Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What's at stake if Hollywood writers strike?
Writers in Hollywood just finished voting yay or nay to go on strike. The vote is expected to be in favor, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll walk off the job. We get the details and look at the effects of the last strike.
By Madeleine Brand • • 49m ListenPhoto: John Edwards at the WGA Picket Line, November 16, 2007(courtesy of John Edwards)
In this episode
5 storiesWhat's at stake if writers walk off the job this year?
Writers in Hollywood just finished voting on whether they should strike. The vote is expected to be in favor of a strike. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll walk off the job. We get the details. We also find out what happened with the strike 10 years ago, and how it changed the industry.
Read the story12 minBorder wall becomes sticking point in fight over government funding
Congress has until Friday to approve a new spending bill to keep the government from shutting down. President Trump wants money to build the US-Mexico border wall included in that bill. He’s said the wall would keep out drugs, gangs and illegal immigrants. But Democrats say they will block a budget that includes money for the wall.
Read the story8 minWhat's next for Barack Obama?
In his first public appearance since leaving office, Former President Barack Obama led a panel discussion at the University of Chicago, where he once taught. The panel included six student leaders from the Chicago area and focused on civic engagement and community organizing.
Read the story7 min'The Idiot:' A story of first love in college during the '90s
In 1995, email was a relatively new and exciting way to communicate. In Elif Batuman’s first novel, ‘The Idiot,’ it’s through email that a Harvard freshman finds her first love -- and the limits of digital communication. As she navigates her feelings, she stumbles over herself, as we all do on the path to self discovery.
Read the story15 minEmmanuel Macron, who's never held political office, heads to runoff for French presidency
Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen knocked out France’s establishment candidates Sunday in the first round of that country’s presidential election. They will now go head-to-head in a runoff on May 7th. Le Pen is isolationist, anti-immigrant, and anti-EU. Macron favors the EU.
Read the story8 min
