Press Play with Madeleine Brand
'The Coyote’s Bicycle', and Remembering Tupac’s Mom, Activist Afeni Shakur
Underage drug mules are being charged as adults in one Arizona county. Plus, a tribute to activist Afeni Shakur, the mother of the rapper Tupac, who fiercely protected her son’s legacy.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenDrug cartels often use minors as mules because they’re usually treated with leniency if they get caught. That’s led one Arizona county to start targeting teenagers and trying those caught smuggling drugs as adults. Are underage drug mules being treated too harshly? And, billions have been spent securing the U.S.-Mexican border, but one coyote found a novel way to evade the sophisticated ground sensors on the American side – bicycles. We’ll speak to the author of ‘The Coyote’s Bicycle’. Then, a tribute to activist Afeni Shakur, the mother of the rapper Tupac, who fiercely protected her son’s legacy. Also, the U.S. State Department has introduced a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons. And finally, what to drink this summer from beer to bubbly. Banner Image: Arizona/Mexico border
In this episode
5 storiesShould Underage Drug Mules be Charged as Adults
Prosecutors in one Arizona county have a new tactic in fighting the war against drug cartels – they’re targeting teenagers. That’s because drug cartels often use minors to smuggle drugs because they’re usually treated with leniency if they’re caught. Now Cochise County prosecutors are charging teens caught smuggling drugs as adults.
Read the story8 min'The Coyote’s Bicycle'
Billions of dollars have been spent on securing the U.S.-Mexico border, and yet migrants have been able to cross into the U.S. illegally from the south. Many are brought over by human smugglers, or coyotes, who are paid thousands of dollars per migrant.
Read the story14 minRemembering Afeni Shakur, Mother of Rapper Tupac, Dead at 69
Rapper Tupac’s mom, activist Afeni Shakur, died Monday at her home in Sausalito, Calif. She was 69 years old. The former member of the Black Panthers was the inspiration for much of her son’s music and a protective mother who took control of her son’s estate and oversaw his legacy after he died in 1996 at the age of 25.
Read the story7 minState Dept. Introduces a New LGBTI Special Envoy
Gay Marriage is legal here in the United States, and in 21 other countries, including many European countries as well as some unlikely places like Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. But in the rest of Africa and in huge swaths of Asia and Latin America, gay marriage is not only not recognized, gay rights are under attack.
Read the story11 minSpiers on Summer Drinks
Summer is coming, and with it, summer parties. That means eating and drinking in the sun. We’ll focus on the drinking part of it, from beer to bubbly, in a conversation with regular Press Play guest Katherine Spiers. She’s a food writer and host of the podcast “How It Got In Your Mouth.”
Read the story6 min
