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Georgetown University Medical Center
Adjunct professor of Neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center and chief of its Neuroethics Studies Program
PROFILE
James Giordano
Guest
FROM James Giordano
To the Point
Smart Drugs: The Quest for Getting an Edge Let's face it, who doesn't want to be sharper, more alert, and able to ace anything you want to do without having to get much sleep? Now, in addition to Ritalin and Adderall, there's a new crop of over-the-counter drugs aimed at enhancing brain function, including Provigil and Modafinil. Originally a narcolepsy drug Modafanil – or Moda -- is easy to obtain on college campuses now. Entrepreneurs, video gamers, office workers and musicians are taking it to give them an edge in a competitive world. But is it safe? Is this the beginning of a medicalized level doping of our minds? Are smart drugs miracle pills, pathways to addiction or just plain cheating?
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To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
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
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.