Solitary Confinement

Guest: Michael Stoll, Ph.D., UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs  In a speech at the annual NAACP convention yesterday, President Obama called for sweeping reforms including reducing – or eliminating - mandatory minimum sentences. The President is particularly concerned about minimum sentences in place for non-violent drug crimes that have resulted in a disproportionate number of black and Hispanic men behind bars. Earlier this week, Obama commuted the sentences of 46 such offenders.

Guest: Grant Madsen, BYU  Grant Madsen sat down with guest host Marcus Smith and provided what might be to many people a totally new perspective on the American colonists’ bid for independence.

Guest: Dr. Amanda Kowalski, Yale University  Republicans in Congress continue to pledge they’ll repeal – or at least rollback – as much of Obamacare as they can manage. It’ll undoubtedly come up on the stump this Presidential election. But practically speaking, the Affordable Care Act grows more deeply entwined with the health care system in America with each passing year it stays on the books. The Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold a key portion of the Act further cemented its status. So, it’s not too early to start asking how well Obamacare is working to make insurance more accessible and affordable.  Yale University economist Amanda Kowalski has some preliminary answers. Her analysis of “The Early Impact of the Affordable Cart Act, State by State” was published by the Brookings Institution