The shooting of a black grandmother and teenager in Chicago has reignited tensions in a city already embroiled in criticisms and accusations about how black residents are treated by police; We discuss the dangers of hoverboards and a political scientist weighs in on why voters are so uninformed.
Pressure increases on Emanuel admin after Chicago shooting of grandmother, teen
The shooting of a black grandmother and teenager in Chicago has reignited tensions in a city already embroiled in criticisms and accusations about how black residents are treated by police.
On Saturday, Chicago police shot and killed Bettie Jones, 55, and Quintonio LeGrier, 19, while investigating a call on domestic disturbance. The police said LeGrier was combative and swinging a metal bar, and said that Jones was fired at by mistake.
The deaths came a month after Chicago officials released the police dashcam video of the shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by white officer Jason Van Dyke. McDonald was shot 16 times. Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder, and a federal civil rights investigation was launched last month looking into the shooting.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has been under scrutiny for mishandling the McDonald shooting.
Guests:
Lauren Chooljian, politics reporter at Chicago’s NPR affiliate, WBEZ. She tweets from
Eugene O’Donnell, Professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; former NYPD officer; former prosecutor in Kings County, New York
The popular hoverboard delivered fun and falls this Christmas season
This year, hoverboards topped most Christmas lists -- despite recent stories about them catching fire.
Both adults and children have found that the not-so-easy to ride hoverboards can actually be dangerous. This is why some physicians recommend that riders wear a helmet and elbow pads while aboard.
The hashtag #HoverboardFail has been popular on social media, including Instagram, accumulating more than 900 examples of some of the worst possible falls and injuries resulting from a rider losing their balance.
Did you receive a hoverboard for Christmas? What has your experience been?
WHEN YOU THINK YOU MARTY MCFLY ON YA FIRST TRY. #hoverboardfails pic.twitter.com/2tsqFSmBF5
— ✨Max Crumm (@MaxCrumm) December 28, 2015
Guest:
Kate Knibbs, staff writer at Gizmodo. She tweets from
Election 2016: Political scientist on how best to treat voter apathy
The 24/7 news cycle would have you believe that regular Americans are more informed than ever.
Sadly, that’s not the case, leading to some political observers to think that the politically uninformed should stay out of politics altogether. But the University of Michigan’s Arthur Lupia, whose new book, “Uninformed,” says that that’s misunderstanding the problem.
The issue is not whether citizens are being given the right information so that they can be informed, but more on how they absorb, receive, process all that information.
Guest:
Arthur Lupia, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan. He is Chair of the American Political Science Association Task Force on Improving Public Engagement, and the author of the book, “Uninformed: Why People Seem to Know So Little about Politics and What We Can Do about it” (Oxford University Press, 2015)
U.S. plans series of deportation raids, hundreds expected to be sent back to Central America
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning a series of deportation raids focused on Central American immigrants who have come to the U.S. illegally.
This would be the first large-scale effort to deport families who have come to the U.S. to escape escalating violence in Central America. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are expected to carry out the raids as soon as January.
While more than one-hundred thousand immigrants have crossed the U.S. border from Central America since last year, officials say the raids will focus on adults and children who have already been ordered to leave the U.S. by an immigration judge.
Why are these raids happening now? How many immigrants are expected to be deported? And how will this play out politically in the presidential race?
Read the full story here.
Guests:
Fawn Johnson, Chief Policy Editor for Morning Consult
Niels W. Frenzen, Clinical Professor of Law and Director, Immigration Clinic at USC Gould School of Law
Harvard Business School researchers come up with the personality profile of the nightmare worker
When you think of a 'toxic' coworker, what comes to mind? Is it someone who is constantly in a sour mood or has a bad attitude? Maybe it's someone who doesn't work well in groups or who doesn't pull his or her own weight in work. But would you ever think that someone who does everything by the book could be considered toxic?
In a recent study from Harvard Business school, researchers may have finally identified some of the characteristics of this destructive character in the workplace.
Somewhat unexpectedly, that "toxic worker" may be someone who looks like a great employee on paper. The study found that people who are insanely productive, hold themselves in high regard to an almost selfish level, and are dead-set on following the rules to the letter are the ones to look out for.
The reason these individuals tend to ruin a work environment, according to the researchers, is that they cause workers to leave due to their behavior. This, in turn, costs companies more money than the toxic worker is likely worth.
Do you have a coworker like this? How would you deal with them? Is it really worth leaving your job just to avoid working with 'toxic worker'?
Guest:
Michael G. Housman, lead author of the Harvard Business School working paper looking at the personality profile of the “Toxic Workers,” which is also the title of the study. He is also a workforce scientist at hiQ, a San Francisco-based firm that uses data analysis to study the work place
The cure for depression? 'Dog Medicine'
When Julie Barton suffered an emotional breakdown and became suicidal, she turned to many people in her life for help.
Her family, therapists and psychiatrists all did their best to help her without much success.
Then one day Barton decided to adopt a Golden Retriever puppy who she named Bunker.
In her debut memoir, Barton tells the story of how Bunker helped her climb out of depression by being her constant traveling companion and protector. Julie Barton speaks with Patt Morrison about her path to recovery and the way that animals are able to rescue people.
Guest:
Julie Barton, a writer living in the Bay Area. She is the author of “Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself” (Think Piece Publishing, 2015)