According to the U.S. Constitution, the President of the United States has the power to pardon pretty much anyone. This is a broad, sweeping power that past administrations have used in a variety of ways, some more controversial than others. However, in recent years scholars, voters and politicians have wrestled with a strange question: Can a standing President pardon him- or herself? In today's episode, the guys speak with Professor Brian C. Kalt, the author of “Constitutional Cliffhangers: A Legal Guide for Presidents and Their Enemies” to learn about the history and future of pardons -- and what to expect if a standing President attempts to pardon themselves.
Migration talks in Berlin, a new pact between Italy and Albania, and Germany's NFL fanbase turns out for the Dolphins. Also: We get a lawyer’s perspective on democratic backsliding in the UK, why 90 Percent of Danish Jews survived the Holocaust, France cracks down on migrant crossings from Italy, and Spain creates olympic ambassadors for refugees.
Today's podcast begins with a discussion of the Republican debate before we turn to the astonishing revelations that trusted stringers for a series of Western news organizations, among them the AP, Reuters, and CNN, were actually with the Hamas monsters who slaughtered and wounded 5,000 Israelis on October 7—and were, at least until last night, still collecting checks from these organizations. How could this happen? The answer: Decades of reliance on local "stringers" who are actually operatives for the bad guys. Give a listen.
Witnesses accuse Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of targeting non-Arabs in Darfur, after capturing the Sudanese army headquarters in West Darfur’s capital El Geneina. We ask a representative of the United Nations refugee agency what is happening in the region.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has downplayed his country’s expulsion from the Agoa free trade deal with the United States, but is his response mere posturing?
And will burning poached wildlife products discourage criminals in Nigeria?
Actors' strike over as SAG-AFTRA agrees to a tentative deal. Contentious Republican debate. The first human eye transplant. CBS News Correspondent Steve Kathan has today's World News Roundup.
In March, Chicago voters will get to decide the future of the city’s Bring Chicago Home ordinance. The ordinance would raise the city’s tax rate on properties sold for over a million dollars and would lower tax rates on properties sold for less than that. According to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s camp, this referendum is a key part of his plans to address homelessness in Chicago.
Reset hears from Bring Chicago Home organizers Kennedy Bartley of United Working Families and Electa Bey of Communities United. We also hear from Farzin Parang of the Building Owners and Managers Association to understand what those opposed are concerned about.
If you want to listen to more Reset, you can check out our full catalog of interviews at wbez.org/reset.
With our culture wars at a full rolling boil, apparently all it takes to send our enmity over the edge is…a good old-fashioned country song??
The furor over Jason Aldean’s “Try That in A Small Town” (and then there’s Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond”) is reminiscent of the old furor over The Dixie Chicks—only the “sides” have switched up. As The Village Square embarks on a pluralism project to build a hometown where everyone belongs, it’s possible that “round here we take care of our own” is a value we should all seek to restore to American civic life, but does it really need to come with all the guns? We’ll bring The God Squad into this musical fracas (they dove right into this one in our planning meeting), so that they can do their usual thing and go high instead of the usual low. Can we find a place where perhaps we can tolerate each other and just SING? (Dolly Parton has something to say on that front…)
Check out the “Try That In A Small Town” lyrics. And the lyrics to “Rich Men North of Richmond” are here.
Joining us for this God Squad are Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Josh Hall of First Baptist Church, Joseph Davis Jr. of Truth Gatherers Community Church, and Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky of Temple Israel. Stefanie Posner of Temple Israel will be facilitating.
Meet the God Squad, the brains behind our series “God Squad: Improbable conversations for people of faith and no faith at all (because talking politics wasn’t hard enough). Joining us for this edition of God Squad:
The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Alex Yarotsky got into tech as a little kid. In fact, he remembers watching the movie Toy Story, and wanting to learn how to build the tech that drove its creation. He got into University, but eventually, dropped out, and went the standard Eastern European software route, by joining a consultancy. Post that, he joined his first tech startup, and hasn't looked back since. Outside of tech, he is married with 2 fat cats. He and his wife enjoy MMA, and traveling.
Twelve years ago, the founders of Alex's current venture noticed that the demand for freelancers was growing in the market. They also noticed that very few time tracking solutions existed, and they wanted to tackle this niche. Later, Alex joined the crew to take the product to the next level, as CTO.
The Fillmore Auditorium is so chock full of musical history, it feels like the building itself has a soul. Nowhere is that better on display than in the theater's iconic poster room, filled with colorful framed signs for hundreds of shows through the decades. Since 1985, concertgoers have gotten their own free copies of the posters as they leave the theater. But who is the person behind these awesome keepsakes? Reporter Bianca Taylor introduces us to Arlene Owseichik, the creative director responsible for more than 2,000 of them.
This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, and Holly Kernan.
Economists have stopped waiting for interest rates to drop because it doesn’t seem to be coming. The upward pressure on long-term bond yields suggests that this situation could last for a while. How should the world adjust? Israel’s economy might be in good enough shape to withstand the next few months, but a longer war won’t come cheap (12:00). And, Jilly Cooper’s sexy new book (18:55).