The Bryan Series®

Books by Two Past Speakers Among Newsweek's Top 100 All-time

 Books by Toni Morrison and Salman Rushdie, who appeared in the Bryan Series in the past three seasons, are among Newsweek's top 100 books all-time, as reported in the magazine's July 13 issue.

Morrison's 1987 book Beloved ranked No. 20 on the list, which was based on 10 previously published best-books lists and other considerations, including "a book's impact on history, intellectual contribution to our culture, modern relevance, and enduring popularity." Click here for the methodology.

Rushdie's 1981 book Midnight's Children ranked No. 22, and Morrison's 1977 book Song of Solomon ranked No. 57. 

In addition, Midnight's Children ranked No. 28 among 50 books "that make sense of our times."  Jack Miles' 1996 book God: A Biography ranked No. 10 on that list.  Miles spoke in the series in November 2000.

Poll Respondents Select Duke as their Favorite Doonesbury Character

Most of the respondents to a poll on this Web site asking “Who is Your Favorite Doonesbury Character?” selected “Duke,” the uncle of the “Zonker Harris” character and main link to many secondary characters.

50 percent of respondents selected Uncle Duke while 20 percent selected Zonker, 20 percent selected “Mike Doonesbury” and 10 percent selected “Honey Huan.”

Read more about Duke here.

Read more about the Doonesbury comic strip here and here. 

Creator Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist, will appear in the Bryan Series Oct. 7.

 

Paul Krugman, John Taylor Debate Economy, Health Care

Paul Krugman debated Stanford economist John Taylor on the origins of the financial crisis and the proposed health care plan June 28 on the CNN program Fareed Zakaria GPS.

View the 16-minute video (preceded by a short commercial) here.  View bios of the two top economists here.

Krugman, the Nobel winner and New York Times columnist, will speak in the Bryan Series Nov. 3.

Krugman Joins Roundtable on ABC's "This Week" June 28

Paul Krugman, who will appear in the Bryan Series Nov. 3, joined the roundtable discussion on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, June 28.  View the segment here.

The roundtable also included Peggy Noonan, Michael Eric Dyson and Kathleen Parker.

In his June 26 New York Times column, "Not Enough Audacity," Krugman challenges the president and Congress on health care, stating: 

"It would be a crushing blow to progressive hopes if Mr. Obama doesn’t succeed in getting some form of universal care through Congress. But even so, reform isn’t worth having if you can only get it on terms so compromised that it’s doomed to fail." 

Krugman promoted a second round of government stimulus money in a "This Week" profile that was posted July 1.

CNN Airs Special Iran Report by Amanpour June 20-21

"Amanpour Reports: From The Streets of Iran," a special post-presidential-election report by Christiane Amanpour, will be aired by CNN June 20 and 21 at 7 p.m.

Amanpour, the network's chief international correspondent, delivers a comprehensive, 30-minute review of the situation in Iran after the recent, disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 12.

Amanpour was scheduled to be guest host for "Larry King Live" June 20, with a focus on the Iran situation.

To read a recent CNN news story on the situation, click here.

Amanpour spoke in the Bryan Series last November.

Krugman: "Stay the Course" on Recovery Plan

Paul Krugman, in his June 15 New York Times column, wrote that the Federal Reserve and Obama administration should "stay the course" in current economic recovery efforts.

He said, "A few months ago the U.S. economy was in danger of falling into depression. Aggressive monetary policy and deficit spending have, for the time being, averted that danger. And suddenly critics are demanding that we call the whole thing off, and revert to business as usual.

"Those demands should be ignored. It’s much too soon to give up on policies that have, at most, pulled us a few inches back from the edge of the abyss."

Krugman, the Nobel-winning economist, speaks in the Bryan Series Nov. 3.

Amanpour Reports on Election Aftermath in Iran for CNN

Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent and a recent Bryan Series speaker, was in Iran in the past week reporting on the presidential election for CNN.

Following the state announcement of the apparent re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Amanpour participated in an 8-minute interview on the internationally broadcast Fareed Zakaria GPS June 14. (The video is preceded by a 15-second advertisement).

Amanpour, who spent her childhood in Iran, discussed the situation in Tehran following the disputed election.  "People are in the streets, there are marches," she said.  "It's very tense, perhaps more than I've ever seen."

Amanpour and her husband, diplomat James Rubin, appeared in the Bryan Series last November.

David Gregory Remembers Tim Russert on MTP

David Gregory remembered Tim Russert in the closing moments of Meet the Press June 14, one year after the moderator's sudden death.

Russert died June 13, 2008, of a heart attack.  Gregory, who will speak in the Bryan Series April 13, succeeded Russert in the moderator's chair last December.

Russert had been scheduled to speak in the series last November.  He was replaced by CNN's Christiane Amanpour and her husband, diplomat James Rubin.

Also on Sunday's Meet the Press, Vice President Joe Biden commented on Russert, and pundits Mike Murphy and Joe Scarborough made comments about the newscaster during the latter part of the "Take Two" online segment.

Bob Schieffer also remembered Russert on CBS's Face the Nation June 14.

Mitchell in Middle East to Press for Peace

Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, who spoke in the Bryan Series in February 2004, is pushing for a peace effort in meetings this week with leaders of Israel and Palestine.

In a New York Times story June 10, Mitchell said, "Israelis, Palestinians and other parties 'share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and early conclusion of (peace) negotiations.'"

President Obama named Mitchell special envoy for Arab-Israeli affairs in the early days of his administration.  Included in his long career of public service was an eight-year tenure as Senate majority leader.

Anna Deavere Smith in Cast of Showtime's "Nurse Jackie"

Anna Deavere Smith will play the recurring role of hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the new Showtime drama "Nurse Jackie," which debuts June 8 on the cable network. See the series trailer here.

Smith is scheduled to appear in six episodes of "Nurse Jackie."  She had a recurring role on NBC's "The West Wing" and has appeared in a number of movies, most recently "Rachel Getting Married." 

Smith is a Tony Award nominated playwright whose latest work, "Let Me Down Easy," hits the New York City stage this fall.

"Nurse Jackie" stars Emmy-winning actress Edie Falco, late of "The Sopranos."  The half-hour dark comedy set in a New York City hospital airs at 10:30 p.m. on Mondays.

Smith speaks in the Bryan Series Feb. 28 (3:30 p.m.).