Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Muslim Immigrants in France, Gadgets Galore, and the Duplass Brothers
Could the murder of 12 people yesterday at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by terrorists with ties to al-Qaeda stoke Islamophobia? Also, brothers Mark and Jay Duplass discuss their new HBO series “Togetherness,” which debuts this Sunday.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenCould the murder of 12 people yesterday at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by terrorists with ties to al-Qaeda stoke Islamophobia in the country? We hear from a Middle East expert who says that could be what the gunmen want. Then, the latest in high-tech gadgets from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. In our weekly Internet roundup, what do we make of news outlets pulling down offensive images of religious figures from their websites and archives in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack? Then, brothers Mark and Jay Duplass are moving from the big screen, where they invented the so-called mumblecore genre, to the small: their TV show Togetherness debuts this Sunday on HBO. And finally, Democratic California Senator Barbara Boxer announced today that she won’t seek re-election next year. We look back on her career and what might be next for her seat.
Banner Image: Attendees look at the Parrot BeBop Drone Quadcopter with Skycontroller, January 6, 2015 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada
In this episode
5 storiesImmigration and Islamophobia in Europe
Some fear that the murder yesterday of 12 cartoonists, writers, and editors in a terrorist attack at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo could stoke Islamophobia in the country. We talk to one Middle East expert who argues that could be exactly what the still-at-large gunmen -- who reportedly have links to al-Qaeda -- want.
Read the story10 minGadgets Galore at the Consumer Electronics Show
More than 150,000 tech reporters and gadget heads are crammed into every available hotel room in Las Vegas this week for the Consumer Electronics Show, or C.E.S. Thousands of companies are there -- from startups to multinational corporations -- showing off the next big things in electronic gadgets.
Read the story7 minReply All: Internet Roundup
During the coverage of yesterday’s Paris attack on Charlie Hebdo, a lot of news organizations avoided showing the controversial cartoons depicting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Then conservative commentators took issue, saying those same news organizations have no problem publishing photos that are offensive to Christians.
Read the story8 minThe Duplass Brothers Talk “Togetherness”
“Mumblecore” is a film genre of sorts. In mumblecore movies, very little happens and everyone acts pretty much like you and me. They’re little, low-budget films with a sense of the absurd. Brothers Mark and Jay Duplass are mumblecore royalty, with films like The Puffy Chair, Baghead, and The Do-Deca-Pentathalon.
Read the story13 minBarbara Boxer to Retire
After 22 years in the Senate, Barbara Boxer said today that she will not run for re-election in 2016. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1983 and won her Senate seat in 1992. During her tenure, Boxer’s been an aggressive defender of abortion rights and environmental protections.
Read the story8 min
