Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Can the president legally pardon himself?
The White House is reportedly looking into the president’s pardoning powers when it comes to his aides, family and himself. Also, Sean Spicer resigned today after Trump named hedge fund millionaire Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House Communications Director.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenPhoto: Outgoing Press Secretary Sean Spicer waves as he walks into the White House in Washington, U.S., July 21, 2017. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
In this episode
6 storiesThe legality -- or illegality -- of pardoning your family or yourself
The White House is reportedly looking into the president’s pardoning powers when it comes to his aides, family, and himself; and Trump’s lawyers are reportedly exploring ways to undercut the Dept. of Justice’s Russia investigation by finding conflicts of interest among Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigators.
Read the story9 minWill a new communications director make Trump stop tweeting?
Sean Spicer resigned today after President Trump named hedge fund millionaire Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House Communications Director. Will that change the White House?
Read the story7 minThe effort to get a Paul Walker statue on San Clemente Pier
San Clemente Councilman Tim Brown refused two surfers’ request for a 12-foot-tall Paul Walker statue on the San Clemente Pier. Then the Orange County beach town had a lot more shark sightings and beach closures. So he bought a one-foot-tall Paul Walker figure on eBay, and now it sits at San Clemente City Hall.
Read the story2 minTrump administration quietly cuts funds for teen pregnancy prevention programs
The Department of Health and Human Services recently cut more than $213 million from teen pregnancy prevention programs nationwide. They were five-year grants that began during the Obama administration. Grantees were mostly professors or community health organizers. Some researchers in Los Angeles were shocked they were cut off with no notice.
Read the story8 minHow crowdsourcing bacteria samples can help develop new antibiotics
The “Swab and Send” Facebook page features lots of pictures of petri dishes in various stages of color and fuzz. They are bacteria samples from the dirtiest places around the world. They’re part of an effort to fight drug resistant bacteria.
Read the story9 minCan Christopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk' rake it in at the box offices?
What are the highlights from Comic Con? We also get reviews of “Dunkirk,” about an epic battle and troop evacuation in World War II; “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” a sci-fi thriller in which 1000 planets are threatened by a dark force; and “Landline,” an indie about a family in Manhattan.
Read the story15 min
