Professor of Psychology at owa State University
Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University and an expert in eyewitness identification
PROFILE
Gary L. Wells
Guest
FROM Gary L. Wells
To the Point
DNA Testing and the Exoneration of the Innocent Since 1989, some 200 criminal convicts have been exonerated by DNA testing, some within days of execution. In 75 percent of those cases, the major flaw was eyewitness identification. Many of those exonerated were the result of the work of the Innocence Project at the Benjamin Cardozo Law School at New York’s Yeshiva University. Prosecutors all over the country are paying attention and, faced with hard evidence of wrongful convictions, 20 states and some 500 local jurisdictions are redoubling their efforts to guarantee justice for all. We look at eyewitness identification and police interrogations that lead to confessions.
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.