Meditations and Molotovs – 07.31.17

 On today’s program, Vince airs Wendy Brown’s lecture, “In the Account of Neoliberalism.” Wendy Brown is Professor of Political Science at the University of California Berkeley. Her research interests include the history of political and social theory, Continental philosophy, and critical theory, together with the examination of contemporary capitalism. In her research into the problems that plague contemporary capitalism and …

Leid Stories – 10.06.15

Puerto Rico: U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Case on Political Status
Ferguson, Missouri, Being Readied for Forced Bankruptcy
Among 13 new cases the U.S. Supreme Court will review in its current term is Puerto Rico v. Valle. The case asks whether a person tried, acquitted or convicted under U.S. federal law can be prosecuted for the same crime under Puerto Rico law. The case seemingly is about constitutional protections against double jeopardy. But at the heart of it is the long-simmering—and unresolved–issue: What is the political relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico?
Lyle Denniston, legal historian and constitutional literacy adviser to the Philadelphia-based National Constitution Center, and Dr. Victor M. Rodriguez, professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at California State University of Long Beach, tackle both issues.
In a commentary Leid Stories reveals that the City of Ferguson, Missouri, is being readied for a forced bankruptcy.

Leid Stories – 09.17.15

On ‘Constitution and Citizenship Day,’ Dred Scott Decision Still Relevant

On this day in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia—a date officially commemorated since 1940.

Constitution and Citizenship Day extols the two things that are the core of American ideology and identity. But not so for a large segment of America, historically and even today.

Legal scholar Paul Finkelman, who teaches constitutional law, legal history and race and the law at Albany Law School, discusses the constitutional origins of the issue of citizenship in a detailed examination of the landmark Dred Scott case.

Why the Founding Fathers Would Oppose Fast Track by BEN BEACHY

Tomorrow members of Congress plan to take a controversial, career-defining vote on Fast Tracking the largest expansion to date of the unpopular status quo trade model.  A majority of the U.S. public, most House Democrats and a sizeable bloc of House Republicans stand in opposition. The coalition opposing Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is larger and more diverse than in any preceding trade policy fight, including Internet …