The U.S. retracted a claim Monday that U.S. forces were in danger before it launched an airstrike that killed 22 people at a medical clinic in the Afghanistan city of Kunduz over the weekend. Then, guest host Patt Morrison and a panel of constitutional law experts weigh in on which cases we should be paying attention to. Also, how does the online dating experience differ for older Americans?
U.S. revises Kunduz bombing account, many questions remain
The U.S. retracted a claim Monday that U.S. forces were in danger and felt threatened before it launched an airstrike that killed 22 people at a Doctors Without Borders medical clinic in the northern Afghanistan city of Kunduz over the weekend.
Instead, American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John F. Campbell, said Monday that it was Afghan forces who had requested the strike while under fire.
Accounts are still not clear but we talk about the latest reporting on the incident and take a deeper look at the history of friendly fire and Doctors Without Borders’ request for an investigation independent of the one announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
Guests:
Rick Brennan, Jr, Senior Political Scientist at Rand Corporation. He is a career Army officer with high-level Department of Defense policymaking experience
David Bosco, Assistant Professor of International Politics at American University in Washington DC. He is the author of “Rough Justice: The International Criminal Court in a World of Power Politics” (Oxford University Press, 2014)
Why you should care about these Supreme Court cases this season
The justices’ decision to make gay marriage the law of the land was one of last Supreme Court term’s biggest cases.
As the nine justices put on their judicial robes to start a new term, guest host Patt Morrison and a panel of constitutional law experts weigh in on which cases we should be paying attention to.
Guests:
Timothy Johnson, Professor of Political Science and Law at the University of Minnesota, and co-author of “Oral Arguments and Coalition Formation on the U.S. Supreme Court: A Deliberate Dialogue” (University Michigan Press, 2012)
Margaret Russell, Professor of Law at Santa Clara University. Her areas of expertise include constitutional law and the Supreme Court
Dating sites for the 50-plus more complex than click and swipe
Young, sexy singles looking for love and hook-ups online is an utterly ubiquitous experience, but older folks looking for companionship can turn to apps and web, too.
Sites such as Stitch.Net and OurTime.com are aimed at the over-50 crowd. How does the online dating experience differ for older Americans? And are they more vulnerable to scams, hacks, catfish, and the like?
Guest:
Marcie Rogo, Founder of Stitch.net
Chase Cunningham, Ph.D., Head of Threat Research and Development, Armor - a cybersecurity firm
Chaffetz bids for House Speaker following McCarthy's Benghazi gaffe
Jason Chaffetz announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House, further segmenting House Republicans.
Majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, was expected to take over for the outgoing John Boehner. McCarthy has come under scrutiny from Democrats following his statements on the purpose of the Benghazi committee and its role in raising questions about Hilary Clinton's e-mail servers.
Chaffetz says that he wants to bring together the conservatives in the House, something he doesn't believe that McCarthy can do.
Guest host Patt Morrison takes a look at what this means for Thursday's ballot.
Guests:
, Congressional Correspondent who’s been covering this story for the Associated Press
, Congress reporter who's been covering this story for The Washington Post
How the FTC suit against vengeful weight-loss company sets legal precedent
The FTC is suing Roca Labs – a weight loss company – for legally going after customers that posted negative reviews of its products.
The Florida-based company sells supplements it touts as an alternative to gastric bypass surgery. After using one of its products, a dissatisfied client of Roca posted a compliant on the Better Business Bureau’s website. Roca then sued her for the posting the complaint and violating a non-disparagement clause agreement that she had signed with the company.
The FTC, reports CBS News, is charging that Roca has built its multimillion business on deceptive advertising and unfair practices.
Guests:
Ken White, a First Amendment litigator and criminal defense attorney at Brown White & Osborn in Los Angeles. His analysis of the FTC suit against Roca can be found on Popehat.com, his free speech and criminal justice blog
Whole Foods ends prison labor food production, raises questions about line between exploiting and preparing inmates
By April of 2016, Whole Foods will stop selling food products prepared by inmates at Colorado Correctional Industries, a division of the Colorado Department of Corrections.
While customers have expressed their concerns over prison inmates handling goat cheese produced by Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy and tilapia from Quixotic Farming, there have been other disputes questioning the exploitation of the workers at C.C.I.
Activists in Houston have protested the sales, accusing Whole Foods of taking advantage of the low pay prison workers receive.
But some argue that training the inmates in food-industry related positions will help them get jobs once their sentences are over.
Do you think Whole Foods is exploiting inmates or empowering them with skills to enter the workforce?
Guests:
Graeme Wood, books editor for Pacific Standard. He wrote a piece for the magazine in March called “From Our Prison to Your Dinner Table” about the prison labor program at the Cañon City Correctional Complex in Cañon City, Colorado
Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project, a criminal justice research and advocacy group