Leonard Lopate (Arts and Entertainment)

Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn discusses “The Columnist,” along with its stars John Lithgow and Grace Gummer. It follows Joseph Alsop, a beloved and feared columnist who sits at the center of the Washington political world.As 1960s dawn and shake up America, the intense political drama Joe is embroiled in becomes deeply personal as well. “The Columnist” is playing at the MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theater through July 1.

The World Wildlife Fund has released its new Living Planet Report. Kate Newman, the Managing Director of Public Sector Initiatives and Field Programs at the WWF, assesses the state of global biodiversity.

On today’s show: Tony- and Pulitzer prize-winning playwright David Auburn, Tony- and Emmy Award-winning actor John Lithgow and Grace Gummer discuss the production of “The Columnist.” Director Philip Kaufman talks about his film about the passionate and tumultuous marriage between Ernest Hemmingway and Martha Gellhorn. The BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects takes a look at a sculpture made from decommissioned weapons from the Mozambique civil war. Plus, Thailand is the second largest...

Food writer Peter Kaminsky and nutrition and public policy expert Marion Nestle talk about how to have healthy eating habits without sacrificing the fun and pleasure in food. In Culinary Intelligence: The Art of Eating Healthy (and Really Well) Kaminsky tells how he lost 35 pounds and kept them off and he shows how to think before eating, choose good ingredients, understand how flavor works, and make the effort to cook. Marion Nestle’s latest book is Why Calories Count: From Science to...

David Westin talks about his tenure as president of ABC News, during some of the most tumultuous years in recent history. Today’s installment of the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects is about a 1966 etching by David Hockney, from a series illustrating 14 poems by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy. And Peter Kaminsky and Marion Nestle explain how to have healthy eating habits without sacrificing the flavor, fun, and pleasure of food.

James Fallows discusses China’s plan to expand its airlines, build more airports, and jump-start its aerospace industry. In China Airborne, he shows the extraordinary scale of this project and explains why it is a crucial test case for China’s hopes for modernization and innovation in other industries.

United States Congressman John Lewis discusses how his experience as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement can offer guidance on how to live virtuously and work to change the world. In Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change, Lewis revisits the lessons of the 1960s to help the electorate once again confront questions of social inequality.

United States Congressman John Lewis discusses his experience as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and explains how the lessons from that movement still apply today. Today’s installment of the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects is about a British penny coin from 1903, which has been defaced by the Suffragettes. Scientist and explorer John Oldale shares strange and fascinating facts from around the world.

Nick Paumgarten, staff writer for The New Yorker, explains what drones are, how they work, and the technological advancements that are making drones more prevalent in military and civilian life. He’s the author of “Here’s Looking at You” in the May 14 issue of The New Yorker.

Henry Crumpton discusses leading the CIA's global covert operations against terrorists, including al Qaeda. His book The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service, details how the campaign changed the way America wages war.

Henry Crumptontalks about leading the CIA's global covert operations against terrorists.The BBC’sA History of the World in 100 Objectsis about the iconic Japanese print “Under the Wave off Kanagawa.”And Matt Taibbi talks about JP Morgan Chase's trading loss for this week’sBackstorysegment.

Food trucks are expanding eating options all over New York. David Weber, founder and president of the New York City Food Truck Association (NYCFTA), Deborah Smith, owner of the Green Pirate Juice truck, and Jim Drew, owner of Phil's Steaks truck, discuss the growing mobile food movement. Weber’s book The Food Truck Handbook: Start, Grow and Succeed in the Mobile Food Business looks at the ins and outs of navigating in the industry.

Will Allen discusses cashing in his retirement fund to buy a two-acre plot near Milwaukee’s largest public housing project to build the country’s preeminent urban farm—a food and educational center that now produces enough vegetables and fish year-round to feed thousands of people. In The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities he describes founding Growing Power to prove that local food systems can help troubled youths, dismantle racism, create jobs, bring urban...

Will Allen, a former professional basketball player and KFC executive, discusses his efforts to promote urban farming. Today’s installment of the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects is about the chronometer from the HMS Beagle, the ship that took Darwin around the world! Plus, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tells her very personal story about experiencing the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Lizz Winstead, comedian, social critic, and co-creator ofThe Daily Show, tells how she fought to find her own voice, both as a comedian and as a woman, and how humor became her most powerful weapon in confronting life's challenges. InLizz Free or Dieshe tells about her childhood longing to be a priest, her role in developing The Daily Show, and her habit of diving into everything head first.