Opioid Lawsuits, Improv Everywhere, Landmines

More Opioid Lawsuits Moving Toward Settlement (0:33) Guest: Jennifer Oliva, Associate Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law It’s been a big couple of days for lawsuits related to the opioid crisis. Just as the first federal trialabout opioids was set to get underway on Monday against four companies, a settlement was reached to end the lawsuit. But that deals involves just two counties in Ohio which will get $260 million dollars in the settlement. Then a few hours later, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general announced they’d reached a tentative $48 billion opioid settlement that would apply nationwide. That deal still needs sign off from a lot of other states and cities, though –and coming to any kind of nationwide agreement on how much opioid makers and distributors should pay has been tricky to this point. The Importance of Play (21:54) Guest: Charlie Todd, Founder of Improv Everywhere Imagine you’re on lunch break in a public place when all of a sudden you hear this. Soon several people around you break out into song and dance, including the security guard. Would you think it was funny? Would you just want to eat in peace? A group called Improv Everywhere did this flash mob musical you’re hearing in the Trump Tower. They’ve been doing all kinds of pranks in public places for a decade -you’ve probably seen one of their viral videos. Charlie Todd is the founder, and he believes that what they do isn’t just fun, but also important and meaningful.  Removing Landmines and Empowering Communities at the HALO Trust (34:01) Guest: Chris Whatley, Executive Director, HALO USA Imagine if a field near your house was littered with hidden landmines and unexploded ordnance from a war that’s over, but nobody cleaned up after. So every day, you worry that your kidsmight stray off the safe path, stumble on a landmine and end up injured, or worse. That’s a reality parents live with in dozens of countries around the world, including Angola, which Britain’s Prince Harry recently visited. Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines, we can help this community find peace and with peace some opportunity.” Prince Harry was following in the footsteps of his mother, Princess Diana, who helped spark global action on landmine removal with her advocacy. The HALO Trust is a leading nonprofit working on this issue across Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East. Anywhere there’s been a protracted war, leftover landmines are a problem. Religious Freedom and LGBT Rights Back at the US Supreme Court (51:10) Guest: Luke Goodrich, Vice President and Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Author of “Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America” The US Supreme Court is back in session and one of its most consequential cases goes straight to the heart of the divide between religious freedom and LGBT rights. The justices are being asked to decide if the federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination because of race, religion or sex, also protects gay and transgender workers. Religious organizations that represent tens of millions of Americans –including the National Association of Evangelicals, American Islamic Congress and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints –have filed a brief asking the Supreme Court not to expand the definition of “sex” in Civil Rights law. Combining Walking, Therapy, and Nature (1:09:54) Guest: Jennifer Udler, Clinical Social Worker and founder of “Positive Strides” When I meet with my therapist, I sit on a couch and she sits opposite me in an office. That’s pretty standard. But social worker Jennifer Udler never meets with her clients in an office. Their therapy sessions are always outdoors, while walking. Museum Learning (1:26:31) Guest: Rachel Wadham, Host, Worlds Awaiting on BYUradio, Education and Juvenile Collections Librarian, BYU