Press Play with Madeleine Brand
SCOTUS Rules on Abercrombie, Lane-Splitting and the Colorado River
A two-part look at the U.S. Supreme Court. First, what are the implications of today’s rulings on cases involving Abercrombie & Fitch and Facebook? Then, an interview with the author of a new study showing that the court’s justices are making more public appearances than ever.
We start with a two-part look at the U.S. Supreme Court: First, what are the implications of today’s rulings on cases involving Abercrombie & Fitch and Facebook? Then, an interview with the author of a new study showing that the court’s justices are making more public appearances than ever. Could higher profiles affect their behavior behind the bench? Next, in our regular cars segment, Madeleine looks at California’s move to become the first state to officially endorse lane-splitting by motorcyclists on freeways. Then, author Paolo Bacigalupi discusses his new novel, The Water Knife, which offers a dystopian vision of a post-drought future. Finally, the real-life Colorado River is drying up -- and not only because of the drought. What else is contributing to his demise?
Banner Image Credit: Eric Schmuttenmaer
In this episode
5 storiesSupreme Court Rules in Facebook, Abercrombie & Fitch Cases
Inside the courtroom, the justices put out two decisions today involving household names: Abercrombie & Fitch and Facebook. In one, they ruled in favor of Muslim woman who wore a headscarf to an interview at an Abercrombie store seven years ago. She didn’t get the job because her hijab clashed with the store’s famously preppy dress code.
Read the story9 minCelebrity SCOTUS
When they’re not deciding cases on the future of our health care and the environment and marriage -- or maybe even when they are -- Supreme Court justices are making a lot more public appearances than they used to. That’s according to a new study .
Read the story8 minCars: Lane-Splitting and More
Lane-splitting is something motorcyclists do all the time, whizzing in between cars on freeways. Until now, lane-splitting has been in a legal gray area, not specifically banned or allowed. But California is about to become the first state in the nation to make it explicitly legal.
Read the story9 min'The Water Knife'
In Paolo Bacigalupi’s new novel, water is as good as money. Those with it are rich, and those who live in lands that have dried up are destitute. Or dead. The Water Knife paints a picture of a very-near future in which Texans are living in refugee camps in Phoenix and you need a passport to cross into California from Arizona.
Read the story14 minKilling the Colorado
Earlier on the show we heard about happens when the Southwest runs out of water through the lens of dystopian fiction form. But in real life, the Colorado River is in fact drying up. It’s not just the drought; it’s also because of the way we’re using the water .
Read the story7 min