, and Money, a biweekly podcast at WNYC. She’s also a frequent fill-in host for The Brian Lehrer Show and The Leonard Lopate Show.
- Ken Doctor is a media analyst and consultant and the author of "Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get," and Newsonomics.com.
- Bob Plunket is the author of Love Junkie and My Search for Warren Harding.
