A pair of controversial, fatal shootings of Black men by police has reignited criticism of law enforcement practices - a look at the protocol; Then, the Green Party has picked up momentum - could candidate Jill Stein cast a Nader effect on this year's election; and America's obsession with small talk.
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile police shootings reignite criticism of law enforcement
A pair of fatal shootings by police, both with graphic cell phone footage and just 24 hours apart, are bringing further criticism on law enforcement practices.
First, on Tuesday, police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana shot and killed 37-year-old Alton Sterling after receiving an anonymous report from someone who claimed Sterling, who was African-American, threatened them with a gun outside a convenience store.
Then on Wednesday, a police officer in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota shot 32-year-old Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Castile’s girlfriend says he told the officer he was licensed to carry a pistol and was only reaching for his wallet when the officer fired several rounds into the car.
Brian Baskt, a political reporter for Minnesota Public Radio, was at protests outside Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s mansion in St. Paul following Castile’s death. He described speakers at the gathering as “impassioned” and “unsatisfied,” even after Dayton assured those gathered outside that “justice would be served.”
The Justice Department has opened investigations into both incidents. Local officials in Louisiana welcomed the federal investigation, and in Minnesota, Dayton himself called for Justice Department involvement.
Stephen Rushin, assistant professor of law at the University of Alabama and a specialist in policing and criminal procedure, said that the local authorities' willingness to comply with federal investigations is a function of current ideas about the proper role of policing.
“Today we’re in a unique time. The last couple of years post-Ferguson, there’s a new conversation going on about policing,” Rushin said. “[There is] a lot more public outcry and support for federal intervention in these sort of cases.”
Protests of both shootings have been peaceful, but the incidents have brought back to light some of the same issues involving community policing and tensions between cops and the public that were raised in the aftermath of black men who were killed in interactions with police in Ferguson, Baltimore and New York City.
Norm Stamper, the former chief of police at the Seattle Police Department who has written extensively on contemporary policing, said that public relations campaigns are not enough to resolve these deeply-entrenched problems.
“What’s needed is ... for the citizenry of a particular community to be invited into all aspects, all operations of police practice,” Stamper said.
Despite the outrage following Sterling's death, there has been a sense of unity in Louisiana's capital of Baton Rouge, said Sue Lincoln, news director of the city's NPR affiliate WRKF.
“While we have a long history … in Louisiana ... of racial tension and racial friction, in this case it seems that the people of Baton Rouge are coming together — black and white — with concern to find answers,” Lincoln said.
Guests:
Brian Bakst, political reporter for Minnesota Public Radio, he is stationed at Governor Mark Dayton’s mansion in St. Paul, where protests for the Philando Castile shooting are taking place.
Sue Lincoln, news director for NPR member station, WRKF in Baton Rouge, who has been covering the story; she was at last night’s vigil for Alton Sterling
Norm Stamper, former chief of police at the Seattle Police Department whose career as a police officer spans 34 years and author of “To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America’s Police” (Nation Books, 2016)
Stephen Rushin, J.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Law, The University of Alabama; Rushin's forthcoming book is "Federal Intervention in American Police Departments" (Cambridge University Press; 2016/2017)
This story has been updated.
Green Party's Jill Stein gaining traction in a post-Sanders race
While Congressional Democrats clamor for Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) to endorse Hillary Clinton, some progressives are hoping Sanders' former supporters rally for Green Party contender Jill Stein.
The presumptive candidate could be on the ballot in 47 states and her polling numbers are double those enjoyed by former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000. The explanation for her popularity could be attributed to the high unpopularity of Clinton and the Republicans’ presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
As Stein phrased it in an Independence Day letter to supporters:
The 2016 Presidential election provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to win independence from the rule of the 1%. The two 1% nominees – Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton – are the two most disliked politicians in US history. And those who plan to vote for them don’t support their agenda – they just want to vote against the other candidate.
The last time a Green Party candidate had an impact on the presidential race was 2000 when Ralph Nader, according to most analysts, siphoned enough votes from Democratic contender Al Gore in Florida to help spur victory for George W. Bush.
Could Stein have a "Nader effect" on this campaign? What are your thoughts on Stein, the Green Party, and so-called third-party politics?
Guests:
Christopher J. Galdieri, Assistant Professor of Politics, Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire
Micah Sifry, Executive Director of Civic Hall, a community center for civic innovators in New York City, and author of “Spoiling for a Fight: Third-Party Politics in America” (Routledge, 2003); a former editor at “The Nation”
Can the Washington Post’s remarkable turnaround be sustained?
The Washington Post has had its fair share of layoffs and buyouts, just as a number of print newspapers have.
When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos purchased the newspaper in 2013 for $250 million, the newsroom was initially skeptical about the changes that might follow.
In the past three years, Bezos turned the paper into somewhat of a technology company, where he has the freedom to innovate and take more risks.
In addition to being the only major newspaper to publish all of it’s content directly onto Facebook, a move others have avoided fearing it might disincentivize people from purchasing a digital subscription, the newsroom has also grown by 140 journalists.
“[Jeff] constantly tells us, ‘Don’t focus on the competition, focus on the reader,’ ” Shailesh Prakash, the Post’s chief technology officer, said to New York Magazine.
So what’s behind the Post’s turnaround? Is it an owner with billions of dollars or the ability to adapt technologically?
Guests:
Ken Doctor, media analyst for newsonomics.com and the author of “Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get” (St. Martin’s Press, 2000)
Joshua Benton, director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University
When small talk fails to translate culturally
In Newyorker.com this week, writer Karan Mahajan writes of the one thing he finds to be quintessentially American. His choice: small talk.
The Indian American writer marvels at the time and energy Americans spent chatting up everyone from the taxi driver, to the convenient clerk, to the barista.
“During these years in the small-talk wilderness, I also wondered why Americans valued friendliness with commerce so much,” he writes.
Is small talk an American thing? Do you engage in it? Do you enjoy it, or do you shy away from it?
Guest:
Debra Fine, author of the book, “The Fine Art of Small Talk” (Hachette Books, 2005), which has been published in 20 countries