RobinLynne: Recent Episodes
RobinLynne
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be answering the question: "What Is A Factcademy" ? Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Feel free to call in with any questions, comments, and concerns that you might have on this topic. To listen to our most recent podcast On Demand, please call our Podcast Station @ 712-432-8863 on anytime 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Thankyou for listening to It's My House Podcast and to enroll in one of our Factcademy classes please reach out to us.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing Aretha Franklin; Was she the Queen of Civil Rights Asset Theft and Racism ? Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Feel free to call into our LIVE STREAM to give your comments, questons, or concerns. Share your points of view and if you can please give us solutions. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863. This line is available 24/7 and you can listen to our most recent podcast. Thankyou for listening to Its My House Podcast.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing the Law Of The Prolific 500. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
After turning 50 years old this past week, the Black Dot talks about the significance, and how he wants for the years to come.
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing Baltic Ave = The NEW Company Village. For those who can see it, run down and blighted urban neighborhoods that look like war zones can be reinvented and converted into the New Company Town. Supplying jobs, affordable housing, and opportunities for those who live in the niche market urban villages. Other opportunities will be in rural areas with country villages producing their own products. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863.
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing how American Black Women Make Asian Billionaires. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on Its My House Podcast we shall be discussing The Compartmentalization of Cutty And Wallace. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. In this podcast we shall compartmentalize both Cutty and Wallace into new roles in life. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing Marcus Garvey Marching vs Seaport Shipping Literacy. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Feel free to call into our podcast and participate in the conversation. The Seaport Shipping business is connected to other industries....all of which can be solutions to many people. We first must become AWARE of opportunities that exist. If you are looking for a career change or looking for a very rewarding job, this is the podcast for your. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863.
Today's on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing the Wire Revisited - Trillionaires Row. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863. Feel free to call in during our LIVE STREAM and participate in the conversation. Make sure that you have something near by to take notes with as well. This will be a very educational podcast which we are sure that you shall enjoy and inspire you to take action on some of the ideas that you hear as well.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing Port Wealth and various business opportunities that can be had purchasing materials by the shipping containers via the various Ports around the world. Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Our LIVE STREAM number is 712-432-8863
Today on It's My House Podcast we shall be discussing the S.B. Fuller quote that "You Have Something To Sell ". Our LIVE STREAM number is 619-768-2945. Our On Demand number is 712-432-8863.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
DISCO DADDYS' WIDE WORLD OF HIP-HOP -EGYPTIAN LOVER - CHRIS THE GLOVE - MIRANDA WRITES- MARTIN ASKEM -EPISODE 1Read more at http://discodaddyshiphoptheatercom.jamroomhosting.com/disco-daddys-wide-world-of-hip-hop/audio/p=2#GqxGGRAP06164hR0.99
THE TRUE STORY OF "UNCLE JAMMS' ARMY" ADRIENNE CLAYTON...SISTER OF ROGER CLAYTON..."DISCO DADDYS' WIDE WORLD OF HIP-HOP"
HOW TO SUCCEED IN THE SOCIAL MARKET PLACE A Comics View of Interpersonal Communcation With Your Host Marvelous Milton Smith Todays Topic- ACCEPTING NO FOR AN ANSWER
www.nwczradio.com/programming/jazz-with-jay/Sundays: 12pm to 3pm pst. Hosted by critically acclaimed Jazz-Blues musician Jay Mabin.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioThe post North Korea rebukes U.S. as Navy strike group advances appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Saturday 4.15.17 3PM EST call in #347-989-8767 Is dress and fancy talk more important than the work? Are we who call our-self conscious, just a replica of the church, where we dress up and act like we are more righteous than tho? We need to be real about this work and not so judgmental or superficial. Also we will be going in on how to spot cointelpro in 2017 Tune in and hear the real spill or join in and BUILD! Chat-room will be open www.liberationmindedmedia.net https://twitter.com/BlackistandRBG http://fifthworldnews.blogspot.com/2013/10/republic-of-new-afrika.html
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioThe post Bills requiring candidates to submit tax returns face obstacles appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Thousands of Americans turned out in cities across the country Saturday — April 15, the traditional deadline for filing federal tax returns, even though this year's deadline is actually Tuesday, April 18 — calling on President Trump to do something every president has done going back to Gerald Ford: release his individual tax returns. As a candidate, Trump said he wouldn't release his tax returns because he was being audited by the IRS. When pressed on the issue as president, he's said he doesn't think most Americans care. In New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and dozens of other cities, protesters observed the traditional tax filing deadline by marching and calling on the president to release his taxes. In West Palm Beach, Fla., Robert Saplin was one of several hundred protesters who marched along the Intracoastal Waterway to a bridge just a few hundred yards from the president's private club, Mar-a-Lago. Reacting to the president's assertion that Americans don't care, he said, "We definitely care. We want to know where that essentially unlimited deduction has been coming from all these years. It seems like he's getting away with...not paying his fair share. And there's all this talk about Russia and conflict of interest." Trump may have seen some of the protesters Saturday as he went by car from Mar-a-Lago to his golf club in West Palm Beach. The president is spending Easter at the resort — his seventh visit there since being sworn in. In Berkeley, Calif., at least a dozen people were arrested when protests in a park spilled out into the city's streets and led to violent clashes. Berkeley police told NPR there was some property damage and that numerous projectiles had been thrown, including fireworks. Some garbage bins were also set ablaze during the skirmishes. The Bay Area's BART train was also affected with parts of the system shut down at least temporarily in the East Bay. At a rally in Washington, D.C., Democratic members of Congress said they'd keep the pressure on the president to release his tax returns. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said there's nothing that prevents the president for releasing his taxes but, "The simple truth is he's got a lot to hide." Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said, Americans have "a basic right to know whether the president pays his fair share." Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has said the president's refusal to release his tax returns could undercut his push for a tax overhaul. Voters, Schumer said "are going to say, 'Oh, he's not doing it because it's good for me. He's doing it because it's good for him.' So, for his own good, he ought to make them public." Saturday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a lawsuit against the IRS for failing to release the president's tax returns in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. In West Palm Beach, some of those protesting said Trump's election as president had mobilized them to become much more politically active than ever before. Dan Baker, a retiree from Boynton Beach, Fla., said, "I've always been a passive person. I've never been out before. I've always said everything will take care of itself. I think that this time we just have someone who doesn't keep his word. I finally had enough and said I have to do something." Others at the march said they'd been out protesting almost every weekend since Trump was sworn in. Lisa Saunders and Brittany Patterson said they were active with the local chapter of Indivisible, an anti-Trump group. But they weren't optimi...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioLISA DESAI: Much of the four thousand mile American border with Canada is wide open and unsecured. In the first three months of this year, a steady stream of immigrants from all over the world braved the bitter cold to reach a country where they believe there’s less risk of detention and deportation. Just north of Minnesota and North Dakota lies the Canadian province of Manitoba. The town of Emerson is a main entry point. An hour’s drive north is the provincial capital, Winnipeg, a city of 700-thousand. That’s where I met this woman from Somalia. For her safety, we agreed to shield her face and call her “Nasra. She settled in Minneapolis on a U.S. medical visa to get treatment for her six-year-old autistic son. Her family is part of a minority clan persecuted in Somalia’s civil war. NASRA: I faced a lot of problems in Somalia. During the war, my father and my brother were attacked, and my mother and I endured so much pain — we left and never went back. LISA DESAI: After President Trump listed Somalia as one of the countries whose citizens would be blocked from entering the U.S. Nasra decided that although she was legal, it wasn’t safe to stay. NASRA: I heard that they were going to arrest people and take them back to Somalia and that they were going into people’s homes and they were going to separate families, mothers from children. LISA DESAI: What would happen if you were deported back to Somalia? NASRA: If I go back to Somalia I won’t stand a chance there, I would be killed. LISA DESAI: In February, she left Minneapolis and became one of nearly 1,000 migrants, according to the Canadian Government, to cross from the U.S. into Canada this year. She paid a driver to take her and her son most of the way. NASRA: We walked for hours, the snow was falling, we couldn’t see. It was cold, it was dark and if it wasn’t for God we would have died. LISA DESAI: Under Canadian law, people like Nasra, who cross the border illegally, are arrested and taken in for a background check. If they don’t have a criminal record, they are often released within 24 hours. They’re appointed a government lawyer to represent them in their asylum hearing which usually takes place in two months. They are also connected with nonprofits that provide food and housing. YASMIN ALI: Well, these are donations that’s been given to the organization for the newcomers. LISA DESAI: Yasmin Ali heads up the Canadian Women Muslim Institute, a Winnipeg nonprofit that helps refugees like Nasra. Since January, Ali says she’s received a surge in clients crossing from the U.S. YASMIN ALI: We help them with finding places to live, with finding, getting places, things to fill their apartment, so they have because when they come they are very limited in income. LISA DESAI: With only a few paid staff members and no government funds, the institute relies on volunteers and donations. YASMIN ALI: It’s very hard to be wandering the world with families and children and not know where you’re going to live, not know you’re going to be settled down and be safe. So they’re just looking for a safe place where they can raise their families and live. LISA DESAI: Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council is another nonprofit that provides settlement and legal services to refugees and asylum seekers in Winnipeg. RITA CHAHAL: Hi, I just wanted to say hi. I’m Rita. And your name is? KASEEM: Kaseem. LISA DESAI: Rita Chahal is the Executive Director. RITA CHAHAL: Just in this month alone we’ve had four unaccompanied minors....
Over the past few weeks, we were saddened to learn that three former guests of the show had passed away. Yevgeny Yevtushenko was a rock star of a poet – who used his work and acclaim as a means to confront Russia with its war atrocities. In 1993 he came on the show, the first big celebrity we booked in our early days. He died recently at the age of 83. In 2008 Leonard spoke with pop artist James Rosenquist, who delighted in blurring the lines between "high" and "low" with a bold graphic style, using techniques he'd learned as a billboard painter to create gigantic works. He also died recently at the age of 83. And just a little over a year ago Timothy Pigott Smith came on our show to discuss his star turn in the Broadway production of “King Charles III – an imaginary look at a time when the Queen of England had died. He passed away recently at the age of 70.
As she was growing up, Lizzie No sang in her church's choir and played the concert harp. Later, she discovered Bob Dylan and started teaching herself his songs on the harp. But she says she wasn't exposed to much folk music in her youth — and she didn't really know if there was a place for her within the genre. "There is a long tradition of black people playing folk music, but I wasn't really aware of it," No says. "It's not all that visible in popular culture, so it took me a while to find my way and see where I fit." Now, the Brooklyn-based musician has put out the album Hard Won, on which she sings and plays harp and guitar. The title song, she says, conveys her realization that opposing emotions can coexist productively. "A lot of women, especially women of color, are handed this idea that we have to be really strong for everybody and that our anger and our sadness and our confusion is dangerous, and that's something that I've internalized a lot throughout the course of my life," No says. "So the title track, 'Hard Won' — it really is a victory, a personal victory for myself because I had to get used to the idea that it was okay to get mad and actually have anger be a tool for healing rather than something that's scary." Another song on the album, "The Killing Season," came out of the grief No felt last summer, when she heard a string of news stories about people of color being killed by police. "The worst thing that can happen to a person is to not be allowed to be seen as fully human in the complex ways that we all are," she says. "So I felt this need to start to describe my worldview and what I was experiencing. And I think I'm gonna keep doing it." Web editor Rachel Horn contributed to this story. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
For most of his life, Carl Goulden had near perfect health. He and his wife, Wanda, say that changed 10 years ago. Carl remembers feeling, "a lot of pain in the back, tired, fatigue, yellow eyes — a lot of jaundice." Wanda, chimes in: "Yellow eyes, gray-like skin." His liver wasn't working, she explains. "It wasn't filtering." Carl was diagnosed with hepatitis B. Now 65 and on Medicare, he had a flower shop in Littlestown, Pa., back then, so had been buying health insurance for his family on the market for small businesses and the self-employed. The medications to manage Carl's hepatitis cost more than $10,000 a year — and if he ever needed a liver transplant, as some people with hepatitis eventually do, the further costs could be formidable. Thank goodness they had health insurance, the couple thought. But then, Carl says, "the insurance renewals went way up." After a few years he could no longer afford to buy the coverage — more than $1,000 a month — and also maintain his business. So he dropped the health insurance. "I was devastated," he says, "because I didn't know when my liver might fail." But that steep increase in his insurance rate was completely legal, says Pennsylvania insurance commissioner, Teresa Miller. And back then, before the Affordable Care Act became law, a patient like Carl Goulden might have had a very hard time buying another policy; he likely would have been turned down by other insurers because he now had what's called a "pre-existing" medical condition. A family like the Gouldens would "just have been out of luck," Miller says. Pennsylvania: The wild, wild West Before the ACA, states had differing approaches to handling pre-existing conditions. Pennsylvania was typical. Until the ACA mandated that insurers treat sick and healthy people equally, buying insurance was the wild, wild West. Insurers couldn't overtly kick people off a plan if they got sick, but they could find ways to charge them a lot more, even those whose chronic condition wasn't all that serious — such as acne. For individuals looking to sign up in the first place, "an insurance company could simply decline to offer you insurance at all because of your pre-existing condition," Miller says. Insurers who did offer a policy to someone with a pre-existing medical condition might have done so with a catch — the plan could require a waiting period, or might exclude treatment for that condition. "So, let's say you had diabetes, for example," Miller says. "You might have been able to get coverage for an unexpected health care need that arose, but you'd still be on your own for any treatment and management of your diabetes." From the perspective of the insurance company, these practices were intended to prevent the sick from signing up for a health plan only when they needed costly care. Pennsylvania did try to partially solve this problem. It created a more scaled-back health plan, called Adult Basic, for those with lower incomes who didn't have any coverage. Lots of people signed up, but the plans didn't include coverage for mental health care, prescription drugs or more than two nights in a hospital. Even so, Miller says, the strategy proved too expensive for the state. "That program was spending $13 million to $14 million a month when it was shut down," she says. High-risk pools More than 30 other states dealt with pre-existing conditions by setting up what are called "high-risk pools," a separate insurance plan for individuals who couldn't get health coverage in the private m...
Your federal income taxes are due April 18 this year, and — for perhaps several million people — a fine for failing to get health insurance is due that day, too. Despite a lengthy debate, Congress has not yet acted on a bill to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act. That means the law and almost all of its regulations remain in force, at least for now. For the majority of tax filers, who had health insurance through an employer for 2016 or through a government program, all they have to do is check the box on the 1040 form that says they were covered for a full year. That's it. The Obama administration had called for the IRS to begin rejecting tax returns for 2016 that left that box blank. But the IRS under the Trump administration has canceled that policy, citing a Trump executive order that calls on federal agencies to "minimize the burden" of the health law. Still, those who lacked insurance for more than three consecutive months, or who bought individual insurance and got federal help paying the premiums, need to do a little more work to figure out what, if anything, they owe. Those with no insurance, and those who have had a lengthy gap in coverage, may be required to pay what the federal government calls a "shared responsibility payment." It's a fine for not having coverage, on the theory that even those without insurance will eventually use the health care system at a cost they can't afford, which means that someone else -- other patients, hospitals, health care providers and taxpayers — will have to pay that bill. Many people who don't have insurance, however, qualify for one of the several dozen "exemptions" from the fine. Nearly 13 million tax filers claimed an exemption for 2015 taxes, according to the IRS. Most often those exemptions came from people whose income was so low (less than $10,350 for an individual) that they are not required to file a tax return, or from Americans who lived abroad for most of the year, or from people for whom the cheapest available insurance was still unaffordable (costing more than 8 percent of their household income). The fine for 2016 taxes is the greater of $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of household income. Fines for children who lack insurance coverage are half the amount for uninsured adults. Fines are pro-rated by the number of months each person was uninsured. The maximum fine is $2,676; that is the national average cost of a "bronze" level insurance plan available on the health exchanges. But most people do not pay anywhere near that much. Last year, said the IRS, an estimated 6.5 million tax filers paid a fine that averaged $470. If you bought your own insurance from the federal marketplace or a state health insurance exchange and you got a federal tax credit to help pay for that coverage, you have to take another step before you can file your taxes. People who got those tax credits must fill out a form that "reconciles" the amount of subsidies they received based on their income estimates with the amount they were entitled to according to their actual income reported to the IRS. In tax filings for 2015, about 5.3 million taxpayers had to pay the government because they got too much in tax credits, comp...
How does the world look to a scientist? We asked one of America’s best-known scientists, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson….and he gave us some cooking tips.
Manu Prakash says everyone - even the world’s poorest kids - should have access to science. So he invented a paper microscope that’s being used to diagnose malaria.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Today on Living it Up After50, Ms Urban 411 Joins us with news, events and activities in Seattle and beyond! Special interview about the upcoming Gospel Fest.
At a time when environmental protections are under more threats than ever, Reveal visits minority communities facing toxic burdens. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @reveal. And to see some of what you’re hearing, we’re also on Instagram @revealnews.
This week on the Best of Car Talk, Laurie's Pathfinder earned the unfortunate nickname "Wobble Butt" because its rear end rocks from side to side. Can Tom and Ray calm Wobble Butt down and save it from further embarrassment? Elsewhere, Bob wants to know just how wacko his brother in law is for proposing adding duct work to improve the heat in Bob's mom's car. Also, Ellen's dad scolded her for having too many keys on her key ring; Chris got a little aggressive with his Dremel tool on his Camry; and Ray shares the joys (and terrors) of teaching middle school, while trying to help Susannah strengthen her anemic windshield wiper squirt. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.
The angels go to the Hall of Public Records. The voice of the Faceless Old Woman was Mara Wilson. Weather: "All or Nothing" by The Dream Masons facebook.com/thedreammasons The second Welcome to Night Vale Novel "It Devours!" is available now for presale!http://www.welcometonightvale.com/books/ Live Tours of "All Hail" in the US, Canada, & Europe (Spring, Summer & Fall)welcometonightvale.com, click on live shows Welcome to Night Vale: The Novel (now in paperback)welcometonightvale.com, click on book. Music: Disparition, disparition.info. Logo: Rob Wilson, robwilsonwork.com. Produced by Night Vale Presents. Written by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor. Narrated by Cecil Baldwin. More Info: welcometonightvale.com, and follow @NightValeRadio on Twitter or Facebook.
Who received a standing ovation when he shared the gospel? Listen to find out about this spur-of-the-moment sermon given in a Canadian Parliament meeting.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: The NBA playoffs games begin this weekend, and they come as one of the game’s superstars just broke a historic record this week. John Yang has the story. JOHN YANG: Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook did something this season no player has done in 55 years. He averaged double digits in points, assists and rebounds, a triple-double. The last NBA Player to do that? Oscar Robertson with the old Cincinnati Royals in the 1961-’62 season. What’s more, Westbrook was the league’s leading scorer this year, averaging 31 points a game, including this game winner. OSCAR ROBERTSON, Retired NBA Player: When Russell was on this journey, I felt that I just had to be here. JOHN YANG: Robertson, a Hall of Fame point guard who was a 12-time All-Star and league MVP, honored Westbrook before the Thunder’s final regular season game. And joining us from Cincinnati now is Oscar Robertson, who, by the way, was the first African-American president of a pro sports labor union and brought the lawsuit that led to free agency in the NBA. Mr. Robertson, thanks so much for joining us. Help us understand this accomplishment. Put it into context. How difficult is it to achieve a triple-double, and why did it take so long for someone to match your accomplishment in the ’61-’62 season? OSCAR ROBERTSON: Well, I don’t know, because I guess they weren’t counting that much about triple-doubles to begin with. But I do believe — and I have said this to many of my friends who are basketball players — when Kevin Durant left Oklahoma, it opened the door for Russell Westbrook. And he came through it with a lot of vigor, and look what he’s done with it. He had to attack. They had a team. They probably didn’t think the team would be worthy enough because Kevin Durant left. But Russell Westbrook stepped up to the plate and delivered. JOHN YANG: But to do this, to get the triple-double, you have got to be an all-around player. You have got to have the power drive to score. You have got to have the hustle to rebound and the sort of playmaking for the assists. So, is that why this is such a rare accomplishment? OSCAR ROBERTSON: No, I think the rarity of it is that the assists are going to be there and the scoring, of course, because he’s a tremendous basketball, offensive basketball player. The real key is, can you get the rebounds? And I was speaking to him the other, and he agreed, said that was the toughest thing to get is the rebounds sometimes. And you get with a certain team. And now, in this electronic age, and you have to be able to go inside to help your big people rebound, if you don’t have a dominated rebounding team, like — and I don’t think Oklahoma State has got much of a rebounding team compared to some of the other teams in the league. JOHN YANG: How did you feel about Westbrook breaking your record for the number of double-triples in a season and also matching — having double-triples for — averaging double-triples for the full season? OSCAR ROBERTSON: Well, I thought about it, and I just said I felt happy. I felt very happy for Russell, because it was a tremendous treat, historic in nature, because — you know, it’s just a funny thing that, when I did these things in the ’60s, no one even knew anything — knew what a triple-double was. But Russell — this is a new age now in basketball. People are — you’re seeing, this year, they drew more fans than they have in the history of basketball. And Russell Westbrook has stepped up to the plate. When he’s on the court, man, ev...
Paul Manafort quit as Donald Trump's campaign manager last summer amid questions about his consulting work for a disgraced Ukrainian leader who now is a wanted man in his own country. While Manafort vanished from Ukraine's political scene even earlier, his name lives on in Kiev. Ukrainian investigators are seeking to understand his ties, if any, to former President Viktor Yanukovych at the time of the shooting of anti-government protesters on the capital's central square, known as the Maidan, in February 2014. Manafort is central to questions about the extent of Russian influence in the U.S. presidential election. The FBI is investigating whether Trump associates coordinated with Russia in those efforts, although it has not disclosed which individuals are under scrutiny. Manafort served as Trump's campaign chairman during the spring and summer of 2016. Manafort himself is not the subject of a Ukrainian investigation. But following the publication in February of allegedly hacked text messages in which Manafort's daughter Andrea refers to "blood money" earned in Ukraine – presumably a reference to the deaths on the central square – prosecutors in Kiev want to know exactly when he cut his ties to Yanukovych. "Of course, we will check that out in the context of whether Manafort was in Ukraine at the time of the Maidan and specifically what he was doing in relation to the Ukrainian government," prosecutor Serhiy Gorbatyuk told NPR in an interview. Manafort declined to comment, only saying through his spokesman, Jason Maloni, that he hoped Ukrainian investigators would look into an alleged blackmail attempt against him. Gorbatyuk heads an office charged with investigating the Yanukovych government, especially at the time of the bloodshed on the Maidan. Gorbatyuk says he is still waiting for an FBI response to multiple requests for help in questioning Manafort as a witness in another Yanukovych-era corruption case. The 2014 Maidan revolution threw Ukraine into turmoil. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets to protest Yanukovych's decision to reject an association agreement with the European Union and align Ukraine more closely with Russia. After the protests turned violent, Yanukovych fled to Russia, where he remains. In the ensuing power vacuum, Russia annexed Crimea and supported an armed uprising by pro-Kremlin separatists in eastern Ukraine. It's not clear when Manafort last visited his Kiev office, which used to be in a century-old brick building on a quiet side street off the Maidan. But his name resurfaced last August, when the New York Times reported that it was included in secret "black ledgers" that appeared to document Yanukovych's cash payments to political allies. Shortly afterward, Manafort resigned as manager for Trump's presidential campaign. The story didn't end there — at least not in Ukraine. In March, Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko released financial documents that he said were found in Manafort's former office and showed that on one occasion, Yanukovych used an offshore bank account and phony invoice to pay Manafort $750,000. Manafort denied the allegations, according to the New York Times. Earlier this week,
“I think if we waited some days more, says the veterinarian who led the mission, “they would not be existing, they would be history.
Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot give their take on several of the biggest new records, from Spoon to Mastodon, in this Review Roundup. Plus, a conversation with Scottish duo Honeyblood.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Can Russell Westbrook be the new face of the NBA? How should MLB handle domestic violence counseling? And do the Oakland Raiders have a new image? Julie DiCaro and Kevin Merida join Bill Littlefield.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: The United States’ involvement in Afghanistan was brought into stark relief yesterday with a massive airstrike in the country’s east. After nearly 16 years, thousands of casualties and billions of dollars, where does the American effort stand? And is the country any closer to being stabilized? William Brangham begins our coverage. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The video shows a remote mountain valley suddenly consumed by a blast equal to 11 tons of TNT. The weapon, called a Massive Ordnance Air Burst, or MOAB, was used for the first time on the battlefield yesterday in this strike against Islamic State forces. GEN. JOHN NICHOLSON, Commander U.S. Forces, Afghanistan: This was the right weapon against this target. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In Kabul today, the top American commander in Afghanistan, Army General John Nicholson, called its use a tactical decision, not a strategic change in policy. GEN. JOHN NICHOLSON: The enemy had created bunkers, tunnels and extensive mine fields, and this weapon was used to reduce those obstacles, so we can continue our offensive. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The target area was a district in Nangarhar province, where last weekend a U.S. special forces soldier was killed. It, along with neighboring Logar and Kunar provinces, are rife with Islamic State activity. At the same time, the Taliban also continues to control and contest broad swathes of the Afghan countryside. The Taliban and ISIS have claimed responsibility for a series of recent attacks in Kabul that have shaken the capital. Afghan officials say Thursday’s blast killed 36 Islamic State militants, but no civilians. ISIS denied anyone was killed. Afghan citizens appeared divided on using the bomb against ISIS, or Da’esh, as it’s also known. MAN (through interpreter): We are very happy, and these kinds of bombs should be used in future as well, so ISIS is rooted out from here. MOHAMMED AMAN, Kabul Resident (through interpreter): Da’esh is the enemy of Afghanistan. But there are children there, and they had casualties from this bombing. The whole world condemns this action. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The U.S. still has nearly 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, and General Nicholson has said the NATO force there needs a few thousand more troops to train and advise Afghan forces. It’s those local forces who continue to take major casualties in the fight against the insurgents. That ongoing fight will surely be on the agenda when President Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, visits Kabul in the weeks ahead. For the PBS NewsHour, I’m William Brangham. JUDY WOODRUFF: For more on all of this, we turn to Pamela Constable. She’s the Washington Post bureau chief in Kabul and Islamabad. We’re watching — catching her, that is, on one of her trips home. Pam, we’re glad that you’re here to talk about the developments of the last few days, but also to take a look at the bigger picture in Afghanistan. First of all, Kabul, capital city, how stable is it? What does it feel like? PAMELA CONSTABLE, The Washington Post: Well, you know, it’s a contradiction. It’s a very busy, active city. If you walked around it in the middle of the day, you would think you were in the middle of any other big, poor, but busy city. But there’s a great feeling of uncertainty and tension at this time. There’s been a series of very bad suicide bombings, most recently the one at the military hospital last month, which was extremely shocking, I think, to Kabul residents, who had gotten used to a certain sense of stability and security. And...
Many Californians are rallying around the idea of a single-payer health system, similar to those in Canada and parts of Europe. Efforts to establish universal health care in California have failed in the past. But with Republican leaders in Washington planning to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, voters are eager to try again. Carrie Feibel (@carriefeibel) of Here & Now contributor KQED went to the state capitol to learn more about the response from lawmakers and health officials. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Guest host Tom Gjelten of NPR talks with Diane who is visiting Cuba, then Tom Nichols on "The Death Of Expertise: The Campaign against established knowledge and Why it Matters"
Ray Flynn met popes and presidents while serving as mayor of Boston and the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. But before all that, he was a poor kid growing up in Southie, and Jackie Robinson was his hero.
NPR’s Domenico Montanaro (@DomenicoNPR) joins Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson and Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the week in politics, which was dominated by President Trump’s notable policy shifts on NATO and China trade, the worsening relationship with the Russian government and the U.S. dropping the biggest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat in Afghanistan. NPR: Trump, Then And Now: What His Shifting Positions Say About What He Believes Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
This week on Only A Game, we're celebrating the 70th anniversary of the integration of baseball with stories about Jackie Robinson. We'll learn about the advice and encouragement Robinson gave to Boston politician, Ray Flynn when he was just 10 years old. Plus, the story of a decades-long feud between Robinson and former Dodgers manager Leo Durocher. And former Major Leaguer Lou Collier is trying to bring baseball back to the South Side of Chicago. Join us!
There are few modern works more celebrated than Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain, which elevated a store-bought porcelain urinal into the ethereal realm of art. This week marks the centennial of its unveiling in New York City – or rather, of its non-unveiling. In April 1917, when Duchamp audaciously submitted the urinal to a group exhibition hosted by the Society of Independent Artists, the piece was deemed an indecent joke and flatly rejected. It eventually went missing. Today, it survives only in the form of a dozen or so replicas, and of course by epic reputation. Universally regarded as a modern masterpiece, the “Fountain answers an age-old question – “What is art? – with brilliant concision: Art is whatever an artist chooses to exhibit. To celebrate the “Fountain’s centennial, Francis M. Naumann, the well-known Duchamp scholar and art dealer, has mounted a show at his gallery, at 20 West 57th Street. The exhibition, which remains up through May 26, brings together the work of some 30 contemporary artists who have adopted urinals as their subject, usually with undisguised affection. Kathleen Gilje redoes the urinal as a sainted object, complete with a medieval halo and a gold-leaf ground. (“Sant’Orinale, of 2017). Sherrie Levine similarly injects an aura of religiosity in her “Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp), Madonna, of 1991, a gleaming bronze sculpture whose bulky triangular shape suggests the head and shoulders of a Madonna. It implicitly anoints Duchamp’s “Fountain the mother of all appropriation art. "Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp), Madonna' by Sherrie Levine. (Francis M. Naumann Fine Art/Deborah Solomon) Mike Bidlo has also cast a urinal in bronze, and one riven by picturesque cracks. Jonathan Santlofer contributes a bas-relief inscribed with a portrait of Duchamp in profile, looking like a statesman out of the neo-classical past. The sweetness implicit in the show becomes overt in Sophie Matisse’s “Urinal Cake, a meringue confection which bears the date 1998 but was baked freshly for the current show. Sophie Matisse's "Urinal Cake," her interpretation of Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain." (Francis M. Naumann Fine Art/Deborah Solomon) * * * Duchamp’s influence was, of course, infinitely broader than the show suggests. His presence in contemporary art is so pervasive it’s like trying to explain the significance of air. So I thought visiting another absorbing show this week, Jane Benson’s “Song For Sebald, at LMAK Gallery, at 298 Grand Street (up through May 7). The show takes its inspiration from a Duchamp-style readymade, in this case a published book – W.G. Sebald’s meandering novel, “Rings of Saturn, from which Benson has cut out every word except for do, re and the other notes of the scale. In the process, the pages of a novel metamorphose into sheet music. You can put on headphones to hear the melodies. The work as a whole is sparely poetic and deeply meditative and offers a soothing refuge from the hubbub of the streets. Jane Benson's "Song for Sebald" now on display at the LMAKgallery in the Lower East Side. (LMAKgallery/Deborah Solomon)
Dave Davies, founding member of The Kinks, joins us to discuss his latest solo album, “Open Road." Writer and director James Gray joins us to discuss his new film, “The Lost City of Z. Mary Harris, WNYC reporter/co-host of “Only Human, Monona Rossol, an industrial hygienist for ACTS, and Chris Sturm, Managing Director of Policy and Water for New Jersey Future, join us to discuss recent investigations that revealed high lead levels in the water of New York City and Newark schools.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Leonard hosts his annual Good Friday Gospel hour, playing gospel classics that tell the story of Easter. This year's selection: What Kind of Man Is This- Caravan The Sun Didn't Shine- Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet (Okeh, Columbia, 1941 ) I'm Glad Salvation is Free- Mahalia Jackson (Apollo 1950) Jesus- Robert Anderson and his Gospel Caravans (Apollo 1949) The Hammer Rings- Mm. Edna Gallmon Cooke (Nashboro, 1961) Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? - Soul Stirrers (Specialy 1952) Out on a Hill- The Soul Stirrers (Specialty 1958) How Jesus Died - Pilgrim Travelers (Specialty, 1956) Angels with Their Gaze- Marion Williams (Packin Up) At the Cross - Clara Ward (Savoy 1951) What Manner of Man Is This- The Famous David Sisters (Jackie Verdell, Savoy 1958) One Day- Angelic Gospel Singers & Dixie Hummingbirds (Beloved Songs of Easter 1952) One Day- Harmonizing 4 (Decca Eary 40s) That Day on Cavalry - Swan Silvertones (Claude Jeter, VeeJay, 1959) What More Can Jesus Do? -Morgan Babb and the Radio 4 (Nashboro, 1953) What About Me? Swanee Quintet (Rev. Willingham, 1959) He Arose from the Grave - Sis Rosetta Tharpe (Decca 1949)
John Coltrane died too young, at the age of 40, in 1967. But the master saxophonist packed his years with enough musical innovation for several lifetimes. In the new documentary “Chasing Trane, director John Scheinfeld tells Coltrane's story through the eyes and ears of contemporaries and fans. Coltrane’s words are voiced by Denzel Washington. — Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen For more information, click here to visit the official film web site.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) is credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989. Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti talks with him about his concern that his invention is being used to spread disinformation, and his ideas about how to address the problem. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Two popular HBO series are coming back to the Sunday lineup this weekend, as “Girls and “Big Little Lies close out their respective seasons this month. “Veep will be returning for its sixth season, while “The Leftovers starts its third and final season. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans (@Deggans) talks with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson about HBO Sundays, as well as how “Veep has been affected by the current political climate and the 2016 election. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
On Sunday Turks vote on a major change to their system of government — eliminating the position of prime minister and giving his powers to the president. NPR’s Peter Kenyon (@pkenyonnpr) reports that the latest polls suggest a narrow lead in favor of the changes, with a large number of voters still saying they haven’t made up their minds. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, the latest installment in our series of essays. Tom Nichols, author of the book “The Death of Expertise, shares his Humble Opinion on the demise of experts. TOM NICHOLS, Author, “The Death of Expertise: A few years ago, a mischievous group of pollsters asked American voters whether they would support bombing the country of Agrabah. As you might expect, Republicans tended to support military action, while Democrats were more reluctant. There’s only one problem: Agrabah doesn’t exist. It’s from the animated Disney film “Aladdin. Only about half the people surveyed figured this out, and liberals and conservatives gleefully pointed fingers at each other. For experts in foreign affairs, however, there was no way around the alarming reality that so many Americans had a well-defined view on bombing a cartoon. I’m one of those experts. I teach both civilians and military officers about national security affairs. In my career, I have advised the Pentagon, the CIA, and political leaders from both major parties. Increasingly, however, laypeople don’t care about expert views. Instead, many Americans have become insufferable know-it-alls, locked in constant conflict with each other, while knowing almost nothing about the subject they are debating. How did this happen? How is it that people now not only doubt expert advice, but believe themselves to be as smart, or even smarter, than experienced professionals? Parents who refuse to vaccinate a child, for example, aren’t really questioning their doctors. They’re replacing their doctors. They have decided that attending the university of Google, as one anti-vaccine activist put it, is the same as going to medical school. People who have no idea how much the United States spends on foreign aid think that they’re the peers of experienced diplomats. Experts in almost every field can tell similar stories. There’s a lot of blame to go around for all of this. The smartphones and tablets that we carry around all day that we think can answer anything are only part of the problem. The American educational system, from grade school to graduate school, encourages students to think of themselves and their views as special. An A is now a common grade. The news media, while trying to tell people what they need to hear, must compete for ears, eyes, and clicks, and so are also forced to ask them what they’d like to hear. And even if we manage to avoid the intellectual saboteurs of the Internet, we’re still all too likely to get our news and views from social media, where a silly meme from your aunt Rose in Schenectady competes for your attention with actual information. We need to find our way back from this ego-driven wilderness. Historically, people return to valuing expert views in times of trouble or distress. We’re all willing to argue with our doctors until our fever is out of control. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. But that’s where we’re headed. And unless we start accepting the limitations of our own knowledge, then each of us is failing in our obligation to participate in our democracy as involved, but informed citizens. JUDY WOODRUFF: And you can find more expert views from our series In My Humble Opinion. That’s on our Web site. The post The problem with thinking you know more than the experts appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Now an investigation that uncovered decades of sexual abuse at one of the nation’s elite private preparatory schools, and the extent to which the school hushed it up. Hari Sreenivasan has that story from our New York studios. HARI SREENIVASAN: The report released last night focused on a dozen former teachers at the prestigious boarding school in Connecticut, Choate Rosemary Hall. It recounts the experiences of 24 adult alumni who were allegedly abused between 1963 and 2010. Investigators said the offenses ranged from kissing to groping to rape. Choate hired a law firm with no previous ties to the school to lead the investigation. Jonathan Saltzman was part of The Boston Globe Spotlight team that helped break the story. And Paul Mones is an attorney who has represented sexual abuse survivors at private schools and other institutions. He is not involved in any of the Choate cases. Jonathan, I want to start with you. You and your team launched this series a while back about this happening at elite prep schools in the Northeast. What did this report reveal to you? JONATHAN SALTZMAN, The Boston Globe: Well, we had reported on about 110 private schools in New England that had faced allegations of sexual abuse over the past 25 years. And we mentioned Choate. But this report was initiated in response to that story, and it laid out in extremely graphic detail the accounts of about 24 survivors of abuse. And as you said in your introduction, some of these are extraordinarily graphic descriptions of abuse, rape. And, to me, the most startling thing about the report was that, first, the school named 12 teachers that they said had abused kids. That’s an extraordinary number, and we haven’t seen that before in other schools. And then what they also did was they essentially owned up to the fact that they had never reported these cases of abuse to child welfare authorities in Connecticut, even though it had been required. HARI SREENIVASAN: There is an incident that was mentioned in the report of what would likely qualify of at least attempted rape that happened in a swimming pool on a field trip in Costa Rica. But the headmaster to the board of trustees essentially labeled it — pointed to heavy drinking and inappropriate behavior. And then we find out that the teacher in question was still employed as a principal at a different school until last week. JONATHAN SALTZMAN: That’s right. Choate got in touch with that public school in Litchfield, Connecticut, very recently. And I spoke to a lawyer for that school district in Litchfield last night. And they said that they had — that when this teacher applied, he used a slight variation of his name, and that he never mentioned that he’d worked at Choate. And that’s a running theme that we found in a number of our stories, this whole passing the trash syndrome, which is that schools let teachers go quietly, they hush it up, and the teachers resurface somewhere else. PAUL MONES, Sexual Abuse Attorney: What I found particularly, if I could just comment quickly on it, particularly interesting is that the school only acted, only acted after the Boston Globe story. They would have been comfortable sitting on their hands if The Boston Globe didn’t call. This is typical of the behavior of large institutions wherein sexual abuse happens among their ranks. And so they follow the same pattern as the Catholic Church. There is one interesting part of the report, in fact, where, in the summer of 2012 — 2002 — I’m sorry — it was reported that they rec...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: But first: Today is Good Friday, when Christians around the world commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, ahead of Easter Sunday. One of the largest public displays occurs each year in Seville, Spain, but declining faith among the Spanish people is threatening a longtime pillar of the Catholic Church, its cloistered convents. Jeffrey Brown has that story. It’s part of our continuing series Culture at Risk. JEFFREY BROWN: Everywhere you turn in Seville, tradition and history, reminders of a rich religious past. But rarely seen, Seville’s cloistered convents, cities within cities behind high walls, a piece of the fabric of the community, yet separate and apart, places like the convent of Santa Ines, founded in 1372 by Maria Coronel, whose body still lies in repose in the church’s chapel. Prioress Maria Rebecca Cervantes Cisneros joined the sisterhood when she was just 13 years old. MARIA REBECCA CERVANTES CISNEROS, Prioress, Santa Ines Convent (through interpreter): Many people might say that a person doesn’t know what she’s doing at that age, but I think that it is a gift from God, and that he is free to call for you whenever he wishes. And, to this day, I do not regret having heeded that call. JEFFREY BROWN: Yet, in Spain today, few women heed that call. Only about 15 percent of the population even attends mass. Twenty-five years ago, there were 41 cloistered convents in Seville, the highest concentration in Spain. Today, just 15 active ones remain, and at Santa Ines, eight nuns, practicing what’s known as their vocation, watch over this entire complex. Six of them come not from Spain, but from Mexico, including the prioress. MARIA REBECCA CERVANTES CISNEROS: Here in Europe, there’s a very general crisis of vocations. Perhaps there’s also a lack of knowledge. Maybe we need to promote ourselves more, because people aren’t very familiar with us. Many people think that the life of a contemplative is like a useless life. JEFFREY BROWN: Convents like Santa Ines here in Seville are hidden treasures from an earlier era, once small, but bustling communities, now fewer inhabitants now, and walls that are decaying. The murals lining the courtyard, which illustrate biblical stories and are said to date to the 1400s, are cracking and flaking away. So, too, are many of its Spanish tiles. Some are held in place by fabric. The structural beams supporting the entrance to the outside world, through which everyday citizens enter daily to buy sweets through the turnstile, are cracked, in danger of collapsing. Weeds grow out of every nook. PABLO LONGORIA, World Monuments Fund: This is one of the two, three convents that is in worst shape. JEFFREY BROWN: Pablo Longoria directs projects in Spain for the world monuments fund, which last year added Seville’s convents to its endangered heritage watch list. With his help, we were given rare access during the season of Lent. Even still, many of the nuns preferred to remain away from our cameras. PABLO LONGORIA: Convents are very old buildings that were usually kept by the donation of citizens, religious people that would give the convents money and products, and by the nuns. So, 50 years ago, you would have 80 nuns in this convent. Now you have eight left. JEFFREY BROWN: With much less support. PABLO LONGORIA: With much less support and with many more years. The average age must be 75 to 80 years. JEFFREY BROWN: While Santa Ines has imported its nuns from Mexico, at Santa Paula, another convent less than a mile away, most of the ...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Now we turn to politics, starting with the backlash some GOP lawmakers are facing in their home districts this week. WOMAN: Answer it! MAN: Answer it! JUDY WOODRUFF: It’s the second major congressional recess of the year, and Republicans are again facing tense encounters with their constituents. Take last night’s raucous town hall in Mesa, Arizona. AUDIENCE: Shame on you! Shame on you! JUDY WOODRUFF: Republican Senator Jeff Flake was booed lustily during an exchange on health care. WOMAN: Mr. Flake, why is it that, in Germany, we have had a universal health care system since … (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) WOMAN: Wait a minute. Since 1871? SEN. JEFF FLAKE, R-Ariz.: Well, thank you for that. I just — I don’t happen to agree. I think the free market system … (BOOING) JUDY WOODRUFF: And in South Carolina on Monday. REP. JOE WILSON, R-S.C.: Obamacare is denying services, delaying services. JUDY WOODRUFF: Representative Joe Wilson heard it from voters who parroted the charge he once hurled at President Obama. AUDIENCE: You lie! You lie! You lie! JUDY WOODRUFF: Wednesday night, Colorado constituents demanded that Representative Mike Coffman break with President Trump. WOMAN: I would like to know when you are going to stop voting with the president who has a 35 percent approval rating, and start fighting for Coloradans? (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) REP. MIKE COFFMAN, R-Colo.: When I disagree with the president, I will speak out with the president. But I’m not going to do it every other day. It’s when it’s something significant. JUDY WOODRUFF: Attendees at that event had to show an I.D., and limit signs to notebook size. Other Republicans have opted against holding mass voter events at all. Instead, some are conducting tele-town halls over the phone and social media. A big question is, will the anger translate beyond town halls? This week in Kansas, in a rock-solid Republican district, the GOP only narrowly won a special election for the House seat vacated by Mike Pompeo, who’s now director of the CIA. There’s another closely watched special House election next Tuesday in Georgia to replace Tom Price, the new secretary of health and human services. And with that, we turn to the analysis of Shields and Brooks. That’s syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks. JUDY WOODRUFF: Welcome, gentlemen. So, David, what do you make of all this hostility at some of the town halls? DAVID BROOKS, The New York Times: Yes, I think there are two issues here. One is the hostility of the town hall. I’m not sure what to make of that. I think it means that progressives are as enraged as the Tea Party people were of several years ago. The larger issue is the shift in the polls in that Kansas race and some of the other races and the shift that we see in the polls generally. And that’s less — that’s not only the fact progressives are more energized, but it’s also the drifting away of Republicans from the Trump administration. And it’s not happening on a state level, so this is Trump-related. And so, if I were a House member with — maybe if I had won my last seat, and I am Republican, by 10 or 15 points, I think I would be more nervous than ever before in my career. JUDY WOODRUFF: What do you attribute all this to? MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated Columnist: Well, first of all, Judy, the Joe Wilson segment was particularly appropriate, South Carolina. It was September 2009 where Joe Wil...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioThe post News Wrap: North Korea issues warning to U.S. amid speculation of another nuclear test appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
This week on the Friday News Roundup: Sean Spicer falls on his sword; a House Republican survives a special election in Kansas in a tight race watched nationwide; North Korea turns up the heat; and, things get a little frosty in Moscow. Two panels of journalists join Joshua Johnson to discuss the week's top stories. Domestic hour guests are Manu Raju, senior political reporter at CNN, Susan Glasser, chief international affairs columnist at Politico, and Edward Luce, chief U.S. columnist and commentator for the Financial Times. International hour guests are Elise Labott, global affairs correspondent at CNN, Christian Caryl, editor of DemocracyPost at The Washington Post and a contributing editor at Foreign Policy magazine, and Julia Ioffe, staff writer at The Atlantic.
Encore Broadcast: Multi-hyphenate Rashida Jones -- one of the forces behind TV's police farce "Angie Tribeca"-- comes bearing wisdom for 'overdogs'... Cello maestro Yo-Yo Ma gets existential... Pop sensations Tegan and Sara craft a party playlist that's frank -- and French... The man and myth behind the doughnut, as we know it... Photographing your dinner makes you happy?! Rico fact checks (with more doughnut)... Funny-person Negin Farsad ponders etiquette and 'other' questions... Plus, blessed jokes, magical chocolate, and your next favorite song!
This weekend, an eighth Jackie Robinson statue will be dedicated outside Dodgers Stadium.
Saturday is a big day in North Korea: The 105th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung. It's thought that North Korea will conduct a nuclear or missile test to mark the occasion. But South Koreans aren't that worried.
Jackie Robinson and former Dodgers manager Leo Durocher led very different lifestyles and feuded for years. But by the end of their lives, they had reconciled.
By the 1970s, African-Americans made up close to 20 percent of all MLB players. That number stayed in the high teens through the early 90s. And then it dropped. Former Major Leaguer Lou Collier watched that decline and is now trying to reverse the trend.
It's been decades since Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, but Bill Littlefield says there's still much to be done in the fight for equal rights and opportunity.
The politics of respectability, that elusive set of guidelines that dictate how racialized Americans ought to conduct themselves in public, were complicated this week when a 69 year-old Asian-American doctor was forcibly dragged off a United Airlines flight. The video of Dr. David Dao's body being hauled off the plane provoked international outrage, especially from Asian-Americans, but some argued that race had nothing to do with the incident — that the same level of outrage would have followed regardless of the passenger's race. Two questions immediately come to my mind. First, would this have happened to Dao if he was white? The politics of respectability would render a senior, white male doctor as worthy of deference and respect. Second, would cries of outrage have been as loud if the man dragged off the plane was African-American? The surge in violence against black people in the last decade, and the generalized indifference to it until recently, suggests that that would be unlikely. In Dao, Asian-Americans like me could identify their own elderly fathers, and we shuddered at the thought that our family members could have been victimized in the same horrific manner. But I doubt that non-Asian-Americans saw their fathers in Dao. Instead, what they may have seen is the personification of an Asian-American trope — the model minority. As an Asian-American doctor, Dao embodies the popular narrative that Asian Americans are highly educated, hard-working, committed, successful and deserving. This facile veneer, however, obscures more than it clarifies about Asian-Americans. Comprised of 24 detailed origins, Asian-Americans exhibit more socioeconomic diversity than any other U.S. racial group. Take educational attainment for example. On the high end of the spectrum are Asian Indians, Chinese, and Koreans who exhibit extraordinarily high levels of education, and graduate from college at higher rates than whites. At the other extreme are Asian ethnic groups like Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong, who have higher high school dropout rates than African-Americans and Latinos. Forty percent of Hmong-Americans do not graduate from high school. In addition, the latter Asian ethnic groups have higher poverty rates and higher levels of welfare receipt than the national average. Moreover, at 35 percent, Asian-Americans have one of the highest rates of "limited English proficiency" (LEP) among all U.S. groups, and are on par with Latinos. This figure, however, masks the heterogeneity among Asian-Americans; 53 percent of Vietnamese are LEP, as are 46 percent of Chinese, and 45 percent of Koreans and Thai. By contrast, rates of LEP are as low as 22 percent among Asian Indians and Filipinos. These differences are critical because they affect life outcomes like health, earnings, and civic participation, including voting. The model minority trope, however, masks these differences and erases the ethnic, economic, and social diversity among Asian-Americans. More importantly, the model minority myth creates an unofficial value pyramid with the most educated, affluent and successful Asian-Americans at the very top. So, how, exactly can the politics of respectability and diversity among Asian-Americans help us understand our collective outrage of United's inexcusable treatment of Dao? In early news reports of this story, there was no mention of Dao's race or ethnicity. As the video began to circulate, however, one could easily discern that the passenger was Asian-American, and based on first sight, people assumed that he was Chinese-American. That Dao is a Vietnamese refugee did not diminish the outcry, nor did it change our view that he is deserving of our outrage, empathy and support. But would it change if Dao was Hmong, whose group position in the unofficial value hierarch...
Noorjahan Ahmed recalls picnicking in the Nangarhar province, where the US dropped its biggest non-nuclear bomb on Thursday. She says it's one of the most beautiful regions in the country.
After the Palm Sunday bombings of Christian churches in Egypt, pilgrims to the Holy Land observe an especially poignant Good Friday.
A group of Christian rappers went on a missions trip to South Africa with a simple mission. Listen how this group spoke life and shared the gospel with kids who needed it most.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Note: Today's show originally ran in June 2012. A few years ago, Jestina Clayton started a hair braiding business in her home in Centerville, Utah. The business let her stay home with her kids, and in good months, she made enough to pay for groceries. She even put an ad on a local website. Then one day she got an email from a stranger who had seen the ad. "It is illegal in the state of Utah to do any form of extensions without a valid cosmetology license," the email read. "Please delete your ad, or you will be reported." To get a license, Jestina would have to spend more than a year in cosmetology school. Tuition would cost $16,000 dollars or more. On today's show: Why it was illegal to braid hair without a license in Utah. And why hundreds of licensing rules in states all around the country are a disaster for the U.S. economy. Music: "Destroy Me." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook. Subscribe to our show on iTunes or PocketCast. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Prima ballerina Misty Copeland on challenging beauty norms and loving yourself as you are.
Tillerson face-to-face with Putin. Sean Spicer's Hitler blunder. Turbulent times for United Airlines. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
In case you missed them, hear three of our favorite segments from the week: John Waters Says Make Trouble (First) | Abortion in the Twenty-First Century (Starts at 21:47) | Starting From the Very Beginning in America (Starts at 41:32) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.
The state of Arkansas is set to execute seven death-row inmates in the span of 11 days, starting Monday. The executions are being rushed by the state, apparently because its supply of the drug midazolam — the sedative used in its lethal-injection procedures — will expire this month. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson defended the state’s decision, even though it is facing a number of legal challenges from the inmates, and two of the drug makers, which claim the way the drugs were acquired was improper and constitutes a breach of contract. But there are other options, according to Robert Dunham (@RDunhamDPIC), executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit policy group that studies capital punishment. Speaking with Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti, Dunham explains what those options might be and the risks of executing so many people in such a short period of time. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
More than 500,000 people finished at least one U.S. marathon in 2015, the last year for which the group Running USA has released its annual report. Almost half of those runners were at least 40 years old, a record high percentage. Anyone can run a marathon, says exercise physiologist Susan Paul, but beginning runners should take it slowly — injuries are common among novices and experts alike. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with Paul, training program director and coach at Track Shack (@trackshack) in Orlando, about how newcomers can prepare for their first marathon. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution this week condemning the chemical weapons attack in Syria. It was the 8th time Russia has used its veto power. The vote came after intense debate over who was to blame for the conflict there. Russia blamed the West for supporting rebel groups, which it says are terrorists. Syria said the U.S. manufactured the chemical attack as an excuse to attack. And the U.S. said Russia and Iran should both get out of the region. Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti takes a closer look at the vote. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The price of solar panels has dropped 20 percent in the last year, making it more affordable for homeowners to buy rather than lease. That’s hurting big solar companies that have thrived on the lease model. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Jason Bellini (@jasonbellini) of The Wall Street Journal about how some solar companies are rethinking their strategy. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, takes calls from Staten Island listeners and discusses this week in NYC.
We travel to the Philadelphia area with Amy Sedaris! She talks about finally starting her dream project, a TV show about hosting, and we put her crafting expertise in a game of "Etsy or Smithsonian?"
Jews and Latinos are often discussed as different categories, but of course there are many Jewish communities across Latin America and some have made their way to the United States. On this episode of Latino USA, we explore the history of Jewish migration throughout the Americas, hear personal stories of family and identity from Jewish Latinos themselves, and learn about the struggle to preserve a fading Spanish-Jewish language known as Ladino.
Remembering Dorothy Mengering, David Letterman's mother and regular guest on his late night talk show, who died on April 11, 2017 at the age of 95.
Robin M. Jensen, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and author of The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy, discusses the two-thousand-year evolution of the cross as an idea, symbol and an artifact.
North Korea is speaking out against the Trump administration, accusing it of increasing tensions in the region, especially due to President Trump’s “aggressive tweets. This comes after a week of building conflict between the U.S. and North Korea, with China caught up in the problem. This weekend, North Korea celebrates the 105th birthday of its founder Kim Il Sung — and has also warned it could conduct another nuclear or missile test. Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh (@DrJimWalshMIT). Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
On Saturday, protesters are planning demonstrations in cities around the country to call on President Trump to release his tax returns. Demonstrators are calling for greater government transparency, and say they want to see how changes in tax policy might benefit Trump financially and highlight conflicts of interest. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson talks with NPR senior business editor Marilyn Geewax (@geewaxnpr) about the protests. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Here & Now producer Alex Ashlock (@aashlock) will cover his 19th Boston Marathon on Monday. But he has been a fan of marathons in general for more than 50 years. He joins Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti to talk about why he was first attracted to the grueling, and often dramatic, event. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Thomas Gibbons-Neff, staff writer for The Washington Post and a former Marine infantryman, discusses the non-nuclear bomb the US dropped in Afghanistan. Then, Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and host of “Amanpour on CNN, explores potential consequences of the US' attack in Afghanistan and looks at rising tensions in North Korea and Syria.
Julia To Dutka, chairperson of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, and Nancy Foner, sociologist and professor at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center, discuss the downward mobility many immigrants experience when coming to the U.S. and how they can transfer their credentials from their home countries.
What's the political definition of a moderate? For Republicans like New Jersey Rep. Leonard Lance, it means taking hits from all sides. At his third town hall of the year — his 43rd in his congressional career — Lance took incoming from his constituents for more than an hour on Wednesday evening. "Do your jobs! Work together!" yelled Janet Katz, a Chester resident and constituent who was one of a handful of the hundreds in attendance who got to ask a question. (To avoid the appearance of stacking the deck, Lance's constituents are given ticket numbers that are pulled at random.) Katz, like most constituents here, came to voice opposition to the GOP's health care bill, efforts to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and general intransigence of Washington. "If everybody doesn't get exactly what they want, then there's a win. Compromise!" Katz ordered. Lance responded, "I agree with that, and I hope the Democrats will come to the table." She shot back: "I hope the Republicans will come to the table!" Katz wants to keep the Affordable Care Act intact and for lawmakers to fix the system, not tear it down. "I want this repeal crap to stop," she said, to a cheering audience. Lance is already on her side. He is a "no" vote on his party's health care bill. He reiterated his vow to oppose any bill that rolls back protections for people with preexisting health conditions, as well as the other popular provisions of the law that mandate minimum coverage standards. Lance did not win Katz or the room over, however, with his position to redirect Planned Parenthood funds to other health care providers that do not offer abortion services. His health care positions have likewise provoked attacks from the other side of the spectrum. The conservative grassroots activist group Club for Growth is targeting moderates like Lance in a recent wave of attack ads. Conservative activists want the GOP bill to go further to fully repeal the law and start all over. "Tell Leonard Lance, don't fall for fake repeal. Vote 'no' on Ryancare and get rid of Obamacare for good," the ad states. This is life in the political middle in 2017, and Lance is at the center of it all. After the 2016 elections, his wealthy, suburban northern New Jersey district became the new new media seat in Congress: not too conservative, not too liberal, just right — of center. That's according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report that ranks districts based on their partisan leanings every two years. In the spectrum of 435 House seats, Lance's is ranked 218th. He is also one of 23 House Republicans who represents a district Hillary Clinton carried last November, by a narrow, 1 percentage-point margin. Those results means fresh challenges to being a Republican moderate with Donald Trump now in the White House. The president is really unpopular in Lance's district among Democrats like Barbara Babcock, a retired teacher and Flanders resident who also attended Lance's town hall. "The current administration is ruining the Republican brand," she said. "And I think anybody who really cares about standard Republicanism as it used to be, really needs to stand up to this administration and I'd like to see my congressman do that." A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll in late March gave Trump an approval rating of just 28 percent in the Garden State. Which means Lance is often eager to distance himself from the Republican pack. At his town hall, he called on the president to release his tax returns, embraced the need to address man-made climate change, and criticized the president's early round of executive orders on immigration. For every chit he earns from some consti...
For months, Paterson Eastside High School in New Jersey has been embroiled in an athletic scandal tinged with allegations of human trafficking. An investigation by NJ Advance Media into the school's championship-winning boys and girls basketball teams found that several international student athletes had been living in their coaches homes with little oversight. Earlier this week, two coaches and the school's athletic director were fired as a result of the findings -- but a report commissioned by the school district largely glossed over their roles in potential wrongdoing. Reporter Steve Politi helped break this story. He spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake about the growing scandal and what happens next for these students.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Takeaway Culture Reporter Melissa Locker is starting off festival season on a high note, with a trip out west to the Coachella Valley & Music Arts Festival. Locker notes that is a great opportunity to see incredible live acts that you don't get to see perform very often, like reggae legends Toots and the Maytals, or prolific composer Hans Zimmer. Here, Locker shares some of the other artists she's looking forward to watching, like Mitski, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, and New Order. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear all of her reviews.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews reviews the action sequel "The Fate of the Furious," the science-fiction comedy "Colossal," and the British drama "Their Finest." Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear all of his reviews. What are you watching this weekend? Tell us in the comments.
Bro Lance of L A California was our guest on September 9, 2010. This is a powerful testimony of things God did in Bro Lance life.
What happens when giants like Macy’s, Sears and J.C. Penney close hundreds of shops, leaving empty shopping malls throughout the country.
Good Friday is the day Christians around the world mark the crucifixion of Jesus. For over a century, the people of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn have shown their devotion with a distinctive procession that includes a funeral band, dozens of black-clad women reciting the rosary in Italian, and statues of Jesus and Mary, borne on the shoulders of pallbearers. It’s a centuries-old custom inherited from immigrants who came to this part of Brooklyn from the island of Sicily, and from the small city of Mola di Bari, Italy. Every year, families gather on stoops and sidewalks to catch a glimpse of the hours-long procession. John Heyer, a Carroll Gardens funeral director and historian at the Church of Sacred Hearts and Saint Stephen, said the movement of the statues of Jesus and Mary through a residential neighborhood of Brooklyn represents Christ’s journey from his death on Calvary to his tomb, the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. “Italians tend to celebrate their faith very publicly. And so bringing this procession out into the streets allows them to express their faith, Heyer said. “The procession is not meant just for Italians. It’s not meant just for Catholics, for that matter…. All are welcome to come and walk with us in the procession. All are welcome to come with us and just be spectators and watch.
Each year, hundreds of people don their finest hats — some silly, some serious — to march in style up Fifth Avenue during the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival. And that’s keeping some of the city’s hat makers busy. Evetta Petty, owner and milliner at Harlem’s Heaven hat shop on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, said Easter marks the start of her busy season, which continues through Mother’s Day — and includes big horse races like the Belmont Stakes, where flamboyant hats are always a big fashion statement. She said she's often inspired by the local fashionistas in Harlem, especially the church-going crowd. But his week, she was hard at work on floral designs to herald spring. “I’m doing little fascinators, little mini-hats, what we used to call cocktail hats years ago, and I’m covering them in bright, silk flowers, she said. Petty's often marched in the parade herself. “We wear serious, fabulous millinery, she said. “We’re all about a real hat. It’s not a hat with a bunny rabbit or plastic Easter eggs on it. Petty’s hats aren’t meant for a single occasion, but as essential accessories to wear more than once. Another hat-maker, who goes by just one name, Bunn, said it was his philosophy as well. “I believe that the same hat you wear on a Sunday, you should be able to wear on a Wednesday, he said. His shop, Hats by Bunn, is about 10 minutes south of Petty’s. Bunn has been making hats for about 35 years. The designs don’t follow any particular rules, he said. They’re as unique and individual as his customers. “The hat is the exclamation point to any outfit, he said.
Anna Chlumsky on Veep and being a child actor. Q Origin Story: Little Golden Books. Hollerado perform and talk their new album titled Born Yesterday.
YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels, and scourges told from historic newspapers in the golden age of yellow journalism... The Examination Room Murder Major Green Collared By The Collar For Episode 135 we’ve put together a double-header expanding on the theme of the past two episodes. Both of these cases were mentioned in “The Good Friday Beekman Place Bathtub Murder and Tears of the Weeping Willow. First is the story of how an unfortunate relationship brought tragedy upon tragedy to a physician’s family, and then we’ll explore the case of a housewife caught unaware by a burglar carrying a deadly weapon. ___ Recommended Episodes: The East Orange Bathtub Murder The Chinatown Trunk Murder The Wicked Working Girl of Fall River The Belle in the Belfry ___ Theme Music by Dave Sams Violin Concerto in E minor #15 by Felix Draeseke, performed by Julia Röntz - Wolfgang Müller-Steinbach, courtesy musopen.org Media management by Sean R. Jones Production assistance by Emily Simer Braun ___ 1937marycase
This is a story about a pastor who was stabbed to death in a church school—and it happened during a peaceful protest. Find out more when we return right after this message.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. With all the news coming out of The Philippines in recent months, a quiet story has been brewing that affects millions of women: The Philippines may run completely out of contraceptives as soon as 2018. In 2015, the nation's Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the full execution of The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, which effectively halted registrations for birth control. The ruling came in response to a push by religious groups and activists who made a link between contraception and abortion. As part of our partnership with News Deeply, The Takeaway speaks with Ana P. Santos, a journalist based in Manila covering reproductive rights. Santos says the nation's instability and politicized battle over access to reproduction is putting women's health at risk, but, she adds, not nearly enough people are paying attention.
With guest host Jane Clayson. Arkansas says it will execute seven death row inmates by the end of the month. Why the rush? The lethal injection drugs are set to expire. We’ll look at the controversy. Arkansas hasn’t executed an inmate since 2005, but that’s about to change. Seven men put to death over the next ten days. That’s two a day, every other day. Why? The drug used in lethal injections is set to expire. Lawyers for the condemned say the rush undermines due process. Victims’ families say they’ve waited long enough. This hour On Point, Arkansas multiple execution plan and its message for the nation. Guests Janelle Lilley, weekend anchor and reporter for KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas. (@katvjanelle) Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Former director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. (@Diannatncadp) Nathan Smith, deputy prosecuting attorney for the Benton County Prosecuting Attorney in Benton County, Arkansas. From The Reading List Washington Post: With lethal injection drugs expiring, Arkansas plans unprecedented seven executions in 11 days — “Though the death penalty has been dormant in Arkansas — these would be the first executions there in 12 years — the lethal injections have put the state at the center of the debate about capital punishment as it becomes less common in the United States. Fewer states are putting condemned inmates to death, public support for executions is declining and authorities are struggling to find the drugs used in lethal injections amid a shortage spurred in part by drugmakers’ objections to the death penalty. USA Today: Stop the execution madness in Arkansas — “In my home state of Arkansas, plans are underway for a spectacular legal train wreck starting next week. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed death warrants to execute eight men in 10 days, something not even Texas, with its vaunted assembly line, has ever attempted. Indeed, no death-happy state has ever dreamed of eight kills in such a short time. The Marshall Project: My Execution, 20 Days Away — “When you’re issued a date, you want to be the first to break the news to your family. But often the press gets to them first. For the prisoner, as the fatal day approaches, the hardest part is knowing you’ve condemned your loved ones to a bitter fate. Once you depart, they have to carry on. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
This is America’s anthem for civil rights. There is exactly one old hymn that everyone recognizes, and moves people who have no feeling for the spiritual or religious. “Amazing Grace transcended the church and became a folk song, and an anthem for civil rights. Yet its origins are unexpected and complicated: it was written by a slave trader who did not renounce slavery until long after he wrote it. Produced by Trey Kay Special thanks to Gene Gilliland and the people from the Big Singing Day in Benton, Kentucky.
Aimee Mann has a reputation for writing and performing depressing music. But instead of refuting the stereotype, she embraced it for her new album “Mental Illness. She gave herself permission to write “the saddest, slowest, most acoustic, if-they’re-all-waltzes-so-be-it record she could. Mann talks with Kurt about the music that inspired “Mental Illness and performs two songs from the album. Aimee Mann Performs "Patient Zero" Live in Studio 360 Aimee Mann's Favorite Sad Songs
Yewande Omotoso’s new novel, “The Woman Next Door, explores racial tension in post-apartheid South Africa. It’s about a pair of elderly women — one black and one white — who live in a well-to-do suburban enclave of Cape Town. They are next-door neighbors, and they despise each other. Omotoso talks to Kurt about the book, her other career as an architect, and her experience moving to apartheid South Africa as a 12-year-old.
This is a follow-up story about the church bus crash that killed 13 people, all of whom were elderly members of the church. Sources are now saying the crash happened because a driver was texting, and in response, this church is making a bold move in obedience to Luke 6:28. Tune in to find out more.
Mary Harris, WNYC reporter/co-host of “Only Human, Monona Rossol, an industrial hygienist for ACTS, and Chris Sturm, Managing Director of Policy and Water for New Jersey Future, join us to discuss recent investigations that revealed high lead levels in the water of New York City and Newark schools. The Newark public school district at one point had over 300 schools with high lead levels in its water. WNYC's Data News Team mapped out every lead-positive water fountain they found in New York City schools. Explore the map below. Click here to learn more about the map. Note: Darker points on the map correspond to a higher level of lead found at a single water fountain in the building. Larger points correspond to more water fountains found with lead. School buildings marked as grey had at least one elevated sample but WNYC does not have a copy of the results letter to see how many water fountains, if any, had lead. If you have a copy of a letter to share, send it to us at health@wnyc.org.
It’s big week for diplomatic efforts foreign policy for the Trump administration. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson checks in on how President Trump is handling China, Syria, Russia and NATO with retired admiral and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis (@stavridisj). Stavridis is currently the dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Interview Highlights On President Trump’s new approach to China “It’s as good as we could have possibly have hoped for coming out of this summit because it bespeaks not a confrontational approach on trade and a willingness to, shall we say, conduct the art of the deal with China. That’s going to be crucial for this president. On changing course in his rhetoric about China so drastically “I think [Trump] has gotten away with whiplash-inducing reverses in policy and this is merely one of them. In this case, I applaud it. He’s moved to the right position, which is to get out of this theory that we’re going to somehow put ourselves in a good position by raising big tariff barriers with China. We tried that 100 years ago — the Hawley-Smoot Tariffs and it created a global depression. Let’s not make that mistake again. On if China will do more to help deal with the North Korean nuclear threat “Here the president has a bit of a two-edged sword. He wants help with North Korea. He’s signaled to China that he’s willing to give a better deal on tariffs if he gets help on North Korea. I think that’s a good position. But it’s going to mean him threading a needle between how much he gives on one side in order to get something on the other side, on the North Korea piece of this. Again, that’s presumably why the American people elected him — because he’s a negotiator and he can thread that needle. We’ll see. On the options President Trump has right now with North Korea “I think he’s got three: One is to find a way to get China to really put the thumbscrews on this aberrant regime. A second would be covert military operation — including special forces, and or cyber attacks. Third is overt military activity. As we used to say in the Soviet Union, ‘It is no coincidence, comrade’ that there is a carrier battle group steaming right at North Korea even as they are signaling they might do another nuclear test. So three options, he’s going to have to pick between them. I think we’d all like him to go through door No. 1 — of diplomacy and sanctions. On concerns that North Korea will respond to U.S. ships heading toward them “I think it is worth being concerned about. This is why you saw Sec. Tillerson yesterday downplaying it and saying, ‘Hey, we have a lot of carriers in the Pacific.’ But it is a risk. However, everything else we’ve tried has had zero effect on North Korea. So I think it’s worth at least exploring the military option on one hand, using China on the other. Perhaps some combination of all of this can really de-nuclearize that Korean peninsula. On the U.S. military strike against the Syrian airbase “I think it was not only good geopolitics, I think it was legal under international law. “Tactically … not a lot of damage. It took out about 20 percent of Assad’s air force, destroyed the ability for them to fly aircraft realistically from that airport. They’ve done a couple of flights as sort of a PR stunt. But they have no air control, they have no communications, they have no fuel. They can’t really use it anymore. But [still] minor. … The real upside is the strategic message sent to Russia, sent to Iran, sent to Syria, that a) there’s more where that comes from in the military category and b) the United Sta...
When President Donald Trump signed his order to dismantle climate policies, he cited two familiar reasons. The president says he wants to reverse government intrusion, and to cancel job-killing regulations. But environmental regulations can create jobs, too. Glynis Board (@GlynisBoard) of West Virginia Public Broadcasting looks at some of them in coal country. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The Kinks were one of the greatest bands in rock and roll history. Brothers Ray and Dave Davies have since gone on to successful solo careers, and Dave has just released a new album, “Open Road. Dave Davies joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to talk about it and the history of the Kinks. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Pittsburgh’s water is failing EPA standards for lead. At least one local official has called it a “public health crisis. The reason why lead levels are over the limit is still unclear. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier (@reidfrazier) reports that most observers agree one key decision played a role: the change to a cheaper, less effective chemical to keep lead out of water. This story is part of a public media collaboration, Hidden Poison, looking at Pittsburgh’s lead problem produced by WESA, The Allegheny Front, PublicSource and Keystone Crossroads. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
(Airs 4/13/17 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC's Alan Chartock speaks with New York State Republican Party Chair Ed Cox.
About 33,000 Americans died in 2015 from opioid-related overdoses, and more than 2 million people are believed to have been addicted. Although the statistics are unlike any previously on record, the opioid crisis is far from new. During the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, soldiers were prescribed opium to deal with the pain of their wounds. Later, middle-class white women were treated in large numbers with the drug for a wide range of ailments. Chinese immigrants were racially targeted and stereotyped as frequenters of opium dens in the American West. And after World War I, heroin was used medically, before it was abused as an illegal street drug. Historians Nathan Connolly (@ndbconnolly) and Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755) say that to understand today’s epidemic, one should look back to the history of opioid use in the U.S., as well as its intersection with race, gender, politics and policing. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Connolly and Freeman, co-hosts of the podcast BackStory, which is produced at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
In interviews this week, President Trump notably downplayed chief strategist Steve Bannon’s role in the administration and backtracked on a number of policy issues that Bannon supports. Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss Bannon’s future in the White House. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
When Dr. Shieva Khayam-Bashi met Joe Nazworthy, Joe was on his stomach, and a nurse was dressing a large open wound that encompassed nearly his entire back. It struck Dr. K that Joe never complained about being sick. With little time left to live, Joe told Dr. K that the only thing he wished for was to see his estranged daughter. So the hospital staff set to work. Erika Lantz (@ejlantz) of Here & Now contributor Kind World (@WBURKindWorld) has more. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
President Trump is making some significant changes to his economic policy. He now says that China is not a currency manipulator, that he now supports the Export-Import Bank, and that he may even reappoint Janet Yellen as chair of the Federal Reserve. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks to NPR economics correspondent John Ydstie (@jey51) about these and other sudden reversals, and what they mean for Trump’s economic policy. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The passenger who was dragged off that United flight on Sunday, David Dao, has been discharged from a hospital and is expected to file a lawsuit over what happened to him. One of his lawyers Thomas Demetrio said that Dao suffered a serious concussion, a broken nose, and lost two teeth from what took place on the plane. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson gets the latest news from Curt Nickisch (@CurtNickisch) of the Harvard Business Review. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
With guest host Jane Clayson. Fears on the farm. How President Trump’s immigration crackdown could impact Vermont’s dairy industry. Vermont is probably not a state you’d think of in the conversation about immigration and border security. But the state’s multi-billion dollar dairy industry relies on undocumented agriculture workers to milk and more. President Trump’s executive orders and tough talk have undocumented workers scared. And farmers don’t know what they’ll do without a reliable workforce. This hour On Point, Vermont, agriculture, and immigration. Guests Kathleen Masterson, reporter for the New England News Collaborative, based at Vermont Public Radio. (@kathmasterson) Kristi Boswell, director of Congressional relations for labor, immigration and food safety at the American Farm Bureau Federation. (@kristiboswell) Abel Luna, organizer with Migrant Justice, a Vermont-based advocacy group focused on human rights and fair labor issues for farm workers. Anne Thompson, On Point listener. Anne proposed today’s topic via the On Point Listens page. From The Reading List VT Digger: Undocumented On The Farm — “The presence of foreign-born migrant workers like Carlos is just the latest transformation of Vermont agriculture. A century ago, the state was 70 percent cleared agricultural land, 30 percent forest. Today, the ratio is approximately reversed. Older Vermonters still remember when, in the 1940s, some 11,000 small, family farms the dotted the land. Kids hand-milked fawn-brown, doe-eyed Jerseys before breakfast and then hitched rides to one-room schoolhouses on the beat-up trucks or horse-drawn wagons that hauled metal jugs of milk — topped with unctuous, yellow cream — to central collecting stations. Vermont Public Radio: Farmworker Advocates Confront Ben & Jerry’s Board Members To Protest Labor Conditions — “Protesters with Migrant Justice confronted Ben & Jerry’s board members outside the South Burlington office Tuesday morning, aiming to pressure the company to wrap up negotiations on an agreement that would outline minimum wages and labor conditions for dairy workers. Washington Post: Trump administration moving quickly to build up nationwide deportation force — “The Trump administration is quickly identifying ways to assemble the nationwide deportation force that President Trump promised on the campaign trail as he railed against the dangers posed by illegal immigration. Propose Your Own Local Topic As Part Of #OnPointListens Array Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
This is the story of a song, “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down,” written by a 12-year-old boy on his deathbed. A boy who – instead of dying – went on to become a Pentecostal preacher. A boy who would later help inspire the birth of Rock & Roll. His name was Brother […]
This week, we listen to four stories from "Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work" by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay, where work is about much more than just making a living.
Chocolate has been a Swiss national industry for almost 200 years but aggressive pricing and a shift to healthier snacks are forcing confectioners like Lindt and Nestlé to adapt, says Ralph Atkins. Focusing on premium brands and fighting the increasingly popular craft chocolatiers on their own territory are just two of the strategies the traditional groups are turning to, Ralph says
Jessica Gould, WNYC reporter covering politics and public finance, Sophia Paliza-Carre, WNYC reporter covering affordability in New York City, and Brigid Bergin, WNYC reporter covering City Hall and politics, discuss resident’s fears and hopes for Mayor de Blasio’s rezoning plan on Staten Island, as the mayor spends time on the island all week as part of his "City Hall In Your Borough" tour.
With Congress in recess and members back in their districts, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) stops in to preview his town hall meeting and the latest news from the capital. ? Catch Representative Nadler's Town Hall meeting tonight 6PM at Brandeis High School on W 84th Street.
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Roe v. Wade that a woman’s right to an abortion is protected by the 14th Amendment. Carol Sanger, professor of law at Columbia Law School and author of About Abortion: Terminating Pregnancy in Twenty-First-Century America (Harvard University Press, 2017), explores why the issue of abortion still remains a hotly contested political and moral issue. Carol Sanger points out that many abortion laws are designed to uphold anti-abortion stigma on @BrianLehrer @wnyc. — Alexandra Natale (@alexjnatale) April 13, 2017 Fantastic discussion. Insane what women have to go through in the 21st century!!! https://t.co/PapZ9PDK7K — Misgivings (@lacunalingua) April 13, 2017 @BrianLehrer the government needs to stop treating women like children and recognize that we can make our own decisions. #prochoice — Natalie (@Flockingowls) April 13, 2017
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. From the border port of entry in Nogales, Arizona, Attorney General Jeff Sessions touted his role as the nation's top cop earlier this week. "Here along our nation's southwest border is ground zero in the fight," Sessions said on Tuesday. "Here under the Arizona sun, ranchers work each day to make an honest living ... But it's also here along this border that transnational gangs and international cartels flood our country with drugs and leave death and violence in their wake. And it is here that criminal aliens and coyotes and document-forgers seek to overthrow our lawful system of immigration." Sessions's tough on crime and tough on immigration position is what President Trump campaigned on. In a memo circulated on Tuesday, Sessions demanded higher numbers of prosecutions, including of those who harbor undocumented immigrants and those who attempt illegal re-entry, along with a series of other initiatives to harden the immigration policy in this country. This moment of intense anti-immigrant sentiment is a peak in a cycle of immigration policy that has ebbed and flowed since the Department of Homeland Security was first established 2002. John Sandweg, the former acting director and acting general counsel of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2013 to 2014, says the administration may be biting off more than it can chew.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Tensions are on the rise in East Asia as countries in the region carefully watch North Korea's next move. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump offered China better trade terms in exchange for cooperative help on North Korea. On Wednesday, Japan announced its latest strategy: The nation plans to send destroyers to the East China Sea to team up with a United States aircraft carrier. Japan's alignment comes as concerns mount of North Korea's possibility of conducting another missile test. The latest missile test occurred last week, ahead of Trump's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. And this Saturday is North Korea's "Day of the Sun" — the most important national holiday commemorating the birthday of Kim Il-sung. Last year, Kim Jong-un attempted a missile launch on the holiday, and there could be another one this weekend. Lindsey Ford, director for security programs for the Asia Society Policy Institute, discusses the concerns and expectations of the Japanese in the midst of rising aggression by North Korea.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Author Nir Baram was born in Jerusalem and has received acclaim for his works of fiction. Beginning in 2011, Baram traveled throughout Israel and Palestine to talk to real people, challenge his own perceptions, and ask everyone what they envision for the future of this increasingly polarized state. He's the author of "A Land Without Borders: My Journey Around East Jerusalem and the West Bank." He says that a basic disagreement makes finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict nearly impossible: Israeli people won't acknowledge that the conflict stems from stealing land from Palestinians back in 1948. According to Baram, most Israelis would rather think about the conflict since the 1967 war, not since the creation of the state of Israel itself.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. For more than a decade, United Nations peacekeepers have been a constant presence in Haiti, but today the U.N. Security Council will vote on whether to end its mission in six months. The peacekeeping mission began in Haiti in 2004, after an armed uprising ousted the country's democratically-elected president. Since then, U.N. officers have been doing most of the policing in the country. But Haitians elected a new president earlier this year, and U.N. officials, including U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, said the vote shows the country is ready to step up. The peacekeepers received massive criticism after investigations revealed that the force likely started the country's deadly cholera epidemic, which began in 2010 and has killed thousands of people. Under the proposed plan, which comes from the recommendation of U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, most of the force would pull out in October, leaving a small contingent behind. Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald, explains the U.N.'s plan.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. The plot of the new movie "Your Name" initially might sound more like a spin-off of "Freaky Friday" than it does Japanese anime film: A teenage boy in Tokyo swaps bodies with a teenage girl in the Japanese countryside, the two eventually fall in love, and the story builds from there. But unlike "Freaky Friday," "Your Name" has garnered international acclaim. It's already the highest grossing anime film of all time, currently raking in over $330 million worldwide, and that's before hitting U.S. theaters this week, where it has a near perfect 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. It's so big that the director Makoto Shinkai said the popularity and hype around the film is "not healthy. I don't think any more people should see it." And that was in December. Susan Napier, professor of Japanese Studies at Tufts University and author of "Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation," joins The Takeaway to discuss why "Your Name" has struck a worldwide chord, and why anime is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. Check out a trailer for the film below, and click on the 'Listen' button above to hear our full conversation with Napier. Â
An appeals court judge who was the first African-American woman appointed to New York's highest court has been found dead on the shore of the Hudson River off Manhattan. Police say the body of 65-year-old Sheila Abdus-Salaam was discovered just before 2 p.m. Wednesday along the river's shore near Harlem, one day after being reported missing. Police say her body showed no obvious signs of trauma. The medical examiner is to determine the exact cause of death. Abdus-Salaam was appointed to the state's Court of Appeals by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013. She graduated from Barnard College and received her law degree from Columbia School of Law. Cuomo released a statement calling her a "pioneer" and a "force for good whose legacy will be felt for years to come." Former New York state chief judge Jonathan Lippman, who swore in Abdus-Salaam back in 2013, said Abdus-Salaam "was a superb legal mind who also had a sense of empathy for the average person who comes into court seeking justice." Lippman spoke this morning with WNYC's Richard Hake. Â
It doesn't matter that Charlie Lozano, along with most of his classmates, has never been on a boat. ("Never. Never ever, ever, ever.") He and others in Michelle Goh's second-grade class at P.S. 170 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, embraced the challenge of naming a new boat, part of the city's new ferry service, launching May 1. City officials created the boat-naming contest specifically for second-graders attending schools, like P.S. 170, located near existing or soon-to-be-completed ferry landings. Charlie suggested "2017 Ship." Leah Negron thought "Destiny" would make a good name for a boat. And Dalia Abdallah nominated "Roxy," inspired by her favorite television show Hannah Montana. Their teacher wrote all of the suggestions on the board and the children voted democratically. The winner: "Lunchbox." Ali Rabah is credited with the winning name. "I was looking at the lunchboxes," he said, pointing to cubbies at the front of the classroom. "Then I just came up with the name lunchbox." There is important logic to this choice, students explained. "You can put different foods in a lunch box, and there’s different people from different countries in New York," said Jannat Moughal. Therefore, if you put different people together on a ferry boat, "you make a lunch box." The city focused on second-graders for the contest because students at this age typically learn the history of New York waterways and transportation. Goh's class at P.S. 170 also studied immigration and how New York City has evolved over time. "We learned about the Native Americans and how people from other countries came to explore," said Goh. "Recently we were just learning about people coming to New York for a better life. So we had a lot of that connected to the lunchbox idea." James Patchett, who leads the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which is helping to launch and operate the ferry service, said he felt it was important for children who live close to the ferry landings to be involved in the project and feel some ownership of it. "They put a lot of thought into these names and they really took it seriously," said Patchett. All six second-grade classes at P.S. 170 participated in the boat-naming contest. Three classes won; city officials also chose "Friendship Express" and "McShiny." Other winning names that the city announced on Thursday include "Sunset Crossing," from P.S. 971 School of Math, Science and Healthy Living; "Urban Journey," from P.S. 69 Journey Prep; and "Waves of Wonder," from P.S. 15 Roberto Clemente. The names will be displayed on the sides of the ferries and officially registered with the U.S. Coast Guard. "I feel stupendous that I won," said Mohamed Almesri, part of the Lunchbox class. "I feel like I want to see the stars right now." Students also liked that adults asked for their ideas. "I think that it’s a big responsibility because I never got to be in charge of anything," said Jannat. "I think we should name a country," said Muhammed Amer, feeling ready for a bigger challenge. Additional names are still being reviewed for trademark purposes, but Patchett said he hopes for all 20 vessels to be named by students. New ferry service running from The Rockaways to Manhattan will start May 1. A South Brooklyn route launches June 1; an Astoria route will begin in August. Next year, the city will launch ferry service from the Bronx and from the Lower East Side.
After Jesus rose from the dead he showed himself many times to his followers and he yet taught them. He explained to them to wait for the promise because much had gone on and his followers were still not sure about it all. Jesus shared about himself and even John the Baptist. But he wanted them to know that God was sending a comforter which is called the Holy Ghost. Jesus told the follwers they would be baptised with the Holy Ghost. Acts 1:8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Until recently, volcanologists thought supervolcanoes were simply massive volcanoes. But further research has revealed that they are far different - and far more dangerous - than previously imagined.
Lookman Adekunle Salami goes by L.A. Salami and he’s a Londoner whose music blends folk, blues, and beat poetry. He joins us to play some of his old-timey songs, live in the studio.
From women’s 19th-century fight for the right to vote to the Women’s March this year, racism has affected feminist movements. In this podcast special, Al Letson recalls the #BlackWomenAtWork stories that went viral recently and talks with Kimberly Foster, the founder of For Harriet and a very frank video commentator, about her dream to “bring … Continue reading Al Letson Reveals: The color of feminism ?
In the 1940s, James Agee's film criticism took an artful look at Hollywood movies. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, Agee's fascination with cinema was a lifelong love affair. (Produced in 2005)
When naturalist and author Lyanda Lynn Haupt (@LyandaHaupt) decided to write the story of the relationship of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his pet starling, she knew that she had to do some field research. So she adopted a starling of her own, Carmen, to live with her and her family. A note from the author: Almost every bird in the country is protected by the Migratory Bird Treat Act, and of course it is illegal to disturb the nest, eggs or nestlings of all birds. Starlings are one rare exception because they are an unprotected invasive species. Even so, in most states is still illegal to keep one as a pet. Haupt tells the story of both birds in “Mozart’s Starling and joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to talk about the book. Find more great reads on the Here & Now bookshelf Photos Of Lyanda’s Starling, Carmen Book Excerpt: ‘Mozart’s Starling’ By Lyanda Lynn Haupt Prelude: A Plague of Inspiration This book would have taken me half as long to write if it were not for one fact: most of it was composed with a starling perched on my shoulder. Or at least in the vicinity of my shoulder. Sometimes she was standing on top of my head. Sometimes she was nudging the tips of my fingers as they attempted to tap the computer keys. Sometimes she was defoliating the Post?it notes from books where I had carefully placed them to mark passages essential to the chapter I was working on — she would stand there in a cloud of tiny pink and yellow papers with an expression on her intelligent face that I could only read as pleased. She pooped on my screen. She pooped in my hair. Sometimes she would watch, with me, the chickadees that came to my window feeder to nibble the sunflower seeds I left for them. Sometimes she would look me in the eye and say, Hi, honey! Clear as day. “Hi, Carmen, I would whisper back to her. Sometimes, tired of all these things and seemingly unable to come up with a new way to entertain herself or pester me, she would stand close to my neck, tunnel beneath my hair, and nestle down, covering her warm little feet with her soft breast feathers, so close to my ear that I could hear her heartbeat. She would close her eyes and fall into a light bird sleep. It sounds like a sweet scene, but there is a conflict at its center. I am a nature writer, a birdwatcher, and a committed wildlife advocate, so the fact that I have lovingly raised a European starling in my living room is something of a confession. In conservation circles, starlings are easily the most despised birds in all of North America, and with good reason. They are a ubiquitous, nonnative, invasive species that feasts insatiably upon agricultural crops, invades sensitive habitats, outcompetes native birds for food and nest sites, and creates way too much poop. Millions of starlings have spread across the continent since they were introduced from England into New York’s Central Park one hundred and thirty years ago. An adult starling is about eight and a half inches from tip to tail, a fair bit larger than a sparrow but still smaller than a robin, with iridescent black feathers and a long, sharp, pointed bill. Just over a hundred and fifty years before the first starlings appeared in Central Park, the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus had placed the species within his emerging avian taxonomy and christened it with the Latinized name we still use: Sturnus vulgaris. Sturnus for “star, referring to the shape of the bird in flight, with its pointed win...
Daryl Davis is a boogie woogie pianist who’s played with Bill Clinton, Bruce Hornsby, and Chuck Berry. But we wanted to talk to him about another group of his friends.Daryl Davis wrote a book about his experiences with the Klan in a book called “Klan-Destine Relationships.Producer: Nick van der Kolk, with Renzo Gorrio
Storyteller and artist Christy Chan is an American-born Chinese woman. She was confident in her identity until her family moved to a new town and she began getting letters from a mysterious, (possibly magical) stranger. Christy's working on a short film about her experience--check out the trailer here. Producers: Stephanie Foo and Renzo Gorrio
No one ever told Glynn why grandpa’s chair was empty at the dinner table. Producer: Pat Mesiti Miller
On the next Snap..."The Klan." The word instills fear in many, fascination in some, and allegiance in others, and on the next Snap Judgment we're going face to face.
Angelina Jolie may have a new man. Tyga gets arrested. Kylie Jenner has a new reality show. Hosted by Bonnie Fuller Co Host Katrina Mitzeliotis Produced By Gino Orlandini
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Guest host Kate Burton presents a cornucopia of funny pieces from the volume The Best of The Harvard Lampoon, include works by Patricia Marx and BJ Novak. Readers include Wyatt Cenac, Michael Emerson, Richard Masur, and Alysia Reiner.Â
If we could reboot the planet and create new systems and institutions from scratch, would they be any better than what we've blundered our way into through trial and error? This is the first of a series of episodes that we'll release over several months. Today we start with — what else? — economics. You'll hear from Nobel laureate Angus Deaton, the poverty-fighting superhero Jeff Sachs; and many others.
When students at a public high school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, recently came to school celebrating Donald Trump’s immigration policies, some students had to step out of class because they were uncomfortable, or offended. Caryn Davidson, a visual-arts teacher who also helps lead the social justice club at the school, put up three signs in response to that moment. “I hung up a sign that said ‘Refugees are Welcome Here,’ ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ with a Muslim student and ‘Black Lives Matter,’ she said. Her signs were almost immediately taken down. “Turned out that a teacher had gone to the administration and said that they thought it was inappropriate for a teacher to post those signs, Davidson said. “So it opened up a debate about what teachers can and should express within the school." Supporting refugee and undocumented students should not be interpreted as partisan, she said. Brooklyn high school teacher Caryn Davidson says she can no longer express support for her Muslim students without it being seen as overly partisan. (Sarah Gonzalez/WNYC) Another public-school teacher in Brooklyn said she was warned to stop expressing her political beliefs to her middle-school students. A Trump supporter, she said she was harassed by teachers who disagreed with her politics. “I was called a Nazi, said the teacher Ann who asked that we not publish her last name. "They never had that complaint until they knew what my political affiliation was." Ann said most of her students were Muslim and she stood by them. “Whether they’re here illegally or not, they're my kids and I love them," she said. "Once they come into my classroom, I don’t really care. Yet, in her private life and on Twitter, Ann has said the U.S. should "ban Islam," and deport all immigrants. She said she considers activists with the Black Lives Matter movement "terrorists. Youth advocates, like Milan Taylor with the Rockaway Youth Task Force, told WNYC all teachers, regardless of their political leanings, needed training to better understand their implicit bias, all the ways their upbringing and values affected their teaching. He questioned whether teachers with strong political beliefs could teach current events from neutral perspective, or fairly grade and discipline marginalized students. “I just think that this question is so obvious, Taylor said. “How implicit biases can leech into the classroom and end up hurting students. A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education said teachers were supposed to maintain neutrality when discussing political issues in school. The department recently sent a letter providing schools guidance on engaging students around current events, and instructed staff "to refrain from advancing their personal beliefs."
Ten years after the last writers' strike, the industry is possibly looking at another one. The last strike was bitter and divisive, and there's hope that the situation can be avoided this time around, but if the strike goes through, it could start as soon as May 2.
The team behind the publication of the Panama Papers in 2016 has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The leaked documents from an offshore accounting firm uncovered a huge international tax scam, global corruption and money laundering. A year later, the Panama Papers are still having an effect on international banking practices and government officials worldwide. Our guests are Marina Walker Guevara, deputy director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and co-manager of the Panama Papers investigation; Kevin G. Hall, chief economics correspondent and senior investigator for McClatchy newspapers, who led McClatchy's team as the sole U.S. newspaper partner in the Panama Papers project; Clark Gascoigne, deputy director of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition, a non-profit advocating for the elimination of off-shore corporate tax shelters; and Jake Bernstein, senior reporter for the Panama Papers project.
VIBES-LIVE RED CARPET EXCLUSIVES - NIKITA B. WILLIAMS With Your Hosts Comedian Edwin Douglas and Robinlynne Mabin Tonights music contributions: Happy - Pharrrell Williams Thats What I like - Bruno Mars Stand up - Ludacris log on vibeslive.com The Vibes-live Red Carpet Exclusives is brought to You by RobinLynnes Productions
Emily Tamkin, staff writer for Foreign Policy, talks about ongoing developments in U.S. relations with China, Russia, Syria, and North Korea.
Unaccompanied minors in Calais have braved deserts, oceans, smugglers and police. And their journey isn't over.
When Lebanese American Nemr About Nassar told his Arab dad he was going to become a comedian, his response was, "You want to become a clown?"
The post-Trump world threatens to roll back some of the hardest-won gains of the last 100 years. But some see an alternative.
A New York Rabbi has his faith tested when he takes a job in Nebraska.Producer: Anna Sussman, Rita Daniels, Renzo Gorrio
DEK: Scott D. Anthony, Innosight managing partner, discusses why established corporations should be better at handling disruptive threats. He lays out a practical approach to transform a company’s existing business while creating future business. It hinges on a “capabilities link,” which means using corporate assets—that startups don’t have—to fight unfairly. He also discusses the leadership qualities of executives who effectively navigate their companies’ imminent disruption. Anthony is the coauthor of the new book, “Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future.”
President Vladimir Putin made the comment that Russia-U.S. relations are worse under President Trump to Russian TV today as his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The U.S. is pressuring Russia to cut ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad after a chemical attack on civilians the US believes his regime carried out. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson checks in with Washington Post Moscow bureau chief David Filipov (@davidfilipov). Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
One of the holiest sites in Christianity fully re-opens to the public this Easter Sunday, after a yearlong renovation. National Geographic Society archaeologist in residence Fred Hiebert (@FredHiebert) is a member of the renovation team, and he joins Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the process of cleaning and preserving the tomb. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Across the country, especially in the South, property is often passed down from generation to generation without proper legal paperwork. It’s known as heirs property, and it can create a host of problems: from the inability to access home equity to the risk of losing one’s house. Sam Whitehead (@sclaudwhitehead) of Here & Now contributor Georgia Public Broadcasting brings us the story of how heirs property could make a community east of Atlanta completely disappear. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
New Yorker staff writer Benjamin Wallace-Wells and Russell Berman, The Atlantic’s senior associate editor who covers politics, talk about the struggle within the Kansas Republican party and Tuesday’s special Congressional election.
During the 2016 presidential campaign the FBI obtained a secret warrant to monitor the communications of Carter Page, who was then serving as an adviser to Donald Trump, over concerns that Page was acting as an agent of Russia, according to a report from The Washington Post. The article, which cites anonymous sources, says a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge granted the warrant to the FBI last summer. In order to get the warrant, the FBI "definitely had to be able to show probable cause that [Page] was effectively acting as an agent of Russia," Post reporter Adam Entous tells NPR's Morning Edition. "They knew from previous cases back in 2013 that Mr. Page had engaged with ... what he thought was a Russian diplomat [who] turned out to be an intelligence officer for Russia," Entous says. "That was one piece of the puzzle ... but that's just one piece. We don't have a full understanding of the intelligence that went into the request that ultimately the court approved." "This is the clearest evidence so far that the FBI had reason to believe during the 2016 presidential campaign that a Trump campaign adviser was in touch with Russian agents," Entous and his colleagues wrote in their Post article. Entous told NPR's Rachel Martin that "it's important to keep in mind we're talking about probable cause." "He hasn't been found guilty," Entous said. "He may never be charged with anything." He noted that the FBI was granted a FISA warrant to surveil former American diplomat Robin Raphel over probable cause that she might have been acting as a foreign agent, but that the allegation "turned out to be completely wrong." "The fact that they were able to get a warrant is obviously a piece of the puzzle," Entous says. "It shows what the FBI was interested in. It's not the same thing as a conviction." The extent of Page's influence within the Trump campaign is unclear. In March 2016, candidate Trump included Page's name on a "very short list" of his advisers, Entous says. More recently, President Trump and his associates have been downplaying Page's role in the campaign. FBI Director James Comey confirmed last month that the agency has been investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia since last July, as part of a larger investigation into Russian attempts to meddle with the U.S. election, but said he could not provide any details about the investigation. "The FISA court and its orders are highly secretive," The Associated Press notes. "Judges grant permission for surveillance if they agree there's probable cause that the target is an agent of a foreign power. Though the standard is a high bar to meet, applications are hardly ever denied." "Despite being overseen by judges, [the applications for FISA warrants] are not examined in the way that a normal application for a search warrant is," NPR's Nina Totenberg reported in 2013. The Washington Post notes that most counterintelligence probes do n...
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Moscow today meeting with his foreign counterpart, Sergei Lavrvov. It's the first visit by a Trump cabinet official, and following last week's chemical attack by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the U.S. military response, there are no expectations of a diplomatic breakthrough. The secretary of state, who as chairman of Exxon Mobil once had billions at stake over sanctions on Russia, emerged as one of its biggest critic this week. "I hope that what the Russian government concludes is that they have aligned themselves with an unreliable partner in Bashar al-Assad," Secretary of State Tillerson said to reporters at the conclusion of the G7 in Italy on Tuesday. "They have signed the chemical weapons accord themselves, the Syrian government, the Russian government had signed that accord, and now Assad has made the Russians look not so good." Also on Tuesday, a declassified four page report revealed that the White House believes that the Russian government participated in a cover up of the chemical attack, adding yet another layer of complexity to the perceived position of the Trump administration on Russia and Syria . Admiral Mike Mullen served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011, under Presidents Bush and Obama, and assumed his position at the height of the global war on terrorism. He explores the growing tension between Russia, the U.S., and Syria, and the foreign policy challenges facing the Trump Administration.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Last week, the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team beat Canada with an overtime win and became the sport's 2017 World Champions. But it was a game that almost didn't happen — the U.S. women's team threatened to boycott the tournament as a last resort in a lengthy contract dispute with USA Hockey, the sport's national governing body. But just three days before the tournament was set to start, the team got a deal — complete with better pay and more support — and headed off to a truncated training camp. The players didn't let the lack of preparation faze them, and marched on to win their fourth straight World Championships title. Players Meghan Duggan, Kendall Coyne and Amanda Kessel discuss what the victories meant to them, both on and off the ice. "Coming off the heels of a pretty historic moment in women's hockey and certainly for us too, to tie it up with a gold medal, it doesn't get much better than that," explained Duggan, who's the captain of the team and led the campaign to call hundreds of hockey players and ask them not to play on a replacement team for USA Hockey. Kendall Coyne, Meghan Duggan, and Amanda Kessel of the US women's hockey team with The Takeaway's John Hockenberry on April 11, 2017. (Isabel Angell) Kendall Coyne, Meghan Duggan, and Amanda Kessel of the US women's hockey team with The Takeaway's John Hockenberry on April 11, 2017. (Isabel Angell)
Refugees resettling in America have found themselves at the center of political and social debates throughout the country. From the 2016 presidential election to the White House’s two travel bans, refugees are increasingly becoming a politicized group. But some are also finding themselves at the center of community generosity. Carmel Delshad (@cdelshad) of Here & Now contributor WAMU brings you the story of one Afghan family’s first few weeks in America, and the people who are helping them. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Jesus From The Grave, he is risen death could not keep him because the God who has all power purpose and plan was for his son to rise again.God had work for his son and to show the world that he controlled life and death.
The Washington Post reports that the FBI obtained a FISA warrant on Carter Page, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign. If confirmed, it would be evidence that the FBI believed Page was in contact with Russian agents. The FBI director said last month that the agency was investigating Russian efforts to influence the presidential campaign. Here & Now’s Robin Young talks with Politico senior investigative reporter Josh Meyer (@JoshMeyerDC ?) about Carter Page. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. The world's youngest country faces even more devastation as its civil war continues. Just two months after the United Nations declared a famine in two of South Sudan's northern counties, a total of five counties could face the same catastrophe. The U.N. has accused the South Sudanese government and rebels of blocking aid and lifesaving supplies. Now, at least 290,000 people are at risk of dying from malnourishment in the country. Many of them wait several hours to receive the smallest amounts of food from aid workers. Thousands of others have fled to camps in neighboring countries, like Uganda and Ethiopia. Jeffrey Gettleman, East Africa bureau chief for our partners at The New York Times, discusses his most recent trip to South Sudan, and the state of the humanitarian crisis in the African nation.Â
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. It is estimated that nearly 30 percent of Ohio's high school juniors will be unable to graduate in 2018. The "graduation crisis" is reportedly being caused by new graduation requirements that took effect this year. Despite attempts to avoid the crisis, today's juniors may still find it difficult to graduate. State legislatures have long driven education policy across the country. while teachers, students, and parents are left to adapt. Matt Jablonski, an American history teacher at Ohio's Elyria High School, discusses the graduation crisis in The Buckeye State. He writes about education and policy in his blog Teachers Window.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
New York has become the first state to offer four years of free college to students whose families make $100,000 or less each year. To receive the so-called Excelsior Scholarship, students have to attend school full time, maintain a minimum grade point average depending on their program and finish their degree on time. They also have to stay in the state after they graduate, for at least two years after receiving an associate’s degree or four years if they get a bachelor’s degree. The income cap for the scholarship program will go up to $125,000 in 2019 and will cost the state an estimated $163 million per year. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks to Jim Malatras (@jimmalatras), one of the architects of that plan. Until recently Malatras was Director of State Operations for New York’s governor (@NYgovCuomo). He’s now president of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The death of American United Nations worker Michael Sharp was a tragic loss for Sharp’s friends and family, as well as for the U.N. and the broader community of humanitarian workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sharp is also being mourned by Mennonites. A former worker with Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Mission Network, Sharp comes from a long tradition of international humanitarian work common among members of his faith. Sharp was found dead in the DRC last month, along with his Swedish colleague Zaida Catalán and their Congolese interpreter, Betu Tshintela. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with the Mennonite Central Committee‘s (@mccorg) Bruce Campbell-Janz about Sharp and Mennonites. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
We are truly living in the Age of the Podcast. So what happens when a podcast goes ultra-niche? Here are a few particularly niche podcasts that caught our eyes and ears: "The Pen Addict": Just two buddies, talking about pens and pen-adjacent accessories. Scroll through their five-year-long podcast feed and you'll see that there's so much more than just "fountain vs. ballpoint." "Beef and Dairy Network": The website describes this as the number one podcast for "those involved or just interested in the production of beef animals and dairy herds." But don't be fooled — it's actually an extremely straight-faced comedy podcast that stays committed to its character through all sorts of bovine-related absurdity. "Witch, Please": Two literature professors revisit each of the Harry Potter books and movies with a critical, bi-weekly feminist analysis. "Gilmore Guys": There are plenty of TV-watching podcasts out there (see also: "The X-Files Files"), but this one follows two comedians — one who grew up watching "Gilmore Girls" and one who'd never watched it before — as they embark on watching all seven seasons of the show. It's tedious. It's funny. And they actually managed to snag some pretty cool guests from the set. "I Was There Too": Whenever a movie gets released, the main actors and filmmakers make the media rounds. But you rarely hear from the fly on the wall. The host of this podcast sits down with lesser-known actors from well-known films, like the actor who played Biff in the Back to the Future trilogy. "Do By Friday": Host Merlin Mann talks to two of the creators of the hit card game "Cards Against Humanity" on a weekly basis, with this twist: complete a new challenge by Friday. Challenges range from totally inconsequential to possibly profound, including "throw something away," "call in from Harry Potter World," and "cry." "Plugged In": This podcast from the utility Con Edison is about the energy industry. One episode features a surprisingly woke conversation with female executives about the movie Hidden Figures. "All's Fair": This is the official podcast from last year's New York State Fair which, while promotional, offers an unvarnished glimpse at the food and chaos that the fair has to offer. Got a great, unexpectedly niche podcast to recommend? Tell us in the comments or tweet with the hashtag #nichecasts. Tweet #nichecasts
The actor and comedian goes deep on death, sex and money in his new memoir, Nevertheless. Death, Sex & Money has a weekly newsletter! And we think you'll really like it. Sign up here: deathsexmoney.org/newsletter. Follow the show on Twitter @deathsexmoney and Facebook at facebook.com/deathsexmoney. Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org.
Uber’s head of policy and communications Rachel Whetstone is leaving the company, as the ride-hailing app company grapples with continued controversy over workplace culture. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Business Insider’s Linette Lopez (@lopezlinette). Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Fresh Prince alum Karyn Parsons stops by the stude to chat with us about Sweet Blackberry, her non-profit that makes educational materials for kids featuring lesser known stories of black excellence. Plus, What Had Happened Was is back, with Tracy’s Lyft driver from hell. Come to find out if Carlton would have been a Trump supporter, stay to find out who was banned from The Underground Railroad Museum and Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. Follow Karyn Parsons at @Karyn_Parsons and check out Sweet Blackberry at sweetblackberry.orgFollow us: @heavenrants and @brokeymcpovertyEmail us: anotherround@buzzfeed.comShoutout to Mozart (via YouTube user classicalmusicplace here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-2pIXBNEw) for scoring Tracy's tweets with Violin Concerto No. 5 in A (second movement).Subscribe to the Another Round newsletter at buzzfeed.com/anotherround/newsletter.Merch is back! Tees! Totes! They’re so cute: shop.buzzfeed.com
Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, and Stephen Metcalf discuss the new Anne Hathaway film Colossus, Andy Daly's Comedy Central sitcom Review, and Pepsi's recent ad controversy. The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by ThirdLove, the lingerie brand using real women’s measurements to design better-fitting bras. Try one of their best-selling bras for free for 30 days by visiting thirdlove.com/cultureAnd by Casper, an online retailer of premium mattresses. Get 50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to Casper.com/culture and using the promo code culture. And by The Black Tux. For high-quality rental suits and tuxedos delivered right to your door, go to TheBlackTux.com/culture and you’ll receive free shipping both ways, plus 20 dollars off your purchase.
TONIGHT 4.11.17 11 EST CALL IN #347-989-8767 This week from around April 10th the the 12th is wat is called the Pink Full Moon. Not really being Pink in color, yet as with any full moon, a great time to focus, meditate and Manifest Power! Tonight on Blackistand Radio, we will be doing just that with Get This Wisdom Magazine Executive, Owner or Shakti's Succulent Scents, Liberation Minded Media partner & Priestess Shakti Sterner. If you tuned in to the Previous episode she was a guest on you know Shakti is a powerful Sistar loaded with Spiritual gifts and teachings to assist one in reaching Spiritual cleanliness, guidance & Power! Don't miss this chance to participate in a ritual as we Manifest the individual and collective Power of meta-physics & Ancestral Blessing. Call in 347-989-8767 (press 1 to speak) or join via chat-room. Also check out links below! www.shakticares.com www.liberationmindedmedia.net
Actors Harvey Fierstein, Gabriel Ebert and Christopher Sears join us to discuss “Gently Down the Stream," which runs through May 21 at the Public Theater. Fierstein stars as Beau, an expat living in London, who meets a young lawyer named Rufus, played by Ebert, at the dawn of online dating. "Gently Down the Stream" runs through May 21 at the Public Theater.
Information overload has reached an all time high. Is there a way to stay-up-to-date without losing your mind? Yes. We call it “single-tasking. Here’s a reminder of what multi-tasking does to your brain plus a proven way to find focus.
Empty buildings, run down neighborhoods and cheap rents. This is the bait you need to attract artists, speculators and urban revitalizers. But in order to attract pioneers you also need illusion and myth. We tour the art districts of New Orleans, Los Angeles and Detroit with writer Peter Moscowitz, activist Maga Miranda, and artist Maya Stovall.
The Men at the Well hosted by Pastor Bruce E. Rivers is joined by Marshall Thompson of The Chi-Lites and Al Greer-Radio Personality ExtraOrdinaire for a season finale round table continued discussion about Boys to Men, and more. This show is also in honor of Pastor Bruce E. Rivers' bEarthday on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017. Join the discussion on the topic of "Raising Boys II Men." About Our Guest: Marshall Thompson is The Last Man Standing of The Chi-Lites, and recipient of multiple awards. www.chi-lites.info Al Greer-CEO/President of AG Entertainment Company and WOSDRadio.com, Radio Personality, Voice-Over Talent, Sound Engineer, Music Historian and DJ. The Men at the Well™ on TRIBE Family Channel™ is a Gumbo for the Soul International® sponsored by Genius is Common™
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Since the migrant crisis came into the Western consciousness in 2015, there has been significant reporting on how conflict, climate change, and underdevelopment have all contributed to the largest movement of people since World War II — an estimated 21 million refugees globally, according to the UNHCR, and that's not counting people who are internally displaced. But a new book out this month looks at the migrant crisis from the opposite angle: From the perspective of smugglers who are creating vast networks to move those millions of people, and the billions that they gain in profits. Peter Tinti is the author of "Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior," and he says that these networks range from a simple boat crossings, to luxury international travel, and are changing economies and global security structures in the process. Check out some photos from Tinti's reporting below. Refugees at sunrise. Kos, #Greece A post shared by Peter Tinti (@ptinti) on Aug 13, 2015 at 9:30pm PDT Haggling over life jacket prices in Izmir, #Turkey. #Refugees #Syria A post shared by Peter Tinti (@ptinti) on Sep 17, 2015 at 9:51am PDT Video chat to let them know you made it. #Refugees #Lesbos #Greece A post shared by Peter Tinti (@ptinti) on Sep 22, 2015 at 8:39am PDT Migrant city, known as "The Jungle," outside Calais, #France. #Refugees A post shared by Peter Tinti (@ptinti) on Oct 19, 2015 at 4:25a...
Actor and comedian Rob Huebel talks about sneaking onto airplanes, why he doesn't share a bed with his wife, and what it was like to have their daughter live in the hospital for her first 117 days. And! The best placed fart noise ever. To join the conversation, go to longestshortesttime.com! This episode is brought to you by Squarespace, Kopari, Little Passports, and Third Love. Vote for The Longest Shortest Time in the Webbys People's Voice Awards: goo.gl/K0fOZf
Angered by the negative statements against immigrants during the presidential campaign, the Rev. Matthew Bucher of Harrisonburg, Virginia decided to put a welcome sign in front of his church to comfort newcomers to the country. The sign read, “No matter where you’re from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor. The signs are now being sold across the country, with proceeds going to local organizations. Bucher speaks with Here & Now‘s Robin Young. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Today in Jonathan Schwartz History, Jonathan remembers the day he played catch with baseball legend Jackie Robinson!
With guest host Jane Clayson. The shocking video of a passenger bloodied and dragged off an overbooked United flight lit up social media. Everyone’s asking — what rights do airline passengers have? It’s the video seen around the world: a man, face bloodied, dragged by the arms down the aisle of a United Express plane. The incident sparked outrage. And a public relations nightmare for the airline. Calls for boycotts and cutting up United Airline credit cards are taking off. So are questions about what rights passengers have when an airline needs a seat. This hour On Point, what you need to know so you don’t fly blind. Guests Justin Bachman, aviation and aerospace reporter for Bloomberg News. (@justinbachman) Brett Snyder, founder and author of the airline industry blog, CrankyFlyer.com. President and founder of Cranky Concierge. (@crankyflier) Rob Schmitz, Shanghai correspondent for NPR News. (@rob_schmitz) From The Reading List Bloomberg News: United’s Munoz Goes From Savior to Man on Hot Seat Real Fast — “With a few ill-chosen words, Munoz stoked the flames of an already raging social-media firestorm and squandered goodwill he had worked hard to generate by forging a turnaround plan since joining the company in September 2015. He has overseen a 23 percent stock rally since then, compared with 13 percent for the Bloomberg U.S. Airlines Index. CrankyFlyer: Don’t Blame Overbooking for This United Mess — “The United Express aircraft operated by Republic was full and boarded. Republic crewmembers showed up at the gate saying they had to get on or a subsequent flight would have canceled, stranding dozens. If it’s not clear enough, I’ll say it. This wasn’t an overbooking issue, despite some earlier reports that may have come from United itself. There was just an operational need to get crew on the airplane. NPR News: Video Of Passenger Dragged From United Flight Goes Viral In China — “The airline overbooked and said it need his seat and three others. Refusing to leave, he was dragged off the plane. According to a witness, the man said he was targeted for being Chinese. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Writer and director James Gray joins us to discuss his new film, “The Lost City of Z. The film tells the true story of an early 20th-century British explorer named Percy Fawcett, whose search for an ancient lost city in the Amazon consumed him. "The Lost City of Z" opens on April 13 at the Landmark Sunshine and on April 14 at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.
David Callahan, founder and editor of the website Inside Philanthropy, and co-founder of Demos, joins us to discuss his new book, The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age. Callahan explores how a new generation of billionaire philanthropists like Mark Zuckerberg are secretly driving causes like the environment and education. Callahan argues their work on these issues is also influencing government policy. David Callahan will appear in conversation with Alexander Heffner at the New York Public Library (Schwarzman Building, Wachenheim Trustees Room, 476 5th Ave.) on April 12 at 6:30 p.m.Â
Donald Trump's decision to order a cruise missile strike on a Syrian airbase in response to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons has raised hopes that the world’s policeman is back on the beat. But does the move signal a genuine change of strategy? Ben Hall puts the question to the FT's Gideon Rachman and Geoff Dyer.
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When the Pulitzers were announced this week, a small, family-run paper in northwest Iowa was there, alongside the likes of The New York Times and the Washington Post. Art Cullen, co-owner and editor of the Storm Lake Times (@SLTimes), won for his “editorials fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks to Cullen about both the prize and the editorials that won it for him. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
New Yorker staff writer Amy Davidson and Sean Rameswaram, a producer for WNYC’s More Perfect podcast, talk about whether the public outrage around headlines concerning United Airlines, Pepsi, and Bill O'Reilly will provoke lasting change to address actual grievances.
After moving to Virginia with an MBA earned in India, Deepak Singh, a writer, radio producer, frequent contributor to PRI’s The World and the author of How May I Help You?: An Immigrant's Journey from MBA to Minimum Wage (University of California Press, 2017), found only minimum wage work. He shares his story and that of his colleagues in his book.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. The cellphone videos (below) and response to Dr. David Dao's forcible removal from a United Airlines flight on Sunday night has gone viral, sparking international reaction. The incident, which shows him literally being dragged off Flight 3411 to make room for United crew members, comes just weeks after the airline made headlines for barring two legging-clad teens from a flight. In both incidents, United defended the actions of its employees, saying they followed correct procedures. But the news didn't sit well with United investors, with the company losing $950 million in market value. Though he initially defended the graphic incident that took place on Sunday, United CEO Oscar Munoz issued a statement of apology on Tuesday. With calls for a boycott and #NewUnitedAirlinesMottos trending, the fiasco has also drawn attention to passenger rights. What kind of rights do passengers have at every step of the flying process — from the airport, to the security line, to the tarmac, and in the air? For answers, we turn to Joseph LoRusso, a licensed pilot and an aviation attorney in Colorado with LoRusso & LoRusso, Ltd. and Ralston, Pope and Diehl. @United overbook #flight3411 and decided to force random passengers off the plane. Here's how they did it: pic.twitter.com/QfefM8X2cW — Jayse D. Anspach (@JayseDavid) April 10, 2017 #flythefriendlyskies @united no words. This poor man!! pic.twitter.com/rn0rbeckwT — Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis) April 10, 2017
Cleaner waters and a (near total) ban on seal hunting means the pinniped population is rebounding, but they're still unusual enough to make New Yorkers notice — and often put in a call to wildlife and conservation organizations. But that might not be necessary, says Chuck Bowman, the president of the Riverhead Foundation. The foundation works with New York State to rescue stranded or injured marine life. "Seals haul out on beaches just to rest and take a sunbath and hang out," he said. "Doesn't mean that they're in trouble at all." But when people crowd around and take seal selfies, it can stress the animals out. Bowman says even if a seal is in distress, it needs its space — about 150 feet of it. So give the animal a wide berth and call the Riverhead Foundation's 24-hour hotline at (631) 369-9829. The Rockaway seal is currently resting in one of the foundation's rehabilitation tanks. "I wouldn't be surprised if it just needed some peace and quiet," said Bowman. "And then we can release it back into the Atlantic."
The Office of the President of the United States is just that — an office. And someone has to manage the office and the people around it. That manager is the White House Chief of Staff. Fewer than thirty men (yes, they've all been men) have ever held this job, and most of them are still alive. They told their stories to journalist Chris Whipple for a new book called The Gatekeepers about what it takes to lead the office that leads the world. Chris Whipple is our guest.
There have been attacks carried out using trucks or other heavy vehicles in the past. But lately ISIS has been promoting the tactic, in great detail, in its online magazine.
The IRS demands tax returns from citizens, green card holders, visa holders and undocumented immigrants.
The world's smallest porpoise species has been brought to the edge of extinction by illegal fishing in Mexico. And it's not even the porpoise itself that fishermen are after.
Here's what Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and Ireland have in common: They all have Irish pubs. And a bunch of them are the product of one man: Mel McNally. McNally spent his final year in architecture school studying the architecture of Irish pubs. He and his buddies hit up all the famous pubs in Dublin, and brought along their sketchbooks and measuring tape to answer one question: What makes these places work? A few rules emerged from their study. The architecture of the place should create spaces that encourage people to mingle in different-sized groups. And no matter where you sit in the pub, you should be able to see the bar. Now, he ships Irish pubs to every corner of the globe, in 40-foot long containers. And inside of those crates are the elements he's found that'll make an Irish pub "authentic:" knick knacks, vinyl floors, and dark wood panels. Today on the show, we drink a few beers and ponder the eternal question, is this a great bar or what? Music: "Acrobatic" and "All The Good Ideas." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook. Subscribe to our show on iTunes or PocketCast. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
This is a story about the shooting in a San Bernardino elementary school on Monday. But what was just recently discovered was that it was a pastor who committed the murder-suicide. Find out how you can be interceding for this hurting community.
Earlier this week, we told you about the dual church bombings in Egypt that made headlines. But in another country, five churches were attacked and harassed that same day—but no one’s been talking about it. Find out more.
Timmhotep Aku is an NPR Music contributor and occasional guest host for our +1 podcasts. This week he talks with Matt Martians and Syd of the soul band The Internet. The Internet is greater than the some of its parts. The Internet I'm referring to in this case is the band consisting of founding members Matt Martians and Syd, as well as guitarist Steve Lacy, bassist Patrick Paige II and drummer Christopher A. Smith, a group of millennials in love with the traditions of R&B and soul. And if the Internet's Grammy-nominated third album — 2015's Ego Death —cemented their rep as one of this decade's most promising bands, then this year's solo releases from the group's members hint that their potential might be exponentially greater than we previously imagined. For this All Songs Considered +1 podcast, I speak to vocalist Syd and keyboardist and producer Matt Martians about their solo albums: Syd's "trap & B" inflected Fin and Matt's spaced-out Drum Chord Theory. Along the way we also talk about inspirations like the band NER*D and idols such as the singer Brandy. We also talk about the imaginary limitations and double standards put on black bands. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
At the White House press briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Sean Spicer created a controversy by saying Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons in World War II. Spicer later apologized on CNN. NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) talks with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson about Spicer’s comments, as well as the questionable ethics that went into the Louisville Courier-Journal’s decision to publish decade-old drug charges related to the man who was dragged off the now-infamous United Airlines flight earlier this week. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Alvin and Lawrence Ubell,our Gurus of How-To, return just in time for spring to answer our listener questions about home repairs and projects.Â
With guest host Jane Clayson. We talk to a college dean whose graduation speech on asking the right questions and living a full life has gone viral way beyond campus. When the Dean of Harvard’s School of Education gave a commencement speech last May, it went viral –far beyond the leafy campus of his Ivy League school. It’s been viewed online well over eight million times. He’s gotten thank-you letters from all over –pastors, students, teachers business execs and more. And all he really said was, ‘always ask questions.’ This hour On Point, asking questions and why we need them now, maybe more than ever. Guest James Ryan, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Author of the new book, “Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions. (@DeanJimRyan) From The Reading List Harvard Graduate School of Education: Good Questions — “You may be worried about the world that you are about to re-enter. And I’m here to tell you: That’s not a bad idea. (Can I have some applause for that?) In all seriousness, disparities and injustices based on income, wealth and race continue to weaken the fabric of our world, our nation and of our communities. Intolerance and authoritarianism appear, by some measures, on the rise both at home and abroad. Our world seems to be getting hotter and less hospitable, both politically and environmentally, though it was truly heartening to learn that, as of this year, the lovable manatee is no longer an endangered species. Redemption, it seems, is still possible. CBS News: Harvard dean on book inspired by his popular graduation speech — “Many college students are just weeks away from graduation. Last year, James Ryan, the dean of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, gave a commencement speech that introduced the world to his five essential questions in life. The 74: Harvard Education School Dean Jim Ryan Talks School Funding, Vergara and Ed Research — “One of the things that I admire the most about our faculty and our students is that they’re both passionate but also open to persuasion. I would characterize the faculty in particular as being less interested in politicized debate. There are obviously disagreements, but the disagreements are about what the research shows or what the evidence shows. Read An Excerpt Of “Wait, What? By James Ryan Array Watch The James Ryan Commencement Speech That Inspired The Book [Youtube] Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Axon, the company formerly known as Taser International, is now offering body cameras to any police officer across the U.S. for free. It’s only for a year, but Axon is hoping the new push will get more police departments on board with the technology. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Steve Tuttle, one of the founding members of the company. Also, Elizabeth Joh (@elizabeth_joh), a law professor at the University of California, Davis, shares her concerns about Axon’s offer. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Each year, thousands of Americans join organ donor lists hoping to get a replacement liver or kidney. One way to fill the gap between need and supply would be to grow the organs another way — in animals. One company — e-Genesis — is now working to create designer pigs that could grow organs for human bodies. Here & Now‘s Robin Young gets the story from STAT science senior writer Sharon Begley (@sxbegle). Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking City Hall on the road, making his first stop in the city's most Republican borough. Staten Island is decidedly hostile territory for de Blasio. It's the only borough he lost in 2013 and the only borough President Donald Trump won last year. Asked about the timing of this week's pilgrimage, the mayor offered variations of this: "It's just a good idea and sometimes good ideas happen when they happen," said de Blasio, who faces re-election in November. The trip started on an interesting note when Borough President James Oddo, a Republican, started a meeting with the mayor and a team of his commissioners by talking about how bad de Blasio's poll numbers are there. But Oddo said he's interested in more than just criticizing the mayor — he wants to achieve results for Staten Islanders. "What's hard is to have a borough that is center right, to have a mayor that's progressive, and to work and find common ground," said Oddo. Another Republican, mayoral candidate Paul Massey, staged his own press event on Staten Island on Monday. He dismissed de Blasio's visit as pure politics. "We've got a mayor who's coming here, effectively holding a campaign publicity stunt, that by the way is taxpayer funded," said Massey. He was standing on the edge of the New York Harbor in Stapleton. The city had initially proposed a ferry stop there for its new five-borough ferry service, which starts next month. The site is not currently part of the city’s plan. But Republicans aren't de Blasio's only problem on Staten Island. "Some of his behaviors have been a little bit...you know he doesn't show up on time. He does things that give him a bad reputation," said Joanne Klages, a Democrat who lives on Main Street in Tottenville who said she voted for de Blasio in 2013. This week, de Blasio tries to reset his reputation with at least some of Staten Island's population. He announced the expansion of neighborhood policing, he'll hold a town hall, and he's expected to attend community events throughout the week. "You should show up on the places where people agree with you," said de Blasio, "and you should show up in the places where they don't agree with you." He'll be operating out of Staten Island's Boro Hall through Friday.
In at least 20 state capitols across the country this year, the wireless industry is pushing legislation to streamline local permitting for the next generation of cellular technology. In Washington state, that's putting the industry on a collision course with cities and towns. Instead of soaring towers with antennas on top, future cell sites will adorn power poles and streetlights. The wireless industry says these densely packed, small cell sites will lead to even faster download speeds for the fifth generation of cell phones compared to the current generation. A movie that currently takes minutes to download over 4G wireless will take just seconds. "It sounds super sexy and we hope that it is," said Beth Cooley with CTIA, a national trade group that represents wireless carriers. In February, Cooley told members of of a Washington state Senate committee that the wireless industry plans to deploy a quarter-of-a-million small cell sites nationwide in the coming years. To accomplish that goal, Cooley said the industry will need broad access to publicly-owned property. "Small cell technologies are generally installed on street furniture ... utility poles, street lights, traffic signal poles," Cooley said. "This is sweeping the country and very hyper-competitive amongst the cities and the states right now." National lobbying effort The wireless industry is delivering the same message in statehouses across the country—from Washington to Florida. CTIA says small cell permitting legislation has been introduced in at least 19 states this year, following the passage of laws in Ohio and Kansas last year. An analysis by MultiState, a government relations firm in Alexandria, Virginia, identified wireless siting bills in nearly half the states. CTIA says so far this year legislation is advancing in Arizona, Colorado and Virginia. In addition, the industry-backed American Legislative Exchange Council has passed a resolution calling on states to "streamline" local permitting of small cell technology. While the details of the bills differ from state to state, the wireless industry says it's generally looking for access to municipal properties, reasonable costs and fees and streamlined permitting. But the industry's aggressive push is getting some pushback from cities and towns. "We welcome higher speeds," said Marilyn Strickland, mayor of Tacoma, Washington. "But at the same time there has to be some respect for what we want here as a community." On a walk along Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, Strickland stopped in front of a historic streetlamp. "Its purpose is not in my opinion to hold technology, it's to be decorative and to add to the aesthetic, positive view of what Hilltop looks like," Strickland said. Poles and lights Strickland is troubled by an industry-backed bill in the Washington legislature that would require local governments to allow small cell antennas to be attached to publicly-owned poles and structures that line city streets—unless there was a safety or engineering concern. The bill would also require cities and town to approve master permits for small cell attachments within 90 days and it would prohibit requirements for aesthetic standards, except in designated historic or themed districts. In addition, the bill would limit how much Washington cities could charge in annual pole rental fees, a decision defended by the legislation's sponsor, Republican state Senator Doug Ericksen, chair of the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee. "We got a choice," said Ericksen. "We can be the broadband super highway or we can look like I-5 through Seattle at 5 o'clock in the afternoon." Ericksen says next generation wireless technology will bring...
The proposed Gateway Program, which would add a second rail tunnel under the Hudson River and upgrade rail infrastructure in New York and New Jersey, has been relying on the federal government for 50 percent of the estimated $24 billion cost. But that was under President Barack Obama. President Donald Trump has vowed to slash grants that would have funded projects like this. But John Porcari, the interim head of the Gateway Development Corp., said Tuesday that if the Trump Administration doesn't release the promised money, the agency will seek funding from a public-private partnership. The Gateway Development Corp. is a non-profit corporation made up of current and former Federal, Amtrak, NJ Transit and Port Authority officials. Pocari said that under the partnership, the project might even be completed earlier. The current tunnel is more than a century old and in critical need of repair. The new tunnel would double capacity under the river. Planning for the $24 billion project is underway, and construction was scheduled to begin later this year. At a board meeting Tuesday, Rich Bagger, a former chief of staff to Gov. Chris Christie and a trustee on the project, said he was confident Trump understood its merits. "The president is committed to a major infrastructure program for the United States," he said. "And this is a leading infrastructure — if not the leading infrastructure project — in the country." Federal funding for the tunnel, if it arrived, would come from the New Starts program, which funds $2.3 billion in transportation projects each year. New York and New Jersey's senators, in a joint opinion piece in The New York Times, said Trump's proposal to eliminate New Starts and therefore cut money for a new Hudson River train tunnel, would mean a "hair-pulling transit apocalypse." "The closing of either tunnel would be devastating, because it would essentially shut down the Northeast Corridor, the transit route from Boston to Washington that produces over $3 trillion in economic output — a full 20 percent of the national gross domestic product," the senators wrote. Two recent derailments gave train and transit riders a taste of what could happen in the future if the tunnel has to be closed for repairs, the senators wrote. Gillibrand told WNYC that she thinks she can make a case that the Hudson River train tunnel should be funded. “I think this is something that colleagues can come together on, regardless of whether it’s their specific project or their state," Gillibrand said, "because they know it’s important for the country’s economy, it’s important for growth, it’s important for businesses. If the tunnel project is cut from the federal budget, Gillibrand thinks voters will be just as motivated to protest — and pressure Congress — as they were for health care and Trump’s immigration ban. Trump has proposed a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan to repair roads, bridges, hospitals and other public facilities, but hasn't released details yet. Congress isn't likely to take up that idea before its August recess.
As the Trump administration considers steps to implement what the president has called extreme vetting of foreigners at the border, one aspect of security screening has already been amped up. The number of people who have been asked to hand over their cellphones and passwords by Customs and Border Protection agents has increased nearly threefold in recent years. This is happening to American citizens as well as foreign visitors.It happened to Sidd Bikkannavar on January 30, ten days after President Trump's inauguration. He was returning from a trip to Chile, where he took part in his hobby, racing solar-powered cars. At the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Bikkannavar was told to report to passport control by CBP officers. He was asked a series of questions, all "pretty benign and uneventful," he tells NPR, and was then told "to hand over my phone, and give the password to unlock it."Bikkannavar is an American citizen, and had enrolled in the Global Entry program, which for a fee gives "low-risk travelers" expedited processing through customs, after a background check. Bikkannavar is also a NASA engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Bikannavar says he "politely as I could," told the CBP officer "I wasn't allowed to give up the password." It was a work-issued phone, Bikkannavar says he told the agent, pointing out the NASA bar codes and labels on the phone.But it didn't matter to the CBP officer, who continued to insist, and handed Bikkannavar a document warning there would be consequences if Bikkannavar didn't go along. And so he handed over the phone.Now you might be wondering, doesn't the Constitution protect American citizens from this sort of thing? Well, it turns out, the law isn't entirely clear. CBP maintains it has the authority to look through everyone's phones at border crossings and airport customs checkpoints. In an appearance before the Senate Homeland Security Committee last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said such demands were, in general, "just like an American citizen coming in and having his bags searched, at the port of entry. Generally speaking, it's done for a reason."In 2016, there were just under 23,877 devices searched by CBP agents; the year before, about 8,500. Kelly says such searches "aren't routine," and that the numbers haven't ticked up appreciably since President Trump took office. But Neema Singh Guliani, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, sees the cellphone searches as part of a pattern. "It's hard not to view these searches in the broader context of some of the rhetoric and the actions that have been taken" by the Trump administration. The ACLU says the government ought to obtain a search warrant before demanding the password for someone's phone or laptop. Sen. Ron Wyden agrees. The Oregon Democrat has sponsored legislation that would require the government to get a probable-cause warrant before it can look through such devices. Republican Sen. Rand Paul and others from both parties and both chambers are co-sponsoring the bill. Wyden says he hopes that "in a very polarized time, Americans of all political philosophies are going to say they'd like to have our agents at the borders focus on criminals and terrorists, rather than wasting their time thumbing through the personal phones and memorabilia of our people."Wyden says Americans' constitutional rights "shouldn't disappear at the border." NASA scientist Bikkannavar says the episode has given him some doubts about the government he works for. "I have no problems with government or au...
Gorillaz is the creation of musician Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett. They’re a virtual band made up four animated characters. Their songs are written by Damon Albarn and a roster of collaborators. Since the first album was released in 2001, Gorillaz have sold over 16 million records worldwide. In this episode, Damon breaks down the song "Andromeda" from the 2017 Gorillaz album Humanz. It’s a dance song, but also an elegy to people in his life who he’s lost, like legendary soul singer Bobby Womack, a former Gorillaz collaborator. Andromeda features guest vocals by the rapper and singer D.R.A.M., whose own hit single, "Broccoli," went quadruple platinum in 2016. Coming up later, D.R.A.M. tells the story of how he got involved with this track, and Damon shares an exclusive clip of a scrapped version of the song with D.R.A.M. on lead vocals. (This episode contains explicit language.) songexploder.net/gorillaz
Being nominated as a Supreme Court Justice is no small thing, and it doesn't always go as planned. With this week's confirmation of Justice Gorsuch, Josh and Chuck take a look at the process of getting named to America's highest court.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: But first: The international uproar continued over the forced removal of a passenger from a United Airlines flight. Today, the airline’s CEO, Oscar Munoz, issued an apology, saying — quote — “No one should ever be mistreated this way. I want you to know that we take full responsibility, and we will work to make it right. Along with the outrage, many were asking, how could this happen? Our Jeffrey Brown picks up the story. JEFFREY BROWN: Well, by now, the video has been watched hundreds of millions of times, including more than 270 million on social media in China, where many wondered if the passenger had been singled out because he is of Asian descent. The cell phone video shows a bloodied man identified as Dr. David Dao being pulled from his seat on a plane set to depart from Chicago on Sunday night. The flight was sold out, and passengers were first offered vouchers to take another flight, so members of a United crew could board. When that didn’t work, Dao and three other passengers were asked to leave. Questions remain about what happened, and what’s supposed to happen in a situation like this. Ben Mutzabaugh is covering it for USA Today, and joins me now. And welcome to you. BEN MUTZABAUGH, USA Today: Thanks for having me. JEFFREY BROWN: One thing that was clarified today was that the flight was actually not overbooked, but oversold, right, sold out? BEN MUTZABAUGH: Right. That’s correct. So, it won’t move the needle a whole lot, given the video that we saw, but what technically happened was, the plane was full. United had four employees of their affiliate Republic Airlines that needed to make it to Louisville so more flights didn’t end up getting canceled down the line. They had to make space for them. They needed four volunteers. Three were OK with being voluntarily kicked off the plane. One wasn’t, and here we are. JEFFREY BROWN: And, as we heard, the CEO, Munoz, gave an apology today, after huge criticism for not apologizing sufficiently up to this point. This is a — this is a mess for United, right? BEN MUTZABAUGH: This has really, really spiraled out of control. And I think the apology today was probably helpful. It certainly sounded more sincere than the one that we got yesterday. And it also came after the internal memo that pretty much said employees had done things the right way. And even if that’s true, you can’t see that video and have that go over well with what you hear. They are facing a full-fledged, all-out public relations crisis at a time when they’re really trying to change the perception of the airline. JEFFREY BROWN: So, everybody watching this, everybody who flies is wondering, what kind of rules apply or should apply in a case like this? So, it’s very common these days that flights are overbooked, right? That’s the way the airlines operate. What rules apply? BEN MUTZABAUGH: So, the government says airlines can overbook flights. They can sell more seats than there are on the plane. They have to inform you of your rights, and then they have the call for volunteers. Now, if that doesn’t happen, the airlines can remove passengers based on a list of criteria. The only thing the government really requires in the scenario is for the airlines to inform passengers of their rights and to get a written copy of the rules, which basically list the criteria that they will use to choose people to leave the flight. And they set compensation levels that pretty much top out, if you get to a domestic destination more than two ...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: White-nose syndrome is a disease that has been killing millions of bats across the Northeastern U.S. since 2006. Last year, the disease mysteriously appeared in the Seattle area. As Michael Werner from Public Media’s EarthFix desk reports, researchers are racing to learn what West Coast bats are in for. MICHAEL WERNER: Wildlife veterinarian John Huckabee is on the lookout for symptoms of a deadly and contagious disease, a disease that kills bats by the millions. DR. JOHN HUCKABEE, Wildlife Veterinarian, PAWS Wildlife Center: There are a few small deep pigmented areas of scarring, but, overall, looks like he’s in very good shape. READ MORE: Debunking the myth of the vampire bat MICHAEL WERNER: This silver-haired bat doesn’t seem to be a carrier. But, a few months ago, a little brown bat arrived at his office outside Seattle. JOHN HUCKABEE: I saw that one of the wings had a lot of contracture and some wounds, some lesions on the wing, and it had an appearance that it may have a fungal infection. MICHAEL WERNER: The odd scarring was a possible sign of white-nose syndrome, one of the deadliest wildlife diseases in modern times. First discovered in New York state in 2006, white-nose syndrome has killed more than 5.5 million bats and counting. The disease, which is spread primarily by bat-to-bat contact, has wreaked havoc on the large colonies of the East Coast. JEREMY COLEMAN, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: We have seen populations of bats in eastern colonies decline, in some cases, to 100 percent. MICHAEL WERNER: Until recently, it wasn’t known how the disease killed its victims, but new research suggests that bats with white-nose wake up more often during hibernation. This causes them to burn through fat reserves that would usually sustain them through the winter. Starvation and death soon follow. In just a few short years, the epidemic raced across the country, spreading from the Northeast all the way to Nebraska and Oklahoma. But then it hit an enormous natural barrier. The Rocky Mountains kept the disease from reaching Western bats, or so scientists thought, until Huckabee’s discovery. Some speculate that an infected bat may have hitched a ride on a freight truck. Others think hikers or cavers may have unwittingly carried the fungus on their clothes or equipment. Since the first infected bat was found in the forests east of Seattle, the white-nose fungus has been found twice more in Washington state, both near the original site around North Bend. WOMAN: We have bats in the net. MICHAEL WERNER: Fear of a white-nose outbreak has jump-started research, not just in Washington, but around the Northwest. In Central Oregon, ecologist Tom Rodhouse and a team of researchers are collecting data on local bats. TOM RODHOUSE, Ecologist, National Park Service: Bats hang out in the dark. They hang out in these big cliffs and crevices that we can’t access. So, we have gone for decades without really understanding what’s happening with bats. MICHAEL WERNER: They’re trying to assess the health and population size of Oregon’s 15 species of bats. TOM RODHOUSE: There’s really no way for us to ascertain what’s happening with our bat populations without this kind of a coordinated large-scale survey effort. MICHAEL WERNER: Back in Washington, researchers such as Abby Tobin are trying to learn how bats spend their winters. ABBY TOBIN, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife: We’re trying to figure o...
This is a story about Apostle Kimberly Daniel’s recent big win for prayer in public schools. The pastor is pressing on to champion religious expression, so tune in for more.
The largest student loan servicer in America — with a portfolio of billions and money owed by millions — is under fire for saying it has no duty to give consumers good advice. And the now the lawsuits are flying. We look at the industry and get advice from experts on how to dig yourself out of student debt. Our guests are Michelle Singletary, syndicated columnist of The Color of Money for The Washington Post, Shahien Nasiripour, a reporter covering student debt for Bloomberg, and Jason Delisle, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in higher education finance and student loans.
If they study hard they'll get jobs in the fields they've chosen, but they can make a lot more money in the new tourism economy.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
KCRW DJ Karene Daniel (@Karene_Daniel) says the sounds of the 1970s are having a moment. In this installment of our DJ Sessions, Daniel joins Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson to share tracks from artists that seem to be taking inspiration from that decade, like Cate Lebon and Weyes Blood. We also hear new rap from Little Simz. Hear previous installments of Here & Now‘s DJ Sessions More on The Now Age Note: We have a Spotify playlist and an Apple Music playlist for our weekly DJ Sessions. Music From The Segment Cate le Bon, “Aside From Growing Old [Youtube] Weyes Blood, “Seven Words [Youtube] Little Simz, “Doorways + Trust Issues [Youtube] Prince Rama, “Fantasy [Youtube] Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
NPR Standards Editor Mark Memmott (@MarkMemmottNPR) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to explain NPR’s policy of not using the word “lie to characterize some of President Trump’s statements, even when they run contrary to evidence. NPR: The Pros And Cons Of NPR’s Policy Of Not Calling Out ‘Lies’ Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Within 48 hours of striking a Syrian airfield last week, President Trump sent a short letter to Congress, justifying his reasons for ordering the strike, as required under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. But there are questions about whether Trump should have consulted Congress — or the United Nations — before launching an attack on the Syrian government. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks with Nora Bensahel (@norabensahel), a military analyst and distinguished scholar in residence at the School of International Service at American University, about presidential powers when it comes to military action. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Musician Timothy B. Schmit (@timothybschmit), who gained fame as a vocalist and bassist for Poco and The Eagles, has released a solo album called “Leap of Faith. Here & Now‘s Robin Young recently traveled to Schmit’s California home to talk about the new album, his career and life in music. More on Schmit’s tour dates More on The Eagles at Classic East and Classic West Music From The Segment Timothy B. Schmit, “The Island (from “Leap of Faith“) [Youtube] Timothy B. Schmit, “This Waltz (from “Leap of Faith) [Youtube] The Eagles, “Love Will Keep Us Alive [Youtube] The Eagles, “I Can’t Tell You Why [Youtube] Poco, “A Good Feelin’ to Know [Youtube] Poco, “Keep On Tryin' [Youtube] More Photos: Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried and Loren Hammonds, the Programmer of Feature Films and Experiential Content with the Tribeca Film Festival, join us to talk about the upcoming festival. Gottfried is a jury member , and the two will discuss what to look out for at this year's festival including a virtual reality arcade and special speakers. He will also discuss a new documentary about his life and career that is premiering at Tribeca. For more information about the Tribeca Film Festival, visit their website. Below are listings to see "Gilbert," a documentary about Gilbert Gottfried, at the Tribeca Film Festival: April 20 at 8:30 p.m. at the SVA Theater April 21 at 9:30 p.m. at the Regal 5 April 25 at 8:00 p.m. at the Cinepolis Chesea April 28 at 10:00 p.m. at the Regal 11 Find more information here.
The Chicago Cubs raised their championship banners at Wrigley Field on Monday night. Last October, they won their first World Series in 108 years. One of the biggest Cubs fans in America is NPR’s Scott Simon, who has a book out called “My Cubs: A Love Story. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks with Simon (@nprscottsimon) about the book. Find more great reads on the Here & Now bookshelf Scroll down for an excerpt from “My Cubs More Photos: Book Excerpt: ‘My Cubs: A Love Story’ By Scott Simon I have this dream. It’s the seventh game of the World Series, bottom of the ninth inning, Cubs against the Yankees, and the bases are loaded. The score is 2–1, Cubs, but the Yanks are threatening. (The Yankees haven’t been a great team for years, but they’re still satisfying to beat in dreams.) Wrigley Field boils and churns with cheers, claps, and fans on their feet waving “W flags. The green field glows. The ivy on the walls gleams under the bright white light and rustles in the crisp lake wind. The Cubs are an out away from winning a World Series, against all odds. But they’ve run out of pitchers. Fergie Jenkins, Kerry Wood, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Greg Maddux, and Mordecai “Three Finger Brown (an improbable all-era roster of Cubs all-stars) have all thrown brilliantly. But the bullpen is almost bare. The manager (a gray-haired, knob-nosed fusion of Joe Maddon, Charlie Grimm, and Joe McCarthy) is downcast and flummoxed. Then a light goes on in his eyes. “It’s a crazy idea, I know, he tells his coaches. “But I got a feeling . . . I hear my name crackle over the old tin speakers and echo over the slatted green seats and scuffed concrete stairs. Astonishment rolls through the crowd. The announcers (who sound like Joe Buck and Bob Costas) are stupefied, if not quite speechless. “A move no one could have predicted . . . I take slow, deliberate strides over the electrified green grass and look down to see my arms in white sleeves with Cubby blue stripes. I reach the mound. Some of the astounded hubbub dies. The catcher (all grit and spit, a grizzled combination of Randy Hundley, Gabby Hartnett, and David Ross) hands me the ball. “No need to go over signs, he says through a chaw and a grin. He knows I have just one pitch: a fat, slow dodo of a throw that catches the wind like a candy wrapper, darts, floats, curves, and is preposterously difficult to hit. My catcher returns to crouch behind home plate. In the broadcast booth, Joe and Bob sputter to explain this stunning turn. “He’s a fan. But he knows a lot about the franchise, and he’s been practicing his pitch at the gym. And the Cubs must have seen something they liked, because here he is . . . The Yankee batter glowers and spits. He’s not Derek, Gehrig, or the Mick, but some malevolent, swearing, gob-spitting, steel-bearded, pinstriped brute. In fact, let’s call him the Brute. He tells our catcher, “Look what the cat dragged to the mound. Then the Brute glares at me: “Time for batting practice, rook. I take a deep breath. The seats at Wrigley roil with 43,000 Cubs fans who take a sudden deep breath at the same time and fall silent. I look to my right to see the all-star Cubs spirits of Kris Bryant and Ron Santo dance on their toes at third, and Addison Russell, Ernie Banks, and Joe Tinker at short. I glance to my right: Javy Báez and Ryno Sandberg are on patrol at second base, while Anthony Rizzo and Mark Grace spit and pound the pockets of their gloves at first. I look in to my catcher. I draw back...
A heartbroken woman has a wish come true; a homeowner gets an unwanted surprise; a struggling temp remembers his glory days; a foreigner witnesses history. Hosted by The Moth’s Artistic Director Catherine Burns. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media. Storytellers: Cole Kazdin, Simon Bill, Chenjerai Kumanyika, […]
The case of a man who was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight on Sunday is raising questions about what a passenger’s rights are to his or her seat. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley stepped down Monday rather than face impeachment over allegations that he used campaign funds and state resources to hide an affair with his former aide. Bentley had denied those charges for more than a year, but on Monday he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the case, and state legislators began impeachment proceedings. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson hears more from Andrew Yeager (@andsygr), a reporter at WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
A plan to change net neutrality rules is raising tensions between Silicon Valley and Ajit Pai, the new head of the Federal Communications Commission under President Trump. Pai held a closed-door meeting last week with telecommunications groups to help create an early blueprint to roll back the 2015 Obama-era rules. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Tony Romm (@TonyRomm), senior editor of policy and politics for Recode, about the rules and how they could change. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
On Tuesday voters in south central Kansas will be the first in the nation to decide a congressional race in the age of Trump. The winner of the special election in Kansas’ 4th Congressional District will replace Mike Pompeo, who now leads the CIA. It's a district that would, under normal circumstances, be considered a lock for the Republican candidate. But, as Frank Morris from Here & Now contributor KCUR reports, these are not normal times. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Country star Hunter Hayes joins us in studio to talk his new tour and his very personal Instagram revelations. Hosted by Bonnie Fuller Produced By Gino Orlandini
We've often joked on the show about the virtual circus that's endlessly unfolding in Bob Boilen's brain, where his childlike imagination dances to the sound of a whistling calliope. So, for Bob's birthday this week, it felt appropriate to begin our show with nearly seven-foot tall clown named Puddles who sings a surreal mashup of Johnny Cash's "Folsom City Blues" and The Who's "Pinball Wizard." We're not making this up. Watch the video in our playlist below if you don't believe me. It turns out that, apart from singing, Puddles never speaks, so we gave his assistant and interpreter Mike Geier a call to learn more about how this crazy mashup came to be. We've also got a blistering country rock cut from singer Andrew Combs, who gets political on a song called "Bourgeois King." The baroque pop of San Fermin gets bigger than ever on the band's new full-length, Belong; the Paris-based singer known as ALA.NI croons like it's the 1940s; and NPR Music's Lars Gotrich stops by to blow our minds (and ear drums) with the scorching punk of a band called Exit Order, tempered by the hypnotic jazz of Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society. -- Robin Hilton Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
A botched US raid whipped a Somali crowd into a frenzy. A new film depicts the aftermath.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to Moscow, where the view of Trump's America is shifting, but not in predictable ways.
The Obama administration may have launched criminal justice reforms to reduce long prison sentences for non-violent drug offenders, but the new Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has plans to return to the crime fighting strategy of the so-called "war on drugs." Inimai Chettiar, director of the justice program at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Sari Horwitz, four-time Pulitzer Prize reporter for The Washington Post, where she covers the Justice Department, discuss what is changing in the federal criminal justice system.
Sarah Ryley, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Daily News and ProPublica, and now an investigative journalist for The Trace, talks about the local reporting that won the Pulitzer, including abuses in the NYPD's use of "nuisance abatement," or widespread eviction abuse.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Last Friday, the city of Baltimore became the 20th city in the U.S. to sign a consent decree with the federal government to institute a series of reforms in the city's police department. The Takeaway spoke with Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh that day about what the city hoped to accomplish. “We are prepared to do what is necessary to make our citizens safe, to make our police department safe, to provide the tools that are necessary, and the training that is necessary, so that we can have the best police department, and the best interaction between community and police going forward," the mayor said. Baltimore has a long way to go before it sees those outcomes, but before the death of Freddie Gray and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, The Keystone State was testing out ways to reform law enforcement. In 1997 in the city of Pittsburg, following outrage over the death of a black businessman who died of asphyxiation during a struggle with white officers, the City of Bridges became the first city to pilot a consent decree. The decree expired in 2002, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, domestic affairs correspondent for The New York Times, looked into which reforms endured, and which didn't.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. As the Trump Administration has sought to introduce new travel and immigration restrictions, there have been increasing concerns from the high-tech sector about the industry’s ability to recruit and retain foreign-born talent. In states such as Massachusetts, where 35 percent of all jobs are directly or indirectly tied to the tech sector, there are also worries about the broader economic impact of the administration’s policies. Mohamad Ali, the CEO of Carbonite, which is headquartered in Boston and provides data protection software and services, says many of his foreign-born employees who are working in the U.S. have expressed fears about overseas travel. Kara Miller, host of WGBH and PRI's "Innovation Hub," joins Ali on The Takeaway to discuss the challenges and economic uncertainties that the Trump Administration's policies have created in the tech world, both in Massachusetts and beyond.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Today, the first congressional election under President Donald Trump takes place. Voters in Kansas' 4th Congressional district head to the polls for a special election to fill the seat left vacant by former Representative Mike Pompeo, who resigned in January to become the director of the CIA. There are three candidates are in the running: Republican Ron Estes, the state's former treasurer; Democrat James Thompson, a civil rights attorney; and Libertarian Chris Rockhold, a flight simulation instructor. While it's been a solid GOP seat for two decades, a recent influx of Republican spending may suggest that it could be more competitive than predicted. Deborah Shaar, a reporter at pubic radio station KMUW in Wichita, has been covering this congressional race and explains what this race means for the district and the nation.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Alabama has a new governor this morning. Lt. Governor Kay Ivey became the state's top lawmaker yesterday evening after former Alabama Governor Robert Bentley announced his resignation amid the start of impeachment proceedings over abuse of power involving corruption and a salacious affair with one of his key advisers. The governor had been defiant late last week in advance of a 130-page report released by the state's House Judiciary Committee outlining their investigation into his violation of state ethics and campaign laws to support the alleged infidelities. "Let me say, I do not plan to resign," said Bentley. "I have done nothing illegal." Bentley went on to apologize for letting down the people of Alabama and asked that they continue to pray for him. Monday’s impeachment hearing was the first in the state for a governor. His successor, Gov. Ivey, becomes the second female governor in Alabama history. John Archibald, a columnist for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group, which publishes The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and the Mobile Press Register, has the details on this scandal.
Award-winning New York Times food columnist and cookbook author Melissa Clark joins us to talk about cooking festive meals for Passover and Easter celebrations! She shares her favorite recipes and tips for both holidays, and answers questions from our listeners. Check out two of Melissa Clark's recipes below: To find wines to pair with your cooking click here. Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Watermelon Radishes, Mint and Manchego Time: 15 minutes 1 small watermelon radish, peeled sliced (about 1 cup) 4 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 1 1/4 cups) 4 ounces manchego cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup) 1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn (about 1/3 cup) 1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar Pinch kosher salt, plus additional to taste 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1. In a large bowl, toss together the radishes, peas, cheese, and mint. 2. Put garlic in a small bowl and add the lemon juice, vinegar, and salt and stir well to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly, and add pepper to taste. 3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Yield: 4 servings Georgian Lamb Kebabs with Dill Sauce My friend Alice Feiring, esteemed wine writer and champion of natural wines, also happens to be the foremost American expert on wines made in Georgia (the country, not the state). Because of her, not only have I developed a taste for the nutty, concentrated wines of the region, but I’ve also fallen for the food—at least what I can sample of it in New York City. I particularly love the juxtaposition of sweet spices—cinnamon, allspice—with cayenne and black pepper to give dishes both a haunting fragrance and a heated kick. Here, I rub that combination onto cubes of lamb, which, after grilling or broiling, are served with a chunky, dill-flecked cucumber relish spiked with red wine vinegar and sweetened with bell peppers. It’s an unusual and powerful set of flavors that will make everyone wonder what you did to make these lamb kebabs taste so darn good. For the lamb: 1 garlic clove, minced1 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon hot paprika¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper¼ teaspoon ground allspice¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 pound boneless lamb, preferably from the leg, cut into 1½-inch cubes2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grillingFor the dill sauce:1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped½ cup finely chopped cucumber? cup chopped fresh dill leaves¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves1 red or green chile, seeded and minced1 garlic clove, mincedFine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, plus more to tasteTOTAL TIME: 20 minutes + atleast 30 minutes for marinating.SERVES 41. Marinate the lamb: In a large bowl, combine the garlic, salt, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, allspice, and black pepper. Add the lamb and the 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat it well, and marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or for up to 24 hours, covered, in the refrigerator. If you will be using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes while the lamb marinates.2. Prepare the sauce: In a large bowl, mix together the red bell pepper, cucumber, dill, cilantro, chile, and garlic; season with sea salt and black...
Brazil is the world’s largest Catholic community—but now, evangelical churches are increasingly growing in number. Find out why by listening now.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight: A museum exhibition explores a different way of covering the news through art. Jeffrey Brown is back with the story from a recent trip to Los Angeles. JEFFREY BROWN: Twenty-four-hour news channels, digital news feeds, the latest tweet, it’s the now-familiar, nonstop, sometimes overwhelming world of news and information we live in. But that sense of news bombardment isn’t really new, and an exhibition at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles shows how artists have often commented on, wrestled and played with it. Curator Arpad Kovacs: ARPAD KOVACS, Curator, J. Paul Getty Museum: Most of us just don’t know how to make sense of it. And I think that’s where artists step in and are able to kind of make something fruitful and sort of thoughtful, and take the images, take the text, take the information as source material to make something that looks critically at the information that we receive every single day. JEFFREY BROWN: The exhibition, titled Breaking News, takes us to a pre-Internet era, featuring work by artists often seeking political, as well as aesthetic expression. For Martha Rosler, the starting point was LIFE magazine as a guide to the American psyche. As the Vietnam War raged, the magazine captured the war in photographs. But turn the page to sumptuous home interiors. Rosler put the two together, in one photo, Pat Nixon in the White House, with the image of a war victim over the fireplace. ARPAD KOVACS: She’s making this juxtaposition, bringing these two disparate images together, in an effort to show how we can sometimes be oblivious to what’s happening in this world. DONALD BLUMBERG, Artist: This stuff is from ’70-’72. JEFFREY BROWN: Artist Donald Blumberg also sought to transform a news medium into a work of art, one that says something about the times. He took images from newspaper stories about slain soldiers or war atrocities. DONALD BLUMBERG: And I re-photographed them, and I wanted to enlarge them to a size that was inescapable for the viewer to pass. And it was intended to be a direct political act against the war in Vietnam. That’s what it was intended to do. JEFFREY BROWN: By saying, look hard at these photographs that sort of appear. DONALD BLUMBERG: Look hard. You can’t escape it. JEFFREY BROWN: He also began photographing his television set, freezing in time major historical events. His first work captured images from the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. DONALD BLUMBERG: It was a way of creating a reportage to photograph off the television and translate it into a mosaic, a mosaic in which a person could look at the whole story and break it up into little fragments, one cell, two cell, horizontally, diagonally. JEFFREY BROWN: Then there’s a kind of strange news poem created by Omer Fast in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. He took single words spoken by CNN anchors and reporters. You will certainly recognize one of them. JUDY WOODRUFF: The standard of reporting. JEFFREY BROWN: To fashion a piece about fear and anxiety. Robert Heinecken played with news anchors in a different way, as a kind of commodity, in his piece, Case Study in Finding An Appropriate Newswoman. He used photos of newscasters and combined them into an idealized co-anchor. ARPAD KOVACS: I think what he was interested in is trying to reveal all of the complex decisions that go into making such a choice that the general public is not aware of. Here, we have five panels in which he’s reproduced issues of LIFE magazine. JEFFREY BROWN: For some...
After the G-7 meeting in Italy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press the U.S. case against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he wants the U.N. to investigate last week’s chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians in Syria. The U.S. blames Syria and Russia for that attack, a charge both countries deny, and hit a Syrian air base with missiles in response. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson checks in with NPR diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen (@michelekelemen). Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
About three dozen agencies in 16 states are currently participating in a program in which federal agents train deputies to identify and detain people who may be in the U.S. illegally. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has requested permission to be the first law enforcement agency in Wisconsin to participate. And as Marti Mikkelson of Here & Now contributor WUWM reports, that move is causing controversy. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Driving Miss Crazy starring (dialogue about) crazy Uber drivers. Conversation Con Artists dive into dialogue about relationships, Pepsi, Bank Robberies, and a few other topics. Come join us for the conversation!!!
John Waters, American filmmaker, actor, writer and visual artist best known for his cult films including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos and Cecil B. talks about his new book, Make Trouble (Algonquin Books, 2017), and offers advice to callers about making it as an artist. To start? Embrace chaos. ? See John Waters TONIGHT at 7PM at Barnes & Noble in Union Square or catch him on Tuesday, April 18th 7:00PM to 8:30PM at The Clinton Book Shop in Clinton, NJ. Tickets are $20, call the book shop to reserve 908-735-8811.
President Trump recently signed an order giving U.S. forces there more flexibility to carry out offensive airstrikes and ground raids in Somalia, possibly putting more civilians there at risk. Here & Now‘s Robin Young checks in on military action in Somalia with Abdi Samatar, a professor and chair at the University of Minnesota who focuses on the country. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
In addition to the fighting going on in the failed state of Somalia, drought is putting thousands of Somalis at risk of starvation and death. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks with Vice News Correspondent Gianna Toboni (@GiannaToboni) about her recent visit to Garowe, Somalia. [Youtube] Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
When Alabama drew auto jobs south, it also got low wages and lots of injuries. We’ll look at the message for American manufacturing. Alabama’s in the news today for a governor who stepped down. Hanky panky problems. But keep your eye on what makes Alabama money, and how. The auto industry has moved south in a big way. American manufacturing jobs. But Alabama parts makers have brought low pay, long hours and shocking records of worker injury. A damning new report sounds like Bangladesh in the USA. This hour On Point, the hard side of Alabama’s automotive jobs boom. — Tom Ashbrook Guests Peter Waldman, reporter at Bloomberg News. David Michaels, professor in the George Washington University Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Former Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Jim Searcy, executive director of the Economic Development Association of Alabama. Angel Ogle, mother of Regina Elsea, a 20-year old woman who was killed in June 2016 while working at auto parts supplier Ajin USA. From Tom’s Reading List Bloomberg Businessweek: Inside Alabama’s Auto Jobs Boom: Cheap Wages, Little Training, Crushed Limbs — “Parts suppliers in the American South compete for low-margin orders against suppliers in Mexico and Asia. They promise delivery schedules they can’t possibly meet and face ruinous penalties if they fall short. Employees work ungodly hours, six or seven days a week, for months on end. Pay is low, turnover is high, training is scant, and safety is an afterthought, usually after someone is badly hurt. Many of the same woes that typify work conditions at contract manufacturers across Asia now bedevil parts plants in the South. Alabama.com: Alabama auto supplier, agencies fined $2.5 million after woman crushed — “According to a Department of Labor news release, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a total of 27 citations against Ajin USA of Cusseta, and two staffing agencies – Alliance Total Solutions and Joynus Staffing Corp. – for safety violations. Birmingham Business Journal: How Alabama can avoid being the next Detroit — “Over the last three decades, the automotive manufacturing sector has driven like a beeline south to Alabama, where wages are reasonable, workers are well trained and incentives and land are aplenty. The Southern migration contributed to the destruction of longtime American automaking strongholds like Detroit. Autoparts Suppliers Located In Alabama (All Maps Courtesy Alabama Department of Commerce) Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The next day, Lakshman telephoned India. He gripped the phone and spoke in a soft, tight voice. “Mommy says she is going to stay in bed and drink. Even as he was speaking, he knew that his father would find some way to make light of what was happening. His father said, “What else does she do anyway?
The civil war in Syria has created colossal human suffering. But it can still be surprising how profoundly this war has changed the lives of Syrians. One US expert describes the cost to his family and community.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Let’s return to the war in Syria, and focus on the effect it is having on children. The schools have been devastated. More than a third have closed since the war began. And a recent report by the International Rescue Committee found more than 1.7 million children and youth are not attending classes. That is the focus of our weekly segment Making the Grade. And we’re joined by David Miliband the president of the International Rescue Committee. He recently visited the region and refugee children in Lebanon. David Miliband, welcome back to the program. We know this war has taken a terrible toll on lives in so many ways, but what is the main finding of your report on the effect on children and their ability to learn? DAVID MILIBAND, CEO, International Rescue Committee: Thank you, Judy. Well, the situation inside Syria is obviously top of the news because of the crushing and appalling chemical weapons attacks last week. But the long-term impact of six years of war on about 1.7 million children inside the country who are being denied education is obviously very grave indeed. There is the fundamental stress, what is called the toxic stress, of being involved in a war. And for those inside the country, they’re denied the most basic access to education. Obviously, that problem is doubled by the experience of the refugees who are out of the country, 5.5 million refugees out of the country, half of them kids, probably half of those not getting an education at all. So, it is true to talk about a generation of Syrian schoolchildren being denied the most basic elements of an education. And, of course, that stands in stark contrast to the fact that they would have expected, in a middle-income country, which Syria was before 2011, to get a decent education. JUDY WOODRUFF: What does this mean? Based on this report that the International Rescue Committee has put together, what does this mean specifically in terms of children’s literacy, their ability to read, their ability to do basic math? DAVID MILIBAND: Well, we found that children in grades six, seven, eight, so children almost approaching teenage years, were unable to do the kind of sums or spelling that you would expect from a grade one student. So, that’s what six years of education being lost means, never mind the huge blow to the children’s understanding and self-esteem that comes from seeing their country blown apart, and often their families blown apart as well. And so I think that the message I would get across to your viewers is that the toll on children is almost greater than on any other group. But, secondly, never underestimate the resilience of the children and the ability of them, when given proper educational provision, to bounce back. We, the International Rescue Committee, offer education in the north of Syria to children inside the country. We also offer education in the neighboring states. And what we find is that, however hard the children have been hit, there’s a remarkable capacity to bounce back, if they’re given proper help. And that makes international humanitarian aid especially important. JUDY WOODRUFF: So, what is proper help? What does that consist of? And what can be done about this? Because people are certainly looking for ways out of this war, but, if anything, that looks harder than ever today. DAVID MILIBAND: You’re right about the huge diplomatic effort that’s going to be necessary. But, on the humanitarian front, and especially the educational front, there are two things that are essential. Fir...
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Susan King was wrongly convicted of murder in Kentucky in 2006. She spent over six years behind bars and is now the plaintiff in a federal civil rights case against the detective she says framed her. Susan's story is the subject of this week's Case In Point from The Marshall Project. Along with King, Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project and author of Case In Point, explain the case and shed light on a little known type of plea deal — the Alford Plea — which has provided the foundation for the civil rights case.
Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein tells the tale of her first date (and how it turned her gay). Plus, Pete Holmes (Crashing) just can’t seem to lose weight, and Solomon Georgio (Conan)deals with the tough realities of having a white boyfriend (hint: brunch). But wait! Stick around for a very special conversation with Tobin Low and Kathy Tu, the hosts of WNYC Studios’ newest podcast, Nancy. Think This American Life, but gayer! Find out what you can expect to hear this season - and Phoebe and Jessica offer up the new hosts some unsolicited advice. Featured Performers: Carrie Brownstein (@Carrie_Rachel) Pete Holmes (@peteholmes) Solomon Georgio (@solomongeorgio) Nancy Podcast (@NancyPodcast) --- About the podcast: Join the 2 Dope Queens, Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams, along with their favorite comedians, for stories about sex, romance, race, hair journeys, living in New York and Billy Joel. Plus a whole bunch of other s**t. New episodes every Tuesday. Produced by WNYC Studios www.wnycstudios.org --- Follow 2 Dope Queens on Twitter: @2DopeQueens Follow 2 Dope Queens on Instagram: @2DopeQueens Like 2 Dope Queens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/2DopeQueens Follow 2 Dope Queens on Tumblr: www.2dopequeens.tumblr.com Get tickets to our next live show on WNYC.org/2dopequeens
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. In the United States, more than 44 million borrowers owe $1.4 trillion in student loan debt, according to the Federal Reserve. In 2016, the average graduate held a little more than $37,000 in student debt, a six percent increase from 2015. There's a premium on higher education in this country, but easy credit, rising tuition costs, and aggressive lending is making it increasingly difficult for students and grads to pay off their debt. Now, consumer watchdogs are looking for accountability. Lawsuits filed by the attorneys general of Illinois and Washington State, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), are accusing Navient — the largest student loan provider in the country — of pushing borrowers into inadvisable borrowing practices and profiting off of private loans that were "designed to fail." The CFPB complaint alleges that employees were encouraged to push borrowers to postpone payments through forbearance. Illinois and Washington are charging that Navient's predecessor, Sallie Mae, made private subprime loans to borrowers even though the company knew that these individuals would be likely to default. In some cases, the loans were expected to default at rates as high as 92 percent. Betsy Mayotte, director of consumer outreach and compliance at the non-profit group American Student Assistance, examines the allegations facing Navient. Navient has denied all wrongdoing and issued the following statement to The Takeaway: "Student loans provide access to higher education for millions of Americans. For the vast majority of student loan borrowers, the investment they make is a good one as their education creates new career opportunities with higher earnings. "Unlike other consumer loans, student loans are made based on the borrower's prospective ability to repay. This means one expects the borrower's education will lead to new job opportunities with higher wages. Because students are generally not working when they borrow and have little to no credit experience, virtually no borrower would be classified as a prime credit. "We understand that there are some for whom the investment did not pay off as hoped. We encourage all customers who are struggling to reach out to us, so we can help them understand their options and they can make an informed choice about what's best for them. "Our servicing practices are designed to help our customers find the right repayment program to fit their budget. As a result: Federal student loan borrowers we service are less likely to be delinquent and are 31 percent less likely to default. 49 percent of loan balances we service for the government are enrolled in income-driven repayment. 9 times out of 10, when we can reach federal loan borrowers who are struggling with repayment, we help them find a solution that keeps them out of default. The vast majority of our private education loan customers are successfully repaying their loans, and delinquency and default rates are among historic lows. In 2009, we created a private education loan modification program to support borrowers who needed a more affordable payment."
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
The quintessential “Hitchcock blonde,” Grace Kelly had an apparently charmed life. Her movies were mostly hits, her performances were largely well reviewed, and she won an Oscar against stiff competition. Then she literally married a prince. Was it all as perfect as it seemed? Today we’ll explore Kelly’s public and private life (and the rumors that the two things were very different), her working relationship with Hitchcock, her Oscar-winning performance in The Country Girl, the royal marriage that took her away from Hollywood and Kelly’s very specific spin on blonde sexuality.
Yancey Roy, Newsday's Albany Bureau chief, discusses the finer points of the New York State budget, which took lawmakers in Albany nine days past the deadline to pass.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Los Angeles is rich with architectural diversity. On the same block, you could find a retro-futuristic Googie diner next to a Spanish-style mansion, sitting comfortably alongside a Dutch Colonial dwelling, all in close proximity to a Deconstructivist concert hall. In the golden era of Hollywood, in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, the new movie industry titans who flocked to L.A. had an opportunity to construct whatever style houses they wanted. After all, Los Angeles had a lot of open space to develop, and no unifying architectural style. And there was one particular architect who could make any kind of building and make it well: Paul Revere Williams. Avery Trufelman reports. The Architect of Hollywood Live in LA with Helen Zaltzman 4/14, use code “savethearts” for special $20 tickets Vote for Roman as “Best Host” in the Webby Awards Don’t forget: Radiotopia Live, May 8- 12!
You may not know it, but in the 1880's, the North Shore of Staten Island was a travel hot-spot. Canadian developer Erastus Wiman wanted to get people to buy tickets to ride the ferry and the Staten Island railroad, both of which he owned. So Wiman built a baseball stadium (which still stands today) and a casino with shows that featured live elephants (brought over on the Staten Island Ferry). According to local historian Pat Salmon, there was also an electric fountain that shot water 100 feet into the air, "which was a wonder in 1886, electricity in and of itself. But then, to see this fanciful light with all these colors, it just like blew people's minds." It’s not a new idea to drive economic development through spectacle. Today, Staten Island has a giant observation wheel coming to its shore as part of a $1 billion retail, hotel and housing development. Already, existing entertainment venues are improving the economy of the North Shore. Near the ferry building is the St. George Theatre, which was shuttered for nearly 30 years until it reopened as a performing arts venue in 2004. Further down Bay Street is the Paramount Theater which is used for film and tv productions and rents out space to other businesses. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce says that in the last nine years, the St. George Theatre has been part of a general revitalization in the area, but the pace has been slow: total business sales in downtown Staten Island are rising, but the area struggles with a retail vacancy rate of 21 percent compared to a citywide average of 8.3 percent. But cultural hubs like theaters do more than just encourage more spending in an neighborhood. According to a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania, low and moderate-income communities with access to cultural resources tend to be safer and healthier, and residents have higher levels of education compared to similar communities with fewer cultural resources.
Warm waters continue to bleach coral along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in what scientists are calling the first-ever back-to-back bleaching event for the world’s largest coral reef. Last year two-thirds of the coral along the northern part of the reef died during an unusually warm El Niño year. Surprising many researchers, the bleaching continued in 2017, despite El Niño having ended. Scientists with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland made the dire assessment after a 5,000-mile aircraft survey of the reef. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson discusses the unprecedented coral bleaching along the 1,400-mile reef with Randi Rotjan (@RandiRotjan), a marine biologist at Boston University. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Meet Nancy—a new podcast from WNYC Studios that's all about exploring identity, finding community, and having frank conversations about the LGBTQ experience today. Find out more at nancypodcast.org. Death, Sex & Money has a weekly newsletter! And we think you'll really like it. Sign up here: deathsexmoney.org/newsletter. Follow the show on Twitter @deathsexmoney and Facebook at facebook.com/deathsexmoney. Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org.
This year, Rachel Miller's family in the Boston area is sharing the Jewish holiday of Passover with a Syrian family living with them for the year.
WNYC is taking a close look at New York City’s affordability crisis one neighborhood at a time. Right now, we're reporting on Staten Island, where the mayor is also spending the week in the first of five "City Hall In Your Borough" residencies. We're looking specifically at the North Shore, where the city wants to rezone and revitalize a section of Bay Street from Tompkinsville to Stapleton. It's a small area, less than a mile long, dotted with bodegas, hair salons and coffee shops — just blocks from where Eric Garner was killed. WNYC's Jessica Gould told All Things Considered host Jami Floyd that preliminary plans call for more apartments — including affordable apartments that are part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's housing plan — as well as retail, improved parks, more school seats and safer streets. Officials say this is part of a broader vision that's been in the works for years and will link the area to new development on the North Shore, where a giant observation wheel and mall are under construction. Neighbors say they'd like to see more amenities, like new shops and restaurants. But they're worried that the infrastructure, which is already strained, can't support the new development. And there are concerns about how affordable the apartments will be. Stephen Teiglee, a Liberian immigrant and home health aid, shares a one-bedroom apartment with his four children and his mother-in-law. He makes about $24,000 a year and is calling on the city to build housing that benefits people like him. "I can't rent a private place and feed my children and pay the bills," he said. "I can't make it, I alone." Other residents, however, worry that the housing coming to the area will be too affordable. Priscilla Marco, president of the Van Duzer Street Civic Association, says she bought a house on the North Shore because it was affordable, and she's anxious about a possible influx of low-income apartments. "The fear people have is if you build it big and you build it all low income, then that’s what it’s going to be known for, and the prosperity and the development that the community had hoped for will not happen," she said.
Fresh tensions as Secretary of State Tillerson readies to visit Moscow –from the Syria strikes to the investigations into Trump’s Russia ties. Where is this relationship headed? US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on his way to Moscow. Interesting moment to be going. In the long election campaign Donald Trump was effusive in his praise for Vladimir Putin. Last week, after a gas attack in Syria, Trump ordered US missiles down on a Syrian airbase shared with Russians. The President’s camp is under investigation for colluding with Russia to win the election. What a combo. This hour On Point, Mr. Tillerson heads to Moscow. — Tom Ashbrook Guests David Sanger, national security correspondent for the New York Times. (@SangerNYT) Amb. Michael McFaul, professor of political science and director and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. Former senior director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council. (@McFaul) Amb. John Negroponte, professor of international affairs at the George Washington University. Former U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States. From Tom’s Reading List New York Times: Tillerson, on Eve of Russia Trip, Takes Hard Line on Syria — “Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson is taking a hard line against Russia on the eve of his first diplomatic trip to Moscow, calling the country “incompetent for allowing Syria to hold on to chemical weapons and accusing Russia of trying to influence elections in Europe using the same methods it employed in the United States. The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Strike on Syria Shakes Up ISIS Fight — “Moscow swiftly suspended an agreement with Washington for military coordination in Syrian skies on Friday following the U.S. missile attack on a Syrian base, in a new complication for the Trump administration’s key priority of fighting Islamic State. Russia’s response is heightening concerns of more unpredictable reactions from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s backers, in particular Iran, to the U.S. strike, conducted in retaliation for a suspected regime chemical attack on a village. Foreign Policy: Is Trump’s Bold Syria Strike a Dangerous Miscalculation? — “The punitive military strikes President Donald Trump ordered on Thursday night against the Syrian airbase from which the forces flew that dropped chemical weapons on Syrian civilians — and then bombed the hospitals treating the victims of the attacks — are not only a valuable reinforcing of the norm against the use of weapons of mass destruction, they are also a reminder that the United States can, in fact, use military force in limited but effective ways. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: In a statement this afternoon, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Friday’s U.S. missile strike damaged or destroyed 20 percent of Syria’s operational aircraft, and that jets could no longer refuel or rearm at that base. For more on U.S. options in Syria, relations with Russia and the ongoing crisis with North Korea, I sat down a short time ago with retired Admiral Mike Mullen. He served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011. Syria, first of all. Was the U.S. strike on that airfield justified? ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, (RET.), Former Chairman, Joints Chiefs of Staff: I think it was justified. I think it sent a pretty strong message that the use of chemical weapons, which are banned globally, is not to be tolerated. And I think that was the main message. What has been a little surprising to me, anyway, is to find out through media that there actually have been several chemical attacks recently. Now, with some belief on my part, and I think a lot of people, that we thought we got rid of the chemical weapons with the regime that President Obama and President Putin put in place. That’s a bit of a surprise, but I think we have to send the message that this is unacceptable. JUDY WOODRUFF: Do you think that message has been received? What do you think this accomplished? ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN: I think the message has been received. And it was really focused on that. I certainly have seen the discussion that, after the fact, that that air base was back in operations. That didn’t surprise me, but I thought it was proportional, which I think is important. It was focused on the air force, which has been barrel bombing its people, you know, for some time, and, in that regard, a pretty strong message. Will it, in fact, be absorbed by Assad and others? I don’t know. I think that’s what we’re going to have to wait and see. JUDY WOODRUFF: Do you think it means that if Assad uses chemical weapons again, the U.S. will strike again? ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN: I don’t know the answer to that. Certainly, you know, from where I sit, there’s an expectation that, if he continues, obviously, he will continue to pay a price for that. And so we will see. It’s just such a tragedy to see what he has done to his own countrymen, you know, the civilians, the women, the children, and just the visible images of that chemical strike. I don’t think — I think, in the long run, he loses if he continues to do that. How that happens, what the — I’m not really sure. JUDY WOODRUFF: So, is it clear to you, Admiral Mullen, what the priority of the Trump administration is now toward Syria? Is it mainly to continue the fight against ISIS? Is it more now against President Assad? I think many people are having difficulty understanding. ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN: Well, I think — and I thought General McMaster yesterday on the Sunday show was excellent in sort of framing it, that there is going to be some of both, clearly. The priority, it seems to me, is ISIS, and that was used for justification for this attack, and in terms of supporting, fighting ISIS, and responding to the use of chemical weapons. My own personal view is, I think, you know, in the long run — and I don’t know how long that is, but I think it’s a while — that Assad doesn’t have much of a future in that country. I worry a little bit about — quote — “regime change. We haven’t had a great deal of success with that in years. That’s just really difficult. That said, I think it’s a strong message, at least from the Trump administration, that we’re not go...
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The U.S., Mexic, and Canada have launched a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup. Soccer officials from each country made the announcement with much fanfare from the observatory of One World Trade Center, which offered a clear view of the city under sunny skies on Monday. Sunil Gulati, president of the United States Soccer Federation, said the announcement is the culmination of several years of talks. He said the three nations decided they could launch a stronger bid together. "We don't believe that sport can solve all the issues of the world," he said. "But especially what's going on in the world today, we think this is a hugely positive signal and symbol of what we can do together in unifying people, especially in our three countries." Gulati also said President Donald Trump is "fully supportive" of the bid, which still needs approval from FIFA. Under the current proposal, the U.S. would host the majority of the games, 60, with the other 20 split evenly between Mexico and Canada. Canada hosted the Women's World Cup in 2015.
Lawmakers in Albany have revived a lucrative tax break real estate that developers say is key to building affordable housing in New York City. The break, known as 421a, expired last year when the real estate lobby and labor couldn't reach a deal on wages. The new version — promoted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and passed as part of the state budget — extends the length of the break for eligible projects to 35 years, and guarantees a wage threshold for workers: $60/hour in Manhattan; $45/hour in Brooklyn and Queens. Developers cheered the deal: The Real Estate Board of New York released a statement saying it will result in "substantially more" affordable rental housing than would otherwise be built. The Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York said it supports "good middle class jobs." And the de Blasio Administration, which was counting on the break as part of its housing plan, called it a necessary tool to address the city's affordability crisis. But critics of the break were livid, accusing lawmakers of siding with wealthy developers over the interests of tenants. "It is unconscionable that the state legislature passed this massive corporate welfare program at a time when we are facing draconian federal budget cuts, especially when study after study, and eviction after eviction case, shows 421a produces little affordable housing and instead leads to gentrification and deregulating stabilized apartments at alarming levels," said Delsenia Glover with the Alliance for Tenant Power.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: For many years, 146, to be exact, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has been awing crowds with acrobatic feats and animal stunts. But the Greatest Show on Earth is coming to an end next month. Its parent company made the decision after ticket sales had been dropping for years. The circus also struggled with a long court battle over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants. The circus won in court, but the elephants were dropped from the show. We caught up as Ringling Bros. rolled through Washington, D.C., one more time, and spoke with longtime performers and their families. JOHNATHAN LEE IVERSON, Ringmaster: My name is Johnathan Lee Iverson, ringmaster of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. It’s just pure, unadulterated, unapologetic entertainment. Where everything you look at now is sort of defiled, circus is the last bit of magic in the world, and your children’s imaginations are safe there. Your imagination is safe here. TATIANA TCHALABAEV, Queen of the Circus of Fire: Well, in this amazing show, I’m playing the character of the Queen Tatiana of the Circus of Fire. We are artists. We are performers, like the people in the movies. They’re coming out there and they are doing the shot. We are doing live. We don’t have no repeats. We basically have to perform our stunts. JOHNATHAN LEE IVERSON: It’s all about the impossible. It’s all about really art at its highest level. People are flying. They’re talking to animals. DERRELL WALKER, Retired Fire Captain: Kids love the clowns, the animals, the cotton candy, the popcorn, all that stuff. So we have a great time. KATHY ALMASSY, Maryland Resident: We’re extremely disappointed to see it end. I understand the concerns, but we’re very, very sad. Sad to see it end. WILLIAM, 13-year-old: I’m not very happy about it, because I love coming here, and it’s really nice and fun for me and my family to hang out together. DERRELL WALKER: I like the lions and the tigers. I like the suspense. I like the danger that’s involved. I mean, it’s just — and they’re beautiful animals. They’re very beautiful animals, very, very majestic. ANNALISE, 8-year-old: I like the animals, like how they’re colorful. STEPHEN PAYNE, Feld Entertainment: Have the animal rights disputes hurt Ringling Bros.? Yes, it was a factor. But it wasn’t the only factor. We won in court, and we won in most legislative fights that we have. My name is Stephen Payne. I’m the vice president of corporate communications for Feld Entertainment. When we transitioned the elephants off of the circus last year, we knew we were going to see some decline in ticket sales. The entertainment landscape has changed. When Ringling Bros. started, there wasn’t TV. Now there’s 1,000 stations. There wasn’t iPhones. It’s a huge, huge undertaking that requires an immense number of talented crew members to pull off. ALEXANDER LACEY, Big Cat Trainer: You have to be completely dedicated to the animals. You have to love doing what you’re doing. It’s what keeps you safe. And I have been doing it now for 22 years solid. My name is Alexander Lacey, the big cat trainer and presenter here on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. Of course, everybody wants to see the lion-tiger trainer get eaten, so I have a point in my act where the lions attack on command, which is quite a highlight, because people think they have suddenly gone out of control. But it’s a trained movement. DAVIS VASSALLO, Highlight Clown: When you go to a show, you don’t think about yo...
Cab drivers, children's jump rope rhymes, folk songs, dialects, controversial TV ads, interviews with blacklisted artists and writers during the McCarthy Era—Tony Schwartz, one of the great sound recordists and collectors of the 20th Century. An audio portrait of a man who spent his life exploring and influencing the world through recorded sound.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: It’s Monday, in other words, time for Politics Monday with Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report and Tamara Keith of NPR, who joins us today from California. Welcome to both of you. Tam, I just said California. You have got to tell us where in California. (LAUGHTER) TAMARA KEITH, NPR: Southern California. JUDY WOODRUFF: OK. That narrows it down a lot. (LAUGHTER) TAMARA KEITH: A little bit. All right, the L.A. area. JUDY WOODRUFF: All right. Well, let’s start by talking about a very serious subject, and that is the decision by the United States to strike the airfield in Syria last week. And, Amy, we’re still dealing with the strategic, the military repercussions from this, but what about the political? How is the public reacting? And then I want to ask you both about Congress. AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Yes. The Congress seems to be giving somewhat a mixed message on how they feel about what happened in Syria over the weekend. There have been at three polls that have come out since the strikes happened. A majority of Americans say they approve of this decision, anywhere from 51 to 57 percent. But then, when you ask them the next question, which is, should we do more things like this, the majority of Americans say, we don’t want to see any more airstrikes. And then when you ask the question — and I think this is also really important — about what the impact has been on the president, did Americans rally around the president, did this bump up his approval rating, it really hasn’t done much at all. His approval rating still stands somewhere around 40 percent. So, you have a public that is basically, there are a small majority agreeing with the strike, but they don’t want to see much more. And it hasn’t really benefited the president, nor has it made people less likely to support him. He’s still basically at the same place he’s always been, which again comes back to something we talk about almost every week, is our deep polarization in this country. JUDY WOODRUFF: And so much of this, Tam, I think, is people — a matter of people comparing how this president is handling Syria and the Middle East, that part of the world, vs. the way President Obama handled it. TAMARA KEITH: That’s right. And, in terms of Congress, when President Obama went to Congress in 2013 and asked for authorization to take similar action back in 2013, Congress was kind of, like, wait, this is a hot potato, we don’t necessarily want this hot potato. They found an out that sort of let them off the hook with this deal with Russia to dispose of the chemical weapons, which, clearly, in retrospect, they’re not all gone somehow. And so Congress has frequently wanted to have some ability to weigh in, but then when it comes time to actually weigh in to authorize the use of military force in a formal way, they have had a lot of trouble agreeing on something. JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Amy, as Tam just said, this is exactly what President Obama … AMY WALTER: That’s right. JUDY WOODRUFF: We’re talking three years later. AMY WALTER: Different. JUDY WOODRUFF: But it’s what he was concerned about, too, and led to the decision not to. AMY WALTER: It feels very familiar. And a lot that too is the fact that Americans feel very similar to the situation in Syria today as they did back in 2013. This is a ABC poll. Fifty-four percent said they oppose using additional airstrikes. When you look back at where we were in the fall of 2013, when then President Obama wa...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: But first: some eye-popping news in the automotive world. The market value of Tesla, the manufacturer of high-end electric cars, has actually surpassed that of Ford and General Motors, both of which sell millions more cars than Tesla does. William Brangham takes a closer look. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Here are some head-scratching numbers to consider. Tesla’s market value is $50 billion, yet Tesla may lose nearly a billion dollars this year, whereas, combined, Ford and GM are expected to earn more than $15 billion. Last year, Tesla sold just about 80,000 vehicles. Ford and GM? They sold nearly 17 million. James Stewart is a business columnist for The New York Times and a staff writer for The New Yorker, and he’s here to help us understand why Tesla’s value is skyrocketing. James Stewart, welcome to the NewsHour. You know these numbers very, very well. What is going on here? JAMES STEWART, The New York Times: Well, these numbers are pretty amazing. They make no rational sense, really. But Tesla is what I call the sort of ultimate story stock, which means investors care about the story. They don’t care about the numbers. They do not care that it’s losing. They have lost over $500 million last year, may lose a billion this year. And they don’t really care that GM and Ford are making billions of dollars in profit. The story with Tesla is that they are going to dominate the auto market, that they are going to create the world’s safest car, that they are going to take over the battery market, and that they are going to dominate and reinvent the electric grid. I mean, these are all huge markets, and they think Tesla is going to dominate every one of them. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As you wrote in a recent column in The New York Times, there have been a lot of story stock and story companies that the story turned out to be a lot more fiction than fact. How do we know whether Tesla is going to be one of those? JAMES STEWART: Well, we don’t. And most story stocks which trade at these astronomical levels end up very badly. There were scores of these in the dot-com boom now forgotten, worthless. But, more recently, the Amazon story has caused investors to be very excited. Amazon didn’t make any money for years. It plowed all its revenues back into R&D. But the story is, it was going to dominate the vast global retail market. It still hasn’t achieved that. It still is not making huge amounts of money. But investors in Amazon have done very, very well over a period that’s now going on to decades. So, stock investors in Tesla can do well as long as the story holds. So, every time you see a bit of data that confirms the story, the stock surges. Like, it had modestly better sales in the last quarter than expected. The stock was up 7 percent. Now, I will say for Tesla, it also has delivered a product that people love. It’s quality. It looks great. It performs great. And so far, it has actually met its promises, even though they seemed farfetched at one time. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, I would agree with you, all those characterizations. It’s a beautiful car. I have ridden in one. It’s a fantastic vehicle to be in. But there have been some quality and reliability issues. And primarily their customers have been luxury market customers. I know Tesla is now trying to roll out a more mid-market car. If they have those same reliability problems, do you worry that that could really dent their image? JAMES STEWART: Well, I have to say, in Tesla’s defense, that, yes, there have been some is...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Now we return to the U.S. missile strikes on Syria and what the Trump administration’s options for dealing with that now-six-year-old civil war. Our chief foreign affairs correspondent, Margaret Warner, begins our coverage. REX TILLERSON, U.S. Secretary of State: We rededicate ourselves to holding to account any and all who commit crimes against the innocents anywhere in the world. MARGARET WARNER: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made that vow today at a memorial ceremony for victims of a Nazi massacre. He spoke ahead of a G7 meeting in Italy. His message came just days after dozens of U.S. cruise missiles struck a Syrian air base in response to another massacre, a chemical attack that killed more than 80 people in rebel-held Idlib province. Syria dominated today’s summit, and all eyes were on Tillerson for clues as to what the U.S. plans to do next. QUESTION: Mr. Foreign Minister, are you looking for clarification from the U.S. on its position on Assad? MARGARET WARNER: Those questions came after Tillerson and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley appeared to send mixed messages yesterday about U.S. policy on Syria going forward, most notably on the future of Syrian President Bashar al- Assad. Tillerson told CBS’ Face the Nation that defeating the Islamic State, not removing Assad, remained the top priority. REX TILLERSON: Once the ISIS threat has been reduced or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria. We are hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war, and that we can bring the parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions. Clearly, that requires the participation of the regime, with the support of their allies. MARGARET WARNER: But Haley seemed to suggest otherwise on CNN’s “STATE OF THE UNION. NIKKI HALEY, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: There’s not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime. Well, regime change is something that we think is going to happen, because all of the parties are going to see that Assad is not the leader that needs to be taking place for Syria. MARGARET WARNER: Today in Washington, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tried to square the two statements. SEAN SPICER, White House Press Secretary: I can’t imagine a stable and peaceful Syria where Bashar al-Assad is in power. And there can be a multipronged approach. We are ensuring that ISIS is contained and there is a de-escalation of the proliferation of chemical weapons at the same time creating the environment for a change in leadership. MARGARET WARNER: Spicer also raised the possibility of U.S. military action against Assad for use of conventional weapons. SEAN SPICER: If you gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb into innocent people, I think you can — you will see a response from this president. MARGARET WARNER: Tillerson, who has charged that Syria’s principal backer, Russia, was either — quote — “complicit or simply incompetent in Syria’s use of chemical weapons, heads to Moscow for meetings Wednesday. He will meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, but not, the Kremlin announced today, with President Vladimir Putin. For the PBS NewsHour, I’m Margaret Warner. The post After U.S. missile strikes, what’s the next move on Syria? appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: On the domestic front, as we reported, the Supreme Court today welcomed its newest member, Neil Gorsuch, who brings the court back to its full compliment of nine justices. Jeffrey Brown takes it from there. JEFFREY BROWN: Now that he’s officially Justice Gorsuch, we confront the question of how he might influence the high court and its work going forward. And for that, we turn, as we always do, to Marcia Coyle, chief Washington correspondent for The National Law Journal. So, Marcia, on one hand you have a conservative justice replacing another conservative justice, so you wouldn’t expect major ideological shifts. MARCIA COYLE, The National Law Journal: Well, that’s right, Jeff. I think it is true that Justice Gorsuch will not change the conservative direction of the Supreme Court, but that doesn’t mean that his vote is going to be insignificant. And I think we saw that just last term, for example, with Justice Scalia’s death. The court split 4-4 in a major immigration case affecting millions of people. It also divided 4-4 in a major labor union case affecting thousands of union and non-union workers. JEFFREY BROWN: Which may well come back. MARCIA COYLE: Absolutely. It’s an agenda case on the part of a conservative organization that already is pushing another case toward the Supreme Court. So, this court has been divided ideologically, and Justice Gorsuch will play a role in the outcome of some very important cases. JEFFREY BROWN: All right, and let’s look at some of them. Most immediately would be even this week, right, where he for the first time takes part in that decision-making of which cases will go forward. MARCIA COYLE: That’s right. The justices will meet Thursday in a private conference. And they go over petitions that have been submitted to the court in which parties are asking the court to hear their case. And there are actually two petitions that he may play an important role in whether the court takes or doesn’t take them. One is a case from his home state, Colorado. It involves a baker who feels that it’s against his religious beliefs to bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding. JEFFREY BROWN: That one got a lot of attention early on, right? MARCIA COYLE: It did. And it’s been hanging in the court since early December. So, we’re not quite sure what the court plans to do with it. And then another case, interesting case, out of California involves the Second Amendment and California’s law that requires a very good reason for you to have a concealed carry gun, a permit for that. JEFFREY BROWN: All right, and then, next week, he starts hearing cases for the first time, right? MARCIA COYLE: Yes. JEFFREY BROWN: And the biggest one next week is a church and state separation case out of Missouri. MARCIA COYLE: That’s right, and it involves Trinity Lutheran Church of Missouri, which is challenging an amendment to Missouri’s constitution, state constitution, that prohibits direct and indirect support of religious organizations and institutions. Trinity Lutheran Church operates a playground, day care center, and it wanted to participate in a state grant program that allows organizations to refurbish playgrounds with recycled tires. But Trinity Lutheran was turned down because it is a religious institution. So it’s claiming that that state constitutional amendment violates our First Amendment free exercise of religion clause. JEFFREY BROWN: All right, so then we start to look at the longer term. And even as I say that, I realize he’s a younger ...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: The continent of Africa does not now hold many internationally well-known universities, but one man is trying to change that, a one-time Microsoft executive who was educated in the United States, Patrick Awuah. As special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, as part of his Agents for Change series, one special focus of classes is to teach Africa’s next generation of leaders about ethics. FRED DE SAM LAZARO: It looks like a pretty typical college campus, with students working in computer labs, studying at the library, or hanging out with friends. But Ashesi University, in the West African nation of Ghana, has embarked on an experiment which its founder hopes will help start to fundamentally change the entire continent. PATRICK AWUAH, President, Ashesi University: In the next three decades or so, the population of Africa is going to double, and something like 40 percent of working-age people are going to be Africans in the world. A lot of jobs need to be created. And so we need to be educating the next bench in a way that they’re going to go create those jobs and create those opportunities for people. FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Patrick Awuah was born and raised in Ghana, but came to the United States on scholarship to get an undergraduate degree in engineering from Swarthmore and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to become a program manager at Microsoft. When he decided to return to his homeland, he assumed he would start a software company, but quickly realized the system of higher education was so poor, there wasn’t a competent work force to hire. Experts say the problem with education in Africa is not so much that there aren’t enough institutions, but, rather, it’s in what students are taught and how they’re taught it, with an emphasis much more on rote learning and memorization, much less on critical thinking, on thinking for oneself. PATRICK AWUAH: Under colonial rule, the educational system was really designed for that, to educate people to follow instructions and to do things in a very consistent way. FRED DE SAM LAZARO: So, Awuah decided he had to start his own university. With money from American friends, colleagues and foundations, he raised $2.5 million to open a school with an initial class of 30 freshman in 2002. Ashesi has now grown to a campus of nearly 800 students. The guiding principle throughout has been a laser-like focus on three principles: ethical leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship. PATRICK AWUAH: We need a lot of innovation. We need people who are trained to drive that. And we need people who are going to be working on the government side, who are going to create an enabling environment for that. FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Ghana, like most countries in Africa, has been plagued by government-related corruption, which has hampered job growth. ROSE DODD, Professor, Ashesi University: For the next three to four minutes, come up with a list of things that a brick can be used for. FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Ashesi’s goal is to teach students to fight against the temptations of corruption and think outside the box. It begins almost from the moment a freshman arrives on campus and takes a mandatory course called Foundations of Design and Entrepreneurship. ROSE DODD: How many do you have? STUDENT: Twenty-nine. ROSE DODD: Twenty-nine. (LAUGHTER) PATRICK AWUAH: The instructor says, you go find a problem that you think is worth solving, and then come up with an answer to problem. It’s very open-ended and then… FRE...
Guy Branum, comic and beloved host of MaxFun's own Pop Rocket is on TV now! He's hosting the brand new TV series Talk Show the Game Show on TruTV. Guy talks with Jesse about growing up gay in a rural California town, working on TV and the pleasure of calling out prejudiced athletes on TV. Plus, professor Emily Lordi makes the case for why Donny Hathaway Live is a classic album.
Cultural commentators have used the term ‘War on Christmas’ for years now, but they may soon be declaring a ‘War on Easter.’ Listen to find out why Cadbury announced plans to remove Easter from the name of its popular annual event.
Palm Sunday became the setting of a bloody massacre in Egypt. Two different church bombings left 36 Christians dead and over a hundred injured. Find out more by listening now. Â
As a US strike group led by an aircraft carrier steamed toward the Korean peninsula Sunday, a senior official said President Donald Trump has asked to be provided with a range of options for eliminating the North Korean nuclear threat.
Academia isn't just for classics anymore. A new generation of scholars is bringing academic rigor to a uniquely American art form. How does hip-hop balance this newfound respect with keeping its street cred? Our guests are Rodney Carmichael, hip-hop writer for NPR; Bakari Kitwana, executive director of Rap Sessions: Community Dialogues on Hip-Hop and author of The Hip-Hop Generation and the forthcoming Hip-Hop Activism in the Obama Era; and Treva Lindsey, associate professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies at Ohio State University. She teaches coursework on gender and hip-hop.
Last summer, a pair of capybaras escaped from Toronto's High Park Zoo. The "High Park Two" are now five. Meet the "capy-babies."
From Bill O’Reilly to Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad, advertisers are taking heat and responding. We’ll look at the new consumer power over advertisers. Guests David Griner, digital managing editor of Adweek, where he leads news coverage. (@griner) Allen Adamson, founder of the BrandSimple consulting firm. Former chairman of Landor Associates, a global brand consulting and design firm. (@adamsona) Lucy Atkinson, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Advertising and Public Relations. (@lucyatkinson) Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, an online racial justice organization. (@rashadrobinson) From Tom’s Reading List Adweek: How Pepsi Got It So Wrong: Unpacking One of the Most Reviled Ads in Recent Memory — “Since the moment Pepsi released its new two-and-a-half minute spot—featuring Kendall Jenner, protesters and a message of unity via soda—response to the ad has been anything but positive. New York Times: As Anger at O’Reilly Builds, Activists Use Social Media to Prod Advertisers — “Ad boycotts are not new: provocateurs like Don Imus and Glenn Beck lost their cable news soapboxes in part because an angry public used petitions and letter-writing campaigns to force companies to drop their sponsorship. But the pile-on culture of social media has accelerated the process to such a degree that corporations may find themselves besieged in hours by tens of thousands of online critics. CNN Money: Few ads run on ‘O’Reilly Factor’ as boycott takes effect — “Before he cut to his first commercial break of the night on Thursday, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly teased a series of segments that would come, he said, ‘after these messages.’ But after only a one minute-long ad, O’Reilly was back on the screen. The lone commercial to air during that break — from the life insurance company Coventry Direct — was one of only seven spots to run during Thursday’s edition of ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ providing tangible evidence that a widening advertising boycott against the top-rated program has taken effect. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The fracking boom has ushered in cheap natural gas prices across the country. Now, nearly 40 states have adopted or are looking at new legislation to expand natural gas service to rural America. That’s where most of the 12 million homes that still rely on propane are located. Amy Sisk (@amyrsisk) from Here & Now contributor Inside Energy reports from a remote North Dakota town looking to make the switch. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Passover is a holiday of freedom, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. And what would a holiday celebration be without a festive meal? Resident chef Kathy Gunst spoke with Here & Now‘s Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson in 2016 about her favorite Passover foods and recipes. Toasted Pistachio, Apricot, Date, Apple And Spiced Charoset Charoset (also called Haroset or Harossis) is a mixture of chopped nuts and apples, spices and wine that is consumed during the Seder meal on Passover. It is conventionally a symbol of the mortar or clay used for making bricks by Israelite slaves in Egypt. Some cooks make this condiment more like a paste, but I like to serve it like a chunky salad. This version uses dates, dried apricots, toasted pistachios and walnuts, apples and spices. Serve with matzah, butter and horseradish. The recipe can easily be doubled. Can be served as a condiment with brisket or roast lamb. Serves 4 to 6. Ingredients 1/2 cup shelled pistachios 1/2 cup walnut halves 2 tart apples, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 4 dried dates, pitted and chopped 1/4 cup raisins or sun-dried cranberries 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice About 1/2 cup Kosher wine (Manischewitz is the tradition) Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pistachios and walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake on the middle shelf for 8 to 10 minutes or until the nuts smell nutty. Remove and cool and chop. In a large bowl mix the chopped nuts, apples, apricots, dates, raisins, cinnamon and allspice. Add the wine and mix. Serve cold or room temperature. Pavlova (Flourless Meringue Cake) With Whipped Vanilla-Scented Cream And Summer Berries Flourless chocolate cake is a favorite on many Passover tables, but I love this meringue cake filled with spring berries and vanilla-scented whipped cream. While this is one of those desserts that looks like it took hours to put together, these meringues actually take very little time to prepare. What makes this cake so extraordinary is the contrast between the crisp and crunchy outside and the chewy, soft interior of the meringue. Use a variety of berries for color, texture, and flavor. Try not to make the cake on a humid day. The moisture in the air makes it difficult for the meringue to hold together and stay crisp. The cake can be made a day ahead of time and placed in a cool, dark spot. Don’t add whipped cream and berries until about 20 minutes before serving. Serves 8. Ingredients For the meringue layers: Butter and confectioners’ sugar for preparing the pans 8 large egg whites, at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 cups superfine sugar (a specially sifted sugar) or 2 cups sugar, sifted 2 tablespoons potato starch, sifted 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons vanilla extract For the filling: 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream, chilled 1/3 cup sugar or confectioners’ sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract About 3 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, or any combination) About 1 cup grated unsweetened coconut, toasted on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (optional) Superfine sugar is not confectioners’ sugar. It is a specially sifted sugar, most often used for iced tea and baking, and is available in most grocery stores. For a quick substitution, add regular granulated sugar to a food processor and blend for a few minutes, until the sugar crystals break down to a fine consistency. **I normally use cornstarch as a thickener here but during Passover corn is not permitted. Look for potato starch in the section of your supermarket devoted to Passover. Instructions...
Every one of Dallas’ 156 emergency weather sirens broke into cacophony for more than an hour on Friday. Ever wonder what the end of the world feels like? #dallas #sirens pic.twitter.com/dvokKWkZ6N — ManicPixieDreamGay (@deadlyblonde) April 8, 2017 The sirens, which are meant to warn residents of tornadoes or dangerous storms, were not scheduled to go off, nor was there a glitch; officials say the sirens were hacked. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Sergio Caltagirone (@cnoanalysis), director of threat intelligence and analytics at the cybersecurity company Dragos, about the Dallas cyberattack and what it says about broader U.S. infrastructure vulnerability. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The search continues Monday for Joseph Jakubowski, a Wisconsin man suspected of breaking into a gun store and stealing firearms last week. Jakubowski also released a video of himself preparing to mail a 161-page anti-government manifesto to President Trump. Some local schools were closed or on soft lockdown last week, and churches were on watch over the weekend. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden in Wisconsin for the latest. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
NPR’s Ron Elving (@NPRrelving) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss what the next steps might be for the Trump administration in Syria, following the airstrikes that President Trump ordered on a Syrian air base last week. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
High school seniors across the country are hearing back from colleges right now, and for those with acceptance letters, how should they plan to pay for college? Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with CBS News’ Jill Schlesinger (@jillonmoney), host of “Jill on Money and the podcast “Better Off. Jill On Money: How To Pay For College Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
After the U.S. airstrikes on Syria last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is attending the G-7 meeting in Italy. He’s seeking a unified front to pressure Moscow to distance itself from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson checks in with Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh (@DrJimWalshMIT) to see how the trip is playing out. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Brian Klaas, fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics and the author of The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is Aiding and Abetting the Decline of Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2017), looks at global trends toward authoritarianism.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. President Donald Trump has pledged to pursue an "America First" strategy both at home and internationally, but recent events in the Middle East have quickly put that practice to the test. Last week’s military strikes in Syria managed to garner support from some of the most vocal Trump critics, many of whom were quick to note that the strikes were not the same as an actual Syrian strategy. The lack of a full fledged strategy became more apparent over the weekend, when two members of the Trump team sent conflicting messages about what happens next. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told CNN that regime change would be necessary in Syria, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted on ABC that there had been little alteration in U.S. foreign policy, despite the events of the past week. Both cabinet members were, however, in agreement that the number one priority for the U.S. in the region remains targeting and defeating the Islamic State. The extremist group claimed responsibility on Sunday for bombings that targeted two Egyptian churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria, and took the lives of more than 40 people. In response, Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi has declared a three month state of emergency. Joining The Takeaway to explain what steps the U.S. might be taking next in the Middle East are Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez, U.S. foreign service officer from 1983 to 2015 and vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute, and Leslie Vinjamuri, associate professor in International Relations at SOAS, University of London and an associate fellow at London’s Chatham House.
Just weeks before President Trump’s inauguration, Stephen Hayes took over as editor in chief of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard — and immediately began adding new resources and expanding its staff. His goal: to ensure that his news organization stood out as the conservative alternative not only to mainstream media organizations, but also to conservative outlets which he says peddle fake and distorted news. Those sites and stories, he says, discredit not only conservative viewpoints and values, but also democracy. Hayes (@StephenFHayes) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss The Weekly Standard, and his efforts to combat fake news. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Sarah Dunn’s new novel “The Arrangement is a humorous, sometimes light-hearted, but in-the-end poignant look at life in a small, fictional town situated on the Hudson River in New York. The novel examines what happens when a 30-something couple launches a six month-long open marriage “arrangement, and along the way explores small-town life, raising special-needs children and ultimately, the very nature of marriage. Dunn is author of two previous novels, and creator of the new TV series “American Housewife on ABC. She joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss her new novel. Find more great reads on the Here & Now bookshelf Book Excerpt: ‘The Arrangement’ By Sarah Dunn After it was over, all of it, Lucy found herself making the point again and again that it had been a mutual decision. To her aunt Nancy, who was disgusted by the entire business and decided to pretend it never happened. To her sister, Anna, who was fascinated and demanded all the details. To the ladies of Beekman — the quiet few who envied her freedom and her daring, and the bigger, more vocal contingent who would have nothing more to do with her, who wanted her to Stay Away from Their Husbands — Lucy always said it had been a fully conscious and completely mutual decision. Nobody believed her, of course. These things are never mutual. One person always wants it more than the other, one of you is keeping a secret, somebody has a plan. But Lucy always said this about the Arrangement: it was a mutual decision, she and Owen both went into it with eyes wide open, and it had brought certain unfortunate things to light. It was a Saturday evening early that July. The leaves were bright green and the fireflies were out in force. Lucy and her old friend Victoria were in Lucy’s kitchen prepping food for the grill while their husbands were out on the deck drinking wine, but it could have just as easily been the other way around. Beekman was a town where men cooked at dinner parties. The men of Beekman not only cooked, they made things like pickles and cheese and beer and sauerkraut. They ground their own spices to rub on their pork tenderloins and made their own mayonnaise, just to see if it was worth it (it wasn’t). Even in- side Lucy’s head it sounded affected and awful, worse in a lot of ways than the Brooklyn so many of them had lived in before, the Brooklyn they’d either been priced out of or willingly fled, the Brooklyn that Victoria and Thom still called home. Victoria was painfully thin, and her skin was pale and al- ready crepey under her blue eyes. She teetered around on her trademark vintage heels, which made her look like she might trip and fall straight into late middle age. Thom, with his wild dark curls and two-day stubble that sparkled with flecks of gray, still looked good. “I called Frank the other day to see if he wanted to go hear this new band with us, Thom said to Owen — Thom and Victoria still had new bands they went to see, even though they had a five-year-old — “and he couldn’t, because he was going out to Hoboken to learn Japanese rope tying. “All I heard was ‘Japanese rope tying,’ Lucy said as she pushed the screen door open with the plate of cheese and grapes she was carrying. Victoria followed with two bottles of wine. “Oh my God, Thom, are you telling him about Frank and Jim? “Frank and Jim? Lu...
We’re just over three months into 2017, but already there have been nine retail bankruptcies, including Payless Shoe Source — as many as all of last year, according to Derek Thompson (@DKThomp), senior editor for The Atlantic. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson checks in with Thompson about what’s happening. The Atlantic: What In The World Is Causing The Retail Meltdown Of 2017? Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
America’s self-proclaimed toughest sheriff, Joe Arpaio, lost his re-election bid in Maricopa County, Arizona, in November. Now his successor, Paul Penzone, says he is shutting down one of Arpaio’s most-visible legacies: an outdoor jail known as Tent City that has attracted international attention over the course of more than two decades. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talked with Penzone about his plans, and has this report. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
More than 6 million animals enter animal shelters around the country every year — rescued dogs, cats and even pigs. And what happens to the animals that no one seems to want? While some shelters may euthanize, others go to great lengths to keep them alive. Kerry Klein (@EineKleineKerry) of Here & Now contributor Valley Public Radio in Fresno, California, reports on a creative solution to this supply-and-demand problem. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Mike DeBonis, Congress and national politics reporter for The Washington Post, and Jennifer Bendery, White House correspondent and congressional reporter for The Huffington Post, discuss the latest in national political news, including recent flip-flops on policies regarding health care and Syria. "Whether it’s Syria or the health bill, [President Trump] just wants to chalk up a win and move on," said Bendery. "He’s not that interested in being that consistent, he’s not wed to any policy issue, he wants to win and be popular."
Andrew Rice, contributing editor at New York Magazine, discusses the growing role and influence President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has in the new administration.
Kori Schake, research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, discusses the current situation in Syria, the message that the United States' airbase strike sent to the international community and what options are on the table as the Trump administration tries to forge ahead in the battle against ISIS.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Months after thousands demonstrated on the prairies of North Dakota, the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline is now complete, and oil will start flowing through it any day. Inside Energy, a collaborative public media journalism initiative, has produced an hour-long documentary called "Beyond Standing Rock" to showcase tribal fights over energy development. Leigh Paterson, a reporter for Inside Energy and producer and narrator for new documentary, weighs in today on The Takeaway. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear the full conversation with Leigh Paterson, and check out a trailer for the film below.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Law enforcement in Maricopa County, Arizona was a national spectacle for decades while the county was under the jurisdiction of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. First elected in 1993, Arpaio became known for his tough stance on crime, and his aggressive pursuit of undocumented immigrants. Arpaio was voted out of office last year, and his successor has already struck a new tone that is consistent with the new nationwide conversation on prison reform, jail closings, and an overhaul of the nation's approach to incarceration. Newly-elected Sherrif Paul Penzone has decided that one of his first official acts will be to close Arpaio's controversial Tent City Jail, which was constructed from Korean War military tents in 1993 and was created as a solution for over-crowded prisons. The outdoor camp was sweltering in the summers, but Penzone says that it is no longer necessary now that most of the county jails are less than three-quarters full. Jimmy Jenkins, a reporter for KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona, says the Tent City Jail is well known to residents in the state.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. For the first time in over a year, the Supreme Court is back to full capacity at nine justices following last Friday's "nuclear option" confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch. And that means it won't be long before his decisions can sway the previously divided four-four court. When the court resumes its current term on April 17, they'll hear oral arguments on a church-state separation case, "Church of Columbia v. Pauley," out of Missouri. Other cases in the short term involve gun rights and voting rights, as well as discussions on what appeals the court will hear from lower courts. Dahlia Lithwick, who writes about the Supreme Court and the law for Slate and hosts of the "Amicus" podcast, joins The Takeaway to break down the cases where Gorsuch could be the decisive vote. Â
Democrats are hoping to prove that the growing opposition to President Trump is very real with an upset in one — or possibly even two — upcoming special congressional elections. Their best chance is in Georgia's 6th District, where Republicans are scrambling to stop Democrat Jon Ossoff from winning the contest outright with a majority of the vote in an April 18 all-party primary. But now there's growing concern over a previously sleepy race in Kansas to replace new CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Fearing a low-turnout election and an underperforming GOP candidate, Republicans are sending in their cavalry at the eleventh hour to prevent an upset in the race that's headed to the polls Tuesday. That's still an unlikely outcome, but if Democrats keep the race in ruby red Kansas close, it could give them more momentum and optimism heading into Georgia the following week. Ossoff and Democrats hope to "Make Trump Furious" A 30-year-old documentary filmmaker and former congressional staffer, Ossoff has become a vehicle for the anti-Trump sentiment nationwide. He announced this week that he had raised an eye-popping $8.3 million in the race — an unheard of number for a congressional contest in such a short time. But 95 percent of that came from out-of-state donors, with the help of progressive blogs and celebrity endorsements. Still, that money has allowed him to dwarf his opponents on air and build an impressive field organization that's put him just within reach of winning with a majority outright on April 18 — a nearly unthinkable feat in an 18-candidate field. Republicans, at this point, just need to keep Ossoff below 50 percent and force him into a June 20 runoff, where they feel much better about the chances that one of several candidates who have emerged as top-tier challengers — most likely former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, Johns Creek City Councilman Bob Gray, state Sen. Judson Hill or former state Sen. Dan Moody — would have against Ossoff then. National Republican groups have poured about $4 million into the race to knock down Ossoff, looking to tie him to the still-toxic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and to argue he's tried to embellish his national security credentials. One ad last week from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a superPAC with ties to House leadership, went for the jugular by pointing out Ossoff's documentary company had received money from "Al Jazeera, a media outlet that has been described as a mouthpiece for terrorists." This is the type of district that's primed for a possible upset — even though now-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price won re-election easily here time after time, Trump carried Georgia's 6th District by only 1 point last year after Mitt Romney won it by 23 points in 2012. This is the northern Atlanta suburbs — a growing, diverse and well-educated area, just like the places where Trump struggled mightily last fall. With the GOP field fractured, Ossoff has been able to corral his considerable resources into a sizable advantage, and his best shot is to deliver a knockout punch and win the April 18 contest outright. If he's pushed into a runoff, and the race becomes a more traditional contest and GOP attacks have more time to permeate, winning Tom Price's old House seat looks much harder for Ossoff. Panic in Kansas? This contest on Tuesday is giving Republicans some late heartburn, as they're worried about a low-turnout contest, a depressed GOP base and an underperforming nominee. Unlike the Georgia district up for grabs next week, the 4th Congressional District in Kansas, which includes Wichita, is one Trump won comfortably by 27 points....
A controversy brewing in Chatham, N.J., began with a simple cartoon shown to students that taught the five pillars of Islam: "The first pillar means to believe in God. And he is the only God. And the prophet Mohammed peace be upon him is his messenger." A homework assignment followed in which two mothers said their children had to fill in the blanks of this sentence about Islamic belief systems: “There is no god but BLANK and BLANK is his messenger. The mothers, Libby Hilsenrath and Nancy Gayer, first complained at a sparsely attended school board meeting in February that their children were being indoctrinated in Islam. Unsatisfied with how the district handled their complaints, they then appeared on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" and alleged that the district was suppressing discussion about Christianity while proselytizing Islam. They added that they were called bigots by community members after first raising the issue. A heavily attended school board meeting followed, in which district officials explained that teaching Islam by 8th grade—along with other major world religions, from Christianity to Sikhism—is required by state law. The reason is it's important for students to differentiate between religions in an educational, not devotional, way. But that did not quell the controversy. In recent days the mothers have hired attorneys from a conservative law center to represent them. Neither the attorneys nor the mothers answered questions about whether they plan to sue. Superintendent Michael LaSusa told WNYC on Friday afternoon that he had just received a package with Nazi imagery all over it, but mostly there's been a groundswell of support from the community in the face of the unexpected controversy. The Chatham story has been extensively covered in conservative media like Breitbart, the far-right World Net Daily and most prominently on Fox News. But it is has received little coverage in the mainstream press. The coverage on conservative outlets includes false allegations like Christianity is banned from being taught, and it often does not include comment from the district officials themselves. Since Sept. 11 there have been a series of controversies involving Islam and Muslims—some would say contrived, faux controversies—that have lit fires on right-wing media. More recently, those controversies have centered on schools. Just a few weeks ago in South Carolina, parents complained to the local news about sixth graders who learned about Islam in school—even though like New Jersey, teaching Islam is actually a mandated part of the South Carolina curriculum. In Florida, the anti-Islam group ACT for America is petitioning a school district to include the alleged "horrific" acts of the prophet Mohammed in the curriculum. And in Texas, the state attorney general has raised questions about a room at the school that Muslim students use to pray. The mainstream news rarely covers these controversies, and therefore half of America doesn’t even know the concerns exist. The Chatham case has so far been one of those incidents, revealing growing cultural and political divides in the country.
New York will be the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students under a state budget approved by lawmakers Sunday. The plan crafted by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo will apply to any New York student whose family has an annual income of $125,000 or less. To qualify the student would have to meet certain class load and grade point average restrictions, and room and board would not be covered. "College is today what high school was 50 years ago," Cuomo said on a radio interview Sunday on AM 970 in New York City. "If you're a young person who wants success and a career, a college education is necessary. The initiative is included in a $153 billion state budget proposal that passed the state Senate late Sunday after being endorsed by the Assembly a day earlier. The budget was due by April 1, but difficult negotiations delayed passage. The tuition plan will be phased in over three years, with families making $100,000 or less annually eligible in the fall of 2017, with the threshold rising to $125,000 in 2019. Cuomo's office says some 940,000 families will qualify. The initiative also includes $19 million for a new tuition award program for students at private colleges. The governor's office estimates that the program will cost the state $163 million. The budget approved Sunday also includes provisions allowing the ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft to expand upstate and a juvenile justice reform known as `raise the age' that would raise the age of adult criminal responsibility from 16 to 18. Additionally, the spending plan increases funding for schools by $1.1 billion, holds the line on taxes, sets aside $200 million to fight heroin and opioid addiction and invests $2.5 billion for water quality and upgrades to the state's aging water and sewer systems. "That's a really, really good thing for the people of the state of New York and we got it done," said Senate Leader John Flanagan, R-Long Island. Raise the age emerged as a top priority for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and other Democrats and was one of the greatest sticking points for a budget. The agreement would raise the age slowly, to 17 in October 2018 and to 18 a year later, and would create new youth courts for felony offenses. Under the deal, young offenders would no longer be incarcerated in adult prisons and jails but would go to juvenile facilities where they could receive additional rehabilitation and treatment. Non-violent offenders could apply to have their criminal records sealed after a 10-year waiting period. Bronx Democratic Sen. Jamaal Bailey shot down opponents who have said the proposal gives teenagers a free pass and reiterated that it will instead allow youth who have made mistakes a chance at rehabilitation. "Ever been to a high school cafeteria? You're going to tell me that those are adults? That their brain development is the same as ours? No," Bailey said. Advocates say the measure will combat rampant recidivism in the youth criminal justice system because young people prosecuted as adults are 34 percent more likely to be re-arrested, often for crimes that are more serious than the initial offense. "This legislation will improve the lives of our youth, our families and our communities. It is also the best way to maintain public safety in New York," said Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy policy director Dorothy Hill in a statement. Similar reforms have been proposed in North Carolina, the only other state with such a young age of criminal responsibility. After years of failed attempts, Uber and Lyft finally would be able to move into upstate cities such as Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester and Albany. The ride-hailing apps have been limited to the New York City area but are expected to begin servic...
Guitarist/composer Matthew Stevens is a skilled sound manipulator, spinning delicate webs between jazz, rock, & experimental music. He joins us to play tunes from his latest, Preverbal.Â
A few months ago, a 60-something man was arrested in Brooklyn on a drug charge. As he waited in court for his arraignment, he worried he’d get sent to Rikers Island. "I wasn’t working full-time," he recalled. "So if bail would’ve been set, a minimum amount, I’d probably still be incarcerated." But that didn’t happen. The man, who asked that WNYC call him Richard to protect his identity and privacy, qualified for what’s called supervised release. It lets certain defendants accused of nonviolent crimes meet with case workers on a regular basis before their trials instead of having to post bail — which many can't afford. Proponents see supervised release as an important form of criminal justice reform, and a way to help the city reduce the population of Rikers. It was first used in Manhattan and Queens. Last April, the city expanded supervised release to the other boroughs with $17.8 million from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Through the end of February, 91 percent of all participants in supervised release citywide did not miss a single court appearance, according to city data. That includes Richard. By comparison, the city said about 87 percent of those who do post bail or who are released without any conditions return to court. And the rearrest rate for both groups was comparable, about 17 percent. Miriam Popper, program director at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, said this data is promising because her program is aimed at defendants who would normally be subject to bail because of their risk of flight — and might not be expected to have such a high return rate. "The most common charges we get coming in are property and drug crimes," she explained. "And they’re certainly not first-time offenders." Brooklyn Judge Michael Yavinsky has allowed many defendants to have supervised release. (Beth Fertig/WNYC) When someone is arrested, a judge considers their risk of flight when deciding whether to set bail. Those with a minimal risk are released on their own recognizance. Those with a moderate risk, but not too high, are now considered eligible for supervised release. The city's Criminal Justice Agency uses a risk assessment tool to examine their criminal history. Once a defendant is deemed eligible, a support agency screens them in time for their arraignment. "What we’re looking for is a community tie," said Jonathan Monsalve, deputy project director at Brooklyn Justice Initiatives, a project of the Center for Court Innovation, which is currently managing 150-200 clients in supervised release. Prosecutors can always object to a defense attorney's request for supervised release. Michael Yavinsky, the supervising judge for the Kings County criminal courthouse, estimates he’s granted supervised release in more than half the eligible cases he’s seen. "As far as I can tell the return rate is outstanding," he said. Those in supervised release check in with caseworkers at least once a month, depending on their risk of flight. The program isn't without concerns. Some defense attorneys worry it's including people who might otherwise be released on their own recognizance — though the city denies this. Last year, the Daily News reported on a man who was granted supervised release despite being charged with beating a parks department employee. The Broo...
Fady Joudah describes a car ride through a national park and observes wildlife, both living and dead. Produced by Sarah Geis.
Workers come and go through a turnstile during a shift change at the Whirlpool factory in Amiens, a provincial town about a two hour drive north from Paris. The U.S. appliance maker once employed more than 1,000 workers here. In 2002, it farmed out washing machines to Slovakia. And next year, the plant will close for good, moving operations to Poland. Longtime engineer Cecle Delpirou says most people have been working at this factory for 25 years. "That means we have given to Whirlpool the best half of our working life," she says. "And it is the time when you are the most efficient productive — between 20 and 50. So Whirlpool used our energy and now they say, okay, you can go to another company. It's not correct." "What really stings," says union representative Frederic Chanterelle, "is the clothes dryers manufactured in Poland will be sold back to the French." Chanterelle says multi-nationals care more about stockholders than employees. Globalization and the move from voting left to far right "Globalization means always more for the big guys and less for us," he says. "We have to constantly tighten our belts and they don't even wear belts. The people are going to rise up one day." Chanterelle says a lot of his members used to vote for the left, but this year they're going for Marine Le Pen. She's promised to impose huge tariffs on companies that follow Whirlpool's strategy. As for Emmanuel Macron, "he must have lost our address," says Chanterelle, "he's never shown up to talk to us." With less than two weeks before the first round of the French presidential election, no one can predict who will make it into the runoff on May 7. Far right candidate Marine Le Pen and political outsider Emmanuel Macron are currently the frontrunners. But many voters have yet to make up their minds, even in Macron's hometown. There's more to Amiens than shuttered factories. Amiens has a rich cultural heritage including a magnificent 13th century cathedral. The former industrial town has a growing services sector, and Amazon will soon open a distribution center, creating more than a thousand jobs. Life's great but many fear for their future Brigitte Fourr, the mayor of Amiens, says life is good in the city. But she says many people are scared of their future and Marine Le Pen is playing on that. "I feel like we're at a turning point in civilization and in political life," she says. "And in France we see those who are afraid of globalization – those who feel fragile and fear the future. And then there are those who say, 'OK, globalization is here, let's deal with it as best we can and go forward.' " Fourre is supporting the mainstream conservative candidate Francois Fillon, despite the scandals that have plagued his campaign. In a crazy, unpredictable election, she says, many people want to vote for a candidate that is experienced and not extremist. Young volunteers are handing out flyers for Emmanuel Macron. They say Macron's popular, though he's not considered a total hometown candidate because he moved away from Amiens when he was still a teenager. But Macron launched his new party here a year ago. He describes En Marche, which translates as On the Move, as a progressive, centrist party. Volunteer Olivier Williame says Macron has novel ideas. For example, he wants to train workers to find new jobs rather than try to save the old ones. "I think Macron is quite original because he proposes to think about globalization with a realistic view," Williame says. But Williame admits Macron's ideas can be nuanced and complex. So Le Pen's message of blaming globalization and foreigners for France's problems has an advantage. "Because the talk of the extreme right candidate is very simple," he says. "It's because of foreigners. So...
Exactly how incompetent you are. What your ex’s best friend really thinks of you. The approximate time that you will die. Some things in life are better not to know about. And sometimes there can be a benefit to not knowing. In this episode, examples of ignorance truly being bliss, or even being an asset.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE -- A special edition of Yesterday’s News exploring the criminal justice system at its most extreme: Inflicting the Death Penalty... Crime Club Founder Found Dead ___ Episode 134 takes place five months and one city block from Episode 133, Tears Of The Weeping Willow. They are otherwise unrelated, except that both incidents begin with sexual assaults that end in murder. In this one, an up-and-coming author and recent bride makes the grave mistake of opening the door of her upscale Manhattan East Side apartment to a young man who wanted to talk about her love seat. Without many clues to go on, police pin their hopes on a stray piece of twine left at the scene of the crime. ___ Theme Music by Dave Sams String Quartet no. 15 in Dm, K. 421 and String Quartet no. 19 in C 'Dissonant', K. 465 by Mozart, performed by the Musopen String Quartet. Media management by Sean R. Jones Production assistance by Emily Simer Braun bit.ly/1936titterton
On-Air Challenge: This puzzle is called "Artful." You will get clues for two words. Insert the letters A-R-T consecutively somewhere inside the first word to get the second one. Ex. Exclamation akin to "Yo!" / Robust --> HEY, HEARTY1. Singer who starred in Silkwood, Mask, and Moonshine / Reserve, as a plane or bus, for private use2. Strait between Alaska and Russia / Trading3. Light brown / Scottish cloth pattern4. Drunken spree / Someone who might help with that drunken spree5. Sofas / Graphic elements in ancient hieroglyphics Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge came from listener David Edelheit of Oyster Bay, N.Y. Think of four 4-letter proper names that are all anagrams of each other. Two of them are first names — one male and one female. The other two are well-known geographical names. What names are these? Puzzle answer: "Liam" and "Mila" turns into "Lima" and "Mali" Puzzle winner: Tom Rosen from Austin, Texas Next week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Joe Young of St. Cloud, Minn. It's a takeoff of one of my own from a few weeks ago. Name a well-known U.S. city in two words. Replace each of these words with a word that rhymes with it, and you'll name a large sea creature in two words. What is it? Submit Your Answer If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you. The deadline is Thursday, April 13 at 3 p.m. ET. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
"War Paint," a new Broadway musical about the rivalry between real-life makeup industry doyennes Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein, has a strange problem. It's too fair. You can almost hear someone backstage doling out goodies: one song for you, Elizabeth Arden. Now one for you, Helena Rubenstein. Was there a scene about how Arden dominated her husband, who seems to be her second-in-command (John Dossett)? Then there's one about how Rubenstein dominated her own second in command, Harry Fleming (a dapper Douglas Sills). These were strong, sometimes tyrannical women who created the beauty industry. Before them, makeup was worn only by actresses or prostitutes, not respectable women. But they turned that around and in the process, each became a self-made millionaire and created her own empire on Fifth Avenue. Clearly, they lead interesting lives. But you'd never know it, despite commanding performances from two lions of musical theater, Patti LuPone as the scrappy, Jewish immigrant Rubenstein, and Christine Ebersole as the elegant Arden, who aspires to join the Mayflower Club (she's refused, because she's a bit nouveu riche). The musical insists that all they want is to belong to the Fifth Avenue set (and maybe have better sales than the other). Those stakes seem rather...low, at least as they're portrayed here. The trouble is that the women never met in real life, so their stories are told in parallel. We learn a lot of facts about their histories and businesses, but not a lot about what motivates them. On stage, they only speak together once, at the end, in a scene created by the playwright. It has the snap much of the rest of the show lacks. Still, there's a lot that's scrumptious, like Catherine Zuber's eye-candy costumes, and it's a pleasure to see parade after parade of women in the 1930s through 1960s wearing society's best. But "War Paint" could have done with a little less panache — and a lot more plot. War Paint Book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, lyrics by Michael Korie; directed by Michael Greif At the Nederlander Theatre; open run
In the 1994 film Timecop, Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a police officer who uses a time machine to catch criminals. Time-traveling law enforcement may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but if one researcher has her way, it will soon become science fact. See what I did there? That paragraph encapsulates the most tired cliché of science writing: "It sounds like science fiction but it's true. " Sounds like Sci-Fi gets used everywhere, from CNN, to The New York Times, to yes ... here on NPR. And once you see it, you can't unsee it. The best examples usually include a reference to a mid-1990s sci-fi film, just to make crystal-clear what science fiction this particular science fact refers to. In 15 years of reporting, I've lost track of how many times I've run into "Sounds like Sci-Fi." And last year, I became a science editor here at NPR. NPR's Ethics Handbook carries a warning on cliches: "Reporters and news writers are under deadline pressure, and these are the phrases that spring to mind. The editor's job is not to let them get away with it." And yet, like Jean-Claude Van Damme's character in Timecop, I may need to violate the very guidelines I am sworn to enforce. A big part of our job on NPR's science desk is to tell you about the latest scientific findings. That involves cramming a lot of complicated science into a very small space, and hopefully presenting it in a way that prevents your eyes from glazing over. Science fiction plays an important role in two ways. First, most people are not familiar with the latest findings on antimatter, but they do know Star Trek. So if I can use Mr. Spock to introduce the concept, then I'm giving our readers and listeners something to grab on to: a little piece of the familiar in a story that is otherwise abstruse. (In fact, new research on antimatter was the one case in recent memory where I indulged in the cliché.) Second, science fiction often revolves around the moral questions of technology. It can help the public understand potential problems before they become real. Take for example, a gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9. While it's not yet well-known outside the world of science, this inscrutably-acronymed technology allows researchers to cut and paste genetic code like lines in a word-processing document. Researchers are already looking ahead to how such gene-editing might be used in humans to eliminate disease. Or, more worryingly, they could use CRISPR to create designer babies. It's the stuff of Brave New World but it's real. Actually, to keep truer to the trope, it's the stuff of the 1997 film Gattaca. And those two dystopic views of genetics are a good way to help people begin to grapple with the problems something like CRISPR might bring. We live in an era where the pace of change is quick. The lines between science fiction and science fact often blur. Science journalists will continue to pull from science fiction, and they will inevitab...
Before we headed out on our latest road trip for the Our Land series, we put a call out on social media, asking for ideas of places we should go in Arizona and New Mexico. Shannon Miller's suggestion really caught our attention: "White Sands are the only white gypsum 'sand' dunes in the world. They are actually crystals and it is beautiful." How could we resist? There's really no place like it on the planet: White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico. It's the world's largest gypsum dunefield, miles and miles of stunning white landscape. Here are some things to know: 1. "Beautiful" — Shannon Miller's description — is an understatement. The landscape is spectacular and otherworldly. "It's like you're in another planet," as park ranger Eugene Ibarra tells us. "The only thing that reminds you that you're still in planet Earth is that the sky is blue." 2. Most of the New Mexico dunefield actually lies outside the boundaries of the park. White Sands National Monument is dwarfed by the White Sands Missile Range, a military testing area for the U.S. Army, and most of the dunefield lies within that missile range. The world's first atomic bomb was detonated at the Trinity test site in the missile range, just 65 miles north of this park, on July 16, 1945. Several weeks later, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 3. They're not exactly the "only" white gypsum sand dunes in the world, but pretty close. The New Mexico dunes cover a vast area: 275 square miles. The next biggest gypsum dunefield is in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. Total dunefield area: about 3 square miles. 4. The dunes are made of the soft mineral gypsum, laid down 250 million years ago when the southwestern U.S. was covered by the Permian Sea. Later, that seabed was pushed up into the mountains that ring the basin that surrounds the area. Rainfall dissolves those deposits, carrying the gypsum down and replenishing these sand dunes, which shift constantly with the winds. 5. Even when the sun is broiling hot, the sand stays cool under your bare feet. That's because the sand is white, so it reflects back the heat and doesn't absorb it. 6. There are signs warning that there's no water available beyond the visitor center, but it's easy to forget just how unforgiving this park can be — because it's so beautiful. And people have died here. Just two summers ago, a mother and a father didn't bring enough water on their hike, and died along the Alkali Flat trail. Their 9-year-old son survived. 7. Because White Sands National Monument is right next to White Sands Missile Range, the park occasionally shuts down during missile testing. The park service also warns visitors to avoid anything that looks like unexploded ordinance. Another neighbor is Holloman Air Force Base. Three years ago, an unmanned drone aircraft from Holloman crashed inside the park, spilling jet fuel and scattering debris. Cleanup and environmental remediation has been slow; that part of the park is still off limits to visitors. 8. Park rangers lead daily sunset strolls through the dunes. Once the sun goes down, the sand gets pretty chilly underfoot. With a permit, you can also go horseback riding through the dunes. It's purely BYOH. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
It's been a week now and the issue is still unresolved: Did a tweet from Dan Scavino — Donald Trump's golf caddie turned presidential social media guru — violate the Hatch Act, a 1939 law barring federal employees in the executive branch (except the president and vice president) from participating in certain types of political activity on government time or using the government's resources? The tweet in question is pretty aggressive. It read: ".@realDonaldTrump is bringing auto plants & jobs back to Michigan. @justinamash is a big liability. #TrumpTrain, defeat him in primary." Scavino was going after Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group President Trump recently called out over their lack of cooperation and support in the recent struggle to pass a Republican Obamacare replacement bill. And just about as soon as it was sent on April 1, legal ethics experts had some problems with it, even calling for Scavino to be fired. And a group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an official complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, claiming that the distinction between Scavino's personal Twitter account and his professional one was virtually nonexistent. "The picture that came up when he used that is him standing in front of the Oval Office with the presidential flag," said Noah Bookbinder, CREW's executive director. "He also had a picture on his page which had Donald Trump speaking in front of the presidential seal. ... And so essentially the message that is going out is: this is the White House." Scavino's since changed the photos, and his bio. The Office of Special Counsel says that the Hatch Act prohibits certain federal employees from doing things like running for public office in a partisan election, or engaging in political activity while on duty, in the workplace, etc. While it seems straightforward enough, Kathleen Clark, an ethics law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, says the law can actually get pretty intricate when it comes to determining whether an employee has violated it. "I can't actually tell whether it was a violation of the Hatch Act because I don't know where he was when he tweeted about that congressional campaign," said Clark. She pointed out that there are some distinctions about when a federal employee can politick, and other times and places when they can't. "If Scavino tweeted from a government office, or in a government vehicle, and arguably from a government communications device... then it would appear that he violated the Hatch Act. It's not so clear to me that merely doing what he's permitted to do as a government employee — engage in partisan political activity away from the office, not using his public authority — it's not clear to me that he's violated the Hatch Act." Jonathan Turley, an ethics lawyer at George Washington University, said the fact that hairs that fine must be split to determine a violation of the Hatch Act speaks to the law's flaws. "The problem with the Hatch Act is it often comes down to a reading of Green Eggs and Ham; if you're in a goat with a boat you're probably in violation, but not if only one applies." Turley argues that things are just blurrier in our current digital lives. Most of us are constantly mixing professional and personal communications all day, often from one device, but through multiple social media accounts. "It's very hard for members of the White...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: Fresno County, in the heart of California’s Central Valley, is best known for its agricultural products and the vast majority of people picking those crops are immigrants from Mexico and Central America. More than half of Fresno County’s one million residents are Latino, and about 85-thousand are estimated to be undocumented. Like this woman we agreed to call “Gloria, a farm worker who came to the U.S. as a teenager 20 years ago. GLORIA: I left my family behind, my parents, my brothers, in Mexico, so I could come here to work. I’ve continued to work and never stopped. It’s heavy, heavy labor. JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: Even though the work is hard, Gloria says, she has a good life with her three American-born kids. But she’s afraid she might lose it all. GLORIA: I fear that AT any moment I can be separated from my children. JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: Gloria says many immigrants in Fresno are nervous about local law enforcement working with Federal Agents from Immigration, Customs and Enforcement – or “ICE. This highly publicized “ICE operation in February, resulting in 160 arrests in Los Angeles exacerbated those fears. It took place less than two weeks after President Trump signed his executive order broadening the types of individuals targeted for deportation. AIDA MACEDO: If you get deported by ICE, Child Protective Services cannot take custody of your children if you have somebody in charge. JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: Lawyers like Aida Macedo have fanned out across the county providing “know your rights trainings for immigrants. AIDA MACEDO: I think the community is just, to put it simply, is afraid to just be outside, to go outside. They’re afraid to be in trouble for a broken tail light. They’re afraid to be even close to a local law enforcement jail or place or anything like that. CORRECTIONS OFFICER: Arms straight down JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: At the Fresno County Jail, one of the first questions corrections officers will ask a new inmate is: “where were you born? Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims says it’s one way she’s cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. SHERIFF MIMS: So if they state a country other than the United States, that’s where ICE will take a look and determine their legality in the country. JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: ICE typically makes “detainer requests — asking local law enforcement to hold inmates suspected of immigration violations for up to two days beyond their scheduled release date. But that practice has been successfully challenged in court. So, instead, Mims now gives ICE agents access to the county jail’s database of bookings and criminal histories and allows ICE agents to interview inmates. MARGARET MIMS: At one time, all sheriffs in California respected the detainers and complied. Now, no sheriffs in California comply with those detainers. So I had a meeting with our local ICE office. And I said, “Well let me make it as easy as possible. You come into our jail where you can do your work and it will prevent somebody violent or a serious criminal from being released. JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: The jail informs all inmates of the procedure at booking. OFFICER: This is just notifying you that ICE will be looking at everybody’s records that comes in here, okay? MAN: Alright. JOANNE ELGART JENNINGS: Since Fresno started this in 2015, ICE has taken custody of more than 330 individuals right from the jail. Angelica Salcedo, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, says the program violates due process ri...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioHARI SREENIVASAN, PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND ANCHOR: If you add up all the college student loan debt in the United States, it stands at $1.4 trillion– with a T. That’s more than Americans owe on their credits cards or car loans and just about anything else except their homes. This month, as students begin deciding which universities they’ll attend in the fall, families increasingly want more proof that the high costs of a college degree are worth it. Beyond graduation rates, they’re looking for data on job placement rates and salaries. But getting that information reliably is not easy. “Wall Street Journal reporter Melissa Korn knows about that, as she researched her story. She joins me now in the studio. So, what’s so difficult about finding an apples-to-apples comparison of how students do when they graduate college? MELISSA KORN, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Nobody has the same apples. The federal government looks at graduation rates. They look at students who are enrolled for the first time on a full-time basis. So, meaning, they didn’t transfer somewhere. They didn’t stop in/stop out, and they are not going part time. And that leaves out a huge swath of students, of today’s college students, many of whom are adults attending school part time or started school, left, to go back to another school. So, even though the most basic graduation rate isn’t a very clear number. SREENIVASAN: One of the things that we forget is the sort of Hollywood notion of a four year residential experience is not the norm of how most people get their education after high school. KORN: Right, so that 40 percent of college students is now attending part time. That’s a huge shift over the past few decades. You have people who go to commuter schools, they go to school at night, they go to school online. They don’t live in Ivy covered dorms, it’s just not the way college is now for most people. So, this phrase of the nontraditional student, they’re now the traditional student. And getting data on them, getting really useful data on how they fare at college and how they fare afterwards is really hard. SREENIVASAN: What about that comparison? A lot of parents are thinking about is that is this student going to get a job or are they going to move back into my basement? KORN: I know parents don’t necessarily want their kids moving back into their basement. So, it really depends on what the student is going to be studying, and, you know, the broader economic conditions at the time of their graduation. So, it’s not very helpful to say — for a school to say 80 percent of our graduates are employed within six months of graduation, because that’s often self-reported data from the graduates. Six months after graduation doesn’t say much about where they will be five or ten years after graduation. It’s also an average. So, maybe all the engineers are employed but none of the film majors are. So, you really have to be drilling down department by department, major by major, and you can’t just rely on the schools for this information because they don’t have it themselves. They don’t do a great job tracking their graduates. SREENIVASAN: And they don’t really have an incentive to do so. KORN: Yes. SREENIVASAN: If anything, it kind of exposes their competitive advantage or disadvantage against other schools. KORN: Right. So, they have an incentive to highlight the really great success stories. SREENIVASAN: Sure. KORN: And when they have good numbers, they will boast about those. But oftentimes when...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioHARI SREENIVASAN, PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND ANCHOR: The Trump administration is revamping the H-1B visa program for highly educated and skilled foreign workers. The application period for the employer-sponsored visas opened last Monday, and by Friday, the 85,000 slots available were gone. This means, as usual, there will be a lottery for the H-1B visas later this year. Joining me from Miami to discuss changes to the program is “USA Today immigration reporter Alan Gomez. The H-1B visas, just to put people — kind of give them some perspective, this is something the tech industry has wanted and uses for a long time. ALAN GOMEZ, USA TODAY: Exactly. Companies like IBM, Microsoft, Google — they have been bringing in these workers for a very long time. What they argue is that’s just not enough American workers that are graduating in the STEM fields, in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, to fill all the jobs that they need. And so, they need to bring in these workers from oversees who are especially trained in these fields to augment and to build and to continue increasing their businesses. SREENIVASAN: It’s been controversy ever since it was introduced, there have been people complaining that this is taking away American jobs. GOMEZ: Yes, it has been incredibly controversial. I mean, we hear all about sort of how undocumented immigrants in the country are taking these lower skilled jobs from American workers, but that argument has absolutely carried over into the high-tech field. And the argument is that a lot of these companies that, you know, people claim are firing American workers, American computer programmers, technicians, systems analysts, IT workers, and getting rid of their higher salaries and replacing them with these H-1B workers who can come in and in some cases, do the work for cheaper. In some cases, like for example, last year, Disneyworld was accused of laying off hundreds of workers and even having them train their Indian replacements to take over their jobs. This is — so, this is something that has gotten a lot of people very upset and get a lot of traction throughout the Republican presidential campaign last year. SREENIVASAN: That wasn’t the intent of the law as it was designed. So, how does the Trump administration plan to fix it? GOMEZ: This is one of the areas that we’re not exactly sure where President Trump sits. There are people within his administration — for example, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been railing against the H-1B program for years. And so, we saw just on Monday, the Department of Justice issue a notice on that first phase of the H-1B applications saying that the Department of Justice was going to increase their audits of American companies and overseas companies that use these H-1B visas to crack down abuse and to make clear that they weren’t going to allow just basically entry level computer programmers to come in through the H-1B program to really focus the program on what it was intended to do — these very high skilled, very hard to find experts to bring in to the United States. SREENIVASAN: What’s the ripple effect if these audits take place or if the process slows down? GOMEZ: What could happen is you’ve got these tech companies — it’s already hard to get these. As you mentioned, there is I think one out of every three or four applications that are put in that actually get granted. So, that’s already hard to plan for something that you have to put an application in, it takes several months for it to come in. And then if the federal government comes ...
Admit it. You only clicked on this story because of the photo of that insanely cute mountain lion kitten. You just wanted to gaze into her (yes, it's a her) milky blue eyes. That's fair. But there's more to the story of this kitten. Researchers have named her P-54. She's no more than a few months old. And – this is the sad part – it's likely that she's the product of inbreeding. The kitten was born amidst the urban sprawl of Southern California in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the largest urban national park in the country. The recreation area is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, agricultural fields and greater Los Angeles. "Think of it like an island," says Jeff Sikich, a biologist for the National Park Service, who's been tracking the park's mountain lions in its steep chaparral-covered canyons for more than a decade. "[The mountain lions] are pretty much hemmed in by freeways and development on all sides." As a result, few cats – or other wildlife, for that matter – are able to come and go, so adult mountain lions resort to inbreeding. Researchers know that the kitten's mother is P-23. And they suspect the father is P-23's half-brother, P-30. They're waiting for genetic testing to confirm their suspicions. Sikich says it's unlikely that P-30 or other mountain lions know they're inbreeding. Male mountain lions don't stick around to raise their kids. But the results of inbreeding could be devastating to the population's future. Limited genetic diversity can lead to mutations and abnormalities. Sikich points to the Florida panther, a population that almost went extinct from inbreeding. Researchers started to find genetic defects in the animals – holes in the heart, kinked tails and low sperm counts – before wildlife managers introduced outside panthers into the population to mix things up. The same thing could start to happen in the Santa Monica Mountains. Sikich says they've only seen one outside mountain lion come into the park in the last 12 years. Others have been turned away by the freeways or killed by passing cars. "If that was to stay the same into the future, we could get to that Florida panther level in roughly 35 years," he says. "And then once we hit those levels, we can see pretty much 99 percent extinction within roughly 15 years." P-54 is a healthy kitten, Sikich says. And she'll have a better chance at long-term survival than she would if she was a boy. Most male mountain lions are killed by the park's dominant cats when they get old enough to leave their mother. Without a way to disperse outside of the mountains, they're put in competition with the older males. And it's not all bad. Sikich and other researchers are encouraged and excited that the kitten was born. "They are successfully reproducing and raising their young, which is a good thing," Sikich says. That's impressive, he says, when you consider they're large carnivores living just outside the second-largest urban area in the U.S. And the lessons they're learning by studying the animals and how they survive in an urban and fragmented habitat could be used in other parts of the country. The National Wildlife Federation says that habitat loss, like that caused by fragmentation, is the biggest threat to wildlife in the U.S. Park officials and wildlife advocates are hoping to address the fragmentation by building a wildlife overpass, which would connect the Santa Monica Mountains with other wilderness...
The CW's Jane the Virgin is both a send-up of and a love letter to Latin telenovelas. So, not surprisingly, its plot is a little complicated. In the first season, Jane (a virgin) becomes pregnant after being accidentally artificially inseminated with sperm from Rafael, a married businessman who starts to develop feelings for Jane. On top of that, Jane's father, telenovela star Rogelio De La Vega, is back in her life. From there, things only get more dramatic. Jaime Camil plays Jane's father on the show (now in its third season) and he's also a real-life telenovela star. He explains what sets telenovelas apart from American soap operas: "It's basically the same story with the same plot with the same actors told over and over again," he says, "but one story they're pirates, the other one they're accountants, the other one they run a PR firm. But it's basically the same thing, you know: The poor girl meets the rich guy but then the rich guy has a girlfriend. ... Lots of drama. Lots of intrigue." Interview Highlights On the character of Rogelio, who initially comes off as a vain, name-dropping celebrity It's a very balanced thing that we have to accomplish with Rogelio because otherwise, even though he's perceived as a comic relief, imagine a character that just throws pies ... again and again and again and again. It's like, OK, enough, I need some depth. I need something, because otherwise a character just becomes this superficial clown. And so I thank [creator] Jennie Urman and her amazing team of writers for that because they really write beautiful material for Rogelio. They keep him grounded and they give him this beautiful, dramatic weight when needed with this lighthearted comedic tone that he has. On how the show gives depth to its telenovela-style characters Every character, especially mine, we may live in a completely ridiculous universe, or, you know, outrageous universe, but every single character, we come from a sincere and honest place. It's not from the tip of your nose out, it's from your guts and out. And I think that's the difference. That's why, you know, when my character says phrases like, "I want my daughter to have the pleasure of knowing me," you're like, "Wait, what?" ... He just said something outrageous, but it comes from a very sincere and honest place. And also what the showrunner is accomplishing very successfully is portraying Latinos as normal human beings. Not because we're Latinos we have to be saying, "Ayayayayaaay!" in every single, you know, paragraph, or having piñatas hanging from the ceiling of our houses, or having our walls painted shocking pink. ... It's a beautiful [portrayal] of the story of human beings. They happen to be from a Latino/Hispanic background, but, you know, Jane's family could be from Turkey, they could be from Vietnam, they could be from Hungary. It's just a story about humans. On his career as a pop star and why he decided to transition to acting I have accepted myself as an actor that is able to sing, and I love that. I started this business [wanting] to be a singer. ... I studied opera ... and I have a couple of CDs out and they did very well and we sold platinum and everything. But to be honest, it's so much competition, especially in Latin America. ... In the U.S., for example, if you're a Will Smith and you're an actor and a singer and a producer, you're like, "Wow, that's amazing." ... But in Mexico or Latin America: "So, what are you? A singer or an actor?" You have to decide. ... And while I was pushing for my music career, the universe was sending me a lot of messages. ... [Mexican actress] Lucero called me and, "Hey, [producer] Carla Estrada is looking for the new antagonist, el villano" — the villain — "of the telenovela Mi Destino Eres Tú." I'm like, "Oh great, yes, I'm gonna do...
A few years ago Laura Kipnis — a tenured professor at Northwestern — published an essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education. In it she argued that the rules governing sexual relationships between students and professors had become draconian. The response was intense, eventually growing to include a Title IX investigation filed against Kipnis by two graduate students. She was ultimately cleared, but Kipnis has more to say. She tells me that Title IX, "which started out, you know, as something about equity for things like women's sports, was expanded in 2011 to include sexual harassment," including creating a hostile atmosphere on campuses. "Very vague sorts of things can now be charged under Title IX. So since then, because they didn't really specify how campuses should do this, there's just an incredible amount of overreach because all the campuses are afraid of losing their federal funding — and also being seen as soft on sexual assault." Interview Highlights On whether there is a sexual assault problem on campuses It is an issue, but it's a question about whether it's more of an issue now, or whether what's being defined as sexual assault is actually being expanded. And so there a lot of cases where you have unwanted sex or ambiguous sex being labeled after the fact as sexual assault, or even consent being withdrawn after the fact, sometimes even years after the fact — and I wrote about a case like that in the book. On deciding to write this book I was in, like, an advantageous situation because I have tenure at a research university. But what happened was, after I wrote about my Title IX — the piece was called "My Title IX Inquisition" — I was just deluged with letters and emails from people all over the country who'd been through similar procedures. Not for an essay, but for all manner of other things, including things like making eye contact that somebody else didn't like, or telling a joke in an off-campus bar that somebody thought was overly sexual. So I had just all of this information that's just not public, and people who have been charged are afraid of coming forward, because they can be charged with more crimes if they go public, and the same thing in my case — I could have been charged with more retaliation complaints by going public — so I did feel there needs to be more transparency around this process, and more of a public discussion about how Title IX is being used. On her eventual exoneration I almost thought the reason that I was cleared in this investigation was more to protect Title IX than necessarily to clear me. Because I do think that if I were found guilty of this charge and went public as I had said, I said I planned to write about the process, that Title IX would have come under a lot of scrutiny because of the abridgement of academic freedom, intellectual freedom. And I also do think the fear around speaking out about this stuff, and the paranoia around sex has meant an overall decline in intellectual freedom and the ability to ask tough questions about sexual politics on campus right now. On training students to deal with sexual harassment and assault I think women should be taught self-defense, physical self-defense. I think it changes your sense of yourself, your sense of agency, your ability to feel capable of dealing with situations where you are possibly threatened ... and I think we need to have honest discussions about drinking, and the amount of binge drinking and drinking to pass out that's going on. And that's n...
It's a Wednesday at Fantom Comics in Washington, D.C., and the store is bustling. Every Wednesday is New Comics Day — when subscribers come in to pick up the week's new titles, check in with each other, and talk comics. This Wednesday is no different. Well. It's a little different. I'm used to comics-shop chatter that revolves around things like which new books are worth checking out, what storylines have gone one way too long, and which hero could kick which other hero's butt. Generally speaking, the word demographics doesn't crop up as much as it does today. "We live in 2017," customer Erin Lisette tells me, "in a day and age where there are so many different demographics reading these comics, and most importantly, children! And it's like, GUYS. Maybe this was okay in the '30s, '40s, maybe even '50s, but come on: there are these kids with brown skin and different textured hair and all these different features reading these books and they never see themselves represented as the good guy. And that sucks." She's reacting to remarks made to the website ICv2 last week by Marvel Comics' VP of Sales, David Gabriel. He gave an interview about some of the feedback he had heard at a sales summit with the country's top comics shop owners and managers. "What we heard was that people didn't want any more diversity," he said. "They didn't want female characters out there. That's what we heard, whether we believe that or not. I don't know that that's really true, but that's what we saw in sales." He later clarified that even though some of those retailers weren't happy with recent Marvel decisions (decisions which include making Iron Man a young black woman — long story) the company's commitment to their increasingly diverse roster of heroes remained firm. Controversy It didn't much matter that only two of the retailers who attended the summit expressed misgivings about books featuring women and people of color, while the rest maintained that those books were selling well in their shops. The damage was done. The many, many headlines that followed — "Marvel Blames Diversity For Sales Slump," fueled a lot of online disbelief and outrage and thinkpieces offering alternative explanations for why Marvel's titles might be selling less. Fantom's second-in-command, Leah Ly, wonders if Marvel's recent strategy of big crossover events — mini-series that require readers to buy many different titles — might have some customers shying away. "Marvel's in a bit of event fatigue right now," she says, "because they've had two years of events, and people are a little tired." Other potential reasons for a recent Marvel's sales slump? Cover price (especially compared to DC, whose "Rebirth" relaunch featured reduced prices across their entire line, at least at first), and the fact that some of their top writers and artists are making the jump to independent publishers, where they can own the characters and the stories they tell. New readers But Ly is quick to point out that any readers and retailers who reject diversity aren't the whole story. There's a new comics readership coming in — she sees them every day — readers who are eager for different kinds of heroes. Readers like Lisa Fumia, visiting Fantom from Tulsa, Okla. "I'm a mixed woman," Fumia tells me, "so I would like to see more people color, and more people who look like me, or that I can at least somewhat identify with. I think that's important." So even if it's true that a core cohort of longtime readers prefer to stick to the old, male, white heroes, industry surveys show that the fastest growing demographic — there's that word again — of comics readers are women ...
Zeshan Bagewadi's new album, Vetted, sounds a lot like classic American funk and soul from the 1960s and '70s. The difference? He sometimes sings in Punjabi. Bagewadi was born in Chicago to parents who were Indian Muslim immigrants, and he learned about soul, funk and blues from his father's music collection. "Through his work as a journalist, [my father] covered concerts," Bagewadi explains to NPR's Scott Simon. "He also did profiles on certain movements here in America — literary movements, and did some work on the civil rights movement as well. And that very much informed his taste in music and aesthetics and style. "My father was enamored of the music that he grew up around in 1960s, 1970s India, and the music of Pakistan. But in addition to that, through his work as a journalist he was given insight into soul music here in America, and he had a collection of records of Otis Redding, of James Brown, Marvin Gaye. ... And I guess the byproduct of that is me," he says. For Bagewadi, soul isn't just a specific genre — it's a feeling that pervades American and Indo-Pakistani music alike. "There is soul music of India-Pakistan; it speaks of urban despair, of poverty, of unrequited love, of being down and out," he says. "And that was the plight of my parents, that was the plight of my grandparents. That's why they've decided to come here in search of something better. That zeitgeist is present in the music. And we know how to get down, we've got soul. We've got soul — it's in our food, it's in our music — and I feel very lucky to be a part of that." Hear the rest of Bagewadi's conversation with NPR's Scott Simon at the audio link. Web intern Jake Witz and web editor Rachel Horn contributed to this story. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Their Finest is a film within a film about making wartime movies in Britain. Bill Nighy stars as an aging matinee idol, unhappy that he's been cast in an older role. Gemma Arterton plays a young copywriter — the script department's secret weapon. It's during the Blitz, and they're tasked with making a British drama that will lift spirits at home and warm hearts across the ocean — a challenge that real filmmakers faced as well. "They made a lot of films during that period under very, very ... difficult circumstances," Nighy says. They were designed to "keep the country's spirits up during a savage, brutal time when they were bombarded daily by the German Air Force." Arterton and Nighy discussed quintessential Britishness and (his) rock n' roll legs with NPR's Scott Simon. Interview Highlights On British propaganda films Arterton: They were all kind of geared towards women. Propaganda filmmaking at that time was quite interesting and pushing boundaries. People wanted to see things that made them feel like they were being understood and spoken to. So films became actually quite naturalistic. ... And actually maybe that's where the kitchen sink drama [genre of the 1950s and '60s] kind of originated was in these propaganda films of that time ... It was mundane things like growing crops in your own garden or mending your own clothes — very mundane normal things were being shown on the big screen. On Arterton's character, Catrin Cole Arterton: My character is based on a real person called Diana Morgan who was a writer that was hired during the war to write "the nausea" — women's dialogue — for Ealing Studios, and she went on to write a lot of films for them. So I found the character to be original. I hadn't read anything like that before. I didn't know anything about that period of filmmaking for women. And it's actually quite rare to read something about a female writer, especially a screen writer. ... It was a very male dominated industry at that time. Sexism was everywhere and it just was the way things were. On Nighy's character, Ambrose Hilliard Nighy: He's a chronically self-absorbed, pompous actor in his declining years who's in almost perfect denial about how old he is. Everyone else in the world apart from Ambrose Hilliard is completely aware that he can no longer play romantic roles. The only person who has any doubt about that is Ambrose, and it has to be gently — and not so gently — explained to him that he can't play the leading man anymore. He's too old and he has to play drunken Uncle Frank. He warms up during the film. ... Gemma's character ... very cleverly gives him the job of teaching the young American actor who isn't an actor — he's a war hero — teaching him how to act, which is a brilliant stroke, because Ambrose is very flattered by that initially and it turns out he enjoys doing it. One of the redeeming factors about Ambrose is he is actually quite serious about acting and not just in a diva-ish status context. On everyone thinking they can act Nighy: As an actor, it dawns on you slowly that you have one of those jobs that it seems that most people in the world think they would not only probably be able to do if they'd been given half a chance, but they quietly imagine that they probably would be better at it than you are. ... And there are people that did a little acting now and again and they felt pretty good about it, and had they had the breaks ... I don't mind if everyone can act. I really don't mind. But it is occasionally sort of satisfying to discover that the thing you do is actually a thing — it's not just something some kind of fannying around. On when he realized he could make people laugh Nighy: I got a school report once that said ... "If Bill expended as much energy on his classwor...
I watched some of the wrenching, sickening images from the chemical weapons attack in the Idlib province of Syria this week that killed scores of people, many of them children, with our daughters. I'd reached for a remote control to roll past the pictures of innocent people, including so many children — foaming, writhing and gasping to breathe. But then I thought: No, this is our world. They should see some of this. We watched in silence. I've covered a lot of wars, but could think of nothing to say to make any sense. Finally one of our daughters asked, "Why would anyone do that?" I have always avoided using the word "evil" when covering terrible events, even those in Bosnia and Kosovo that would later be labeled war crimes. I was of a generation educated to believe that "evil" was a cartoonish moral concept, a word we used only when we didn't know what madness or imagined infraction might drive human beings to commit murder, even on a mass scale. As W.H. Auden put it in his poem, "September 1, 1939," written on the eve of World War II: I and the public knowWhat all schoolchildren learn,Those to whom evil is doneDo evil in return. I still avoid saying "evil" as a reporter. But as a parent, I've grown to feel it may be important to tell children about evil, as we struggle to explain cruel and incomprehensible behavior they may see not just in history — in whatever they will learn about the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur — but in our own times. I've interviewed Romeo Dallaire, the former Canadian general who commanded U.N. peacekeeping forces in Rwanda in 1993 and 1994. General Dallaire discovered Hutu soldiers were getting ready to massacre Tutsi civilians. But he was prevented by U.N. leadership from using his troops to try to stop the murders before they could take place. More than 800,000 Tutsi Rwandans were then slaughtered over three months. Romeo Dallaire said that what happened made him believe in evil, and even a force he called the devil. "I've negotiated with him," he told us, "shaken his hand. Yes. There is no doubt in my mind ... and the expression of evil to me is through the devil and the devil at work and possessing human beings and turning them into machines of destruction. ... And one of the evenings in my office, I was looking out the window and my senses felt that something was there with me that shifted me. I think that evil and good are playing themselves out and God is monitoring and looking at how we respond to it." Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
President Trump made the biggest move of his presidency so far Thursday night — he struck Syrian military targets after an apparent chemical weapons attack allegedly ordered by Syria's Bashar Assad against his own people. Trump can use this politically to paint himself as a strong leader who will act decisively. The move also came at a low point in his presidency, which has been marred lately by infighting in his White House and a lack of action on his domestic agenda. Between this Syria action, which his team is painting as a leadership moment, and the Senate's confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, Trump hopes to get his presidency on track. But the strike leaves more questions than answers, like how does it square with Trump's "America First" policy; does this mean a change in approach toward Syria and Russia; and, most importantly, what's next? Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are supporting the decision, even if with reservations on the Democratic side. As it is, the legal justification for the bombing is murky — as are all unilateral military actions by an American president without congressional approval. And, any wider effort would seem to demand action from Congress. We asked NPR reporters, from the political team to the international desk, to explore those and some other key questions below: 1. Is this a one-off or is there more to come and what would that mean? Tom Bowman, NPR Pentagon correspondent: There's no indication of further action. It was a narrowly focused mission. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is advocating for taking out the entire Syrian air force, but there's no indication the Trump administration will do that. The White House is likely to forge ahead with trying to defeat ISIS as the focus in Syria — with the help of the Turkish arm of the Kurds. The political solution that has been talked about is turning Syria into a confederated state, split into various parts only partially governed by Assad. This action is a feel-good kind of thing for Trump. Blow away aircraft; you don't kill any Russians, and that's it. It's good optics, like the Carrier deal. But there's a big question here. Trump saw those pictures of children suffering and killed from the attack, and everyone was obviously disgusted. But if you're someone in Syria, you might be asking, you got really upset over roughly 80 people being killed, but if they hit me with a conventional bomb, that's OK? Thousands have already been killed and millions displaced. 2. Does this limited bombing then change Assad's actions? Michelle Kelemen, State Department correspondent: That's a hard one to answer since he has crossed so many red lines without facing any consequences. Remember, President Obama threatened action if Assad used chemical weapons. Chemical weapons were used, and Obama ultimately didn't act militarily. Trump said this attack was "beyond a red line." But, as Will Dobson, NPR's senior supervising editor for the International Desk points out, what if this was a provocation from Assad? Bassma Kodmani, a Syrian opposition negotiator and former spokesperson for the Syrian National Council, in fact, told Kelemen in a story that aired Wednesday that the apparent use of chemical weapons by Assad was exactly that — a "provocation and a test." On whether this will change Assad's actions, Dobson says ask the Russians. Whether or not it changes Assad's action may be determined by Moscow, who will be asked to r...
On Tuesday, one of the worst chemical bombings occurred in Syria as dozens of people, including many children died from chemical bombs, and Thursday, the U.S. issued an airstrike on Syria. For this week’s Bonus Weekend Podcast, we wanted to look back at how we got here, so we’re revisiting three conversations we had about the horrific conflict in Syria. In 2012, Leonard spoke with Donatella Rovera, senior adviser on crisis response for Amnesty International, about her experiences visiting several towns in Syria. In 2014 Reese Erlich discussed his reporting on the Syrian Civil War. And in 2015 Leonard spoke with Frontline correspondent Martin Smith, who covered the government-controlled areas of Syria as the war escalated.
Here's a quick roundup of some of the mini-moments you may have missed on this week's Morning Edition. Bob is Nobel, officially. This has been a long time coming. And by long time, I mean since last October. Back then Bob Dylan was announced as the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature, and thus began the saga. It first started when Dylan was quiet for weeks afterward, making no announcement or acknowledgement of his award. Then when he broke his silence, he said he would to go the Swedish Academy for the Nobel ceremony and accept it. That, however, did not happen as planned. So as Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep said on Monday, when the long-time musician found himself in Stockholm for a concert, he thought it would be a good time to officially accept it. The ceremony was small, but Dylan did receive his award and afterward an academy representative called him "a very nice, kind man." You've got mail ... and KFC While it is National Letter Writing Month, and old-school enthusiasts might make an extra effort to send mail, postal services are still struggling as they have for quite some time. With less mail being sent, some countries are trying to find other ways to keep the institutions afloat. Last year, Finland rolled out a buddy program to help keep the country's elderly population company. This year, New Zealand is trying something new, too. As Morning Edition host Rachel Martin said on Tuesday, some residents in Tauranga, New Zealand, can get a crispy — and a bit greasy — chicken dinner along with their mail delivery. The New Zealand Post has partnered with Kentucky Fried Chicken to see if this program will help with the growing decline of mail. After all, we are in an age of instant gratification where the deliberate practice of writing out letters is lost on many, and a simple text can suffice. The program is still in a pilot stage with around 30 delivery drivers who will use their own vehicles to deliver that finger-licking-good chicken you love. And according to The Guardian, using mail trucks is not out of the question. It's Britney! In case you didn't know, Britney Spears is stronger than yesterday. Just how much stronger? Well let's just say she's so lucky, and she's a star, so she effectively postponed a primary election in another country. Yes, she's driving some people crazy, but here's the deal. As Morning Edition host David Greene said on Thursday, Israel's Labor Party had initially scheduled their primary election for July 3. Well, then the people decided it was politics against the music in Tel Aviv, where Spears has a concert scheduled that same day. A concert and a primary election on the same day might not sound like a toxic combination, but it turns out once this was on their radar a lot of people were worried about traffic congestion, and a lot of security guards were reportedly overcommitted. Does that mean Spears will be overprotected? I don't know. All in all, it seems like people had a good time with the news. The Labor Party's leader, Isaac Herzog has a nickname of Bougie. One Israeli TV station tweeted out, hit me Bougie one more time. People don't seem to be holding...
Two minor derailments in the last two weeks shut down Penn Station and led to major problems for New York City commuters. Amtrak accepted responsibility for the latest derailment – and New Jersey Gov Christie was only too happy to pile on the blame. "They're the owner of the rails, and they need to make sure they're safe for our people to travel on them," Christie said, "especially since our taxpayers both through taxes and through fares are paying an enormous amount for those rails to be in a state of good repair." The governor also threatened to withhold NJ Transit's rent payment to Amtrak for use of the tracks. Meanwhile, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker says this week's nightmare commute was "only a preview of what we are screaming toward right now in the Northeast." He says a failure to invest in big infrastructure projects will continue to hurt travelers and businesses all along the east coast. Andrea Bernstein, WNYC's Senior Editor for Politics & Policy joins host David Furst to talk about the region's aging infrastructure. Â
If slapstick isn't your thing, then turn around now. This farce is not for you. But if goofiness makes you giggle, then "The Play That Goes Wrong" may leave you gasping for breath. This British import started as a play above a London pub, created by recent graduates of the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. Eventually, it moved to the West End where it was cheered on by audiences. And now, it's landed on Broadway. It's a play-within-a-play that's being staged by the Cornley University Drama Society. When we're first introduced to the "director" of the Agatha Christie-like mystery set in a 1920s mansion, he's happy because to be working with a larger budget which allows for a larger space and more actors. "We will certainly be able to outshine our rather underfunded production of Roald Dahl's 'James and the...Peach,'" he says. "Or last Christmas's 'The Lion and the Wardrobe.' Or indeed our summer musical, 'Cat.'" What follows is a symphony of silliness, with the set falling apart piece by piece, often conking an actor's head in the process. It starts off funny and just gets funnier. I have some quibbles. Cutting a good 15 minutes or so (as well as the intermission) would make it swifter. And there's a bit too much cat-fighting for my taste. But otherwise, this play is just good fun — that literally brings down the house. The Play That Goes Wrong By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields; directed by Mark Bell Mischief Theatre at the Lyceum Theatre; open run
Amélie is a loner who observes the world instead of interacting with it. She sits in her Paris apartment looking out the window or in the Montmartre cafe where she works, and watches the unhappiness around her, transforming it into something magical and mysterious in her imagination. But one night, chance helps her discover a small box filled with a child's treasures. When she returns it to its owner and it brings him happiness, the course of her life is changed. She decides she wants to be someone who secretly brings joy to people — and by fulfilling that mission, she herself finds love. This was the plot of the 2001 film "Amélie" and the new Broadway musical follows along. The movie was aggressively whimsical, which people either loved or hated. Interestingly, when the musical goes that route, it's charming as when a nun strides by wearing an alligator mask. When Amélie meets her love, she's instantly surrounded by a flutter of hearts that pop out of briefcases. The production team has captured a surprising quirkiness that's often wonderful. But when the musical attempts to explore real feelings — loneliness, isolation, fear — the glow dims. It's not terrible. It's just meh. Part of the trouble is that Philippa Soo, who plays Amélie, often feels chilly and remote. Amélie is trapped in her head, but instead of letting us in, Soo's sprite pushes us away. This is surprising, because Soo is a genuine Broadway talent, who has showcased a range of emotions in her previous work, most notably "Hamilton." But the blurry ballads don't play to Soo's power pop vocal strength, and as her character becomes more and more fearful, the cuteness around her starts to feel tinged with mania. Instead of feeling like we're lucky to be part of her world, we pity her — and that pity takes the magic away. Amélie Book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Daniel Messé; directed by Pam MacKinnon At the Walker Kerr Theatre; open run
Despite pining for landline telephones, writer Virginia Heffernan sees magic in the potential of the internet.
Saturday 3 pm EST call in #347-989-8767 Tune in and let's build on the concept of a true Nation state. We will have special guest Mama Khandi & Saddam Khadafi of NBPP & Republic of New Afrika. We must discuss the pratical things we can do to actually have a functioning government of our own here in the hells & smells of North America. time to quit the idle chate and get in line with our own Nation State for self determination. The writting is on the wall and the foundation has been laid, all we have to do is put it together. Call in 347-989-8767, also the chat-room will be open. Follow on Twitter @BlackistandRBG https://www.facebook.com/PG.RepublicOfNewAfrika https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlackistandRadio/ www.khandipages.com pgrna.ecsa@gmail.com
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioThe post Assessing the aftermath of U.S. airstrikes in Syria appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioBy Sam Weber and Melanie Saltzman When it comes to humanitarian aid for Africa, traditionally it has meant taxpayer-funded programs like PEPFAR or privately-funded shipments of medical supplies, food and other goods. A non-profit organization called GiveDirectly is pioneering another approach in eastern Africa: giving cash unconditionally to the needy. The latest project involves providing what’s called a “universal basic income, whereby every adult in a designated area receives a regular cash payment. In tonight’s signature segment, NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Christopher Livesay reports from Kenya. CHRISTOPHER LIVESAY: Magline Awino Ndiwa lives in a rural village in western Kenya called Kaluande South. As a subsistence farmer, she and her husband struggle to support their five children. MAGLINE AWINO NDIWA: Most of the money that we get is always spent on school fees, because if we don’t pay the fees, they are sent home. CHRISTOPHER LIVESAY: For years, she’s made tough decisions on whether to pay those fees, buy food, or improve her tiny, mud-thatched home, with its leaky tin roof. Then, last year, a U.S. based nonprofit organization called “GiveDirectly came to her village and offered her $1000 in cash — ten times her annual earnings — and said she could spend it on whatever she wanted. 70 percent of the 281 families in this village received cash from GiveDirectly, which targets people living on less than $1 a day. Ndiwa used her cash to build this bigger house. How has life changed now that you’ve gotten this cash? MAGLINE AWINO NDIWA: It’s not easy to live with five children in a small house. But now I have a good home that’s not leaking and has enough space to accommodate all the children. I am happy. MICHAEL FAYE: The big idea was giving people money to make them less poor. It almost seems so obvious. CHRISTOPHER LIVESAY: Economist Michael Faye was one of four graduate students studying development economics who co-founded GiveDirectly in 2009. Unlike other aid groups that provide goods or services, nearly 90 percent of its donations go straight to recipients as cash. MICHAEL FAYE: We were frustrated with many of the same things that a lot of donors are frustrated with: Nonprofits are opaque, the money has to pass through multiple hands, and only a fraction of it winds up in the hands of the poor. CHRISTOPHER LIVESAY: Funded by private donors and foundations, including several based in Silicon Valley, GiveDirectly has distributed nearly 56 million dollars across western Kenya and Uganda since 2011, providing up to $1000 to 65,000 families with no strings attached. People use GiveDirectly’s cash in a wide variety of ways: Sylvanus Olweny Oluoch used the money to buy food, clothes and livestock. And build this modest new house. Daniel Omondi Odipo used part of his GiveDirectly grant to pay his wife’s dowry. And many recipients use the money to start a business. CHRISTOPHER LIVESAY: Chicken broth, some candy. I see toothpaste. Jane Aketch Orege opened this small general store and a barber shop next door. So there’s nothing keeping a recipient of this money from doing something with it that the donor doesn’t like? MICHAEL FAYE: That’s right. There’s obviously things that a lot of us would agree are bad — smoking, alcohol, and so on. But there are other things that we as donors t...
This week on The Best of Car Talk, our favorite depressed college freshman, Leah, checks in with an update on her whereabouts—physical and emotional. Did she adjust to life on campus and follow Tom and Ray's advice to embrace failure? Elsewhere, Andy wants to know if electronic gizmos can improve his Suburban's gas mileage to, say, 5 miles per gallon; Chris' Belvedere is growing flowers in the front seat and stinks of blue cheese; and the severity of Dan's coolant loss may be directly tied to his religious practices. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.
Many of us are living two lives – one, old-school analog and the other, cutting-edge digital. And that’s okay.
MP3 formatting compresses audio so that the file becomes 75 to 95 percent smaller. But what are we missing?
Novelist Hari Kunzru talks about listening through the scratch and hiss of old 78’s for the voice of the past.
If you can’t afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you – that’s how it’s supposed to work. But in New Orleans, the lawyer in charge of representing poor people accused of crimes is saying no. His office doesn’t have enough money or time to do a good job, he says, so he’s refusing … Continue reading If you can’t afford a lawyer ?
Why we must take care in eschewing analog imperfection in pursuit of more perfect digital sound.
Are you alone in that big old house now that the kids are gone? Or do you want to keep a close eye on Mom and Dad? Build a Tiny House! Today on Living it Up After50 we are talking to LA Davis, Tiny House Architect and the owner of Home School, teaching folks to build their own homes.Â
A couple summers ago, Sarah Kinlaw of the Brooklyn indie-rock band SOFTSPOT was on a boat off the coast of North Carolina with her father. A sudden thunderstorm swept in, disrupting the previously calm waters — and inspiring the song "Maritime Law," which appears on SOFTSPOT's new album, Clearing. "We just kind of waited it out," Kinlaw says of that storm. "I feel like it's very symbolic, because growing up ... I looked towards my parents for guidance, for safety, for comfort. And the symbol of just being out with him in an unpredictable setting and something which he couldn't control — that was powerful to me." Hear Kinlaw tell the story of "Maritime Law" at the audio link. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Susan Page, Washington bureau chief of USA TODAY, talks about the latest and political analysis of the United State's strike on a Syrian air base and other news from Washington, including the "nuclear" option and the Russia investigations.
Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, takes calls from listeners and discusses the City's siting plans of new homeless shelters and the plan forward to build smaller jails after the closure of Rikers, as well as whether a commercial rent tax relief is on the table for small businesses and how the City responds during global terrorist attacks.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Yesterday in Baltimore, everyone from civil rights leaders, to community organizers, to relatives of people killed by police, had three minutes to step before a federal judge, and tell their stories of police mistreatment in the city. In all, 49 people testified, part of a public hearing on a consent decree orchestrated between the city's police force and the Obama Justice Department that would issue a number of reforms for the police department. But this hearing almost didn't happen. Under a directive from new Attorney General Jeff Sessions to review all consent decrees — there are 14 in total, with cities from Ferguson to Seattle — the Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge James Bredar for a 90 day pause for the hearing earlier in the week after expressing "grave concern" about the process. The judge denied the DOJ's request, and the hearing proceeded yesterday. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who has been in office since December 2016, joins The Takeaway to discuss what happened at the hearing yesterday, and how the city's approach is an example for other cities undergoing police reform amidst the Trump Administration.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. If the role of the library is to create more informed citizens, then flagging and combating "fake news" could be the perfect task for librarians living in an era of "alternative facts" and half truths. Mike Barker, director of academy research, information and library services at Phillips Academy, and Gosia Stergios, associate director of academy research at Phillips Academy, would like to see a network of librarians deployed across the country to work as the nation's official fact checkers. Stergios and Barker also believe librarians could effectively partner with the likes of Facebook, Google, and Twitter to improve the quality of information shared online.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Founded in 1848, the Boston Public Library (BPL) was a pioneer in library services in the United States. Fast forward to present day, and patrons at the Central Library in Copley Square are enjoying the benefits of a $78 million renovation of the library’s Johnson building. The renovation that was completed last summer, and it has transformed the space and brought with it a whole host of new and exciting state of the art services for visitors. What makes for an outstanding public library in the 21st century? David Leonard, the president of the Boston Public Library, says BPL has embraced the challenges that many libraries are facing in the digital age. John Palfrey, the founding chairman of the Digital Public Library of America, which is based at the Boston Public Library, discusses the role of libraries as both physical and digital spaces. Palfrey is the author of a number of books including: "BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google." He is currently head of school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
Joe has the LG G6 and Chris has the Moto G5 Plus. Two phones on opposite sides of the spectrum. The guys talk about their impressions with the devices and much more. Top Stories LG G6 & Moto G5 Plus Quick Hits Andy Rubin teases bezeless phone Apple Carplay vs Android Auto video HTC has shipped 2.1 million Pixel phones, Pixel 3 up for grabs Samsung: Don't expect foldable phones until 2019 Wins/Fails Joe: Pebble watches will keep working / Facebook stories Chris: Thinnest cases for the Pixel / Ostrich made Chris cry App Picks Joe: Precise Volume Chris: All in one Gestures (Bixby remapping app)
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
With the deadline for high school seniors to pick a college approaching, students — and their parents — are considering how to pay for the financial burden of higher education.
For the first time since 1998, a Quinnipiac Poll found that more New York City fans would root for the Mets over the Yankees in a Subway Series. To find out what's behind the shift, Morning Edition's Richard Hake spoke with Harry Enten, a senior writer at FiveThirtyEight.com. "Wins and losses are a big part of it," Enten said. In recent years, the Mets have just been better. The other reason, he said, is that many younger fans never got to see the Yankees in their prime: "The Derek Jeter Yankees. The Darryl Strawberry Yankees. The Paul O'Neill Yankees. They have no real memory of that."
Dozens of Crown Heights residents showed up at a town hall meeting Thursday evening to oppose the opening of a new family shelter in their neighborhood, part of Mayor de Blasio’s plan to open 90 new shelters citywide. This shelter is supposed to house 132 homeless families with children who are also from Crown Heights. But in this community district, which already has 15 shelters, Dion Ashman had a message for the Mayor: open a shelter in his own neighborhood. “Let him know before he even touches Crown Heights again that he needs to put that shelter in Park Slope, he said. Ashman said he'd spent 53 years in the neighborhood and worked on improving it. Now, he’s devising a plan to protect Crown Heights from taking on even more shelters. “We will be moving forward with a great deal of action, he said. He said that may include following in the footsteps of residents from a neighboring community district. They got a preliminary injunction against a shelter for senior men that was supposed to open last month. Another resident who came to Thursday's town hall, Ann McKenna, said she’s opposed to the family shelter because she believes the homeless already have a negative impact on her neighborhood. “They loiter in the subway. They loiter in the streets, she said. “They beg people for money and follow people. The city said it plans to open the family shelter in Crown Heights in May, but reduce the overall number of shelters in the district to six by the end of June.
Thurs Night Live on Curves In 3D Radio 04/06/2017 Special Guest Jessica Endendo Mrs Financially Savvy 2017 WIBP 8 Countercultural Decisions to Find Financial Freedom Written by Joshua Becker Financial advice abounds everywhere we look. It is not difficult to discover. And yet, the statistics paint an ugly picture that it may not be working so well. The average American family still holds $6,700 in credit card debt and 76% live paycheck-to-paycheck. Unfortunately, most people think more money is the answer. And while there may be some truth to this solution, most of us would readily admit that our most basic needs (food, shelter, and clothing) are financially covered. It appears then that most of our financial troubles are not based in need, but in cultural expectations—that because we live in a society based almost entirely on consumption and the promotion of it, we have too subtly bought into the lies and built our lives upon them far more than we realize. Perhaps, then, the pathway to financial freedom requires a bolder, more countercultural approach. One that intentionally begins to question the messages we believe and looks elsewhere for answers. To that end, consider this list of 8 Bold, Countercultural Decisions to Find Financial Freedom. Purchase based on necessity, not possibility. ... Never carry a car payment. ...In dual-income households, don't spend the lesser income. ...Avoid alcohol. ...Never retire. ...Pay with cash. ...Give away (at least) 10%. ...Put the spender in charge of family finances. I am excited about this series and I pray that many small business owners will benefit from it! Get DEBT Free
Paul Valdez loved making dresses with his grandmother at her bridal shop in Santa Fe, but one particular dress he didn’t want to make… Check out Paul in his upcoming competition in the International Gay Rodeo this August and check him out at JewelBox Cabaret in Santa Fe. Add him on Facebook. Producer: Jazmin Aguilera Sound Design: Renzo Gorrio
YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told from historic newspapers in the golden age of yellow journalism... The Trial Of Vera Stretz The next two episodes of True Crime Historian will be a pair of murders, of sorts, as they both took place within a swank New York City block of each other within months of each other. First up, Episode 133 is the story of a scholarly young artist whose married fiance tries to take things too far. This story is performed by True Crime Historian producer Emily Simer Braun, reprising the role of Alice Cogan, ace reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, whose wise-cracking reporting we first heard in episode 16, “Momsies Deadly Love. Theme Music by Dave Sams String Quartet no. 6 in Fm, Op. 80 by Felix Mendelssohn performed by the Musopen String Quartet Media management by Sean R. Jones Production assistance by Emily Simer Braun ___ bit.ly/1936stretz
Death, Sex, and Money, is one of our favorite podcasts over at WNYC, and we’re featuring special story from their archives. Emma's a single mom and supports her family with the income she makes from sex work. The money's good. But she struggles with the secrecy, and the shame. Please note that this story does have some explicit content, so it’s probably not a great idea for kids to listen. Producer: Anna Sale
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight: reflections on coming to the United States from author Alia Malek, who considers the various journeys Syrian refugees take on their many roads from Damascus. ALIA MALEK, Journalist: In September 2015, I felt I had to drop everything and go to Turkey to report on Syrians as they hurriedly made their way to Europe, trying to beat the rapidly closing borders. As a Syrian-American, their fate was one I had only accidentally been spared. As I accompanied them on this journey, I couldn’t help thinking of how different their circumstances were from how my own Syrian family had ended up in the diaspora, of how my mother, pregnant with me, herself had left Damascus. Unlike the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings and the trek through the Balkans, her trip itself wasn’t treacherous, and it wasn’t undignified. She was traveling to Baltimore to join my father, a medical resident at the University of Maryland. While emotionally painful, her journey couldn’t have been easier. She wasn’t facing imminent death or displacement, as people are today. In fact, both my parents meant to eventually return to their homeland. But when it became clear what life would be like under the Assad regime, they gave up their dream to return. Years after all their children were born American, they too finally became naturalized Americans. When my family arrived here in the ’70s, being Syrian wasn’t a barrier to becoming American. Even if Arabs weren’t well-perceived generally, Syrians specifically didn’t hold much of a place in the American imagination or consciousness. In fact, I remember the best a schoolyard bully could do was tell me that, as a Syrian, I ate too much cereal. Oh, for those days. In these past six years, as Syria has disintegrated, taken over the headlines, and as Syrians have become the foreign menace of the day, I have often thought about the vagaries of fate, of how accidental and unintended occurrences are what separate me from the Syrians unfairly maligned, banned, and banished today, how our lot depends on when we decided to leave, where we landed, and how we got there, whether we boarded flights with regular tickets and visas, or were piled on top of each other on flimsy rafts and left to drift across the sea unguided, how our future depends on what suffix happens to follow Syrian on arrival. Is it refugee? Is it immigrant? Is it American? I’m lucky to be that last one. A Syrian mother I was traveling with across Europe worried at each new border, what would happen to her children? In Syria, they had been comfortably working class. Her husband was a baker, and she was a stay-at-home mom. At the beginning of the trip, her children were horrified to have to relieve themselves outdoors and in public. Within days, though, she was pained to see how they had quickly adjusted to their new reality. I instead approached each crossing with a guilty confidence of a passport-carrying American. I was completely aware that my fortune was in large part by chance and circumstance. But, rather than make me unique, I imagine that makes me like many other Americans whose families were also once upon the time among the lucky, favored by fate to have made it to these shores when and how we did. JUDY WOODRUFF: And that’s a perspective we need to hear, Alia Malek. The post What makes me different from today’s Syrian refugees? Just fate and timing appeared first on
Every month, a group of scientists hold court at a bar in Brooklyn, taking on topics like the moon, orbits, and whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. It's called for Astronomy on Tap, and in March, dozens gathered at the Way Station in Prospect Heights for the program's latest topic: Political Science. The astrophysicists who lecture leave behind their day jobs — and their formal titles — and go by names like Tycho Brewhaha, DJ Carly Sagan, and MC Stardust. And they really get into character: Carly Sagan, also known as astronomer Emily Rice, was wearing a neon orange wig, big horn-rimmed glasses, leggings with planets all over them, and a string around her neck holding a telescope pendant printed in a 3-D printer. “Scientists are sometimes thought of as, like, smart people…maybe even uptight, you know, very polished, very practiced, Rice said. “But, like, we’re not! We’re real people, we can be fun! Part of Astronomy on Tap’s mission is to bring people face-to-face with scientists like Rice. It’s also about making science accessible — and free and fun — for the general public. Organizers said that in this program, they wanted to address political policies that could affect scientists and their work. The result is a wide-ranging line-up, from a discussion of refugee scientists like Maria Goeppert Mayer, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, to a tongue-in-cheek talk on what quantum physics and U.S. visas have in common. Astrophysicist Summer Ash drove home the point that immigration policies impact science, too. “Scientists need to roam through the world and scientists do take care of each other, she said. “I hope that this helps you see and think about the whole Muslim ban and these travel restrictions that affect scientists — they affect science. Astronomy on Tap's next event, on April 27. They'll be talking about dinosaurs.
Former United States Attorney Preet Bharara took the stage at Cooper Union Thursday night, marking his first public speech since he was fired by the Trump administration — along with 45 other US — attorneys nearly a month ago. The ticketed event was announced in February but sold out the weekend of Bharara’s firing. Those expecting a taste of Bharara's bravado were not disappointed. He opened with series of jokes about crowd size, a reference to President Trump’s often disputed account of the turnout at his inauguration compared to President Obama’s. He spoke gratefully and graciously about the work he did with colleagues in the Southern District Office, thanking many individuals by name. Then, he delivered a pointed message about holding leaders accountable, taking a swipe at New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's ill-fated Moreland Commission. “When a public corruption commission gets abruptly shut down for nonsensical reasons, you're allowed to be angry about that and you're allowed to call B-S when you see it, Bharara said to applause. The former federal prosecutor insisted he has no plans to run for office, “just like I have no plans to join the circus, Bharara said adding, “and I mean no offense to the circus. But Bharara is also not biting his tongue. He referred to the Trump administration as "neophyte opportunists." “You don't drain a swamp with a slogan, said Bharara. “To drain a swamp, you need an army corps of engineers, experts schooled in service and serious purpose, not do-nothing, say-anything, neophyte opportunists who know a lot about how to bully and bluster but not so much about truth, justice and fairness, he said. Bharara’s solution? “Active citizenship is desperately needed now more than ever, he said, “individually and collectively.
Earlier this week, the Syrian government dropped a chemical weapon on its people. The result was mass condemnation by the international community—and a decisive move by the United States. Find out what leaders are saying.
Bill Littlefield and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss the U.S. women's soccer team's new deal, the winners of the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments, and a world record attempt at a Sochi Olympic resort.
Social trends find their way to our fitness centers whether we want them to or not. Elissa Ely tells a story of an unusual trip to the gym.
Twenty years ago, Elliott Smith opened a door into a hypnotic new world. The album, “Either/Or, released on Kill Rock Stars records, marks a turning point in Smith’s transition from Portland rock journeyman to international star. This time had enormous consequences for Smith personally and professionally. But it also gave us heart-stopping music that continues to inspire fans and musicians all over the world. We sat down with Smith’s friends, peers, and a live studio audience to talk about “Either/Or and Smith’s legacy. Smith’s ultra-reflective songwriting and well-honed recording style represent an apex of the DIY sound that made Portland’s name during its intensely fertile 1990’s. His music continues to inspire people like Frank Ocean, Ben Gibbard, Wayne Coyne, and many others. How is that an artist whose inner life was so tumultuous put together some of the most meticulously-crafted music to come out of Portland? And what memories does “Either/Or preserve of a time before Portland’s turn in the national spotlight, when creative people came to follow their inner voices? Our guests: • Larry Crane of Jackpot Recording Studio was a longtime friend and collaborator, and has assumed the role of archivist of Smith’s catalogue. He tells us about what he’s observed of the record through the years, leading up tot he re-release of a re-mastered, extended edition of “Either/Or. • Slim Moon, founder of Kill Rock Stars Records, worked with Smith to release two studio records, including “Either/Or. The label also shepherded the release of some posthumous material. Moon’s perspective puts Smith in the context of a constellation of regional and national artists of the time. Plus, listen for loving covers of tracks from the album: • Luz Elena Mendoza and Ali Clarys (Y La Bamba, Tiburones) — “Speed Trials • Catherine Feeny + band — “Between the Bars • The Secret Sea (Amit Erez) — “Angeles and “Southern Belle • Matt Drenik — “2:45AM • Sean Croghan — “Alameda
The U.S. economy added 98,000 jobs in March, which was about half what economists had expected. Friday’s report from the Labor Department had better news for the unemployment rate. It fell to 4.5 percent — a low not seen in nearly a decade. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson gets the latest from Michael Regan (@Reganonymous) of Bloomberg News. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
In Georgia, some undocumented students are turning to civil rights-era leaders to fight for education rights. They say restrictions they face now still smack of Jim Crow. Not everyone agrees.
Journalists Rick Klein (@RickKlein) and Maria Elena Salinas (@MariaESalinas) join Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss the missile strikes that President Trump ordered Thursday night on an air base in Syria. Also, the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee of Neil Gorsuch. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: Now, as we approach the Jewish holiday of Passover, we have a new addition to the NewsHour Bookshelf. It’s a celebration of cooking and tradition. JOAN NATHAN, Author, “King Solomon’s Table: When I started the book, I decided I really wanted to go to India, because I knew there was a Jewish community there. And when I got to the synagogue in Cochin, it said that Jews had been coming from the time of King Solomon. And I thought, wow. JUDY WOODRUFF: And with that, celebrated food authority Joan Nathan started her 11th cookbook, “King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World, with recipes handed down from generation to generation. What you have done in this book is, you take us to different parts of the world. And then you show us these incredible dishes. How in the world did you pull all this together? JOAN NATHAN: I went to a lot of places in the world, but I could find these immigrants from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in Brooklyn, or Iranian Jews in L.A. And then I found pockets like in El Salvador, in Cuba. I found people that told me about stories that I had never heard before. JUDY WOODRUFF: How did you decide which foods to choose? JOAN NATHAN: You know what? I find a really wonderful dish. Then I go with it. For example, I went to an Ethiopian Jewish dinner in California. It was in San Diego. And I went to a Shabbat dinner. So they had this dabos, which is an Ethiopian Shabbat bread, adapted, of course, from an Ethiopian bread. It was so delicious, I thought, I have got to put that in the book. JUDY WOODRUFF: And the other thing that we’re standing in front of is this flourless chocolate cake, which came out of someone who came from Egypt. JOAN NATHAN: From Egypt. And, you know, flourless chocolate cake is part of our seder every year. You can’t have wheat, or flour in — unless its specially watched flour, in your desserts. And I always liked having a flourless chocolate cake. And I thought maybe you would help me decorate it. JUDY WOODRUFF: Good. I’m going to do a little of this while you’re talking. JOAN NATHAN: That’s right. That looks beautiful. I have been very lucky through the years that people have opened up to me all over the world. And like, for example, I wanted to get Iraqi recipes, but I couldn’t go to Iraq. But I was told that the best Iraqi cooks live in London. So, I went to London, and I got a wonderful Passover macaroon. And then somebody told me about a recipe called shritzla. And it was a blueberry bun that people in Toronto ate. And I learned that it came from Southwest Poland. And the woman that made it, if she hadn’t come over very early, my guess is that that recipe would have been lost. In Southwest Poland, the religious Jews, when the Nazis came in, they just took them out. So, this recipe, I saved a recipe for other people, because most people we killed. I mean, these are stories that are quite amazing. JUDY WOODRUFF: And you have kept them alive. JOAN NATHAN: Well, I have tried to keep them alive. And I have often thought, what’s the difference between Jewish cooking and other cooking? You know, this could be any immigrant food in many ways. But it’s Jewish immigrants for, I think, three reasons. One is because of the dietary laws. You know, you can’t mix milk and meat. You can’t eat certain shellfish, so that what happens is, Jewish people think about their food a lot. And they like to eat. They’re obsessed about it. And most food is connected to a holiday. So, that...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: But, first, to the analysis of Shields and Brooks. That’s syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks, who joins us from New York. And welcome, gentlemen. MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated Columnist: Judy. JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Mark, let’s start out by talking about the attack launched against Syria. Was this — what do you make of it? MARK SHIELDS: Well, first of all, the previous discussion is well worth listening to again and again. Each of them was — made, I thought, incredibly perceptive points. The thing that amazes me is the president’s transformation is kind of, what moves this president? This president, who had his United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, as recently as last week say that this was no longer a priority, removing — we’re living with Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and to have the secretary of state say it’s up to the people of Syria. Is that the five million refugees to vote absentee, to vote to remove him from office? But — and he’s unmoved, Judy — he’s been unmoved by the unforgettable image of Omran Daqneesh, the little 5-year-old boy who was covered with dust and blood and debris after an Aleppo bombing by the Russians that killed his 10-year-old brother. JUDY WOODRUFF: Years of killing. MARK SHIELDS: And unmoved by the 3-year-old Alan Kurdi on the beach drowned as a refugee. But he obviously was moved by this, or appeared to be. It seemed to be an epiphany of sorts. But I think Colonel Bacevich asked the penetrating question. And that is, what’s next? Is this just an impulse? Is this just a reaction, an altogether legitimate reaction? But is it part of a strategy? Because military action, absent strategy, we have seen it, we have paid for it, the world has paid for it, and human beings have paid the ultimate sacrifice for it. JUDY WOODRUFF: What is your take on the Syria strike, David? DAVID BROOKS, The New York Times: The question what’s next strikes me as a secondary question. The primary question is, what are we going to do about chemical warfare? A hundred years ago, right now, World War I was going on, and there people were being gassed in the trenches. And the fact that the world community has basically tried to eliminate chemical weapons since that time strikes me as a great achievement. And to go back on that would be a great step backward for civilization. And Barack Obama, unfortunately, didn’t do anything when chemical weapons were used. So, I think it was incumbent upon the U.S. to do something when chemical weapons were used. Does this signal some grand change of strategy in the Middle East? I sort of doubt it. But at least we set this precedent on this particular issue. Now, question, I think it was probably totally impulsive of President Trump to do this. He’s an impulsive person. And we’re stuck the downsides of his impulsivity. But there are upsides to having an impulsive president, because nobody in the world, especially in places like North Korea, quite knows what’s going to happen. And so, frankly, there are some advantages to that. MARK SHIELDS: I could not disagree more. We had an impulsive president in George W. Bush. The last time the Congress of the United States, 15 years ago, recognized and accepted its constitutional responsibility, its sole authority to take the United States into war, their capacity to declare war, the power to declare war and send Americans, they did it on the eve of the election of 2002, when it was to their political advantage, and not once since, despite the best efforts of...
Persecution against Christians in rising in India, but one Spirit-filled pastor says he sees signs of revival rising even more. Hear how miracles are happening even through the hurt.
Leo Ferris helped found the NBA and was the co-creator of the 24-second shot clock. But after he left the game in 1954, his contributions were largely forgotten. Now his family is fighting to get him into the Hall of Fame.
A first place finish in the kayak slalom at the 2012 London Olympics meant more than a gold medal for Daniele Molmenti. He and his cousin, Fede Celot, had to honor their bet — and buy a vineyard.
There's the story that's been told about the invention of basketball's shot clock. And then there's the true story. This week on Only A Game, the life and death of Leo Ferris, the NBA's co-founder history almost forgot. Plus, NPR Weekend Edition host/Cubs fan Scott Simon tells the story of an infamous (and blue) managerial rant. And an Olympic bet that resulted in a vineyard. Join us!
After a year of community outreach and input from organizations including the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the New York Police Department is proposing a new body camera policy. Later this month, 1,200 officers across 20 precincts will be fitted with the devices. How the cameras and its footage will be used has been determined with the help of the public. Barry Friedman, a law professor at NYU and the director of the Policing Project, the organization that shaped the policy-making process, said some 25,000 people, plus 5,000 police officers, filled in questionnaires, parts of which NYPD officials then incorporated in the final proposal. Friedman told WNYC's Jami Floyd that this kind of public input is unique in the U.S. "The simple fact of the matter is that the public voice has not been welcomed on the front end of policing when policy is made," he said. "Usually the public weighs in on the back end, after things have gone wrong." Officers will turn on the camera when they are making an arrest, pursuing a criminal suspect or dealing with a crime scene. The tape will be kept for a year and the public will be alerted when the body camera is on unless it hinders the investigation. The guidelines must be approved by a federal monitor tasked with overseeing the project. The body camera pilot is connected to a 2013 federal court decision that found the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program violated the rights of minorities. With reports from the Associated Press.
NPR's Scott Simon is among the Chicago Cubs' faithful that kept coming out to Wrigley Field over the years — through curses, losing streaks, managerial tirades and more — until everything finally changed in 2016.
Did the UConn women lose at just the right time? Are college hoops fans paying too much attention to recruiting? And should the NHL have opted out of the 2018 Olympics? Bleacher Report's Erik Malinowski and Sports On Earth's Will Leitch join Bill Littlefield.
"Me, personally, I don’t want to be the 9-1-1 of the world. I want to worry about my own situation.
This week on the Friday News Roundup: America fires missiles at a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack, China's president arrives at Mar-a-Lago for a summit, and Congress's Russia investigation takes a turn. Two panels of journalists join Joshua Johnson to discuss the week's top stories. Domestic hour guests include Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report, Shawna Thomas of Vice News, Julia Edwards Ainsley of Reuters and Karen Heller of The Washington Post. International hour guests include Tom Bowman of NPR, Yeganeh Torbati of Reuters and Yochi Dreazen of Vox.
A lawsuit over the destruction of graffiti at the former landmark known as 5Pointz is going to trial. A Brooklyn judge cleared the way Friday for artists to make their case, despite the developer's attempt to have the case dismissed. Developer Jerry Wolkoff allowed artists to paint on the walls of the building for more than two decades, but he said they always knew he'd someday develop the site, which encompasses a full block in Long Island City. "They knew it wasn't a permanent thing. They knew it was temporary," Wolkoff said. "I just don't understand it." Lawyer Eric Baum, who is representing about 20 artists in the suit, said they have a case. Baum said Wolkoff failed to give the artists proper written notice 90 days before he had the building whitewashed to prepare for demolition. "Had the appropriate notice been provided, they could have taken steps to remove the art from the building, they could have taken steps to have better photographed and videotaped the art, they could have preserved the art," he said. In an editorial in the publication Artsy this week, lawyer Jessica Meiselman called the ruling a major win for the artists, who now have to submit a list of artwork they believe should be protected under the Visual Artists Rights Act. But Meiselman said they'll still have to prove their work achieved a "recognized stature" in the art world, which is especially tough because of the turnover of the pieces at 5Pointz. "Given that it's been changing for 30 years or so, it may be difficult to just pin down the artworks that they want to get damages from," she said. A trial date for the case is expected to be set at a hearing next week. With additional reporting by Danny Lewis.
India has for a long time prided itself on being a multi-faith, secular nation. But in many parts of the country, there is a battle for souls taking place.
All across Wall Street, humans are being replaced by computers. Even the people who make decisions about which stocks to buy and sell are being replaced by computer programs, by bots. To understand what goes on inside a stock-picking bot, we at Planet Money built our own. Bots are cheaper than stock-picking humans. They're less emotional and more disciplined. They can process more information at once. They are doing things like scanning social media for consumer trends and counting the number of cars parked in Wal-Mart parking lots, then using that to trade. Our bot is doing something seemingly simple: It looks at President Trump's Twitter feed, and when he tweets about a company, it trades stocks, with real money. Because the official Twitter handle of the president of the United States is @POTUS, we named our bot @BOTUS, bot of the United States. There's $1,000 on the line invested by the staff members of the Planet Money podcast from their personal funds. Follow along, and track whether we're making money or losing it. Music: "Rapture" and "Now Son." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook. Subscribe to our show on iTunes or PocketCast. See what BOTUS has been up to lately: The Fine Print: This is for real. All decisions on buying and selling stocks are made automatically by BOTUS, a computer program. BOTUS makes trades by analyzing tweets from @realDonaldTrump to recognize when he mentions a publicly traded company. BOTUS also measures the sentiment using VADER Sentiment Analysis. If BOTUS decides a tweet is positive, it will buy the stock mentioned in the tweet; if BOTUS decides the tweet is negative, it will sell the stock short. BOTUS will hold the position for 30 minutes, then get out. BOTUS was built with Tradeworx and trades through the Interactive Brokers platform. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo founded a satirical Web site that finds plenty of fodder in the way women’s magazines speak to their readers.
Bassem Youssef gave up practicing surgery to perform hard-hitting political satire. His enemies hit harder.
Jon Stewart’s successor on “The Daily Show had big shoes to fill, but the rise of Trump gave Trevor Noah the chance to prove his mettle.
The New Yorker’s in-house satirist shares a moment from a Presidential Administration that’s almost beyond satire.
Trump launches an attack on Syria. Our nuclear Senate. Bannon bumped. Our weekly news round table goes behind the headlines.
President Trump’s decision to order airstrikes in Syria Thursday night, in response to the Syrian government’s apparent chemical weapons attack on its own people, is drawing strong reactions from members of Congress. Also Friday, Judge Neil Gorsuch officially became the newest associate justice on the Supreme Court, after Senate Republicans voted Thursday to allow Gorsuch to be confirmed with a simple majority of 51 votes. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks with NPR congressional reporter Scott Detrow (@scottdetrow) about congressional reaction to the Syria strike, and the Gorsuch confirmation. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Late Thursday, the United States military launched 59 missiles at a Syrian airfield. The attack was in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's apparent use of chemical weapons on his own people, and it remains to be seen what this means for America's involvement in the Syrian civil war. NPR's Phil Ewing (@philewing) talks with Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson about the missile strike, and what repercussions this may have on U.S. foreign policy relations. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The Netflix series “Five Came Back, adapted from Mark Harris’ book, explores the Hollywood directors who made propaganda documentaries for the U.S. military during World War II. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Laurent Bouzereau, the 3-part series enlists contemporary directors such as Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola to reflect on works such as Frank Capra’s “Why We Fight," John Ford’s “The Battle of Midway, and John Huston's “San Pietro." — Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen For more information, click here to visit the film web site.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile this week, just before the first summit meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jingping at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida resort. How to halt North Korea’s nuclear program is one of the most important topics on the summit’s agenda. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson talks with Siegfried Hecker, senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and emeritus director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, about why he thinks resuming talks with North Korea will help rein in its nuclear program. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Femi Oke (@FemiOke) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to look at how the news of the U.S. airstrikes in Syria is being discussed online, and also a complaint filed in a California court this week by Twitter against the Department of Homeland Security. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
President Trump has acted swiftly to gut his predecessor’s legacy on climate change. Meanwhile, China has emerged as a world leader in renewable energy as it faces its own pollution crisis. With the U.S. rolling back many policies on climate change, some observers think China will step in to fill the gap. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Kelly Sims Gallagher (@kellysgallagher), a professor of energy and environmental policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and formerly a senior China adviser in the Special Envoy for Climate Change under former President Obama. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
It’s been about two and a half months since President Trump took office, and for many of the people who voted for him, their support has not wavered. Here & Now‘s Robin Young checks in with Jackie Trudell, a Trump supporter from Wisconsin, about how she’s feeling about the president’s actions so far and what she wants to happen next. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
As a member of her family group The Staple Singers and as a solo artist, Mavis Staples has used her huge voice to power the Civil Rights Movement and inspire generations. The gospel and soul legend joins hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot for an intimate discussion of her life and career.
In case you missed them, hear three of our favorite segments from the week: Good Taxation Is Not an Oxymoron (First) | Reverend Barber Wants to Audit America (Starts at 20:11) | The Feral Intensity of the 1970s (Starts at 39:30) If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.
In his new book, best-selling author Bruce Feiler makes the case that the story of Adam and Eve is the the first love story. He also says Eve has been the victim of major character assassination. Feiler (@brucefeiler) has a long track record of making the Bible come to life, and he’s done it again with “The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us. The author joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss the book, a provocative take on a story he says deserves fresh eyes. Find more great reads on the Here & Now bookshelf Book Excerpt: ‘The First Love Story’ By Bruce Feiler Array Excerpted from the book THE FIRST LOVE STORY by Bruce Feiler. Copyright © 2017 by Bruce Feiler. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Press. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Seattle is moving ahead to create safe sites for addicts to consume or inject drugs under the supervision of medical personnel. The facilities — the first of their kind in the country — aim to save lives and connect people dealing with addiction to treatment services. Now, the Massachusetts Medical Society wants its members to support so-called safe injection facilities in that state, as well. Martha Bebinger (@mbebinger) from Here & Now contributor WBUR reports. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
In Puerto Rico, despite a financial crisis and a lagging economy, there’s something new in the air in some parts of the island — optimism. Over the last decade, nearly a half million Puerto Ricans have left the island, most moving to the U.S. mainland. But there’s a growing number of young professionals who believe their future is on the island. You find them opening restaurants and management consulting firms, or running schools and nonprofits. In San Juan, nearly 20 social service groups and for-profit startups, mostly run by young people, share space in an airy, recently renovated building. It’s the Community for Collaboration and Social Innovation, a co-working space for people and groups thinking about how to build Puerto Rico’s future. On a visit there recently, more than a dozen of these dreamers sat around a table to talk about why, unlike nearly a half million Puerto Ricans in the last decade, they made a conscious decision to stay on the island. Jorge Besu, a marketing consultant, says for years companies in Puerto Rico would look to the government for contracts and subsidies. With the island’s ongoing financial crisis, for the new generation of entrepreneurs, that’s no longer an option. “We don’t depend on the government, he says. “Even not-for-profit organizations here are looking at social entrepreneurship models. So the model has changed. Besu was laid off in 2011 after his company restructured. He says in Puerto Rico today, you have two options: leave or create your own opportunities. He started his own firm in Puerto Rico. That decision — whether to stay on the island or make a future on the U.S. mainland — is one that nearly every young Puerto Rican faces. Michael Fernandez is a lawyer who comes from a large family. “We are 13 cousins in my father’s side of the family, he says. “And there’s only three of us left in Puerto Rico. Everybody left in the past five years. But, it’s a conscious decision to stay here. After graduation, Fernandez had job offers from law firms. But he wanted to help make Puerto Rico better and decided he’d rather work with low-income communities. “Because there is a lack of social justice in Puerto Rico, he says, “we have a lot of the problems and the crisis we live with right now. And I’d rather assume responsibility and occupy a position of leadership as opposed to look around me to see who else would do it or leave and let somebody else deal with it. Array Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory for more than a century. Even so, people who grow up there have a powerful affinity for the island, which they commonly refer to as “El Pais — the country. But after a decade of recession and a lingering financial crisis, Rebecca Gonzales says Puerto Rico is a place with very low self-esteem. She sees it in the students she works with at an alternative high school. Her challenge is teaching the next generation to love themselves and the place they come from. “Most of us here, we’ve said, ‘I don’t know, maybe it’s a good idea to leave,’ because it’s tough, you know? Gonzales says. “But then, you think about it and you’re like, ‘This country has given me so much.’ And we love our heritage and we know who we are, and we love our language. So we say, ‘Let’s stay and let’s fight for it.’ After a decade-long recession and surging outmigration, in this group of young entrepreneurs and activists there’s a real sense of anticipation for what’s next in Puerto Rico. Carlos Ruiz worked for more than 20 years for Mars, incorporated and other large U.S. companies before starting his own management consulting firm. He acknowledges the decision to stay and try something new carries more risk than leaving for a corporate j...
On the second day of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit with President Trump, Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Jasmine Shao, a Chinese student at Amherst College in Massachusetts, about what she’d like to hear from the two leaders. Shao says the environment is a big concern for her, and what the two leaders will commit to in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
U.S. lawmakers are divided on President Trump’s decision to retaliate against the Syrian government after its apparent use of chemical weapons. Speaking with Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson, Sen. James Inhofe (@JimInhofe), Republican of Oklahoma and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says he is “so pleased about the missile strike on a Syrian air base. He also disputed claims that the president needs congressional authorization to launch limited military action. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Rodeo—the Spanish word for "rounding up"—is a multi-million dollar sport in the U.S. but it's rooted in the riding, roping, and cattle ranching skills brought by Mexican cowboys to the Southwest hundreds of years ago. Today, most of the top professional rodeo athletes are white, but if you take a closer look, there are a large number of Mexican-American cowboys who live and breathe the sport. Latino USA visits the Tucson Rodeo, also known as La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros, and follows one family's dreams to turn their 8-year-old kid into a rodeo champion.
Aimee Mann dishes out etiquette advice and disses tattoo copycats ... Hank Azaria talks about baseball in at least five different voices ... Jason Jones relives the terrors of moving to New York City ... Molly Wood unveils the latest scholarship at the University of Utah -- for video game players ... and we learn how we've been using salt completely wrong. Plus, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand shares the ultimate dinner party playlist, a cocktail for Niagara Falls, and the winner of Martini Madness!
Harassment claims at Fox News and the networks close connections to the Trump administration, then the questions we should be asking as advances in technology change life as we know it.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. On Thursday evening, the United States fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat airfield in Syria's Homs province in response to a chemical weapons attack carried out by the government of Bashar al-Assad. The Assad regime's poison gas attack killed 86 people on Tuesday, and some 27 children were among the dead. To date, the six-year-old civil war between the Syrian government and rebels has left 400,000 people dead. President Trump's decision to strike Syria was welcome news for some like Rana Shanawani, who came to the U.S. from the war-torn nation in 2011. She is the founder of Refugee Outreach International, which works with Syrian refugees in her home state of New Jersey. "I had a buckets of tears coming down my face," she says reflecting on the president's address. "It was really moving and I think what he’s done was historic."
Since John Elkann inherited the Exor business six years ago he has changed its strategy, diversifying away from the car industry and from its Italian homeland, say Sarah Gordon and Rachel Sanderson. But the relocation of the group's HQ to the Netherlands and heavy investment by the owner of the Fiat and Ferrari brands in the US have been controversial
The "iron rice bowl" is a Chinese idiom which referred to the now abolished system of guaranteed lifetime employment, and more broadly symbolizes the Communist country's commitment to take care of all people, but the economy is getting a capitalist update. As China's President Xi Jinping meets with President Trump this weekend at Mar-a-Lago, Eunice Yoon, CNBC Beijing bureau chief, senior correspondent and host of Inside China on CNBC, takes a look at how the meeting, recent actions in Syria and US-China economic relations are being viewed in China.
Heather Hurlburt, director of New Models of Policy Change at New America, former head of the National Security Network and former White House and State Department official under Bill Clinton, and Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and author of Superpower: Three Choices for America's Role in the World (New York: Portfolio, May 2015), discuss U.S missile strikes at a Syrian air base, marking the first time the U.S. has ordered military action against forces loyal to the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. Then, Congressman Tom Suozzi, representing New York's 3rd district, weighs in with a view from Congress.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. The United States has responded to the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons with targeted airstrikes. Nearly 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at Al Shayrat airfield in Syria on Thursday night, according to the Pentagon. “Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the air base in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched, President Donald Trump said in remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. He continued: "Years of previous attempts at changing [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s] behavior have all failed, and failed very dramatically. As a result, the refugee crisis continues to deepen, and the region continues to destabilize, threatening the United States and its allies." President Trump's order to attack Syria is a stark departure from his previous stance. Back in 2013, after Assad used chemical weapons and crossed former President Barack Obama's "red line," Mr. Trump tweeted the following: AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013 The Defense Department says that there is no dispute "that Syria used banned chemical weapons of the people of Idlib," adding that the strike was "a proportional response to Assad's heinous act." Is the United States now at war with the Assad regime? Missy Ryan, a Washington Post correspondent covering the Pentagon, military issues, and national security, weighs in. For a look back at the historical use of the chemical weapons, we turn to John Gilbert, a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. He established the chemical and biological operations division in the U.S. On-Site Inspection Agency, and has training in how to respond to chemical weapons, including sarin gas.
Mama June of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame talks losing 300 lbs and her new show Mama June: From Not To Hot on WE Tv. Hosted by Bonnie Fuller Produced By Gino Orlandini
Natasha Lyonne plans a double feature strategy for her films Yoga Hosers and Antibirth. Then we quiz the actor, who grew up in Herman Melville's house, on other famous authors' homes.
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says he has seen "no evidence" that former national security adviser Susan Rice may have improperly surveilled then-President-elect Donald Trump or his aides during the transition. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly on Thursday that he and his committee would pursue the evidence in their investigation wherever it leads, but that so far nothing substantiates the White House's Rice storyline. "I have not seen any evidence or any indication of [anything] improper," Warner said. "But again, these are serious accusations against people affiliated with the Trump campaign. I have to treat the accusations that are made by the Trump administration officials as serious as well until we can actually get to the bottom of this and look at the facts." Even so, Warner said, the Trump White House has fallen into a pattern of responding to criticism or inconvenient news with sometimes extreme countercharges. "Boy oh boy, there's a lot of smoke," he said. "You've got this administration which seems to try to deflect any story with some other outrageous claim, whether it be that the Obama administration somehow hacked into you, or you listened in on the Trump folks, or other claims that are, that have been outrageous about millions of unregistered voters voting." Republicans do not call it "outrageous" that Rice might have been involved in potentially asking for Americans to be "unmasked" in classified reports about legal surveillance of foreign targets — including potentially of Trump or his aides. That must be the subject of the ongoing investigations, they argue, since they say there are indications the practice might have gone on for years and amounted to a political snooping operation. The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes of California, revealed last month that Trump and his campaign aides might have been swept up in U.S. surveillance of foreign targets during the presidential election. What's more, he charged, the White House may have inappropriately asked intelligence agencies to reveal the identities of the Trump aides so that the Obama team could keep tabs on them. Nunes learned about these practices from officials in the Trump administration, and then announced them, and then publicly visited the White House because, he said, he needed to brief Trump about them. Nunes did not share the original materials or what he knew with the other members of his committee, which caused its investigation to stall. On Thursday, Nunes announced he had been the subject of accusations to the House Ethics Committee related to the White House episode, ones he called baseless. But rather than attempt to fight them and carry on with the Russia investigation, Nunes said he would recuse himself from that process while staying on as chairman of the full committee. In his statement, Nunes characterized the Rice eavesdropping storyline as the most urgent thread to follow. "The charges [against Nunes] are entirely false and politically motivated, and are being leveled just as the American people are beginning to learn the truth about the improper unmasking of the identities of U.S. citizens and other abuses of power," he said. The House Intelligence Committee's ranking Democrat, Adam Schiff of California, praised Nunes' recusal. And in the Senate, both Warner and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina said they thought it was appropriate. Warner told NPR he thought Nunes' behavior has been "bizarre, to say the least," but he repeated that he and Burr were committed to working together in a less dramatic fashion and would continue to stick together as the inquiry goes on. Americans deserve a credible accounting of the interference in la...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: And now, for an opposing view on the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, I spoke with Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who defended his party’s move to change the Senate rules. SEN. JOHN THUNE, R-S.D.: Well, we just weren’t left with any choices, Judy. The Senate Democrats decided to filibuster this nominee, something that hasn’t been successfully done in the 230-year history of Senate, at least successfully done by one party. They had the votes to block him. The only way we were going to be able to get an up-and-down vote on him, which is the history, the tradition of the Senate, was to make the rules change that enabled us to get to that up-and-down vote, which will occur sometime tomorrow. But had that not happened, we wouldn’t get this vote, and I’m not sure we could get any vote. If we can’t get Neil Gorsuch across the finish line, I don’t know what Supreme Court nominee the Democrats would be willing to vote on in the next four years. JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, as I’m sure you know, the Democrats are saying that he’s not a mainstream candidate. And they say that what’s really unprecedented was the treatment Republicans gave last year to President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. So, they’re saying that what they are doing is no worse than what Republicans did last year. SEN. JOHN THUNE: Well, Garland of course, you know, that issue got litigated during the campaign. Our argument was people were already voting last year. It was a presidential year. And we ought to let people weigh in, have their voices heard, and let the new president pick the next Supreme Court nominee, which happened. And I think, in terms of him being mainstream, it’s pretty hard to argue that he’s not mainstream, if you look at his time on the 10th Circuit. He’s been a part of 2,700 cases that were heard there; 99 percent of those times, he was in the majority; 97 percent of the time, the vote was unanimous. And so the Democrats were hard-pressed to come up with an argument to make against him. And I realize part of it goes back to Garland, but I think, at the end of the day, we have got to move forward, not backward. And we have got a vacancy to fill. We just felt like this judge deserved an up-and-down vote. JUDY WOODRUFF: The Senate has not been seen, as you know, as partisan a body as the House of Representatives up until now. Do you think that has changed? Is that changing going forward? SEN. JOHN THUNE: I’ll tell you, my view on that is that you’re right. And a lot of people are sort of assessing, what’s the impact on the Senate? I think, by and large, this was sort of baked in. The Democrats changed the rules back in 2013 on lower court and appellate court nominees. And they basically had signaled last fall during the presidential campaign that, if they won, if Hillary Clinton had been elected president, and they had gotten the majority in the Senate, that they were going to change the rules on the Supreme Court. So I think, for the most part, people on both sides realized this was likely to happen. And I think now it’s a question of getting this behind us and moving forward on a legislative agenda, where I do think we can find hopefully some bipartisan cooperation, because I think, more than anything else, the American people want to — they want to see us get results. And that’s what we intend to do. And it’s going to take cooperation on both sides in order for that to happen. JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you don’t think that after this it’s going to be harder to work with Democrats to move forward...
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: There is growing talk tonight of possible U.S. military action against the government of Syria. That comes as new evidence has emerged that an attack that killed more than 80 people this week involved chemical weapons. William Brangham has our report. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The images themselves left little doubt that this was a chemical weapons attack. Now Turkey says postmortems on three victims who were brought across the border confirm it. BEKIR BOZDAG, Turkish Justice Minister (through interpreter): With this scientific examination, it has been determined that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, has used a chemical weapon. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But, in Damascus, Syria’s foreign minister again denied responsibility. Instead, he charged that militants linked to al-Qaida had the toxic agents in a warehouse, which was then hit by a government airstrike. WALID MOALLEM, Syrian Foreign Minister (through interpreter): I confirm to you once again that the Syrian Arab army has not and will not use this type of weapon against our people and our children, and not even against the terrorists. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Russia has been Syria’s main ally, and, today President Vladimir Putin warned against assigning blame until there’s a — quote — “thorough and unbiased investigation. Meanwhile, Putin’s spokesman seemed to suggest that Moscow’s backing for Syria’s Assad may not be permanent. DMITRY PESKOV, Spokesman for Vladimir Putin: I don’t think it’s correct to say about unconditional support. Unconditional support is not possible in the current world. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Earlier this week, the White House said removing Assad was no longer an option. But, today, Secretary of State Tillerson said there is no role for Assad in governing Syria, and Russia should reconsider its support of him. And asked if the U.S. was organizing a coalition to remove the Syrian leader, Tillerson said: REX TILLERSON, U.S. Secretary of State: Those steps are under way. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And, on Air Force One today, President Trump said of Assad: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And he’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so I guess something should happen. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Officials say Defense Secretary James Mattis may discuss military options with the president in Florida. For the PBS NewsHour, I’m William Brangham. JUDY WOODRUFF: The day’s other major story came in the United States Senate, where the stage is now set to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Republicans swept aside the main obstacle, as partisan tensions peaked. Lisa Desjardins begins our coverage. LISA DESJARDINS: As a dark downpour hit outside, inside, a long-brewing manmade storm burst. WOMAN: On the nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch of Colorado to be an associate justice to the Supreme Court of the United States. LISA DESJARDINS: First, Republicans tried, and failed, to get the 60 votes needed to end a filibuster blocking Gorsuch. MAN: The motion is not agreed to. LISA DESJARDINS: With that, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell launched a series of historic parliamentary acrobatics to remove that 60-vote requirement altogether. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-K.Y., Majority Leader: I raise a point of order that the vote on cloture… LISA DESJARDINS: Within 90 minutes, Republicans voted for the so-called nuclear option, to reinterpret the rules and change precedent, so that a simple majority could guarantee a Supreme Court spot. McConnell insisted Republicans were in the right. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL,...
Fifty advertisers have now dropped their ads from Bill O'Reilly's show after learning that the Fox News network paid out $13 million in settlements among to five women who alleged O'Reilly sexually harassed them.Â
Ever wanted to get some place real bad but didn’t have the funds? Ever try to think up crazy ways to get to your destination, without having to pay? You’re gonna want to listen to this story. Brian Robson pulled off an airmail stunt that most of could only dream about. Keep an eye out for a film about Brian’s story coming next year from Bird Flight films. Also, Brian is looking for someone to write a book about his story. Producer: Anna Sussman Sound Design: Renzo Gorrio
Amy Gallo, HBR contributing editor, discusses a useful tactic to more effectively deal with conflict in the workplace: understanding whether you generally seek or avoid conflict. Each personality style influences how you approach a particular conflict, as well as how your counterpart does. Gallo talks about how to escape the common pitfalls of conflict seekers and conflict avoiders, so that you can improve your work and your relationships. She’s the author of the “HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict.”
The Girl Scouts are celebrating their 100th anniversary of cookie-selling. The first recorded cookie sale was in 1917, and has flourished into a springtime tradition. (There was an exception in 1944 because of wartime rations. Scouts sold calendars instead.) In honor of this big anniversary, we asked a 2017 scout about her sales pitch. You might catch Eilie Muth, 6, selling cookies in Yonkers. "Girl Scout cookies, $4 a box. Perfect for a snow storm," is how Eilie attracts customers, she said in a phone interview. She's the daughter of a WNYC broadcast engineer. Eilie recalled that last year, in her first year of scouting at age 5, she cried when she realized that she would indeed have to give the cookies away to paying customers. "I was upset because I love eating cookies. I love trying all of them," she said. Though she said it will still be hard to part with the cookies — especially her favorites, Samoas — she has a better understanding of how the business works now, she said. Girl Scouts in the five New York City boroughs are on track to sell 1.4 million boxes of cookies this year, surpassing last year's sales, according to the Girl Scouts of Greater New York. For those who want to try to make Girl Scout cookies on their own, the recipes are all posted online. For those who want to just purchase them from local troops, cookie-selling season runs through May.
Culture Gabfest host Dana Stevens swaps in for David Plotz, joined by Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson to discuss the end of the filibuster, White House conflicts of interest and President Trump's approach to human rights.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/gabfestplus.Twitter: @SlateGabfestFacebook: facebook.com/GabfestEmail: gabfest@slate.comShow notes at slate.com/gabfest
Editor in Chief Jon Newey joined Chris Philips on The Blueprint to review the Jazzwise magazine 20th Anniversary celebrations for a week at London's Ronnie Scott's jazz club and preview of the 20th Anniversary edition out for April 2017.
This is a story about an elderly pastor who was found murdered recently in his own home. Police determine that the explosion that killed him was definitely a homicide. Find out more so you can pray.
Colleges often add new programs to fit changing job markets. But one theological seminary is now offering a very different kind of program: the world’s first degree in the apocalypse. Listen for more now.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory's (LIGO) discovery of gravitational waves has put to rest a 100-year-old hypothesis from Einstein's time and given us a new view of the universe. 1A hears from the scientists who made this award-winning discovery. They are Kip Thorne, Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, emeritus, at California Institute of Technology, Rainer "Rai" Weiss, professor of physics, emeritus, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Barry Barish, experimental physicist and Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus, at California Institute of Technology.
(Airs 4/6/17 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC's Alan Chartock speaks with Casey Seiler, State Editor and Albany Bureau Chief for the Albany Times Union.
President Trump welcomes his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping Thursday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trade will be one of the most important issues for Trump, but it’s unclear how tough the former businessman will be in negotiations. Also on the table is security, including U.S. worries about North Korea’s nuclear missile program. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith (@tamarakeithNPR) about what to expect. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
René Pérez Joglar, better known as Residente, has been a busy man lately. The former co-leader of Calle 13 has been doing media interviews about his latest album and film, both called Residente. Both projects are the results of a visual and musical journal he kept while on a two-year globe-trotting trip, visiting places where he has DNA roots. He says he took the DNA test, then visited those places, as a means of finding himself after many intense years co-leading one of Latin music's most critically acclaimed and popular bands. This week we sit down with Residente to talk about his new album and film — and the inspiration behind both. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Protests are planned across Caracas on Thursday, nearly a week after a controversial decision by Venezuela’s Supreme Court that seized power from the country’s legislature. The court has since suppressed parts of that ruling, but political unrest continues. The supreme court is loyal to Leftist President Nicolás Maduro, while the National Assembly is controlled by opposition parties. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Carlos Vecchio (@carlosvecchio), national political coordinator of Voluntad Popular, a Venezuelan opposition party. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
[Youtube] Pepsi is apologizing after the company pulled a protest-themed ad that has generated a lot of criticism online. Critics say the company tried to appropriate Black Lives Matter protests to sell a product. Skin care company Nivea is also under fire for its now-pulled “White Is Purity advertising campaign: @NIVEAUSA didnt think this through did you? pic.twitter.com/z0HZs9mDBb — ??Hayley ? (@HayleyZorEl) April 3, 2017 Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Danielle C. Belton (@blacksnob) of The Root about the controversies. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
This week President Trump said his administration is working on an infrastructure initiative which could cost $1 trillion. One city that’s now in the middle of a huge infrastructure project is Seattle, which has reached a milestone in its plans to move a two-mile section of a state highway underground. After nearly four years, the giant tunnel boring machine known as Bertha has finished its dig underneath the city. Kate Walters of Here & Now contributor KUOW was there when Bertha finally broke through. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Drug companies that make expensive, life-saving products are using several tactics to keep cheaper generic versions of their drugs off the market. And companies that manufacture the generic products have faced hundreds of recalls in the past several years. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Curt Nickisch (@CurtNickisch), senior editor at the Harvard Business Review, about the challenges holding back the generic drug business. Harvard Business Review: How Pharma Companies Game The System To Keep Drugs Expensive Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that threatened to strip federal aid to so-called sanctuary cities that fail to enforce the federal government’s immigration policies. In Massachusetts, two of the state’s poorest cities — Lawrence and Chelsea — have filed a lawsuit challenging the executive order. The Takeaway’s WGBH Producer Elizabeth Ross reports that the Massachusetts suit could offer a blueprint for other small sanctuary communities looking to push back on President Trump’s immigration agenda. Lawrence is an urban industrial city some 25 miles north of Boston. Waves of different immigrant groups have flocked to the city since the mid 1800s to work in the towering red brick textile mills that still line the winding Merrimack River. The mills have long been shuttered, and the city is still trying to get back on its feet, but immigrants have not stopped coming to Lawrence. These days three quarters of the city's residents are Latino or Hispanic, and more than 37 percent were born outside the United States. English language classes are especially popular in Lawrence. Thousands of residents are on waiting lists hoping to attend ESL programs like the ones at the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council. Executive Director Evelyn Friedman says the classes are invaluable. “Many of our students come and they have no English language skills and they’re working at very menial jobs and as they gain skills they move up in their organizations or are able to get better jobs, Friedman says. “The other thing is that they can’t communicate with the teachers of their children. Lawrence could lose out big time if President Trump is able to follow through on his threat and pulls the city’s federal funding. Almost 30 percent of the population in Lawrence lives in poverty and the city relies heavily on federal aid, receiving more than $36 million each year, which is about 13 percent of its annual budget. The federal money helps support ESL classes and many basic services, including the city’s public schools and its free lunch programs. Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera is the son of a single immigrant mother who once worked in the Lawrence mills. Growing up, Rivera say he benefited personally from many federally funded programs and calls himself a “poster boy for all the good stuff that government can do. “I’m a public school kid [and] a public higher education kid, he says. The GI bill helped him buy his first house, Rivera explains. “My mom was on food stamps [and] we did public housing." Like most sanctuary cities, Lawrence police will hand over criminals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but will not help ICE with civil immigration investigations and detentions, the way the president wants them to. Supporters of Lawrence’s policy claim it is a matter of public safety and that it encourages all residents, even those who are undocumented, to cooperate with local law enforcement. The mayor says his cash-strapped police force does not have the resources to help more, even if he wanted them to. “I got 80,000 people here, that I gotta fight a drug war. I gotta fight homelessness problems and an opioid problem. I got to have police officers to go respond to car accidents he says. “And to be punished, for not having that resource, it’s basically an unfunded mandate. Lawrence and the city of Chelsea are trying to block President Trump’s execu...
Along Florida’s coasts are seawalls built to prevent the shoreline from eroding. But that defense sometimes means removing natural habitats, like the forests of shrubs called mangroves. Now, researchers have created fake mangroves in hopes of turning these solid barriers into thriving ecosystems, and bringing back marine life that was lost to development. Jessica Meszaros (@JMMeszaros) from Here & Now contributor WGCU reports. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Shannon McKenna Schmidt joins us to discuss her book, Novel Destinations: Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen’s Bath to Ernest Hemingway’s Key West. Part travel guide and part history lesson, McKenna Schmidt takes readers on a journey to the homes of famous authors as well as the museums, literary festivals and walking tours that celebrate them.
Recordings from the Secrets Hotline, with original music and production by George Langford. Find more of George’s work at georgelangford.com. You can leave your own secret at +1 (641) 715-3900, extension 55403#.
Showtime’s “Homeland is wrapping up its sixth season, and the parallels between the show and real life have never been clearer. Actor Mandy Patinkin plays the character of Saul Berenson, the mentor and father figure to the show’s lead Carrie Mathison, played by Clare Danes. In his time away from the show, Patinkin (@PatinkinMandy) has thrown his energy into the ongoing refugee crisis in Greece. He also voices the character of Papa Smurf in “Smurfs: The Lost Village, in theaters Friday. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with Patinkin. [Youtube] Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
It’s a big day on the Hill. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes announced Thursday that he’s temporarily stepping aside as leader of the committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. And Senate Republicans are set to invoke the so-called “nuclear option, and eliminate the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees, so they can overcome Democratic opposition to President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson gets the latest on the Nunes announcement and the Gorsuch showdown from NPR congressional reporter Scott Detrow (@scottdetrow) Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Chinese President Xi Jinping kicks off a two-day visit with President Trump on Thursday, as the two countries grapple with a number of issues — North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, trade policy and the “One China policy. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with a Chinese student studying in the U.S. about the issues that are most important to her now. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
As we continue to read Ulysses for The Leonard Lopate Show Book Club, we will be joined by Edna O'Brien. She will share why this novel has influenced her life and writing. Edna O'Brien is the author of The Country Girls trilogy, The Light of Evening, The Love Object, The Little Red Chairs, and many other acclaimed books. Born and raised in the west of Ireland, O'Brien has lived in London for many years. Click here to subscribe to The Leonard Lopate Show Book Club newsletter!
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. In an unprecedented measure on Thursday, Republicans voted to change a Senate rule that requires 60 votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will now allow a simple majority — at least 51 votes — to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump's pick to fill the seat left open by the death of Justice Anton Scalia. The move to deploy the so-called "nuclear option" strips the Democrats of their power to filibuster and block the nominee. An up-or-down vote on Gorsuch is expected tomorrow. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich says this rule change could have enormous consequences. "This is a sad day for the history of the Senate," Zwillich says. "I don't know where this goes in the future." According to Zwillich, the nuclear option caters to the most extreme aspects of political parties. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear his full analysis.
Guest host Michael Cerveris presents two stories about untrue love. A devoted wife worships her sailor husband in Daphne du Maurier's "La Sainte-Vierge," read by Kathryn Erbe. And Paul Giamatti reads a sci-fi classic by Robert Sheckley, "Pilgrimage to Earth," in which a traveller from a distant planet comes to Earth to find love.Â
President Trump told The New York Times in an interview this week that “The Russia story is a total hoax. There has been absolutely nothing coming out of that. There are currently three investigations looking into Russian election interference, and possible Trump campaign ties to it. And so far there’s been lots of smoke, but no fire. Author and journalist Masha Gessen is a Russian-born New Yorker who’s made a name for herself as a critic of Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Gessen (@mashagessen) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss the two presidents, and what she thinks of the Russia investigation. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The trouble at Fox News continues as advertisers have begun to pull ads from Bill O’Reilly’s show amid sexual harassment allegations. Currently about 50 companies have boycotted “The O’Reilly Factor, including Mercedes-Benz, Advil and Allstate. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) talks with Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson about what this means for Fox News, as well as President Trump’s response to the allegations. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The Major League Baseball season is in its first week. Fans are watching to see if the Chicago Cubs can repeat the history they made last season when they won their first World Series since 1908. Here & Now‘s Robin Young checks in with sports analyst Mike Pesca (@pescami), host of the daily podcast The Gist, on the teams to watch this season. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
As record ridership on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and the Long Island Railroad coalesces on the aging Penn Station, Emma G. Fitzsimmons, New York Times transit reporter, discusses President Trump's infrastructure plans and how they might affect the future of New York and New Jersey transportation. "It's reaching a point here where the smallest hiccup can cause a cascade of delays," says Fitzsimmons.
Councilman Daniel Garodnick, representing New York City's 4th District, discusses the legislation he introduced that would ease the commercial rent tax on some Manhattan businesses that pay almost 4 percent of their annual rent to the city.
Nir Baram, Israeli journalist and author of A Land Without Borders: My Journey Around East Jerusalem and the West Bank (Text Publishing Company, 2017), discusses his travels throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where he spoke to Palestinian Israelis in Jerusalem and Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and what it means to be an Israeli who is pro-Palestinian rights.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump removed Stephen Bannon from the National Security Council. The reshuffling is said to have been orchestrated by Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, who was appointed National Security Adviser after General Michael Flynn was forced to resign due to his communications with Russia. Shannon Green, former senior director for global engagement on the National Security Council from 2013-2015 and the current director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses the significance of Bannon's removal.Â
Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Representative Devin Nunes, announced he would step away from leading investigation into Russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election amid speculation. This comes after news the Steve Bannon, chief strategist, was removed from the National Security Council's principals committee. Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of (just out in paperback) Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War (Simon & Schuster, 2017), talks about the changes at the White House.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. The Department of Labor is in charge of making sure companies follow workplace laws about everything from safety to wages, but there's no way the department can catch every violation. But there's one place where the government could have a little more control: The thousands of companies who get government contracts. The Center for Public Integrity decided to look into those government contractors, and see how many have documented wage violations. They found that between January 2015 and July 2016, 68 companies received government contracts totaling $18 billion had violated wage laws. Maryam Jameel, labor and environment reporter for the Center for Public Integrity, helped report the story and weighs in today on The Takeaway.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. In the current political climate of "resistance" and "activism," it shouldn't be a surprise that more corporations are delving into political and social statements to sell their products. This Cadillac commercial for the 2017 Academy Awards opened with images of protesters in the streets with the voiceover: "We are a nation divided. That's what they tell us right?" But as orchestral music begins to swell, the tone changes. The narrator continues: "What doesn't make the news is this: We carry each other forward." This ad is just one example of a corporation seizing an opportunity to send a message. But sometimes it backfires. Yesterday, Pepsi was forced to pull a controversial advertisement featuring Kendall Jenner (see above). In the ad, Jenner was modeling and pulled off her blonde wig, wiped off her lipstick, and joined a peaceful protest on the street before walking up to policeman to hand him a Pepsi. Critics have called the ad "insensitive" and "tone-deaf" and say that it co-ops movements like Black Lives Matter by whitewashing the notion of resistance. In a statement the company said their intention had been to "project a global message of unity, peace and understanding," but admitted they "missed the mark" and offered an apology to viewers and to Kendall Jenner. In this highly charged social and political environment, many big brands are trying to push the envelope and make a statement, but as Pepsi discovered, it is uneven terrain. For a look at the collision between politics and advertising, we turn to Dustin Longstreth, chief marketing and strategy officer at CBX, a brand agency in New York City.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is one of a number of attorneys general that are pushing back on the Trump Administration’s agenda on a range of issues, from immigration and the environment, to social concerns over protections for transgender students. Massachusetts was one of the first states to join a federal lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that had sought to temporarily halt the U.S. refugee program and block citizens from a number of Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. The state also joined another lawsuit challenging the president’s revised travel ban. In response to President Trump's executive order that threatened to stop federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh even went as far as offering up City Hall as a place of shelter for the undocumented, if needed. Attorney General Healey joins The Takeaway from our partner station WGBH to explain why she is pushing back against the Trump Administration.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Last month, dozens of cities across the U.S. were listed on the Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency's "weekly detainer report." It's a list designed to keep tabs on places that have created policies that limit cooperation with federal efforts to detain undocumented immigrants. This action follows President Donald Trump's executive order to begin the process back in late January. Many argue that the list is an attempt to shame sanctuary cities, but not everyone is against Trump's policies. Thomas Hodgson, the sheriff of Bristol County — located about 50 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts — recently called for the arrest of sanctuary city leaders in his state. Here, he talks about his opposition to sanctuary cities, and and shares his thoughts on current immigration issues in Massachusetts.
Donald Trump is welcoming Chinese president Xi Jinping to his Florida resort this week for their first ever face-to-face meeting, with discussions expected on centre on trade relations and the North Korean nuclear crisis. Geoff Dyer discusses the US-China relationship with FT Beijing bureau chief Tom Mitchell, and Demetri Sevastopulo, Washington bureau chief.
Empathy can often be confused with sympathy and regular old compassion. But it's not exactly either one of those. Some say a lack of empathy can indicate sociopathic tendencies, but that's not always true either. So what is empathy and what makes someone prone to empathize? Listen in to find out.
New York state budget talks collapsed Wednesday night after members of the Senate left the Capitol, with lawmakers from both parties blaming Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo for scuttling negotiations over the spending plan, now several days late. Members of the Senate and Assembly insist they were close to an agreement and hoped to pass a budget this week after blowing past a Saturday deadline. Those hopes eroded Wednesday night after Cuomo summoned reporters to his office to say that while he would continue to negotiate, there were still significant disputes when it came to key budget priorities. "What is happening right now is ridiculous," said Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers. "Dysfunction and chaos has descended on Albany. This situation has spiraled out of control and New Yorkers deserve better." On Monday, at Cuomo's insistence, lawmakers passed a two-month budget extension to ensure vital government functions continued until a final budget deal was approved. Cuomo said the extension, which also included funds for several big transportation and economic development projects, would give lawmakers time to reach a good deal. "No one wants to be in a position where the budget is late," the Democrat told reporters. "... I am doing the best I can to bring them to closure. But I also know they have very strong opinions on both sides." Republican Senate Leader John Flanagan of Long Island said he would call the Senate back into session when a deal is reached. Members of the Assembly said they would return Thursday in hopes of reviving the talks. Major sticking points included education spending and an affordable housing tax credit for New York City developers. Another dispute centered on a Democratic proposal to raise the age of adult criminal responsibility from 16 to 18. As late as Wednesday evening, lawmakers said they were close to resolution, and both chambers had begun voting on budget bills. "Sometimes it feels like we get to the five-yard line and then we get pushed back a little bit," said Sen. Rich Funke, a Rochester-area Republican, who said negotiations were down to "a couple" of small issues. "We're close. We're very close. We need to get it wrapped up tonight." Lawmakers won't get paid until a budget is passed. The failure to reach a deal is a defeat for legislative leaders and Cuomo, a possible White House contender in 2020 who touted a string of on-time budgets early in his tenure as evidence Albany had ended its tradition of government dysfunction. Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, said Cuomo began raising new budget issues for the first time Wednesday, a move which complicated the talks. "We're supposed to be moving toward conclusion of a budget," he said. "It's now April 5, for the first time this morning the governor's office raised the issue of (funding for indigent) legal defense. ... We can't continue to close something down if you keep raising new issues." Frustrated Democrats in the Assembly were more pointed. "There's bipartisan agreement that the governor is the problem and has subtly sabotaged the negotiations," said Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, D-Westchester County. The proposed spending plan also included greater college tuition assistance, an increase of $1 billion for education spending and $2.5 billion for upgrades to the state's water infrastructure. It also would allow Uber and Lyft to expand into upstate cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. The two app-based ride-hailing services are now limited to the New York City area.
Inuk singer and songwriter Tanya Tagaq, from the Nunavut region of northern Canada, unleashes a modern take on the Arctic tradition of throat singing (or katajjaq) -a breathing game, or throat game, played by two women standing inches apart, trying to make each other laugh. John Schaefer writes about her new album, Retribution, "is about the rape of the Earth by heavy industry, and the threats posed to traditional culture and to the environment by Westernization and climate change. It is full of sound and fury; it draws on rock, hip hop, and the electronic avant-garde; it is provocative, forbidding, and surprisingly sensual. But it’s in live performance that Tanya Tagaq really shines, where she is a force of nature – which is appropriate, as much of her work sounds the alarm about what humans are doing to the natural world." Her ferocious and intense performances are more "like ancient rituals than concerts, and she uses a startling array of vocal sounds – guttural growls, high-pitched overtone chant, and the rhythmic, almost gasping sounds of traditional Inuit throat-singing – to create an otherworldly texture." Tanya Tagaq joins us live in the studio to perform some of her vocal acrobatics live.
At St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, a needle exchange in the Bronx, the people who come for "safe use kits" also get a crash course in data collection. Leaders at the exchange told WNYC they are trying to get a handle on what they see as a deadly threat: the synthetic opioid, fentanyl. According to the New York City Department of Health, fentanyl, which can be 50 times as strong as heroin, is driving the surge in overdose deaths they've recorded over the past year: over 1,000 deaths in 2016 alone. Part of the problem is that drug users may not know they're ingesting fentanyl because it's mixed into whatever they're using. That's where the experiment comes in. Van Asher, who helps run the program at St. Ann's Corner, distributes fentanyl test strips to willing participants and teaches them to test their drugs before they use, to see whether their heroin contains any fentanyl. For Vincente Estepa, almost all of his heroin has tested positive. But that didn't mean he chose not to take the drug; the addictive high of fentanyl is very difficult to resist. "You know what's so funny? You can hear somebody died off of drugs, and that's the one you want," Estepa said. "That is crazy, that's how we think. But I don't know why is it that we think that way, knowing someone just died off that drug, and you want that one." Still, Asher said he hoped the testing data would give pause to at least one user when facing a potentially deadly choice. Â
New York business leaders are advocating for federal support for infrastructure spending, security and education. More than 50 CEOs traveled to Washington on Tuesday to press their case with political leaders. The group included Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, Steven Roth, CEO of Vornado, and Cathy Engelbert, CEO of Deloitte. They met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Vice President Mike Pence, Gary Cohn, Director of the National Economic Council, and Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter. Then, there was a brief Q&A with President Trump. Developer Jerry Speyer told Trump he was concerned Congress doesn't always listen to New York, even though the city sends a lot of tax revenue to DC. “Look, I love New York, Trump said in reply. “And in some ways we're all lucky that I'm from New York because in some ways New York has unique problems. Trump seemed to acknowledge concerns that the Republican-controlled Congress could seek to eliminate the personal income tax deduction for state and local taxes. Trump then noted that he lost New York in the electoral college, adding, "I should have won." In the afternoon, the CEO's moved on to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress. Kathy Wylde, President of the Partnership for New York City, said leaders like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer listened to CEO’s concerns on topics like immigration and rebuilding roads and bridges. “The challenge is…everybody's got a different opinion on how to execute on these big concepts, Wylde said. One issue the business leaders did not raise: man-made climate change...which is eroding valuable real estate along New York's shorelines.
This week, Broad City’s Ilana Glazer fills in for Jessica, and as a special treat, listeners get to find out what is going on inside her colon. They are joined by the fabulous Tig Notaro, who shares tips on how she gets such beautiful, dewy skin. Plus, comedy from Chris Milner and Natalie McGill. Featured Performers: Tig Notaro (@TigNotaro) Chris Milner (@EnglishmanChris) Natalie McGill (@nataliesmcgill) --- About the podcast: Join the 2 Dope Queens, Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams, along with their favorite comedians, for stories about sex, romance, race, hair journeys, living in New York and Billy Joel. Plus a whole bunch of other s**t. New episodes every Tuesday. Produced by WNYC Studios www.wnycstudios.org --- Follow 2 Dope Queens on Twitter: @2DopeQueens Follow 2 Dope Queens on Instagram: @2DopeQueens Like 2 Dope Queens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/2DopeQueens Follow 2 Dope Queens on Tumblr: www.2dopequeens.tumblr.com Get tickets to our next live show on WNYC.org/2dopequeens
The biggest problem with humanity is humans themselves. Too often, we make choices — what we eat, how we spend our money and time — that undermine our well-being. An all-star team of academic researchers thinks it has the solution: perfecting the science of behavior change. Will it work?
On April 6, 1917, the House of Representatives voted to go to war against Germany. The Senate had already approved President Woodrow Wilson’s call for American participation in the bloody conflict, which was nearly three years old at that point. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with Michael Neiberg (@MichaelNeiberg), chair of war studies at the U.S. Army War College, about why the U.S. decided to enter the war and what difference it made. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday and Friday. President Xi is looking to elevate his status at home and will stand strong on issues like trade and North Korea, but President Trump has said he is willing to handle North Korea without China’s help. Isaac Stone Fish, a senior fellow at the Asia Society and a former Newsweek correspondent in Beijing, explains what you should expect.
British pianist Ashley Henry is a double 2017 Jazz FM Award nominee for both Breakthrough Act and Best Live Experience (Jazz Re:Fest at London's Southbank). Chris is a big fan, having supported his Jazz Re:Freshed '5ive' E.P on the show. Now Ashley is readying he new project, his Re-Ensemble building on the acclaimed trio with more elements including vocals. Ashley gave Chris an exclusive Blueprint first play of the new music way in advance of release. #jazzrefreshed #ashleyhenry #chrisphilips #theblueprint #jazzfm
There is no shortage of evidence needed to charge Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with war crimes. There is, however, a shortage of political will.
There is a plan on the table to prevent the mass disruption that followed Monday's train derailment at Penn Station. It's called the Gateway Tunnel. This would become the second rail tunnel under the Hudson river and provide four additional tracks. Amtrak has been warning for years that the current tunnel could fail. It contains only two tracks, and has aging infrastructure — it was built in 1910. John Porcari, interim executive director of the Gateway Development Corporation, says that the project is a key investment for the region. He says the Gateway is ready to go — it's just awaiting federal funding. "Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents paid for, designed and built the original tunnel. It's time for us to pay it forward for the next generation," he said. This isn't the first time a new tunnel has been proposed. Gov. Chris Christie canceled the ARC tunnel back in 2010, citing concern about cost overruns.
Tonight at the National Opera Center in New York, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom presents live excerpts of his work and speaks about his creative process. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, his influences come from an eclectic array of sources. (Produced in 2005) Creators in Concert: William BolcomThursday, April 57:00pmThe National Opera Center330 Seventh Ave.New York, NY 10001Tickets available at www.operaamerica.org/
Teacher by day, blogger by night. multi-tasking millennials are working side jobs. We'll look at the "side-hustle" economy.
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: As the fight over Neil Gorsuch continued to play out in the U.S. Senate today, I sat down with Democrat Patty Murray, the four-term senator from Washington State, who is one of the majority of Democrats opposed to Gorsuch taking that vacant seat on the Supreme Court. SEN. PATTY MURRAY, D-Wash.: What concerns me at the end of the day is a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, someone’s judgment and their beliefs in terms of protecting people’s rights in this country is extremely important. And, for me, he didn’t pass the test. JUDY WOODRUFF: You made a particular point of speaking about his position on reproductive rights. Why is that so important to you? SEN. PATTY MURRAY: This Supreme Court will consider cases coming to it that ultimately could overturn Roe v. Wade, which would mean that women would — could possibly lose their constitutionally protected right to make their own health care choices. To me, that is an issue I have seen in my own lifetime that has made a real impact for women, personally, their health and their economy. And I do not want this country to go backwards. JUDY WOODRUFF: And you have spoken before about your own awareness in your personal life. SEN. PATTY MURRAY: When I was in college, Roe v. Wade wasn’t the law of the land many years ago. And I remember as good today as I did then a friend of mine, very close to, lived with her in the dorm, who went out on a date, like many young women did, and was what we today call date-raped, but we didn’t have a term for it then, ended up getting pregnant. There was no place she could go, nobody — no protections of law, ended up finding what we would now call a back-alley doctor who performed an abortion. And as a result of a botched procedure, she, at a very young age, lost her ability to ever have a family. I don’t want to go back to that. We now have a time when women can get the health care they need when they need it for whatever reason, and they have the protection of law to do that. JUDY WOODRUFF: These are terrible individual situations, and you have just described one of them. At the same time, you know that there are many Americans who feel strongly in the other way. I think the latest Pew poll showed 37 percent of Americans don’t believe in abortion under almost any circumstances. How do you respect their point of view? SEN. PATTY MURRAY: Well, I do respect that. For a deeply religious purpose, there are people who do not personally believe that abortion is acceptable. I understand that. But this is a country where we don’t impose religious beliefs on the entire country. This is a country where we accept differences of opinion. JUDY WOODRUFF: You’re not only opposing Judge Gorsuch. You and other Democrats are mounting a filibuster to do all you can do to prevent a vote. That, as you know, could lead to a significant change in the rules in the Senate, which will have an even more long-lasting effect. Why go that extra step? SEN. PATTY MURRAY: Well, this is not our choice. This is the Republicans’ choice. Normally, our Supreme Court justices do get over 60 votes. And that’s important in this country. If you don’t get 60 votes, it means that you’re not a justice that can really be a justice for the entire land. So, it’s an important hurdle. There are not 60 people in the Senate today who believe that we should have this nomination. And I can’t vote just because Mitch wants me to. I — that’s — my vote is really important to me. JUDY WOODRUFF: There is the argument, Senator, at th...
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and White House senior adviser, has a growing list of responsibilities. He set up Trump’s meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He’s working on the U.S. relationships with China and with Mexico. He’s leading the efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He’s leading the White House Office of American Innovation, which is tackling federal bureaucracy, opioid addiction and veteran health care. And on Monday he traveled to Iraq with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson talks with Andrew Rice (@riceid) contributing editor at New York Magazine, about how Kushner became such an important and influential member of Trump’s inner circle. New York Magazine: The Young Trump Interview Highlights On Jared Kushner’s background and expertise “He’s sort of the son-in-law without portfolio in the administration. He is an advisor to President Trump. He’s said to be the last person that President Trump talks to before he makes very important decisions. Going into the administration, it was said that he would have free rein to intervene anywhere that the President saw fit. We’re seeing evidence of that in the sheer diversity of things that he’s gotten involved with just in the first couple months of the administration. “He was a real estate developer. He inherited a real estate company from his father, who didn’t die but actually went to federal prison for a rather baroque scandal. He was thrown into this position of great responsibility in the family company at a very young age in his early 20s. He also owned a newspaper called the New York Observer that covers the New York City elite. He was both a media baron and a real estate player. But really, not anyone who has any experience in policy, foreign policy or any of the big matters that he’s now involved in. Array On how he met Ivanka Trump “They originally met — it’s a classic New York tabloid elite cute meet story. They were dating, but they broke up partly over religious concerns on Jared Kushner’s family’s part because they are quite Orthodox Jews. Eventually, they got back together. The matchmaker was Wendi Deng, the now ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch, who arranged for them to each independently invited to the Murdoch yacht, each not knowing that the other was going to be there. Rupert and Wendi Deng talked them into getting back together because they thought they were such a good couple. On Kushner’s relationship with Donald Trump “I think that Jared came into his own and became a truly integral part of the Trump world via the campaign. He came in and was given smallish tasks to do by Trump. He, by all accounts, performed them well. As time went on, he became more and more of a power player within that campaign. He was instrumental in the removal of at least two campaign managers, Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort. That’s just indicative of his growing influence within Trump’s inner circle. What we’ve seen so far is that Donald Trump is somebody who values loyalty very highly and he values family loyalty much higher than any other form of loyalty. Kushner showed, if nothing else, that he’s intensely loyal to Donald Trump. On whether Kushner is a foreign policy hawk or dove “The only area in which it’s really truly possible to say definitively is Israel. He’s very much in lockstep with Netanyahu. He’s somebody who really supports the government of Israel right down the line. On other things — say for instance China and other matters — there is some evidence that Kushner is a less hardline figure than somebody like Steve Ban...
Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss why he will vote “no on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court nomination, as Senate Republican leaders are expected to change Senate rules so that a simple majority of senators is needed to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday at the American president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The meeting comes on the heels of a North Korean ballistic missile launch. NPR Beijing correspondent Anthony Kuhn (@akuhnNPRnews) talks with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson about how Trump is perceived in China and what the Asian country is looking to get from the meeting. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
A new report from the New York Federal Reserve Bank finds that the burden of student loan debt may be preventing some borrowers from buying homes. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) about what’s happening. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
FBI Director James Comey has warned that Russia will try once again to influence U.S. elections, possibly as early as next year. To prepare, the federal government has declared elections to be a part of the nation's critical infrastructure that demands special attention. But the federal government's focus has state and local election officials, who are very protective of how they do things now, extremely nervous. They're mainly concerned that the federal government will tell them how to run their elections — even down to where polling sites should be located — in the name of security. Denise Merrill, Connecticut's secretary of state and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said this could jeopardize the best protection the nation already has against outside manipulation of elections. "Because our system is highly decentralized there's no way to disrupt the voting process in any large-scale meaningful way through cyber attacks because there's no national system to attack," she said Tuesday at a hearing before the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on the impact of the critical infrastructure designation. Merrill noted that while two states — Arizona and Illinois — had their voter registration systems infiltrated last year by Russian hackers, no records were deleted or changed. And she said no actual votes were affected, despite signs that Russia had scanned election systems in at least twenty states. "The voting process itself was not hacked, manipulated or rigged in any way," said Merrill. Classified information, technical services Neil Jenkins, director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Enterprise Performance Management Office, agreed that having thousands of local election offices, each with their own systems, makes hacking votes nearly impossible. But he said states are increasingly putting election data online, things like voter registration lists and preliminary vote counts. And that increases the risk that an election can, at the very least, be disrupted. He said the Department of Homeland Security's job is to help local officials secure elections, not to dictate what they should do. "The way we work with critical infrastructure is not through regulation. It's through voluntary partnerships. Sharing of information, listening to the community, determining what they want, and then working with them to provide that information," said Jenkins. He said election officials will now have more access to classified information about potential threats. And that DHS can provide technical services, such as sending in penetration teams to try to break into a local voting system to see if it's secure. Election officials say many of them have been doing this kind of testing for years, although they welcome the additional help. They say they could also use more money to help them secure elections, but Jenkins made clear that the critical infrastructure designation does not come with additional funds. One reason state and local election officials are so wary about working with DHS is that they're not confident the agency understands how elections work. Jenkins admitted that he initially thought the problem with Russian hacking last year involved internet voting — which barely exists. He said he was quickly dispelled of that belief by election officials. Disturbing signs But since then, election officials have seen other disturbing signs. They say they received little advance notice that former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson was about to make the formal critical infrastructure designation in January. And several states reported that their election systems have been scanned by someone using a DHS IP address, even though they had not authorized such activity. Jenkins said these scans were "autho...
Sheryl Gay Stolberg, domestic affairs correspondent for The New York Times, Jonathan M. Smith, executive director of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and former Obama Justice Department attorney, and Chris Burbank, director of Law Enforcement Engagement Center for Policing Equity, talk about the memo from Attorney General Sessions ordering a review of Department of Justice reform agreements with local police departments. "[Sessions] is ordering this review without having even read the sentinel reports issued by the department he runs," said Smith. "He should read the Ferguson report... take a look at the Chicago report." @BrianLehrer Sessions dismisses existing reports "anecdotal". When we have spotty/NO national data on (even) police-related deaths-#evidence&datamatter — CC Love, PhD (@cclovephd) April 5, 2017
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. In early April 1994, the government of Rwanda embarked on a campaign of genocide, killing more than 800,000 people and raping up to 250,000 over the course of 100 days. A new documentary called "The Uncondemned" tells the story of a group of lawyers who sought to make rape a crime of war. Michele Mitchell, director, writer, and producer of the film, and Pierre Prosper, lead attorney on the Rwandan genocide rape case and the first lawyer to try rape as a war crime, weigh in. Check out a trailer for the film below, and click on the 'Listen' button above to hear our full conversation with Mitchell and Prosper.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Fox News is making headlines yet again for its contentious workplace climate. The New York Times reports that the top-rated cable news network and its popular host Bill O'Reilly have made payouts to five women amounting to $13 million to settle claims of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior. O'Reilly denies these claims. On Monday, less than a year after he lost his job, new allegations were also made against Roger Ailes. Julie Roginsky, a former Fox News contributor, filed a lawsuit against the network's former CEO. Roginsky claims that she was denied the chance of securing a permanent role at Fox after turning down Ailes' sexual advances. In many of these cases, the accusers allege that Fox executives were aware of the harassment allegations, but they attempted to cover them up in order to protect their stars. Fox News advertisers have shared their opinion of these allegations. In the past few days, 21 companies have withdrawn ads from "The O'Reilly Factor," including Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW of North America, Mitsubishi Motors, Lexus, Constant Contact, Bayer, Allstate, Esurance, among several others. Does the culture at Fox enable this behavior, and what will be the long-term consequences, if any? Gabriel Sherman, National Affairs editor for New York Magazine and author of "The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News - and Divided A Country," discusses the latest slew of sexual harassment allegations against Fox and its big names, and the culture of the network.Â
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Sarah Williams Goldhagen is an architecture critic and author who has thought a lot about the critical role of design for libraries and other buildings. She is a champion of thoughtful architecture that takes into account how we experience the environments we live in. According to Williams Goldhagen, “our disregard for our built environments is bankrupting our live, and threatens to “bankrupt the lives of people for generations. Williams Goldhagen, who formerly taught at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, is the author of a new book called “Welcome To Your World: How The Built Environment Shapes Our Lives," that considers how design shapes our well-being. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear the full conversation with Williams Goldhagen.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Senate Democrats have the votes to sustain a filibuster of the nomination of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, setting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell up to deploy the "nuclear option" to change the Senate’s rules once more to lower the threshold of advancing Supreme Court nominees. In 2013, faced with opposition from Republicans who would not confirm then-President Barack Obama's judicial appointments, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a gamble, moving to change the filibuster rules for approving judicial nominees other than Supreme Court justices. “The change we propose today would ensure executive and judicial nominations an up or down vote on confirmation: Yes, no," Sen. Reid said. "The rule change will make cloture for all nominations, other than the Supreme Court, a majority threshold vote, yes or no. The Senate is a living thing and to survive it must change as it has over the history of this great country. Now, that gamble is coming back to Democrats. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington Correspondent, brings us the latest on the showdown from Capitol Hill.
This week, we take you back to our live show at SXSW! First, Heben debuts her conspiracy theory that Donald Trump's entire presidential career is inspired by KFC. Then, back by popular demand, is the return of Tracy's Joke Time. Finally, the radiant and talented Lizzo chats with us about growing up religious, collaborating with Prince, and being body positive. If you need a pick-me-up this week, put your headphones on and sit back - we gotchu.Follow Lizzo on Twitter @lizzo and on Instagram @lizzobeeatingFollow us: @heavenrants and @brokeymcpovertyEmail us: anotherround@buzzfeed.comSubscribe to the Another Round newsletter at buzzfeed.com/anotherround/newsletter. Merch is back! Tees! Totes! They're so cute: shop.buzzfeed.com
Philadelphia created a buzz last summer when its city council voted to impose a tax on sweetened drinks. Three cities followed suit with similar measures. But the beverage industry has been fighting back. On Wednesday, a panel of judges in a Pennsylvania appeals court is expected to hear oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by the beverage industry against the city. The plaintiffs — including the American Beverage Association and the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association — are seeking to invalidate the tax. One of their legal arguments is that the beverage tax conflicts with the Pennsylvania sales tax. The legal challenge has put the brakes on the city's planned expansion of programs that are funded by revenues from the tax. The mayor's office says the city will hold off on adding additional pre-K seats. Currently, the revenue is funding 2,000 pre-K spots for low-income families in the city. But now, the city says it will not add an additional 1,000 seats as previously planned. I visited Philadelphia to gauge how the tax has impacted businesses and people in the city. I walked a few city blocks with Larry Ceisler, a spokesperson for the Ax The Bev Tax Coalition, which is funded by the industry. As we passed a small supermarket, he told me the tax is having a negative effect. "What's happening is that business is down," Ceisler tells me. Some city dwellers are going to the suburbs to do their shopping, Ceisler says. They're not just leaving to buy drinks but other groceries too, he says. "Overall, my business is down by 15 percent — an unsustainable drop in an industry with tight margins," Jeff Brown, who owns six ShopRite supermarkets in Philadelphia told us. "This tax has also forced me to cut thousands of hours each week from my union employees," Brown says. Local beverage distributors say their sales are down significantly. Canada Dry Of Delaware Valley, which distributes a range of sodas, teas and bottled waters in Philadelphia says sales are down by about 45 percent. The company has laid off about 30 employees, including drivers and workers who stock the shelves. "It's obviously disappointing," Bob Brockway, president and COO of Canada Dry Delaware Valley told us. He says bottled water sales have grown, but not nearly enough to offset losses. But there are people in the city benefiting from the soda tax, too. The mayor's office says the city has brought in about $12.3 million in revenues from the first two months of tax collections. The tax is projected to bring in about $91 million over 12 months. The mayor's office says the Philly Beverage Tax will be used to "make much needed investments in pre-K and community schools, as well as in Philadelphia parks, rec centers and libraries." I decided to check out Pee Week Prep Educational Center, one of the preschool programs that's expanded its pre-K enrollment due to revenue from the soda tax. It's located in West Philly, so I hopped in an Uber. Along the way we passed plenty of boarded up houses. "Yes, a lot, " the driver Al McLean commented." More than 400,000 Philadelphians live below the federal poverty line, including 37 percent of all the kids in the city. "A lot of the kids here are what I call couch-to-classroom," Stacy Phillips, the founder and CEO of Pee Wee Prep, told me. In other words, before they enrolled in school here, they were home watching TV on the couch. Now, Phillips is offering a full-day curriculum. When I visited, kids were rot...
When we met Rashema Melson during her sophomore year at Georgetown University, she was tired of people calling her "the homeless valedictorian." A lot's changed in her life since then. We have a weekly newsletter! And we think you'll really like it. Sign up here: deathsexmoney.org/newsletter. Follow the show on Twitter @deathsexmoney and Facebook at facebook.com/deathsexmoney. Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org.
When North Carolina passed HB2 last year — a controversial law also known as the "bathroom bill" — it seemed to many that the rights of transgender people in that state were under threat. Now that the bathroom bill has been repealed, we wanted to check in with three young people we met last summer at one of the few clinics for transgender kids in the south. About a year after starting therapy, they tell us how the shifting political climate is affecting their personal lives.
Syrian native Abeer Pamuk has wanted to come to the U.S. since she was a child. In anticipation of that day, she studied English Literature at the University of Aleppo. "I wanted to be a communicator, someone who will build a bridge between people," the 24-year-old said. Her dream came true. After working with the NGO SOS Children's Villages in Syria and Morocco, she landed an Atlas Corps fellowship, which has been described as a "reverse Peace Corps." Her host firm in the U.S. is the children's journalism and advocacy group SparkAction. Pamuk and seventeen other fellows arrived in the U.S. in January, just a few weeks before President Donald Trump issued an executive order that attempted to restrict travel to the U.S. from seven majority Muslim nations, including Pamuk’s Syria. That order has since been revised and is currently in legal limbo. Actions like these can squash the joy out of an opportunity like this for Pamuk and the other Atlas Corps Fellows. "We were all worried about it, said Pamuk. “It was the first talk the next morning, like ‘What's going to happen next. Are we going to be deported?’ It was a lot of confusion." After a frantic few days, the fellows were assured they would not be deported. But uneasy feelings remain. In the meantime, Pamuk is acclimating to life in Brooklyn where she'll live for the next year until her fellowship ends. Life in New York is not what she is used to in Aleppo where most banks and shops are closed because of the on-going civil war. Pamuk said that for many days late last year, the bombs and bullets in her hometown were a near constant presence. Pamuk tries to put that out of her mind, along with her fears about the safety of her mother who is still in Aleppo, working as a nurse. Instead she focuses on all the new tasks she's learning."My first experience in a laundromat...I didn't know what to do! I was asking the guy about each and every single step of that," said Pamuk. She's also had to learn how to navigate the grocery store with products she’s never seen before and going to the bank. She's also trying to take in all that New York City has to offer, like a limited run of the Joffrey Ballet's New York performance of Romeo and Juliet. "Actually, I've never seen ballet before," she said. And after the performance? "The ballet was gorgeous. It couldn’t have been better."
Donald Trump's arrival in the White House brought the usual turnover of federal employees, along with a few resignations. But Ned Price surprised himself by handing in his resignation letter at the end of January. He'd imagined a lifelong career at the CIA and most recently served as a spokesman for the National Security Council — but he says he couldn't accept a paycheck from the American people with nothing to show for it. On the other hand, he says he feels like a bit of a hypocrite for hoping that other civil servants don't choose to leave, too. Price confirmed that he donated $5,000 to the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party in August 2016, which is permissible for federal employees under the Hatch Act. Listen to the first part of this series: "Why I'm Staying," a conversation with a federal employee who deals with immigration and says he plans to stay, despite the disheartening atmosphere and wide-spread feelings of dissent.
Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and special guest David Plotz of the Slate Political Gabfest discuss the new podcast S-Town, the film Ghost in the Shell with Represent host Aisha Harris, and the controversy surrounding Vice President Pence and his self-imposed rules around women. Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Boll and Branch. Right now, get 50 dollars off your first set of sheets plus free shipping by going to BollandBranch.com and using promo code culture.And by ThirdLove, the lingerie brand using real women’s measurements to design better-fitting bras. Try one of their best-selling bras for free for 30 days by visiting thirdlove.com/cultureAnd by Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans. When it comes to the big decision of choosing a mortgage lender, work with one that has your best interests in mind. Use Rocket Mortgage for a transparent, trustworthy home loan process that’s completely online at QuickenLoans.com/culture.
How one revolting, racist, sexist word emerged from the dark corners of 4chan and Reddit. And why we should care. With slang lexicographer Jonathon Green, writer Dana Schwartz of the Observer, and Derek Thompson of the Atlantic.
Prison is a walled off, secret world, where inmates and officers live a sort of altered reality. For the past 10 years Life of the Law's Executive Producer, Nancy Mullane, has been reporting on the people inside San Quentin State Prison in Northern California and over those years, some of the men she's been reporting on have themselves become journalists -- writing print stories for the San Quentin News and producing audio stories for the San Quentin Prison Report, stories told by reporters rom the unique perspective of life inside prison looking out, rather than from the perspective of free journalists outside looking in.One day after a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists San Quentin, reporter Greg Eskridge mentioned he was going to miss the next Sunday meeting. He said his mom was coming to San Quentin for a visit. How long had he been in prison, Mullane asked? More than 21 years. He said he was sent to prison at the age of 19 after being convicted of murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 65 years-to-life, and two life terms.What’s it like to be a teenager sent to prison for what may be forever, and what’s it like to be his mom?Our story is Mother and Son.Production NotesMother and Son was reported by Nancy Mullane and produced by our Senior Producer, Tony Gannon.Our Post Production Editors are Kirsten Jusewicz-Haidle and Rachael Cain.Our engineer was Howard Gelman of KQED Radio in San Francisco. Music in this episode was composed and produced by Ian Coss.Transcript of Mother and SonThis episode of Life of the Law was funded in part by grants from the Open Society Foundations, the Law and Society Association, and the National Science Foundation.© Copyright 2017 Life of the Law. All rights reserved.
In your relationship, who's the boss? Does it matter?? (This is a co-ed show, so women could dial in and join the discussion!)
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Imagine if one notice from the federal government could cause you to question your major life decisions. More than half a million people may have found themselves in that situation after a new legal filing by the Education Department. Under a program known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, some student loan borrowers were supposed to be able to have the balance of their student loans forgiven after ten years of both on-time payments and eligible work in the public sector. Meaning, a qualifying nonprofit, federal, local, state, or tribal government. The program started in 2007, so the first debt was set to be forgiven this coming fall. Last year a small group of borrowers learned that their eligibility for the program had revoked. These include four people, all attorneys, working for the American Bar Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and Vietnam Veterans of America. Nonprofits like these are not 501(c)3 charities or foundations, so it may be ambiguous whether they fall under the law's definition of "public service". But the four argued in a lawsuit last December, joined by the bar association itself, that their status shouldn't have been revoked, certainly not retroactively. They had followed all the necessary steps to qualify for forgiveness. They'd enrolled in the correct repayment program and filled out an Employment Certification Form with FedLoan Servicing, which acts on behalf of the Education Department. That form certifies that borrowers work for a qualifying organization or a federal, state, tribal or city agency. It's suggested borrowers file an ECF every year. On March 23, the department responded to the suit, saying, "FedLoan Servicing's response to the ECF does not reflect a final agency action on the borrower's qualifications for PSLF." Meaning, in essence, all those years that borrowers submitted certification forms, the department wasn't making any promises about forgiveness. Technically, the department is only responding to the narrow question about whether this small category of organizations is considered public service or not. However, "The retroactive aspect of this filing reasonably causes people to be nervous," says Robert Shireman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and a former Deputy Undersecretary of Education under Obama, where he was responsible for overseeing the program during its early years. Nervous is right. More than half a million borrowers have signed up for the program. So we put the word out to find out how they were feeling. We heard "frightened," "anxious," "uncertainty," "regret," "betrayed." Sunrise Ayers, who works for a nonprofit providing legal services to the elderly in Boise, Idaho, has about $80,000 in debt. Like many borrowers, she told us, "A lot of my life-planning decisions were made factoring the loan forgiveness into the equation." She says she turned down higher-paying jobs in the private sector, for example. "I would feel very betrayed, for both myself and my two sons, if this program is taken away," she says. "I would likely end up paying on my loans until I was in my 60s and would have no ability to save for retirement or to help pay for my children's college." Brian Jones is a parole officer in Texas with about $30,000 in loans. "It's horrible," he writes, "because I was really depending on that to move on with my life and I don't know what I'm going to do." Not only have many people made financial and career decisions based on the program, some told us they avoided getting legally married because of the chan...
Everyone will tell you they are too busy to talk — but it is not true, says Lucy Kellaway. Image credit: Chris Tosic
Today in Jonathan Schwartz History, Jonathan explains how he landed an interview with the one and only Doris Day, back in 2010. Listen to the full interview HERE! Â
The Mexican newspaper where a reporter who investigated drug gangs worked until she was murdered has announced it is closing its print edition due to a lack of security.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: The arrival of spring is a most welcome sight to many of us, but it also brings a serious health problem, ticks. They can lead to Lyme disease in humans, which can be a serious chronic condition. Many suburban areas are trying to figure out just how to deal with an increasing number of ticks, which some blame on the growing population of deer in the U.S. Researchers are enlisted in this battle as well. Miles O’Brien has the story for our weekly segment on the Leading Edge of science. And a warning: Some of the images in this story might disturb some viewers. MILES O’BRIEN: This English manor in the woods near Boston is Denny Swenson and Wynn Swenson’s dream house. When they moved here 10 years ago, they were thrilled to see a lot of deer. DENISE SWENSON, Local Activist: And it was so exciting, because they’re such beautiful animals. They seemed harmless. Wow, we felt like we had arrived. MILES O’BRIEN: But, today, she is a more than a little wary of the deer. In fact, she believes controlling their numbers is the only practical way to stem the spread of Lyme disease. Humans are infected with Lyme from tick bites, and ticks like to feed on deer. DENISE SWENSON: There’s a trail there that the deer love. MILES O’BRIEN: This is deer country here? DENISE SWENSON: Yes, yes. We have tons of deer. MILES O’BRIEN: The state says that there are about 85 deer per square mile in the adjacent 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation; 10 per square mile is considered a density that could reduce the spread of Lyme. Deer were hunted nearly to extinction a century ago in the U.S. Today, thanks to legal protection and regulated harvests, the deer herd nationwide has exploded to more than 30 million. This creates a host of problems, including more than a million deer-car collisions each year in the United States. Suburbia offers the perfect habitat for deer to flourish, no human hunters or animal predators and a bounty of food. DENISE SWENSON: They’re coming all the way up to the front door to eat. They’re really hungry, so they kind of need the rhododendrons as much as I do. MILES O’BRIEN: Yes. This is kind of like the drive-through of a deer, right? DENISE SWENSON: Yes. This is the drive-through for them, yes. MILES O’BRIEN: Lyme is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Symptoms often begin with a distinctive bullseye rash and evolve into various neurological problems, including facial palsy, severe headaches, muscular aches, and sensitivity to light. Without antibiotic treatment, Lyme disease can lead to permanent motor, sensory and cognitive impairment. It is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. There are an estimated 300,000 cases a year all across the U.S. Both Denny and Wynn have had multiple cases of Lyme disease. DENISE SWENSON: Oh, I will never forget those headaches. I will never forget the pain sort of sweeping around my body. I felt like I was being invaded by some crazy thing. MILES O’BRIEN: The more she asked around, the more she got scared. DENISE SWENSON: We did a neighborhood survey, and 30 households responded, and we found 30 cases of Lyme disease. MILES O’BRIEN: You basically have a public health crisis here. DENISE SWENSON: Yes, these are epidemic level numbers. MILES O’BRIEN: A former journalist, Denny Swenson started researching. The Lyme disease bacterium lives inside white-footed mice, the so-called reservoir. Ticks that bite t...
We get a preview of the potential benefits — and potential risks — of this week's summit meeting of the Presidents of the US and China.
President Trump has predicted a "very difficult" meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. We'll unpack what's on the table and at stake for both countries.
When you think of a refugee camp, what comes to mind? Not avocados and wedding gowns, right? But those are some of the things you can find in Zataari, the Syrian refugee camp in Jordan.
No one is 100 percent sure what will happen when the most powerful Chinese leader in a generation meets a mercurial American president who has been in office fewer than 100 days, as Trump and Xi open a new chapter in the world's most consequential relationship.
Country and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs brings his mandolin and a lifetime of stories.
Initial design submissions for the proposed wall on the border of the US and Mexico were due this week. They ranged from the kooky to the forbidding to the grandiose.
A situation in Lahore, Pakistan between Christians and Muslims has been spiraling out of control. Both sides have made mistakes, and now over 500 Christians have been arrested and 42 are being pressured to recant their beliefs. Find out what happened.
This is a story about a Christian nurse who was fired for occasionally offering prayer to her ailing patients. The Employment Tribunal is about to hear her case. Tune in to find out more.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Kendall Jenner new Pepsi ad gets pulled. Kylie Jenner and Tyga have split. Mel B accuses her husband of abuse. Hosted by Bonnie Fuller Co Host Katrina Mitzeliotis Produced By Gino Orlandini
For months, two activist groups have asked Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen to hold a town hall meeting in his northern New Jersey district. They even organized their own town halls and invited Frelinghusyen, but he didn't show. So Wednesday, they went to Frelinghuysen instead. Three buses left New Jersey in the early morning filled with members of NJ 11th for Change and BlueWave NJ. They were headed more than 200 miles south to Frelinghuysen's office in room 2306 in the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol. NJ 11th for Change formed in the weeks after the election, when residents of mostly liberal Montclair realized they had been moved into Frelinghuysen’s district. A single Facebook post turned into a group with more than 7,000 members from Montclair to Morristown and west to the Pennsylvania border. "Calm and rational voices being heard is an important thing," said Meg Wiviott of Morristown, as she waited for the bus to leave just after sunrise Wednesday. "I want my representatives to represent me, and I know they can’t just represent me because they represent an entire district, but I want some moderation. I don’t want us to be so extreme on either side." Similar concerns emerged from many of the new activists: funding for Planned Parenthood, the need for an investigation into the Trump Administration's ties to Russia, support for the Affordable Care Act, and this week’s issue — the undermining of federal oversight on local police departments. The last time Lee Karosen went to Washington to speak with his representatives, Richard Nixon was in the White House. "1970," Karosen said. The Cedar Knolls resident boarded the bus with his wife in hopes of speaking with Frelinghuysen about their support for the Affordable Care Act. But he has several other things bothering him about the Trump administration. "The main reason that I'm going down, which is near and dear to my heart, is our attorney general Mr. Sessions. Mr. Sessions perjured himself," Karosen said. "I'm an attorney and I know perjury when I hear it." The activists got the news as they waited to depart New Jersey that Frelinghuysen had agreed to speak with a smaller number of them in his D.C. office. A cheer went up. They’ve been writing letters, sending faxes and visiting his Morristown office for months. But traffic meant the three buses arrived in D.C. about 15 minutes late for their first appointment with Frelinghuysen. The meetings were limited to groups of 10 at a time, so organizers picked out the first cadre as the group hurried through security. “I need Harriet! someone shouted. They handed out buttons and chatted with staff as they waited in the hallway accented with polished stone outside Frelinghuysen’s office across the street from the Capitol. Later, they met New Jersey’s Democratic Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker. Mendham Township resident Susan Luciano said she thinks Frelinghuysen has drifted too conservative. "I grew up in this district," Luciano said. "Congressman Frelinghuysen’s father was my Congressman when I was a child. The district has changed. He has to represent everyone who lives there now." After the meeting, Luciano and others said Frelinghuysen really didn’t answer their questions. "I hope he heard what we had to say," she said, "but it’s not like we walked out saying all our issues have been resolved." Elsa Sjunneson-Henry has pleaded with Frelinghuysen to hold an in-person town hall, because she's disabled and can't participate in the telephone town halls increasingly popular with Republicans. "He didn’t give me a direct yes," Sjunneson-Henry said after her meeting. But the activists’ time was up at 12:45 — Frelinghuysen had another appointment. The Congressman worke...
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. Matthew Smith is one of the youngest conductors to lead a 75-piece orchestra. He debuted this weekend at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, where he led a performance of Johann Strauss’ operetta Die Fledermaus. Along with Derek Williams, a conductor and his teacher, 11-year-old Matthew Smith weighs in today on The Takeaway. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear our full conversation with Smith and Williams, and check out a video about Smith below.
Movies, television shows and books build entire worlds with characters, and now more than ever, fans are expanding those worlds. Fan fiction can build a relationship between a creator and the fan base, inspire new material and even raise legal issues. Our guests are Amber Davisson, assistant professor at Keene State College, Petra Mayer, editor at NPR Books, Rebecca Tushnet, professor at Georgetown Law and head of the legal committee of the Organization for Transformative Works, and Katherine Larsen, professor at George Washington University and author of Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirl.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Max Richter is a restless musician, composer and something of an alchemist in sound who doesn't seem to fit into any tidy genres. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in the U.K., but he's worked with electronic music bands like Future Sound of London. He writes exquisite electro-acoustic miniatures, but also full-length ballets and even an eight-hour piece called Sleep. He's scored movies (Waltz With Bashir, The Sense of an Ending) and even re-scored Vivaldi's classic Four Seasons. We asked Richter to stop by our New York studio with a playlist of some of his favorite music. The result was a relaxed session of spinning tunes and talking music. Hear the complete conversation via the listening link above and read an edited version of it below. Tom Huizenga: What should we start with? Max Richter: Why don't we start with Kurtág? So this is György — and his wife, Marta Kurtág — at the piano, right? This is Kurtág's arrangement of the Actus tragicus of Bach, an early funeral cantata — rendering it for piano duet, which he plays with his wife. And for me the idea of them sitting down playing through this beautiful material is a kind of ideal domestic kind of music-making which obviously used to be very commonplace, when everyone played instruments. And there's something just incredibly emotionally engaging about this playing. I don't know if it was Slonimsky or Baker — one of the folks that wrote music encyclopedias — who said that Bach was the "supreme arbiter and law-giver of music." I wouldn't argue with that. I always feel like Bach is in a special case, really. If somebody says, "Well, what are your favorite composers?" really what they are saying is, "What are your favorite composers apart from Bach?" Because obviously Bach is your favorite composer if you are involved in music at all. It's a little bit like Mount Everest. There's Mount Everest and then there are all the other mountains. And Bach is the universal gravitation of music. What's next in your pile? So next is a track called "What Part Of Me" from Low — the wonderful Low. What part of this music is it that turns you on? Well, I mean, what's not to love? Everything about it is perfect. It starts out with that little drum box, which has got a sort of a retro quality, amazing fuzzy guitar and bass. It's got a sort of perfection that's really simple. It's full of yearning. And it's just perfect music. Do you listen to a lot of what we might call "indie rock?" Yeah. I think that's a very creative space. It's a space where there's a very open-eared audience. It's full of curiosity and possibility. And I like the fact that there's not too much kind of theory and rules around in that space — some very creative music. You were born in Germany but grew up in the U.K. I'm wondering what kind of music you heard in the house as a kid growing up? Well, I heard basically the rock and pop music of the time and the core classics. So, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven — and The Beatles and The Beach Boys....
This episode originally ran in 2014. Millions of tax cheats never get caught. And the IRS seems powerless to stop them. This isn't just a problem here. American taxpayers are Dudley Do-Rights compared to people in some other countries. And there are some very smart people working to get tax cheats to change their ways. On today's show, we head to some of the cheating-est places on earth to bring you tales from some of the roughest, toughest tax collectors around. These tax collectors have tricks and mind-games that they play to get people to do the right thing. Music: "Long Distance Love" and "Circular Uplift." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook. Subscribe to our show on iTunes or PocketCast. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Gene and guest host Glen Weldon (our play cousin from Pop Culture Happy Hour) explore how comics are used as spaces for mapping race and identity. Gene visits Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, and chats with proprietor Ariell Johnson who is reclaiming the comic book store, which once made her uneasy as a black fan. Meanwhile, C. Spike Trotman, another black woman, has made a name for herself as an online comics publisher of Iron Circus Comics in Chicago. We also talk to artist and designer Ronald Wimberly for his perspective as a black creator who has worked for Marvel and DC, the titans of corporate comics. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Senior housing is a growing industry in the U.S., especially in states like Arizona. Some design firms are focusing solely on creating housing for older people who may have health issues like vision or memory problems. Kathy Ritchie (@kathymritchie) of Here & Now contributor KJZZ in Phoenix visited some designers and real estate developers who specialize in senior housing. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Kory Stamper, a Merriam-Webster lexicographer, joins us to discuss her book, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. The book explores what it takes to make a dictionary in a world where language is constantly evolving. Stamper details the people, events and stories that have shaped the English language, and goes inside the halls of Merriam-Webster.Â
Exotica music is a style of the past — but a handful of artists are keeping the genre alive. Darrell Brogdon (@kprbrogdon), who hosts the “Retro Cocktail Hour at Kansas Public Radio, tells Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson that exotica is influenced by Polynesian culture. In the 1950s the music was a “siren song, according to Brogdon, “for a whole generation of people, particularly ex-servicemen, who were stationed in the South Pacific and became introduced to Polynesian culture, and hence the boom in this music in the post-war years. Hear previous installments of Here & Now‘s DJ Sessions Note: We have a Spotify playlist and an Apple Music playlist for our weekly DJ Sessions. Music From The Segment Alika Lyman Group, “Swingtime in Honolulu [Youtube] Ìxtahuele, “Curitiba Train [Youtube] Jazztronik, “Adventures in Paradise Christopher de Groot, “Holiday Road Carnage Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
At least 72 people died in Tuesday’s chemical attack on a Syrian city. On Wednesday, rescue workers found more terrified survivors who were hurt in the attack, which the Trump administration blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre (@gregmyre1) speaks with Here & Now‘s Robin Young about the latest on what happened, and how the U.S. and the rest of the world might respond. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) spent all night and a good part of Wednesday morning on the Senate floor, speaking out against President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch. Merkely’s 15-hour speech was more for show than anything else — there is practically no chance that anything the Democrats do now will stop or even delay Gorsuch’s confirmation. That’s because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to have the necessary number of votes to trigger the so-called “nuclear option, and change Senate rules to confirm Gorsuch with a simple majority, or 51 votes, rather than the traditional 60. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg (@NinaTotenberg) about the coming showdown over Gorsuch’s confirmation. The vote is set for Thursday. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Author Gideon Rachman says Eastern power is on the rise. According to the International Monetary Fund, three of the top four economies are based in Asia, with China leading the U.S., and India and Japan ranking third and fourth in terms of purchasing power. And while the U.S. military is considered the strongest in the world, China and Russia are its closest rivals. In part two of our conversation about the rise of Asia, Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Rachman (@gideonrachman), chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times, about the role of nationalism and international diplomacy, highlighted in his new book “Easternization: Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond. Part one of our conversation Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
As the opioid epidemic continues, alternative medicine practitioners like naturopaths and chiropractors are lobbying to become more mainstream as an alternative to pharmaceutical pain relief. Traditional doctors worry that there isn’t enough hard science behind the claims that alternative services really help patients manage pain. Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with STAT reporter Megan Thielking (@meggophone) about the latest lobbying efforts and the arguments on both sides of the battle. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Ranchers in rural Tehama County, California, north of San Francisco, have high hopes that President Trump has their best interests in mind when it comes to the environment. Lesley McClurg (@lesleywmcclurg) of Here & Now contributor KQED visited some ranchers who were relieved when the president scrapped some clean water and trade regulations, but say they hope there will also be policies to create incentives to protect the land. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Less than two weeks after it was declared dead, the American Health Care Act is being revived. Maybe. Republicans are once again trying to come to a consensus on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks with Sarah Kliff (@sarahkliff), who covers health policy for Vox, about what’s changed and what reforms Republicans are considering this time around. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
The Black Lives Matter movement originated as an organization to combat police violence but has morphed into an organization for civil rights issues. How does it compare to the civil rights movement, and the Black Power movement of the 1960s? Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Peniel Joseph (@penieljoseph), a scholar of African-American history and professor of public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, about his cover story for the New Republic, “Why Black Lives Matter Still Matters. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
After a failed health care bill, tax reform is next on the Republican agenda on Capitol Hill. The timing also follows a unique pattern. Every thirty-two years the U.S. tax system seems to get an overhaul. It happened in 1922, and again in 1954. Which means that the next changes are due in 2018. T. R. Reid, longtime correspondent for The Washington Post and author of A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System (Penguin Press, 2017), says our Byzantine tax code is due for a major overhaul. He traveled around the world to find sensible, efficient tax systems that the United States could emulate. Hear his recommendations on how to simplify the system, cut tax rates and still make sure the government has plenty of money to keep on humming.
The Washington Post reported on a secret meeting held in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince (brother of Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos), the United Arab Emirates and a high-level Russian official, intending to establish a line of communication between Russia and soon-to-be President Trump. Adam Entous, national security, foreign policy and intelligence reporter for The Washington Post discusses his latest article.
Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters correspondent, and Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large at The Atlantic, discuss the latest news from Syria and the reactions from world leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump. Â
A historic wealth gap makes it harder for Afro Cubans to access capital and gain entrepreneurial experience.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
President Trump issued a remarkable statement following a Syrian gas attack U.S. officials say was leveled by that country's leader against his own people. Some 40 words of the short, 78-word statement blamed former President Obama for inaction. "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," the statement read, in part. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing." Obama declining to act when Syrian President Assad crossed the "red line" was arguably the low point of Obama's presidency when it came to his handling of foreign policy. But it's not like Trump called for action back then; just the opposite, as NPR's Tamara Keith reports. And Trump is not calling for action now — even after an attack that killed dozens with horrific images emerging. The new American president is being tested on the world stage, as this attack comes just days after the White House said Assad's ouster is not its priority. It also raises questions about Trump's support for autocracies and authoritarian regimes — and whether he can lead the world with moral clarity and authority as U.S. presidents have done for decades. On Wednesday, Trump meets with another key player in the Middle East — Jordan's King Abdullah, an ally that is more important than ever. "Political reality" White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that Assad in power is a "political reality that we have to accept." U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said "been there, done that" when it comes to demanding Assad step aside. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said, the "long-term status of Assad will be determined by the Syrian people." There are mixed messages, however, coming out of the administration. Spicer also said it wants to see a de-escalation of violence. That didn't happen. Instead, Syria upped the ante. Haley called Assad a "big hindrance to peace" a week ago and said, "When you have a leader who will go so far as use chemical weapons on their own people you have to wonder if that's somebody you can even work with." Two days ago, she went so far as to call him "disgusting" and a "war criminal." Assad went ahead and used those weapons again anyway, according to the U.S. Syria and Russia deny that they used chemical weapons, saying that they hit a cache of rebel weapons that then leaked. U.S. officials aren't buying that. Support for strong men Trump's reaction also raises more questions about his support for autocracies around the world. Throughout the campaign, Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticizing Obama and "stupid" American leaders. As president, he defended Putin last month in an interview with Fox's Bill O'Reilly. When O'Reilly said Putin was a "killer," Trump responded, "You think our country's so innocent?" Just two days ago, Trump not only met with, but praised Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. "We agree on so many things," Trump told assembled reporters and television cameras during a meeting at the White House with the Egyptian leader. "I just want to let everybody know that we are very much behind President el-Sisi. He's done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation." He ...
Traffic and pedestrian fatalities are on the rise nationwide, and our area is no exception. Richard Retting, general manager of the Washington, D.C. office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants and director of safety/research, talks about the grim numbers and the reasons why — including the distractions phones provide with apps, texts and more. @BrianLehrer Pedestrians have gotten much more careless. Many do not even look before crossing. — Roe Miller (@roe_miller) April 5, 2017 @BrianLehrer Council is passing my bill to require DOT to study "Barnes Dance" & other strategies at high-crash intersections across NYC. — Helen Rosenthal (@HelenRosenthal) April 5, 2017
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. A day after a suspected chemical attack killed scores of people, a major conference on Syria is kicking off in Brussels. The conference, "Supporting the future of Syria and the Region," is focused on the rebuilding of Syria, an agenda some say may not be possible under the current regime, which may be unlikely to change anytime soon. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signaled a pivot in American policy on Syria, saying that ousting Syria President Bashar al-Assad is not the focus on American efforts. The White House did, however, strongly condemn yesterday's chemical attack and laid blame on al-Assad and former President Barack Obama, who took little action when Syria crossed his "red line" on chemical weapons back in 2013. Six years into this brutal war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, what can the international community accomplish? For answers we turn to Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014, and currently a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C. And with the focus on bombings, chemical weapons and the refugee crises, there is little notice of the Syrian regime's abuse and torture of detainees. But a Washington Post expose reveals the systematic torture within the walls of military hospitals which may lead to war crimes charges in the future. Louisa Loveluck, Middle East correspondent for The Washington Post, has reported extensively on Syria and has documented the story of systematic torture within the walls of military hospitals in Syria. She's conducted dozens of interviews and has first-hand testimony of Mosen al-Masri, a detainee and survivor of torture inside a hospital known simply as 601. Â
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. More than 60 people have been killed in a suspected chemical attack in the Idlib province of rebel-held northern Syria. It is being called one of the largest toxic gas attacks in the ongoing conflict. Doctors at the scene say victims have been showing symptoms similar to those caused by exposure to sarin gas. There are reports that after the initial chemical attack, a series of airstrikes targeted a hospital and emergency clinics where victims were being treated. For details on this story we turn to Louisa Loveluck, Middle East correspondent for The Washington Post who has reported extensively on Syria.Â
Ken Lovett, Albany bureau chief for The Daily News, and Fred Mogul, WNYC Albany reporter, discuss budget negotiations in Albany as state lawmakers struggle to come to an agreement four days past budget deadline. The partisan gridlock surrounds the proposal for free college tuition for SUNY and CUNY students, the 421a tax exemption for developers and raising the age so that 16- and 17-year-olds are no longer automatically tried as adults in the criminal justice system.
Based on more than a hundred interviews and thousands of previously secret documents, Jeffrey Toobin, staff writer for The New Yorker, CNN legal analyst and author of American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst (Anchor, 2017), examines the life and trial of Patty Hearst and the radical, political terrorism she was was a part of that exemplified the 1970s.Â
A Washington Post profile of Karen Pence re-surfaced old comments by her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, who said he wouldn't dine alone with a woman or go to an event where alcohol was present without his wife. Jia Tolentino, contributing writer for newyorker.com, discusses this conservative view of male/female relationships and how it can keep women from gaining professional power and prestige.
Over the weekend, Portland State University jazz professor Darrell Grant and several other musicians performed in the Elliott State Forest to raise awareness about the state’s efforts to sell the land. We talk to Grant about art and activism.
Eli Lake, columnist for the Bloomberg View, former senior national security correspondent for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, talks about his new reporting that former national security adviser Susan Rice had requested that the identities of Trump transition officials picked up by security surveillance be "unmasked" and what that means for the ongoing investigations.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. In St. Petersburg, Russia, a bomb on a subway train in St. Petersburg killed an estimated 10 people and injured dozens more on Monday. Russian police suspect that a 22-year-old man from a former Soviet Central Asian country who had links to Islamic groups was behind the attack, and also planted a second bomb at another subway station that was defused before it detonated. The attack comes on the heels of growing agitation in the country. In recent weeks, thousands of Russian citizens gathered in 100 cities across the country to protest the government of Vladimir Putin, and additional smaller protests took place this past weekend. Joshua Yaffa, a contributor to The New Yorker and a fellow at New America, discusses the growing tension in Russia.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. In the 1970s and 1980s, big-name Christian leaders like Pat Roberts, Jerry Falwell, and Billy Graham brought the Evangelical community together under one banner: The Republican Party. Since then, Evangelicals have become one of the most reliable voting constituencies, with 81 percent of them voting for Donald Trump in 2016. But fractures have appeared, with millennial Evangelicals taking a more progressive stance on issues like climate change and poverty. In a new book called "The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America," author Frances FitzGerald traces the Evangelical movement in the United States from the 18th century to today. Evangelicals didn't start as a main voting block that politicians tried to woo in the United States, FitzGerald explains. They were the only voting block in the United States.
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. President Lyndon Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were allies in the fight for civil rights in America. The Civil Rights Act survived strong opposition when it passed through Congress in 1964, and President Johnson rallied behind the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Recorded phone conversations between King and Johnson show the evolution of a working relationship that made great strides for America's pursuit of racial equality. But in 1967, Dr. King chose to risk that partnership to oppose a view of American glory and honor that the president was fighting for overseas. King, a civil rights leader at home, could not ignore what was happening abroad, and on April 4th, 1967 — 50 years ago today — King spoke before a packed crowd at the Riverside Baptist Church, a focal point of activism in New York's Morningside Heights neighborhood. King's speech was called "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence." It was his first major public statement against the war. “Now it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war," said King. "If America’s soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read 'Vietnam.'" The speech was met with controversy and condemnation. Some 168 newspapers across America denounced Dr. King's position, and The New York Times ran an editorial titled "Dr. King's Error." But Dr. King was steadfast in his belief that if he were to be a civil rights leader in this country, representing the cause of those marginalized and brutalized by poverty and racism, then he must continue his commitment against violence of the oppressed, even when the oppressed were more than 8,000 miles away. “We have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools," said King. "So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor." For President Johnson, the speech marked a turning point in their relationship. A break that could not be rectified. Their calls grew less frequent, and there is little record of their conversations after the 1967 speech. President Johnson had question King's positioned on the war years earlier. The Takeaway revisits King's speech and President Johnson's conversations with the civil rights activist with help from the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas, which shared some of the archival material we used in this piece. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear the full segment and archival audio. A special thanks to producer Steve Atlas for bringing it to our attention. "We Knew JFK," an earlier work of Atlas’s in the same oral history form, will be re-released by Public Radio International this coming month, around the centennial of President Kennedy’s birth. You can listen to Dr. King's full speech from Riverside, here.
There's a saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Apparently, so is history. In the case of Poland's new Museum of the Second World War, the beholder is the nationalist government. Run by the populist Law and Justice Party, it has declared the museum an expensive mess that waters down Polish history and should be closed — or at a minimum, revamped. The museum opened March 23 in the northern port city of Gdansk, where World War II began when Germany invaded the city in 1939. "This is the museum of a war, but this is not a military museum," explains museum director and historian Pawel Machcewicz. "This is the museum which tells the story of a war in terms of politics, ideology and civil population." The museum's goal, Machcewicz says, is to show the lives and fates of civilians and soldiers, not just in Poland but in other European countries as well. "We cannot explain Polish history without paying attention to other nations," the director said. "We are not an isolated island." But the government isn't happy. Polish Culture Minister Piotr Glinski has led the charge to merge the museum with a newer one that hasn't even been built yet, something his opponents say is a way for the government to take over the Gdansk museum and change the exhibits. Machcewicz says every invitation he's extended to Glinski to visit the museum has been declined. Glinski's ministry has also slashed a subsidy Machcewicz requested by nearly half, to $2.9 million, which he says is nowhere near enough to operate. "I think there was a gigantic misunderstanding," he says. Glinksi "doesn't know this exhibition. If he would come here ... he would change his mind." Machcewicz acknowledges that may be wishful thinking, given the animosity between the current government and Donald Tusk, a political rival who commissioned the $115 million rust-colored museum. Tusk, a historian and Gdansk native, is Poland's former prime minister and current head of the European Union. Last month, Poland's foreign minister tried to challenge Tusk's election to a second term as European Council president, a top EU position. Glinski accuses Machcewicz — who was hired by Tusk — of distorting Polish history and not focusing enough in the exhibits on Poland's military campaigns against the Nazis and Soviet forces. The culture ministry declined repeated NPR requests for an interview. Lukasz Hamadyk, a Gdansk city councilman with the Law and Justice Party, hasn't been to the museum yet — he plans to go sometime before Easter — but he believes Glinski's objections are justified. From what he's heard, he says, "The museum is [a] typical touristic place where visitors don't know at all where and when everything started." Hamadyk adds that visitors need a clear explanation about the German and Russian aggression and Polish heroism and resistance. "They don't know who is behind the war and that the Polish people suffered," the councilman says. Many of the museum's 2,000 objects on exhibit are very personal and include letters, photographs and memorabilia donated by private individuals. Olga Krzyzanowska, 87, a retired doctor and former member of the Polish parliament connected to the Solidarity movement, donated a ring that was made for her father, a captured Polish general, by fellow prisoners during World War II. She says she's also planning to give the museum letters her father wrote to her on cigarette paper when he was imprisoned during Poland's communist era. "I'm really worried," she says, that the government will close the museum. "This museum should connect us regardless of political affiliation...
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview. With the Senate investigation into Russian interference in the election underway, skeptics are concerned that partisanship could interrupt an aggressive inquiry into the matter. But leaders say that the bipartisan committee's efforts are going well. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich caught up with Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The senator says he wants to assure concerned Americans that Congress can get it right, adding that despite political consequences, both sides want answers, but it is going to take time. "This is the most important thing I've ever been involved in in public life," Sen. Warner says. "We have a foreign adversary who massively intervened in our election."
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
At a time when many corporations and individuals are trying to lower their carbon footprint and produce less waste, only a small percentage of the world’s waste is recycled. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson talks with Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, about how we can recycle more and why we should reduce consumption. New York Times: The Reign Of Recycling Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
With guest host Jane Clayson. The stories of women pirates, legendary and real, who took to the seas for plunder, power, freedom! As long as there have been ships sailing the seas, there have been pirates. Brazen, fierce, fearless thieves. Captain Hook, Black Beard, Captain Sparrow. But men were not the only swashbucklers. Female pirates plundered alongside them, sometimes even commanded them. The unsung stories of seafaring women is now being told. This hour On Point, the Pirate Queens who terrorized the seven seas. Guests Laura Sook Duncombe, author and writer. Author of the new book, “Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes and Privateers Who Ruled The Seven Seas. (@LauraDuncombe1) Ben Little, writer and consultant on maritime and naval issues. Expert on historical and modern piracy. Author of “The Golden Age of Piracy, “How History’s Greatest Pirates Pillaged, Plundered and Got Away With It and “Pirate Hunting, among others. (@BenersonLittle) From The Reading List Rebellious: ‘Pirate Women’ is an Empowering Look at Badass Women Throughout History — “My desire in writing this book was to put these stories out there in order to stretch the definition of what it means to be a woman—to broaden the typical gender roles. I think it’s important to pay tribute to these women by remembering them as they were: good, bad, warts and all. Women aren’t angels, and these women exemplify that truth. VICE: The Pirate Women Who Made Blackbeard Look Like a Joke — “While names like Blackbeard, Captain Hook, Henry Morgan, and even the fictional Captain Jack Sparrow have lived on in infamy, notorious buccaneers and marauders like Cheng I Sao, who commanded more than 400 ships and 50,000 men off China in the early 19th century; Grace O’Malley, the Irish pirate who terrorized the British Isles in Elizabethan times; and Sayyida al-Hurra, pirate queen of the notorious Barbary Corsairs, have been largely ignored. Atlas Obscura: The Chinese Female Pirate Who Commanded 80,000 Outlaws — “Ching Shih unified her enormous fleet of pirates using a code of laws. The code was strict, and stated that any pirate giving his own orders or disobeying those of a superior was to be beheaded on the spot. The code was particularly unusual in its laws regarding female captives. If a pirate raped a female captive, he would be put to death. If the sex between the two was consensual, both would be put to death. Read An Excerpt Of “Pirate ...
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
New York musician DJ Spooky recently spent time at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest in the Western Cascades in order to compose a piece of music inspired by the natural environment there.
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
Best Talk Radio Of 2014 - Best DJ 2015 ROBINLYNNE Music and Chat, great community vibe Group of casters chatting and playing music ...come in and feel the vibe
More than 100 gay men in Chechnya have been arrested and tortured, and some were killed by police, a local report says.
This November, New Yorkers will vote yes or no on a ballot question that could upend the power dynamic in Albany. Once every 20 years, New Yorkers can on whether to hold a state constitutional convention. The state constitution includes protections that go well beyond the U.S. Constitution: labor rights; care and aid for the needy; wilderness standards for the Adirondacks. Holding a convention opens up the entire document for review and change, which is reason enough for progressive opponents like Mayor Bill de Blasio to oppose a convention. He said he’s worried wealthy special interests will hijack the reform process. "In this environment, I greatly fear the negatives that could occur, and unfettered spending by powerful forces and I just don't think that's worth the risk," de Blasio said Monday at an unrelated press event. Several public sector unions also oppose the convention. In New York City, District Council 37 and the United Federation of Teachers are among the most vocal. "There's a lot of things in our state constitution that we think are important," said Michael Mulgrew, the UFT president. He called a convention a waste of state money, adding, "We already have a way of changing the state constitution without a convention." That process requires a proposed amendment to pass two consecutive sessions of the state legislature with an election in between. Then the amendment would go before voters as a ballot measure. That means the soonest voters would vote on that proposed amendment passed this legislative session would be November 2019. Supporters argue a convention is the only way to bring about important reforms that the legislature just won't tackle. "They haven't dealt meaningfully with ethics, they haven't reformed the state finance policies that have been in effect since the 1840s, they haven't done anything with regards to education funding to make the system for education funding not a political football," said convention proponent Christopher Bopst, a lawyer and expert on the state constitution. While a "no" vote ends this cycle, a "yes" vote would kick off a multi-year process that would lead to a convention in 2019. Dick Dadey, head of Citizens Union, supports the convention. He said where people stand on this issue says a lot about how much they truly believe in reforming government. "The institutional players like the unions and others know how to game the system to their advantage," said Dadey. "When you change the system, which is what we want to do, the people who have power, lose power."
The head of the powerful correction officers union is slamming a 10-year plan to close the jails on Rikers Island and replace them with smaller borough-based jails. "We're now presented with 145 pages that resemble more of a choose-your-own-adventure book," said Elias Husamudeen, President of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association. "Depending on whether you're a real estate investor, an engineer at La Guardia or a criminal." Ideas about what to do with the island run the gamut. Building housing or a new airport runway have been floated as possibilities. The mayor, who now supports closing Rikers, said the transfer of inmates to borough-based jails can only work if the jail population gets cut in half. Husamudeen said that can't happen without compromising public safety. He accused de Blasio of embracing the long-term plan in order to distract people from the spike in violence at Rikers happening right now. "This report is giving them the political cover they crave, while failing to give correction officers the resources that we need to keep jails safe for everybody now," he said. But correction officers have long been under scrutiny. On Monday, a report from a federal monitor found that guards continue to retaliate against inmates by punching them in the head and face and then attempting to cover up the violent altercations. Union leaders argue that policies like ending solitary confinement for younger inmates have left Correction Officers with no effective way to punish inmates who continue their bad behavior undeterred. The plan to close Rikers also calls for cutting jobs at the jails by two-thirds. "We might as well eliminate two-thirds of our police precincts," said Husamudeen. "Or close two-thirds of the courts. There are currently just over 9,000 inmates held on Rikers Island. Advocates want the jails closed because they say it's the only way to root out the corruption and violence that persists. But Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of the Prisoner's Rights Project, said that closing the jails is not the complete answer. "If these problems are not addressed now and this culture of impunity for misconduct isn't addressed now, I have serious concerns about whether that culture won't just go wherever the same people go, " she said.Â
In the midst of several days of his Supreme Court confirmation hearings last week, Judge Neil Gorsuch took a moment to wax nostalgic for the days when the process took only 90 minutes and a nominee could relax, even smoke cigarettes, throughout the process. Later, one of Gorsuch's interrogators, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, did some reminiscing of his own, pointedly recalling a time when nominees offered up useful answers to questions and engaged in sincere discussion. Ah, the good old days. But was it ever thus? Slate's Dahlia Lithwick took up the question on the most recent episode of her Amicus podcast, speaking with Supreme Court scholar Lori Ringhand about the actual history of Supreme Court confirmation hearings. We loved it and we think you will too. You can find more episodes of Slate's Amicus on iTunes or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can find more of Dahlia's writing here, and follow her on Twitter here.Â
The open call for proposals to build the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is closing Tuesday. Hundreds of companies around the world have submitted applications for the project, many of which might have been attracted by the estimated price tag, which ranges from $10 to $25 billion. Joe Anuta from Crain's New York Business has looked into the proposals from New York City applicants. These include a New School member who is suggesting creating cultural centers along the wall, and a Queens architect who is floating the idea of using solar panels and wind turbines to fund the project. Anuta told WNYC's Jami Floyd that these applicants aren't necessarily in it for the money. "I think they felt that they were doing something positive," he said. "They didn't necessarily agree with the wall, but they were trying to get different ideas in there that the government might consider." Customs and Border Protection will now select a handful of companies for the second round of the competition. The winners of the next round will build prototypes in the desert to vie for the border wall contract.
In an official statement, President Trump described the recent chemical attack in Syria as "reprehensible" and went on to argue the "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution." In other words, he blamed former President Barack Obama. Returning to a common theme of his campaign, Trump's statement concluded, "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack." Trump's criticism of Obama's policy on Syria goes back to 2013. A private citizen at that time, he argued that the U.S. should not get involved in the conflict. On Tuesday, Trump's statement did not include what — if anything — his administration would do about the recent attack or what his posture will be toward Assad in light of it. Press secretary Sean Spicer said that the president's statement "speaks for itself." He said Trump is meeting with his national security team, is "alarmed" at what is happening and that there will be further discussions with allies about the appropriate action. He added, "I think, at this point, as things develop, I'm not ready to talk about our next step, but we'll get there soon." Spicer also referenced Obama's red line comment, in which the then-president said, "A red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation." At the time, Trump didn't say anything about it on Twitter. It wasn't until Syria started dominating the headlines in the summer of 2013 that Trump began weighing in. Two days after the U.S. concluded the Assad regime had used chemical weapons, Trump tweeted that the U.S. "should stay the hell out of Syria." His message: Stay out; Syria is not America's problem. And Trump was relatively consistent on that as the conflict in Syria intensified and the Obama administration contemplated an expanded U.S. role. In late August 2013, the U.S. and international community concluded that the Syrian government had again used chemical weapons. The Obama administration was reportedly considering a military strike against Syria to send a message, and private citizen Trump questioned whether it was worth it. And long before he was a candidate, Trump was critical of politicians — including Obama — for telegraphing their military strategy. On Aug. 30, 2013, a U.S. intelligence assessment found more than 1,400 Syrians were killed in the chemical weapons attack. Trump's tweets focused on how that made the U.S. look. The next day, Aug. 31, Obama announced he would seek congressional approval to carry out strikes in Syria. This was widely seen as a way to back away from the red line he had drawn, putting the responsibility for a decision to escalate involvement in Syria on the shoulders of Congress. It rapidly became clear that Congress wasn't going to be able to agree on authorizing force — and that Congress really didn't want the responsibility. On Sept. 5, 2013, Trump's concern was that Obama had set the red line in the first place. A day later, seemingly joking, Trump offered hi...
When is volunteering not actually volunteering? A televangelist found out the hard way when a judge ruled that volunteers at his ministry had actually been cheated out of hard-earned wages. Listen for more.
Dozens of gruesome videos appear to show a suspected chemical gas attack Tuesday on the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. Will those images move the world to act against the Syrian regime?
Over the last two centuries, sex has been at the center of many American legal battles – from contraception and abortion to same-sex marriage. The reasons behind these conflicts can be found in the tension between American attitudes about sex, which have been shaped by centuries of religious beliefs, and the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. This history is laid out in a new book by Geoffrey Stone, one of the nation's leading constitutional law professors. In the book, he tells the story of the Supreme Court's continuing quest to reconcile deeply rooted religious beliefs with evolving conceptions of individual liberty, personal privacy and human equality. Geoffrey Stone, professor of law at The University of Chicago, joins us in studio.
Baseball season has officially begun. This week, we hear four stories from inside and outside the ballpark from people who have baseball in their blood.
We’re based in beautiful downtown Oakland, CA which is a port city in the San Francisco Bay. Massive container ships travel across the Pacific and end up here. From miles away you can see the enormous white cranes that pull giant, uniformly-sized metal boxes off the ships. People say the cranes are the inspiration for the AT-AT walkers in The Empire Strikes Back, but that’s not true; it’s just a good story to tell as you pass by on the bridge. The port was the driving economic force in Oakland for many decades. Not so much anymore. Those big containers have something to do with it. When people started shipping things in standardized containers all kinds of inefficiencies in global shipping that had existed for hundreds of years were eliminated and the world changed forever. This the backdrop for the story that Alexis Madrigal is telling in his new eight-part documentary podcast series on “global capitalism, trade, and big-ass ships.” It’s called “Containers.” We’re featuring episode #3 in the series. Live shows! Los Angeles with Helen Zaltzman April 14, Arts for LA West Coast Tour May 8-12 Radiotopia Live
We open this week's show with Elf Power, one of my favorite bands from the Elephant 6 collective (which also counts among its members Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control and many more). Later this spring the band will release its sixteenth full-length album, a collection of sometimes exuberant, sometimes wistful lo-fi rock cuts with lots of fuzz and Andrew Rieger's idiosyncratic voice at the front of it all. Bob Boilen follows that up with a new song from one of his own favorite bands, Big Thief. Later this year, the Brooklyn-based group will release the followup to its amazing (and appropriately titled) debut album from 2016, Masterpiece. Lead singer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker joins us as well, to share the emotional story behind this first single, "Mythological Beauty." Also on the show: Walter Martin of The Walkmen reaches out to The National's Matt Berninger for some singing advice; Canadian singer and composer Lydia Ainsworth draws on her formal music training for some captivating, cinematic pop; Public Service Broadcasting, known for its instrumental songs that feature audio clips from propaganda films, stretches its sound on its latest album to include a singer; the duo known as Diet Cig prepares to release one of the year's most joyfully frenetic pop-punk records; and composer Ryan Lott releases a chilling, mind-bending score, performed by Son Lux, for the film Mean Dreams. Oh, yeah — our intern, A Noah Harrison, also joins us as he enters the home stretch of his time with the All Songs team to share one of his own favorite new discoveries — singer, photographer and autoharp strummer Scout Paré-Phillips. -- Robin Hilton Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Major U.S. fast food companies like McDonald’s are facing increasing competitive pressure from smaller chains like Five Guys and Shake Shack. One thing that sets some of the smaller guys apart: Using fresh, not frozen, beef in their burgers — a claim Wendy’s also makes. McDonald’s has announced that by mid-2018, some of its burgers will be made from fresh meat. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Sam Oches (@SamQSR), editorial director of Food News Media, which publishes QSR Magazine. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Looking to buy a home? Welcome to the toughest market in a decade. We'll look at the map of real estate realities around the country.
Eric Liu, executive director of the Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program, joins us to discuss his latest book, You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen. Eric Liu draws from his experiences practicing and teaching civic power, and offers strategies that will enable citizens to create social change and reform. Eric Liu will be speaking at Civic Hall tonight, April 4, at 6 p.m. (118 W. 22nd St., 12th Floor). RSVP here.
National Book Award-winning novelist Colum McCann joins us to discuss his new book, Letters to a Young Writer: Some Practical and Philosophical Advice. The book is a collection of 52 essays written to inspire a new generation of writers and artists. Colum McCann will appear in conversation with Phil Klay on April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Powerhouse Arena (28 Adams St., Brooklyn).
The militant group seems to be arranging for residents in Mosul to be struck and killed by US-led coalition airstrikes in order to boost civilian death counts and create controversy around the coalition campaign.
NPR national security editor Phil Ewing (@philewing) joins Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson to discuss how Blackwater founder Erik Prince and former President Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice have raised new questions in the ongoing investigation of Russian election hacking. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
More than a decade after Congress passed the REAL ID Act, four states are still not compliant with the law, which establishes new minimum security standards for state-issued IDs. Several additional states have received “limited extensions on complying with the law from the Department of Homeland Security. Beginning in January 2018, their residents could need an alternative ID, like a passport or military ID, to board domestic flights or access federal facilities and nuclear power plants. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Jill Cohenour, a Democratic state senator from Montana who has proposed a bill to make her state compliant with the REAL ID Act, despite longstanding concerns about civil liberties and the cost of implementation. Check the status of your state on DHS’ website. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
From immigration changes to broadband rules to tax law, technology leaders are carefully watching how the Trump agenda unfolds. Under the former White House, one little-known department called the Office of Science and Technology Policy became a main resource when determining policies that would affect Silicon Valley. But the office has since shriveled. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Tony Romm (@TonyRomm), senior editor of policy and politics for Recode, about the OSTP, how it is changing and what that means for technology policy. Recode: How Donald Trump Crippled U.S. Technology And Science Policy Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
A suspected chemical attack in northern Syria on Tuesday has killed dozens of people, according to opposition activists, who say the attack was carried out by a government airstrike. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Borzou Daragahi (@borzou), Middle East correspondent for BuzzFeed News, about what is being called the largest chemical attack in the country since August 2013, when scores were killed by toxic gas. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
President Trump will meet this week at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting between two world powers will be closely watched. But not long ago, China was nowhere near the powerhouse it is today. According to author Gideon Rachman, Asian nations’ growing wealth is a trend that will only continue, challenging the Western power and influence that has dominated globally since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks about the rise of the East and the resultant tensions with Rachman (@gideonrachman), chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times and author of “Easternization: Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond. Book Excerpt: ‘Easternization’ By Gideon Rachman Array Excerpted from the book EASTERNIZATION by Gideon Rachman. Copyright © 2017 by Gideon Rachman. Reprinted by permission of Other Press. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
A nonprofit in New Hampshire hosts reading seminars for inmates at correctional facilities throughout the state. The idea is to teach male inmates how to read books to their young children. Paige Sutherland (@psutherlandNHPR) of Here & Now contributor New Hampshire Public Radio reports. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
It's election day in St. Louis County. Jason Rosenbaum, a political reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, gives us a roundup of what's on the ballot, including public funding for a new stadium, funding for the police department, and mayoral elections in Ferguson and St. Louis.Â
About 81,000 people worked in the U.S. coal industry last year, compared to 123,000 a decade ago. President Trump is trying to reverse that trend by changing regulations, such as his executive order to rollback environmental restrictions on power-plant emissions and coal leases on federal land. Ramaco Carbon, a coal company which is trying to open a new mine in Wyoming, says it is looking for other options by finding new uses for coal that do not involve burning it for energy. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Randall Atkins, chairman and CEO of Ramaco Carbon, about the project and about Atkins’s take on how the broader coal industry could change under Trump. Coal fatalities from 1900 to 2016 See more in our View From The Top series Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
As architects and contractors submit their design proposals for President Trump’s border wall, California state lawmakers are considering legislation that would strip state pension fund investments from businesses that get the job. One bill in the State Assembly would force the California Public Employee Retirement System and the California State Teachers Retirement System to sell their stake in publicly traded companies that end up building the wall. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with California Democrat Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (@LorenaAD80), one of three members of the State Assembly sponsoring the “Resist the Wall Act. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is leading the charge to call for a constitutional convention to pass amendments that would limit the power of the federal government. If the Texas legislature votes to do so, as expected, the state would become the 10th state calling for a “convention of states. Andrew Schneider (@ASchneider_HPM) of Here & Now contributor Houston Public Media reports. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Design proposals for President Trump’s wall along the U.S. border with Mexico are due today. Hundreds of companies have responded to the government’s call for submissions, from major defense contractors like Raytheon to small construction firms. One of them is from Carlsbad, California-based Tridipanel, which has proposed a zigzagging wall built with a lightweight but durable material made out of layered wire mesh and polystyrene foam covered in cement. Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talks with Rod Hadrian, who owns Tridipanel and voted for Trump, about his design and why he wants to be involved with such a controversial project. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
Move over Ford, Tesla is the new No. 1 — in one way at least. The American electric car company’s market value has now surpassed Ford Motor Company. Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Jason Bellini (@jasonbellini) of the Wall Street Journal about Tesla’s ambitions. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.