After seeing someone make an illegal left turn, Mike joked to his daughter that they should do a citizen’s arrest. She had no idea what he was talking about, and now Mike wants to know: wait, are citizen’s arrests actually a real-life thing, or just something he saw on TV? And if they are real, how do they work? And what do they say about crime and policing ... Show More
Nov 16
The case for renting forever
Housing prices aren't coming down, and that's challenging us to redefine the American dream. Maybe renting isn't so bad?
This story was supported by a grant from Arnold Ventures. The episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Kelli Wessinger, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by ... Show More
29m 18s
Nov 9
Why your health insurance is so expensive
It’s open enrollment season, and new health insurance premiums are causing sticker shock around the country. So how do you pick a health care plan that won’t break the bank? This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Danielle Hewitt, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by Me ... Show More
30m 24s
Aug 15
How can the president take over a city's police department?
<p>On Monday, August 11th, Trump announced a takeover of Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan police. He also deployed National Guard troops and federal agents to the streets, all in the name of cracking down on crime. We called on political scientist and historian <a href="https://ww ... Show More
31m 46s
Mar 2024
How did Lochner v. New York end up on the naughty list?
<p>Lochner v New York, a 1905 Supreme Court case about working hours and contracts, is considered anti-canon. Right up there with Dred Scott, Plessy and Korematsu. The question is, how did it get there? Why do people think it's so bad? And what does this decision, and the era tha ... Show More
40m 7s
Nov 2022
Snitches Get Stitches with Alexandra Natapoff (S3 Ep.38)
My guest today is Professor Alexandra Natapoff. Alexandra is a law professor at Harvard University. She writes about criminal courts, public defense, plea bargaining, wrongful convictions, and race and inequality in the criminal justice system. Her new book, which is an expanded ... Show More
53m 44s
Nov 2024
Lawyer X: Could a bunch of gangland criminals soon be free?
There’s been a major development this week for the appeal hopes of one of the country’s most notorious criminals. Tony Mokbel, who became a household name during Melbourne’s gangland wars in the early noughties, could soon walk free, after a judge ruled his lawyer had perverted t ... Show More
12m 27s