Judicial Threats, Avocados and Cartels, Superspreaders

Protecting Judges Protects Justice (0:33) Guest: John Muffler, Retired US Marshal, Faculty at National Judicial College The man who showed up at the home of federal judge Esther Salas a week ago and killed her son on the doorstep had a hit list that included several other judges. Judge Salas was not injured in the attack, but her husband was seriously wounded and her 20-year-old son was murdered. The killer was apparently unhappy with a ruling by Judge Salas. The US Marshals Service has noted a three-fold increase in threats and inappropriate communications to judges since 2012. COVID-19’s Effect on the Plastic Waste Problem (20:46) Guest: Kate O’Neill, Professor of Global Environmental Politics, University of California Berkeley As soon as the pandemic became widespread in the US, grocery stores stopped allowing customers to bring re-useable bags, coffee shops and gas stations banned refillable cups and mugs. Will this return to using and discarding plastic bags, cups and utensils be permanent? Portland Protests and Border Patrol (36:35) Guest: Patrick G. Eddington, Research Fellow in Homeland Security and Civil Liberties, The Cato Institute. The Trump Administration is sending more federal agents – including US Customs and Border Patrol officers – to Portland where protests have continued nightly for two straight months. The Department of Homeland Security says the federal agents are there to protect the federal courthouse in Portland, which has been targeted by protesters with sledgehammers, fireworks and slingshots. Federal officers have also been injured by what Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf calls “violent anarchists.” State and local officials in Portland say the federal response has only escalated the tensions. What authority does the federal government have to send in law enforcement officers against the wishes of local authorities in a community? Controlling Plants With Colored Light (52:50) Guest: Ben Miller, Research Fellow in Synthetic Biology at the University o