Conflict in Syria, Mars InSight Mission, Universal Basic Income

Conflicts in Syria Take a Turn Guest: Amy Austin Holmes, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology, American University in Cairo; Fellow in Middle East Program at Woodrow Wilson Center President Trump recently said the US will be bringing its forces home from Syria. But that does not mean conflict there is over. Rather, some conflict has opened on new fronts: Turkey is invading cities controlled by Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. And in the suburbs of Damascus, the military of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has killed more than a thousand people in a campaign to clear opposition forces from cities. You’ve likely heard the names Eastern Ghouta and Douma. What does all of this mean for a civil war that’s now seven years old and has forced millions of Syrians from their homes? Taking Mars' Vital Signs Guest: Tom Hoffman, InSight Project Manager, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory For 14 years, robotic rovers have been roaming the surface of the red planet, searching for signs of life and scoping things out for the day when humans will ultimately arrive on Mars. In about a month, NASA will launch another craft with a more in-depth Mars mission. Rather than roll around the surface of the planet, this one will drill down. Free-Range Parenting Made Law Guest: Senator Lincoln Fillmore (R), Utah’s 10th District In recent years, parents have become much more cautious about letting their kids get around by themselves, so much so that a couple years ago, a Maryland couple was charged with neglect when they repeatedly allowed their 6- and 10-year olds to walk home from the park unsupervised. But there’s lately been a pushback against “helicopter” parenting, in an effort to allow kids more independence. Utah lawmakers recently changed state law so that parents can’t be prosecuted for letting their kids walk to the store, to school or to a friend’s house alone. The law is the first of its kind in the nation. Stockton, California: Sowing the SEED of Universal Basic Income Guest: Lori Ospina, Director of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) A little later this year, the city of Stockton, California will start handing out monthly checks of $500 - no strings attached – to some of its residents. It’s an attempt to test something that’s never been tried in the United States – guaranteeing a basic income for people to spend as they see fit. Conservatives and liberals have long toyed with the idea, for different reasons. But the devil’s in the details and that’s why all eyes are on Stockton’s experiment called the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, or SEED. Singing the Truth of Black Men in America Guest: Lawrence Brownlee, Opera Tenor, Artistic Advisor at Opera Philadelphia Protests continue in Sacramento over the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark. Officers were responding to a complaint of someone breaking into vehicles when they encountered Clark – a 22-year-old black man – in his grandmother’s back yard. An independent autopsy requested by Clark’s family found the he was shot eight times, with most of the bullets hitting him in the back. This is the environment into which acclaimed operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee begins a national tour of a songs about what it means to be a black man in America. The music is inspired by those who’ve come before Stephon Clark: Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling. Worlds Awaiting: Sketchnotes Guest: Rachel Wadham, Host, Worlds Awaiting, BYU Radio Rachel is a recent convert to the power of doodling in notetaking, also called sketchnotes.