Newark Airport (CC Flickr: _hlian)

From WPRB News: In January 2010, a graduate student named Haisong Jiang crossed a Newark Liberty International Airport security line in order to say goodbye to his girlfriend one last time. The breach (which came less than a month after the apprehension of the so-called “underwear bomber“) caused more than travel delays. For Jiang, a Chinese national, it brought a personal introduction to the American justice system. In March, he pleaded guilty to defiant trespass. His punishment? Community service and a $500 fine (plus court fees). A bill to tighten airport security is now advancing through the New Jersey Legislature. Although the incident was covered by a number of media outlets, Jiang has been shy about interviews. We wanted the story straight from him. Rosy Yang reports. Listen Here. Script by Aku Ammah Tagoe. Flora Thomson-Deveaux and Nikki Leon contributed editing. Senior Producer was Aku Ammah Tagoe. Executive Producer was Nikki Leon. Special thanks to Ian Auzenne and Jon Solomon. Music from Chad Crouch and Evgeny Grinko. You can also watch the video of what happened at Newark Airport on YouTube.

Here’s the first post from WPRB’s new Washington correspondent, Walter Fick, who will be posting on the latest headlines in international relations and the political goings-on of DC. Check back early next week for Fick’s coverage of the Nuclear Security Summit at the Washington Convention Center.

west bank street // photo credit: phogel

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s foreign minister, said in an interview today that attempts by Palestine to declare independence next year could lead Israel to revoke prior peace agreements and annex portions of the West Bank. Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has not released any official response to Lieberman’s comments, an official reportedly said that Israel’s long-standing policy is to respond unilaterally to any unilateral Palestinian actions.

Lieberman also emphasized that Israel will continue with plans to build settlements in the West Bank and lashed out at Turkey’s government. Israel and Turkey, another key US partner in the region, have strong economic and military ties but have been at odds Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan censured Israeli military actions in Gaza.

Lieberman told an Israeli newspaper that Erdogan’s actions have damaged decades of “excellent” ties between the two nations and that the Prime Minister is “slowly turning into Gadhafi or Hugo Chavez (the leaders of Libya and Venezuala).”

This latest saber-rattling comes in the midst of a well-publicized dispute between Israel and the White House. White House officials originally felt offended when Israel announced the construction of new settlements in Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the country last month. Since then, relations between the two allies have reportedly been tense, although Netanyahu sat down with Obama for several hours during his visit to the United States.

Israeli newspapers report that Netanyahu will return to Washington next week to attend the Nuclear Security Summit. No plans have been announced, however, for him to meet with either Obama or Erdogan during that time. The White House has also not yet commented on Lieberman’s interview.

[Cross-posted from the WPRB News Dept.]

Nick Tagher and Naomi Nix are the co-hosts for this episode. Nikki Leon is the executive producer. Andrew Saraf contributed research.

CC photo credit: Thomas Beck (via flickr)

As part of WPRB’s educational outreach, on Sunday, February 7 and 14 from 12:00-1:00 PM, WPRB News will be airing a two part radio show created by Princeton University students enrolled in JRN 450: Audio Journalism. Their show, called Back Story, reveals the realities of student life at Princeton.

You can listen to excerpts from Back Story online at the Princeton Alumni Weekly’s website.

photo credit: ProComKelly

Tune in now for a new series from WPRB News — The Dispatch: Voices on Same Sex Marriage.  In this two part series (airing Sunday 12:00-1:00pm Oct 25 and Nov 1) we look at how different groups have engaged the issue of gay unions.  This week, Leif Johnson takes a look at what happens when a University is asked to take a political stance, Sophie Jin visits a march in Washington DC, and historian Neil J. Young explains how one particular religious denomination, the Church of Latter Day Saints, became involved in the passage of California Proposition 8 last year.

Miss the show or want to hear it again?  It’s here.

Taking On is a new show, hosted by Aaron Smargon and Nicholas Tagher, that focuses on politics and economics. Their first guest is physician and former Republican Senate Majority leader Bill Frist.

Discourse, entering its fourth season, covers everything from economics to the arts. This week, Princeton Electrical Engineering Professor Paul Prucnal discusses how innovation in the field of fiber optics is shaping the future of digital communication.

Check back here on Sunday at 12pm to listen to both shows.

FROM WPRB NEWS: WPRB’s “Discourse” program presents an interview with poet and musician Paul Muldoon on Friday, 5/1 at 7:30 ET and Sunday, 5/3 at 12:00pm ET.

A returning guest on “Discourse”, Muldoon focuses this time on the connections between his poetry and his music. Muldoon is the Howard G. B. Clark Professor and Chair of the Peter B. Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University. His collections include New Weather (1973), Meeting the British (1987), the Pulitzer Prize-winning Moy Sand and Gravel (2002) and, Horse Latitudes (2006). He is also the poetry editor of the New Yorker magazine. Though best known for his own poetry, Muldoon writes lyrics and plays guitar in a band called Rackett. Rackett is scheduled to perform Saturday May 2nd at the Performing Arts Center in Princeton New Jersey and at the Bowery Poetry Club on May 16 and June 20.

Sunday at 12:00 pm EST, join News Director Nikki Leon for a conversation with filmmaker Damien Chazelle, whose debut picture—Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench—is being featured at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Listen to the promo here.

Then, at 12:30 pm EST Sophie Jin and Yihe Dong take a look at the latest in cell research. Jin explains how scientists are investigating “quiescence,” a specific state in the life cycle of the cell. Dong speaks with Princeton biologist Hilary Coller, a leader in the study of quiescence, about how her work may, among other things, be applied to cancer research.

If you miss the broadcast or want to hear it a second time, come back to WPRB News for both episodes.