Jason Koebler, co-founder of 404 Media, discusses a powerful surveillance database aiding ICE in tracking and deporting individuals, raising concerns about civil liberties. Jason Leopold, an investigative reporter at Bloomberg, reveals the Trump administration's attempts to undermine FOIA processes, posing threats to government transparency. McKay Coppins from The Atlantic shares insights from his extensive interviews with the Murdoch family, exploring their fierce internal disputes and the influence of HBO's 'Succession' on their media empire's future.
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insights INSIGHT
Trump Can't Directly Defund Public Media
Trump's executive order aims to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS but lacks direct power to do so.
Public broadcasting is largely funded by audiences and protected by Congress and legal safeguards against political interference.
insights INSIGHT
Surveillance Database Fuels Deportations
ICE uses a massive database maintained partly by Palantir to track immigrants with detailed personal and physical traits.
Surveillance systems like this have scant safeguards and risk mishandling or misidentifying individuals, especially Latinos.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use FOIA to Expose Surveillance
Journalists should file public records requests to uncover surveillance technologies bought by police departments.
Attending city council meetings and leveraging FOIA requests can reveal hidden surveillance programs affecting communities.
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This illustrated YA nonfiction work examines same-sex behaviors in animals, from albatrosses to bonobos, using scientific research, historical context, and humor. Schrefer challenges notions of 'natural' behavior by showcasing diverse sexual practices in nature, supported by interviews with researchers and comics by Jules Zuckerberg. The book emphasizes how these behaviors bond humans closer to the animal world.
Memoirs of Hadrian
Marguerite Yourcenar
In 'Memoirs of Hadrian', Marguerite Yourcenar crafts a poignant and introspective narrative of the Roman Emperor's life. The novel is presented as a letter to Marcus Aurelius, reflecting on Hadrian's experiences, from his early fascination with Greek culture to his tumultuous reign and personal tragedies, including the mysterious death of his beloved Antinous. Through Hadrian's reflections, Yourcenar delves into themes of power, love, and the human condition.
To mark his first hundred days in office, President Trump signed three executive orders related to immigration. On this week’s On the Media, the powerful database that can help I.C.E. track down and deport people. Plus, the dramatic fight for power over Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Jason Koebler, co-founder of 404 Media, about how a surveillance company is supplying ICE with a powerful database to identify and deport people with minor infractions or certain characteristics.
[20:57] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Jason Leopold, a senior investigative reporter at Bloomberg and writer of the newsletter “FOIA Files,” about the Trump administration’s attacks on Freedom of Information Act offices at the CDC and FDA, and what they mean for the future of government transparency.
[31:50] Brooke talks with McKay Coppins, a staff writer at The Atlantic, about the remarkable, extensive interviews he conducted with members of the Murdoch family — particularly James Murdoch and his wife Kathryn. (Rupert and his eldest son, Lachlan, declined to participate.) Plus, how the HBO show “Succession” influenced the family’s fight over the future of their own media empire.
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