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Vox
Education reporter for Vox
PROFILE
Libby Nelson
Guest
FROM Libby Nelson
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What’s the story behind those “I Voted” stickers? In a nation divided, we can all agree on one thing: “I Voted” stickers are awesome. They’ve been around since the 1980s and are a $30 million business per year.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How Pepe the Frog was co-opted by the alt-right In an election season that’s been criticized as cartoonish, it must be noted that actual cartoons are also playing a role. For example, Pepe the Frog. Pepe is a cartoon frog with sleepy eyes. He looks stoned and a bit self-satisfied. You may have encountered Pepe the Frog on the internet. It’s where he was born in a stoner web comic more than 10 years ago. But recently, Pepe’s been co-opted by racist elements of the alt-right. Pepe frequently shows up in anti-semitic and white supremacy memes which Donald Trump Jr. has tweeted. Now there is an official Pepe explainer on Hillary Clinton’s campaign website which warns that Pepe is, “more sinister than you might realize.”
To the Point
Affordable College: The New American Dream Dental Surgery. Divorce. Decapitation. There are few things that are as painful as paying for college. With average student debt at $30,000 and the cost of college growing by about three to four percent a year, presidential hopefuls and educators are churning out proposals to lower college costs and make borrowing less painful . Some are rethinking college altogether to make it cheaper, shorter and more accessible. There’s also the idea of a three-year degree or making graduates who earn more pay more. But do any of these ideas go far enough to bring college back within reach of middle class families?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The State of Sex Education Condoms or chastity? Sex ed in this country has swung both ways, and now it’s somewhere in-between. Since Congress cut off funding for abstinence-only sex ed 5 years ago, states have implemented their own, different standards for teaching sex ed. The result: it’s not clear what American kids are learning.
Recommended
UnFictional
The Other Man Stories of two men who meet by chance and emerge indelibly changed – or at least, one of them does.
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.