FBI Fallout Continues; Minnesota’s Measles Outbreak; Wheelchair Dancing
Coming up on today’s show:
- In the wake of FBI director James Comey’s firing, there have been calls from both sides of the aisle for an independent investigation into the Trump campaign’s connection to Russia. U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand is among those in favor, and she joins us to discuss her stance.
- If a special counsel were appointed to investigate Trump-Russia ties, how would that process unfold, and who would take on that role? Robert Ray, former head of the Office of the Independent Counsel, explains.
On Tuesday, John Thompson, the director of the U.S. Census Bureau, announced that he would be resigning after 27 years. His announcement came on the heels of a congressional budget allocation that critics say is inadequate. Terri Ann Lowenthal,former staff director of the House oversight subcommittee for the census and now co-director of the watchdog organization The Census Project, explains why the census is important, and what challenges it faces.
There are now at least 50 confirmed measles cases in Minnesota, largely affecting unvaccinated Somali-American children. It’s the largest outbreak in the state in more than two decades, and the community is believed to have been targeted by anti-vaccine groups. Kristen Ehresmann,director of the Infectious Disease Division at the Minnesota Department of Health, discusses the outbreak.
On Wednesday, three Senate Republicans joined Senate Democrats in a 51-49 vote to block consideration of a resolution to repeal an Obama-era rule requiring oil and gas producers to curb methane emissions from federal lands. The Takeaway’s Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, has the story.
Carina Ho was an active artist in dance and music before she was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 27. She returned to her art with her disability with the AXIS dance company and describes that experience.
This week in 1924, J. Edgar Hoover took over the FBI this week, and his tenure as director included a restructuring and expansion that came to define what the agency represents today. A huge part of that legacy was established with the FBI’s handling of prohibition. Beverly Gage, a professor of 20th century American History at Yale University and author of the forthcoming book “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the American Century,” takes us on a tour of history.
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