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Death Penalty Information Center
Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, DC
PROFILE
Richard Dieter
Guest
FROM Richard Dieter
To the Point
Do We Still Need the Death Penalty? Capital punishment is on the decline in the US, though it's still on the books in 32 states with more than 3000 inmates on death row. It's also back in the news since federal prosecutors said they would seek death for the Boston Marathon bomber. In addition, death-penalty states can't get the drugs used for lethal injections, because European companies won't import them for that purpose any more, and replacements used in two recent executions have raised questions about "cruel and unusual punishment." Legislators in some states want to go back to gas chambers, firing squads and hangings. Is the "ultimate penalty" a deterrent? Can it ever be "humane?"
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To the Point
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.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
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?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.