CUNY TV's Conversations with Jim Zirin
121 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsConversations in the Digital Age with Jim Zirin is a talk show designed to illuminate the news by taking the time required to understand and interpret national and world events. The series features high-profile guests from the worlds of politics, law, business, foreign relations, national security, counterterrorism, media, lifestyles, literature, the arts, and the military. The series is hosted by Jim Zirin, a leading litigator and contributor to major publications including Forbes, the Daily Beast, the Nation, The Times of London and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of two books, The Mother Court -- Tales of Cases That Mattered in America's Greatest Trial Court, and Supremely Partisan—How Raw Politics Tips the Scales in the United States Supreme Court. Jim served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York in the Criminal Division under the legendary Robert M. Morgenthau.
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Episodes
What Is It Like to Work in a War Zone?
May 07, 2018 13:30 - 305 MB VideoIn the tradition of iconic female war correspondents like Martha Gellhorn, journalist Janine di Giovanni spent the past 30 years risking her life to cover war zones in troubled areas of the world from Bosnia to Iraq to Syria. She tells Jim Zirin that giving a face to war is necessary, but witnessing the horrors of conflict takes a tremendous personal toll.
Is There Too Much Oversight at the NYPD?
April 30, 2018 13:30 - 306 MB VideoAs the city continues to see lower crime rates, New York Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill tells Jim Zirin of the NYPD’s renewed commitment to improve police-community relations and its relationship with its five monitoring agencies.
Are We in the Most Dangerous Period Since World War II?
April 23, 2018 13:30 - 305 MB VideoJim Zirin talks with Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass about the international problems the U.S. is facing, and whether they are of our own making.
What Is the Case for Impeachment?
April 09, 2018 13:30 - 304 MB VideoThe "prediction professor," Allan Lichtman discusses his new book The Case for Impeachment, and why he believes President Trump will be impeached before the end of his first term.
What is the Backstory on the Metropolitan Opera House?
April 03, 2018 01:30 - 305 MB VideoMetropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb tells Jim Zirin of his new film "The Opera House," which documents the trials and triumphs of closing the opera’s old home in 1966, and constructing a new location at Lincoln Center, where it lives today.
Are We in a Foreign Policy Crisis of Our Own Making?
March 27, 2018 01:30 - 304 MB VideoWith a new Secretary of State in a depopulated and demoralized State Department, amongst many other issues, former State Department official Frank Wisner tell Jim Zirin there many be trouble ahead, but he still thinks there is a basis for optimism.
What Did Donald Trump Learn from Roy Cohn?
March 12, 2018 13:30 - 305 MB VideoIn 1978, writer Ken Auletta profiled for Esquire the pugnacious attorney Roy Cohn whom he called the "personification of evil." Donald Trump was a Cohn client and close friend. Ken Auletta tells Jim Zirin some of the dirty tricks Trump learned from Cohn.
Are We Close to Solving the Riddle of Hereditary Disease?
March 10, 2018 02:30 - 305 MB VideoRick Lifton, a physician and geneticist, is the 11th president of Rockefeller University, a research institution located on Manhattan’s East River. He tells Jim Zirin that Rockefeller is poised to extend its science as never before to benefit humanity.
What Will David Rubenstein Do Next?
March 05, 2018 14:00 - 305 MB VideoA spectacularly successful entrepreneur, patriotic philanthropist, talk show host, and former public servant, David Rubenstein is a man for all seasons. He profiles his career with Jim Zirin, shares his economic forecast, and what he sees as his legacy.
Is “The Post” Historically Accurate or Fake News?
February 27, 2018 02:30 - 305 MB VideoIs the Oscar Nominated film “The Post” faithful to history in its account of The Washington Post’s Pentagon Papers Case? James Goodale, Fmr Vice Chair and General Counsel of The New York Times, lived the story and tells Jim Zirin what is fact vs. fiction.
What’s to Be Done about Economic Inequality?
January 23, 2018 02:30 - 303 MB VideoJim's guest, Peter Georgescu, arrived in America as a refugee from Communist Romania and rose to become CEO of one of our largest advertising agencies. His book, Capitalists Arise, tells how CEOs must take the lead in helping to fix economic inequality.
What’s So Special About KentPresents?
January 09, 2018 02:30 - 306 MB VideoPhilanthropists Donna and Ben Rosen discuss KentPresents, an annual ideas festival they founded in 2015, which takes place over a three-day weekend in Kent, Connecticut. Speakers include Nobel Laureates, scientists, diplomats and luminaries of the arts.
Does it Matter Who Is the President’s Chief of Staff?
December 18, 2017 14:30 - 306 MB VideoThe White House Chief of Staff has little job security. He is unelected, unconfirmed and serves at the pleasure of the President. Chris Whipple, author of The Gatekeepers, tells Jim Zirin that a strong chief is essential to a successful presidency.
Are Facebook and Twitter Out of Control?
November 14, 2017 02:30 - 306 MB Video"Wired" Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson discusses the Russian Facebook and Twitter election abuses, and tells Jim Zirin that technological advances may have outpaced our ability to cope with them.
Was Justice Scalia a Conservative, a Liberal or Both?
November 07, 2017 02:30 - 306 MB VideoJustice Antonin Scalia was a rock-ribbed conservative by ideology, who used originalism and textualism approaches to craft his decisions. Judicial historian David Dorsen tells Jim Zirin that on certain issues Scalia could be unexpectedly liberal.
Is Trump Doing Enough to Cope with the Opioid Crisis?
October 31, 2017 00:30 - 305 MB VideoTo deal with the ever increasing death toll due to opioid overdose, Pres. Trump has now declared a “public health emergency." Dr. Andrew Kolodny of Brandeis tells Jim Zirin we need a massive coordinated federal program if we are to save American lives.
Why is Linda Fairstein the "Queen of Suspense"?
October 24, 2017 01:30 - 307 MB VideoIn her latest mystery thriller Deadfall, former sex crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein takes us on a tour of NYC landmarks, as her heroine tracks down the assassins of the DA. She tells Jim Zirin how she creates suspense at the end of every chapter.
Does the Client Decide a Litigator’s Success?
October 09, 2017 13:30 - 306 MB VideoMarty London had an extraordinary 50-year run as a New York trial lawyer with a spectacular success record that achieved the near impossible. He shares with Jim Zirin some of the fascinating trial stories from his new book "The Client Decides."
Can President Trump Pardon Himself?
October 06, 2017 01:30 - 307 MB VideoWith Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller hot on the trail of Paul Manafort, Mike Flynn, and others close to Donald Trump, many wonder what would happen if Trump fires Mueller? NYU Law Professor Ryan Goodman talks through various scenarios with Jim Zirin.
Are the Scales of Justice Broken in America?
June 13, 2017 01:30 - 305 MB VideoTrue justice cannot be administered in every case, but when something goes wrong in our system, the outcome can be horrific. Top lawyer and former prosecutor Joel Cohen, author of the blockbuster book, Broken Scales, reflects on 10 cases of possible injustice, and tells Jim Zirin that we need to do better with our justice system.
What Can the Left Do About Trump?
May 12, 2017 01:30 - 295 MB VideoThe year 2016 was an unmitigated disaster for progressives, liberals and Democrats. Not only did Trump take the White House, but Republicans took both houses of Congress, most statehouses, and most state legislatures, endangering many programs on the top of the left agenda.