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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Marine Corps suspected suicide reveals brutal culture of hazing

    Marine Corps recruiters want young people of all races and income levels. Twenty-year-old engineering student Raheel Siddiqui ended up at boot camp on Parris Island in South Carolina after being promised financial assistance for college. He died less than two weeks into his basic training.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Jul 10, 2017 • 50m Listen

    Photo of a Gunnery Sergeant Instructor correcting an officer candidate courtesy of John Kennicutt, U.S. Marine Corps

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:00

      Why a pop star got Donald Trump Jr. a meeting with a Russian lawyer

      News broke over the weekend that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer who apparently offered damaging information on Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Azerbaijani singer Emin Agalarov helped arrange the meeting.

      Read the story
      9 min
    2. 9:17

      Secretaries of State worry about Russian hacking in next year's election

      At the annual meeting of U.S. Secretaries of States this weekend, some said they’re afraid better security measures won’t be in place before the 2018 midterms. U.S. intelligence officials say Russia may have directed hackers to break into the elections systems of nearly two dozen states last year.

      Read the story
      7 min
    3. 16:46

      'Black Mirror' creator: The problem isn't tech, it's us

      The Netflix series “Black Mirror” has a chance of snagging a few Emmys for its third season. The Twilight Zone-esque series about the black mirrors in our lives – those screens we’re addicted to – was submitted for consideration in the TV movie category.

      Read the story
      14 min
    4. 30:33

      What does the death of a Muslim recruit say about the Marines' hazing culture?

      Marine Corps recruiters want young people of all races and income levels, especially those on the track for college, many of whom are struggling with debt that the Marines promise to help with. That’s how 20-year-old engineering student Raheel Siddiqui ended up at boot camp on Parris Island in South Carolina.

      Read the story
      12 min
    5. 43:07

      What motivates some people to run a 135-mile race from Death Valley to the Whitney Portal

      The “Badwater 135” ultra-marathon begins Monday night at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere -- Badwater Basin in Death Valley, some 280 feet below sea level. Then it’s 135 miles through tough terrain -- over two mountain ranges --- before the race ends about halfway up Mount Whitney, at 8,500 feet. It’ll also be about 110 degrees at 8 pm.

      Read the story
      7 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

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      Gina Pollack

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

      News

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:009 min

      Why a pop star got Donald Trump Jr. a meeting with a Russian lawyer

    2. 9:177 min

      Secretaries of State worry about Russian hacking in next year's election

    3. 16:4614 min

      'Black Mirror' creator: The problem isn't tech, it's us

    4. 30:3312 min

      What does the death of a Muslim recruit say about the Marines' hazing culture?

    5. 43:077 min

      What motivates some people to run a 135-mile race from Death Valley to the Whitney Portal

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand