John Jay College / City University of New York
Professor of History at John Jay College and the Graduate Center of CUNY; co- author of Lead Wars; The Politics of Science and the Fate of America’s Children
PROFILE
Gerald Markowitz
Guest
FROM Gerald Markowitz
To the Point
Lead Poison: America's "Silent Epidemic" Lead in the water supply has created a public health crisis in Flint, Michigan -- and provided a wake-up call to the rest of the country. The water supplied by some 2000 water districts around the US is contaminated with lead. For decades, a powerful industry pushed for the use of lead pipes in buildings, including schools and private homes. Lead in the drinking water can cause organ damage and mental disabilities in children, and it’s well known that there’s no safe level. So how was a national crisis allowed to occur — and what’s to be done?
Recommended
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
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?