Concussions, Cuban Immigration, US Refugee System

Concussions, Cuban Immigration, US Refugee System

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

  • Feb 2, 2017
  • 1:43:22 mins

Concussions and the Super Bowl Guest: Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, 2011 MacArthur Fellow, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Football and concussion are Top of Mind today as millions of sports fans anticipate this Sunday’s Super Bowl. After years of research into a devastating brain disease called CTE “chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” the NFL last year acknowledged its connection with concussions and settled a class action lawsuit brought by retired players who accuse the league of not warning players and hiding the damages of brain injury.  This new awareness has led the NFL to change some of its rules and it’s also given rise to calls for tackle football to be prohibited in kids and teenagers.  Guskiewicz will be the keynote speaker Friday morning at the University of Utah about concussion in sports. It’s free and open to the public. For information on how to attend click here. Giving While Living Guest: Christopher Oechsli, President and CEO, The Atlantic Philanthropies The man Forbes magazine calls the most generous philanthropist in America is a multi-billionaire you’ve likely never heard of. It’s not Bill or Melinda Gates or Warren Buffett. This donor has given away a much larger share of his fortune than they have - nearly all of it, in fact. His name is Chuck Feeney and he pioneered the duty-free shops now found in airports around the world. For decades he managed to keep his giving anonymous and he rarely talks to the press about his philanthropy, which he runs through a foundation called The Atlantic Philanthropies. The foundation recently hit an important milestone – they gave away the last of Feeney’s money. Cuba Puts Trump in an Immigration Bind Guest: Dr. Susan Eckstein, Professor of Sociology and International Relations, Boston University President Trump has made clear during these first weeks in office that he’s serious about the campaign promises he made to secure America’s borders, deport people who come here illegally and carefully vet those who attempt it legally. So, an action taken by President Obama during his final weeks in office could put President Trump in a sticky spot.   It’s called the Wet-Foot, Dry-Foot policy and until Obama ended it a few weeks ago, it had been in place for 20 years. Any Cuban who could make it to American soil and place a foot on dry land was allowed to stay in the US – no questions asked – and become a legal permanent resident after one year. Cubans were the only nationality to get such special treatment and the policy clearly runs counter to President Trump’s insistence on careful vetting and secure borders. So you’d think he’d be happy that Obama ended the policy, except that Republicans were not happy with that move and Trump himself has called on getting tough on Cuba again.  The Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne, Host of BYUradio's "The Apple Seed" Sam Payne joins us in the studio to share tales of tellers and stories. How the US Refugee System Works Guest: Erika George, JD, Professor of Law, University of Utah Refugees seeking asylum in the United States are particularly affected by President Trump’s immigration order fulfilling a campaign promise to have “extreme vetting.” No refugees from any country are to be admitted into the US for the next four months, while the Trump administration reviews the process and implements additional procedures intended to make sure refugees do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of United States. All Syrian refugee applications to the United States are suspended indefinitely.  Just what is the United States required to do with regard to refugees? What vetting has already been in place to prevent terrorists from slipping into the country disguised as refugees? Do Flaws in Voter Registration Equal Fraud? Guest: Douglas Spencer, JD, PhD, Professor of Election Law and Public Policy, University of Connecticut  One piece of evidence President Trump has used to back up his unproven claim that millions of votes were cast illegally during the election is that millions of Americans are registered to vote in more than one state. That doesn’t mean millions of Americans actually voted in more than one state. But it certainly points to a challenge in the voter registration system that most of us don’t give much thought to. In fact, if you’ve registered to vote in one state and then moved to another and registered to vote there, you’ve got a decent chance of still being registered to vote in your former home. It turns out that several of Trump’s closest aides are in that situation, which is ironic. Maybe you are in that situation.