Bob Collins
Thursday Dec. 13, 2018
(Subject to change as events dictate. This page is updated throughout the day.)
9 a.m. – MPR News with Kerri Miller (Marianne Combs hosts)
When the Camp Wild Fire hit California, there were more than 1,000 inmates on the frontlines trying to control the flames. Though they worked alongside thousands of other firefighters, their pay was significantly less. Inmates were paid $2 per day plus an additional $1 per hour while fighting the fire. But, low wages for inmates are not uncommon. Earlier this year, inmates organized a 19 day protest to bring attention low wages and poor work conditions.
Guests: Ruben Garcia, professor of law and Co-director of the UNLV Workplace Law Program; Beth Schwartzapfel, a staff writer at The Marshall Project.
10 a.m.- 1A with Joshua Johnson
Barabo, Wis., recently made headlines after a photo of high schoolers apparently giving a Nazi salute went viral. The students won’t be punished. School administrator Lori Mueller wrote “we cannot know the intentions in the hearts of those who were involved,” in a letter obtained by The Baraboo News Republic.
That decision sparked widespread condemnation. Many have suggested that there’s a double standard between the disciplinary actions taken on the white students (Baraboo is about 94 percent white) and students of color around the country protesting police brutality.
What responsibilities do elementary, middle and high schools have to monitor speech, especially at an age in which many students are still living at home? What are the best practices for teaching children about difficult topics, like the Holocaust?
Guests: Jeff Spitzer-Resnick, civil rights attorney, Systems Change Consulting; Peter Vedro, Sauk County Board Chairman, Wisconsin; Francisco Vara-Orta, national reporter and data specialist, Chalkbeat education news; Allen Smith, chief of Culture, Equity & Leadership Team, Denver Public Schools.
11 a.m. – MPR News with Angela Davis
Minnesota is facing what some would call a crisis in the classroom. There is shortage of teachers of color at a time when the student population is becoming more diverse each year. Analysis from the Star Tribune shows that most students in Minnesota won’t ever have a teacher of color. We know students are more likely to succeed when they see teachers that look like them. So what can be done to address the problem?
Guests: Abdul Wright, 2016 Minnesota Teacher of the Year; Keith Mayes, professor of African American and African studies at the University of Minnesota.
11:45 a.m. – MPR producer Max Nesterak joins the show to talk about the latest in the homeless encampment. Specifically, how the transition to the “navigation center” is going.
12 p.m. – MPR News Presents
University of California neuroscientist Matthew Walker, author of “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.” He spoke at the Commonwealth Club of California.
1 p.m. – The Takeaway
A Chinese tech giant gets caught in a web of American politics. Possible sanctions fraud by Huawei raises the stakes on trade and risks of espionage.
2 p.m. – BBC NewsHour
She’s survived to fight another day. Now the British Prime Minister Theresa May is in Brussels trying to make changes to the Brexit agreement.
3 p.m. – All Things Considered
Homelessness in Los Angeles; the aftermath of the Thousand Oaks shooting; Planet Money: College side hustle; the imprisoned journalists; Art Hounds; Climate Cast with Paul Huttner.
6:00 p.m. – Marketplace
Long before craigslist and ebay, many people sold their old stuff by calling-in to local radio shows. Even in this digital age these “tradio” shows are still going strong.
6:30 p.m. – The Daily
Despite repeated warnings over the past two decades, federal law enforcement officials in the United States have ignored the threat of violence from far-right extremists. Now, they have no idea how to stop it.
Guest: Janet Reitman, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine who is working on a book about the rise of the far right in post-9/11 America.
7 p.m. – The World
A second Canadian citizen has been detained in China. And both people involved are named Michael. We find out what these two arrests have to do with the previous detention in Canada of a top Chinese business executive, and with ongoing trade disputes between the US and China.
We also hear the strange story of a soccer player from Bahrain who was snatched by authorities while on vacation in Thailand. Bahraini politics may be at the heart of this one.
Plus, we get a look at a country where abortion is completely against the law. No exceptions. In El Salvador, in more than a dozen cases, women jailed for having abortions say they had miscarriages. We meet two Salvadoran women, now freed, who tell us their stories.
And there’s a big vote today in the Senate, about US involvement with the war in Yemen. We expect to hear from one of the resolution’s co-sponsors, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, to hear what the vote means, and what happens next in a climate where Saudi Arabia, its Crown Prince and the war in Yemen are all hot topics in Washington.
8 p.m. – Fresh Air
Actor Richard E. Grant stars opposite Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me. He’s been nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG award for his performance. Grant made his film debut in the 1987 comedy Withnail & I which has since become a cult classic. He’s also guest starred in Game of Thrones and Girls. His other films include Gosford Park, Dracula, Hudson Hawk, and Wah-Wah- which he wrote and directed based on his childhood in Africa.
