To the Point
Power and Amnesty in Putin's Russia
Are sudden pardons a PR move to counter international criticism of Russia's record on human rights, or is President Putin responding to larger forces, at home and abroad?
By Barbara Bogaev • • 52m ListenAre sudden pardons a PR move to counter international criticism of Russia’s record on human rights, or is President Putin responding to larger forces, at home and abroad? Also, tonight's the deadline to sign up for Obamacare for a January 1 start date, and identity theft and holiday shopping. Barbara Bogaev guest hosts.
Banner image: Freed Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky (R) poses with father Boris and son Pavel (L), ahead of a news conference in the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, December 22, 2013. Photo: Michael Kappeler/Reuters
In this episode
3 storiesDeadline Tonight to Sign up for Obamacare for January Start Date
Midnight tonight is the official deadline to sign up through the federal health exchanges for Obamacare coverage starting on January 1. But just today the government has extended it until tomorrow – just another sign of the muddled messaging over the new healthcare program.
Read the story8 minPower and Amnesty in Putin's Russia
Today brought the release of the two remaining members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot from Russian prison. President Vladimir Putin pardoned them as part of a mass amnesty of thousands of political activists, including Greenpeace protesters the Arctic 30 and oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Read the story34 minIdentity Theft: How Companies Learn, Lose, Your Secrets
Last week thieves stole the financial information of some 40 million Target shoppers who swiped their cards inside the big box stores. It's just the latest crime in what has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, the collection and brokering of personal information: where you shop, what you buy and even when you buy it.
Read the story9 min
