Professor of Law, Harvard University
Bemis Professor of Law at Harvard University and contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine; author of Divided by God: America's Church-State Problem--and What We Should Do About It and Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDRs Great Supreme Court Justices; former Senior Adviser for Constitutional Law to the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq
Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes heat for Trump comments Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg caught heat this week from both sides of the aisle for calling presidential candidate Donald Trump “a faker” who has “an ego.” Trump responded by calling Ginsberg a disgrace, tweeting, “her mind is shot – resign!” Americans expect members of the high court to avoid wading in political muck; but Ginsberg isn’t called “Notorious RBG” for nothing.
Reading the US Constitution, Then and Now The new Republican majority in the House, especially those with Tea Party backing, revere the US Constitution as the last word on American government. But what was read yesterday on the House floor was actually a redacted version, one omission being the reference to a slave as three fifths of a human being. The Founding Fathers themselves disagreed over fundamental principles, and ratification by all 13 colonies was a very close call. So why is the original document treated like holy writ? Did current arguments about government powers originate in 1776?
Language, Culture - and God - in Public Education With religious diversity on the increase, Christmas carols and crosses have raised controversies for America's public schools. But debate has been raised to a new level by an Arabic "themed" school in Brooklyn, New York and a Hebrew "charter" school in Hollywood, Florida. "Another school year, another round of controversy about religion in public education" reads an article in this coming Sunday's New York Times Nagazine about the two schools. Both schools say they will focus only on language and culture. Critics say it's inevitable they'll be teaching Islam and Judaism at taxpayer expense. It's question as old as the Constitution. Are there guidelines to help public schools from crossing the line that separates church and state?
New Stumbling Blocks for Crisis Diplomacy Just hours before his meeting with President Bush, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was hit by two challenges to his leadership of Iraq. The first was a leaked memo from National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley saying al-Maliki is either unwilling or unable to control sectarian violence; the second, withdrawal from al-Maliki's government by a key bloc of supporters led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. How damaged is al-Maliki's leadership of his own divided country? Would more American troops make a difference?
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?
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.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.