Press Play with Madeleine Brand
SCOTUS Upholds Obamacare and Rules on Fair Housing, and 'The Tribe'
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision upholding the Affordable Care Act in its current form. The justices also ruled on a case involving the Fair Housing Act. What does it all mean for citizens?
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenTwo U.S. Supreme Court decisions came down today. First, the Affordable Care Act, which the justices voted to uphold in its current form. Then, the court ruled on a case involving the Fair Housing Act. What does it all mean for citizens? Next, the California Assembly passed a bill today that will make it harder for families to opt out of vaccinating their children. We look at the racial politics around the measure, with the Nation of Islam fanning anti-vaccine sentiment among African-Americans. Next, we hear from the director of the new film The Tribe, a nearly silent movie that focuses on a deaf boarding school in Ukraine. And finally, in our weekly web roundup, we talk about the latest WikiLeaks documents and Gmail’s new “unsend” feature.
Banner Image: Supreme Court of the United States
In this episode
5 storiesU.S. Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act
President Obama took a victory lap with a speech this morning, after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act. At issue was a clause in the law that could have stripped subsidies from people who use the federal insurance exchange to buy healthcare.
Read the story8 minSupreme Court Rules on Fair Housing
Today’s Supreme Court decisions brought a second surprise, in a case related to low-income housing and race. By a 5-4 margin, the justices upheld a lower court ruling that the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs had violated the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Read the story8 minVaccine Activism and Race
The anti-vaccine movement suffered a blow this morning. The State Assembly passed a bill that makes it much harder for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children. The bill throws out the personal belief exemption. And one of the groups that was fighting it might be surprising.
Read the story7 minThe Dark, Silent World of 'The Tribe'
A new movie comes out this weekend called The Tribe. All the characters in the film communicate with sign language. There is no translation for the audience of any kind. No subtitles. No voiceover. The Tribe is set in a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf.
Read the story13 minWeb Roundup: WikiLeaks, Gmail and More
Once again this week, we have new revelations about the scope of N.S.A. surveillance. The agency eavesdropped on phone calls by the last three French presidents and the French ambassador to the U.S., according to new WikiLeaks documents. France is not happy about the claims. What could all of this mean for diplomacy?
Read the story8 min
