Trump and Nixon, Parent Confidence, Slavery and Human Value

Is Trump Channeling Nixon in Firing the FBI Director? Guests: Michael Barber, Professor of Political Science, BYU; Brigham Daniels, Professor of Law, BYU President Trump says he fired the FBI director in response to the Attorney General’s recommendation that a “fresh start” is needed at the FBI. A memo, justifying the firing, points to Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation. The White House insists the dismissal had nothing to do with the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election and possible Trump campaign ties to Russia.  Worst-case Simulations Boost Parent Confidence Guest: Deborah Raines, PhD, Associate Professor of Nursing, University at Buffalo Can someone ever really be ready to be a first-time parent? That learning curve is even steeper when a newborn comes home after spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Understandably, many of these parents feel ill-equipped to care for their babies without a nurse nearby. A study by Professor Deborah Raines of University at Buffalo proved that if parents could be trained on nightmare scenarios before being thrust into the responsibility of caring for a fragile infant, they would be less stressed-out about it.   Why Teachers Aren’t Necessarily the Best Motivators Guest: Cary Roseth, PhD, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Michigan State University From first grade through college, teachers get the question from their students, "Why do we need to learn this?" And teachers are ready with the answers, because it's important that students understand the rationale for what they're learning. Research has proven that understanding leads to better outcomes. But research also suggests it'd be a lot better if a peer were answering the question.  Apple Seed Guest: Sam Payne, Host of BYUradio’s “The Apple Seed” Metamessaging Guest: Deborah Tannen, PhD, Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University, author of “You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendship” You know when you text someone a request, and they reply “sure”? No exclamation point, no smiling emoji, not even a capital “S.” Are they happy to help you out, but in a hurry and can’t take long to text, as in and energetic, “Sure!” or are they just saying “sure,” voice down, because they can’t think of a way to say no?  The way words are said can matter as much as the words themselves. Digital communication is fraught with opportunities to send or receive the wrong message. But so is face-to-face conversation. Linguist Deborah Tannen studies the messages behind our messages. Slavery and the Economic Value of a Human Life Guest: Daina Ramey Berry, PhD, Associate Professor of History and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas-Austin, Author of “The Price for their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved, from Womb to Grave, in the Building of a Nation” In the middle of the nineteenth century, when slavery was widespread in the American South, a healthy adult male slave could be purchased for what would be, in today’s currency, a sum of $23,000. Today, it's shocking to think of assigning a price tag to a human life. But analyzing the values placed on enslaved people throughout their lifetimes is the focus of a new book by historian Daina Ramey Berry called "The Price for their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved, from Womb to Grave, in the Building of a Nation." Not only does she place front and center the market values of enslaved people, she reveals what slaves themselves thought about the price their owners paid for them and how they coped psychologically when other people tried to determine what they were worth.