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February 16th: What's On Today's Show?

Who Is The Syrian Opposition?
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon says that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has committed crimes against humanity for torturing and abusing his opponents. It is estimated that over five thousand Syrians have been killed since protests to Assad's rule began last March. Even with international attention focused on Syria, little is known about the demographics of the Syrian opposition. It's often cast as a monolith, but in fact, it is made up of a variety of groups with varied interests. Host Neal Conan speaks with Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute and Steven Heydemann of the United States Institute of Peace about the makeup and politics of the Syrian opposition. And Murhaf Jouejati, a Syrian analyst and member of the Syrian National Council, an umbrella organization comprised primarily of Syrian exiles, talks about the role of Syrians aboard in trying to effect change in the country.

Have You Caught 'Linsanity'?
Jeremy Lin's rise to basketball stardom surprised everyone. Two weeks ago, no one really paid attention to the New York Knicks point guard, who mostly rode the bench. All that's changed now. For Asian-American men, Lin is a source of pride. But journalist Chuck Leung feels conflicted about celebrating Lin's success. He talks to host Neal Conan about how "Lin-sanity" has made him cringe and cheer at the same time.

Michael Moore Changes The Oscar Rules
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed the way they select and nominate documentaries for the Oscars. Among the most controversial of the changes — proposed by filmmaker Michael Moore — is that films must be reviewed by The New York Times or The Los Angeles Times. The Academy's entire documentary branch will vote for the nominations. Some filmmakers argue these moves reduce the chance for smaller and less-prominent films to qualify. Neal Conan talks with Moore and Nina Seavey of George Washington University about the new rules for Oscar documentaries.

More Good News For The U.S. Economy
The newest economic numbers are out, and news is good. Jobs are up, unemployment is down. Businesses are reporting profits, buyers are reporting confidence. So can we finally say the economy is recovering?

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Gwen Outen