Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Possible Executive Action on Guns, and Reworked Fairy Tales
We take a two-part look at some of the points President Obama hit in his speech last night. First, could he take some kind of executive action on gun control? Then, the president says we should not get into a ground war with ISIS in Syria and Iraq. But what should we do instead?
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenToday, we start with a two-part look at some of the points President Obama hit in his speech last night. First, could he take some kind of executive action on gun control? Then, the president says we should not get into a ground war with ISIS in Syria and Iraq; what should we do instead?
Next, a look at Ed Blum, the conservative activist behind several big Supreme Court cases.
After that we speak with author Michael Cunningham about his latest book, which reworks classic fairy tales to give them a dose of reality.
And finally, in our regular Monday TV segment, a preview of the second season of “Transparent,” plus more.
Banner Image: Screenshot from president Obama's address
In this episode
5 storiesExecutive Action on Guns?
The president spoke from the Oval Office last night about terrorism and gun control. Polls show a significant majority of Americans support universal background checks. But last Thursday, the day after the San Bernardino shootings, the Senate voted down a universal background check bill.
Read the story8 minObama Says No Ground War With ISIS
In his speech last night, President Obama mainly focused on the fight against ISIS. But he made it clear this isn’t a conventional conflict. He spoke strongly against the U.S. engaging in a ground war in Syria and Iraq, saying it would play right into jihadists’ hands.
Read the story9 minWho is Ed Blum?
It’s a big week at the Supreme Court. Tomorrow the justices will hear a case that could redefine what we mean when we call ourselves a representative democracy. And on Wednesday , a case takes on affirmative action at the college level. Behind both of those blockbuster cases is one man.
Read the story10 min'A Wild Swan and Other Tales'
There’s not a whole lot of room in the classic fairy tale for moral ambiguity. Be good and good things will come to you. Happily ever after, right? Well, no. That’s not really the way life works. So why then do we treat fairy tales as moral allegory? Enter Michael Cunningham’s new collection of reworked fairy tales.
Read the story14 minTV Roundup: 'Transparent' Returns
Attention fans of the series 'Transparent,' don’t make any plans this weekend. The full second season drops on Amazon this Friday . Amazon has already released the first episode to rave reviews. So can the show avoid the sophomore slump that infects so many other TV shows?
Read the story8 min
