Part One:
MITCH MCCONNELL KNOWS ENOUGH TRICKS SO THE SENATE WON’T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE RULES SET FORTH IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. REALLY! We learn the rules that the Constitution prescribes for an impeachment trial from Sarah Burns, professor of political science at Rochester Institute of Technology. Our country’s founders set forth an elaborate set of checks and balances, to insure that no individual – even if elected president of the United States – can stray far away from our democratic system of government. They set specific rules governing how the Congress can adopt a bill of impeachment and how the Senate will hold a trial with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding.
It turns out, however, that Mitch McConnell has mastered a series of loopholes and exceptions through which a president can escape being held to account for high crimes and misdemeanors — without following the specific rules laid down in the Constitution.
WHAT IS SHARENTING? We talk with Leah Plunkett, who teaches at UNH School of Law, about a book she has written on the subject. Sharenting is defined as actions taken by parents (and grandparents and teachers) which share information about their children on the internet or through social media. We may think it’s cute to post a picture of our children wearing their underwear on their heads, but how will those pictures be seen many years later when children apply to colleges — or seek jobs — and their “interview” is supplemented by a google search?
In addition, our children’s privacy can be compromised through the information we share on the internet. Facebook and other digital companies don’t charge us to use their platforms, but they do get paid by data miners which consolidate and cross-reference all this information, enabling their customers to gain access to very personal and private medical/educational/ and other information. What can we do to protect our children?
