Press Play with Madeleine Brand
A Report Card on the Republican National Convention 2016
On the last day of the RNC, a look at whether Republicans are perceiving the event overall as a hit or a bust. And Press Play producers on the ground in Cleveland report on the spectacle and theater around around Quicken Loans Arena.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenMelania’s plagiarized speech, Ted Cruz’s prime time refusal to endorse Trump, Mike Pence’s well-received speech...some pros and cons from the GOP Convention. Also from Cleveland, a report on the spectacle and theater around the convention. For the week’s web overview, why tech billionaire Peter Thiel wants Trump to be president and how effective Twitter and Facebook are at tackling trolls and gun sales on their platforms. Then advice columnist Heather Havrilesky talks about her new book, “How to Be a Person in the World,” and some of the most interesting letters she’s responded to over the years. And a look at what Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have to do with a federal lawsuit to take back lavish Los Angeles properties allegedly purchased with money stolen from a public investment fund in Malaysia.
In this episode
5 storiesThe RNC 2016: A Success or a Failure?
Senator Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement speech last night is yet another example of a convention that has not quite gone according to plan. Does this incident along with other controversies like the Melania plagiarism kerfuffle reflect what a Trump presidency would look like?
Read the story9 minVignettes From the Floor of the Republican National Convention
Conventions aren’t just formal nominating venues, they’re also big parties. Press Play producers in Cleveland walk us through scenes of revelry replete with costumed delegates, vendors, floods of journalists, and a mighty show of force from law enforcement.
Read the story11 minWeekly Web Roundup
Peter Thiel is Trump’s biggest supporter in Silicon Valley, but what are his tech counterparts back in California thinking about his endorsement? And how Twitter and Facebook are -- or are not -- protecting their platforms from trolls and peer to peer gun sales.
Read the story9 minAn Advice Columnist on How and Why She Gives Advice
Heather Havrilesky is the author of the new book “How to Be a Person in the World.” It’s a collection of her advice columns for New York Magazine. Havrilesky explains how she chooses the letters she responds to and what she learned about herself after years of telling other people how to deal with their problems.
Read the story14 minThe Hollywood Connection to a Billion Dollar Malaysian Embezzlement Scandal
Wednesday , the Justice Department took action to seize assets worth a billion dollars, including a few posh Los Angeles homes, a Beverly Hills hotel, and a stake in the Oscar winning film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The lavish properties were allegedly purchased with money stolen from a public fund in Malaysia.
Read the story5 min
