What’s on the radio today: Oct. 8, 2019
9 a.m. — MPR News with Kerri Miller
The Supreme Court’s 2019 term opens this week. It will be the first full term for the new five-justice conservative majority. Does that mean the court has become political? Chief Justice John Roberts says no. But with the court’s docket loaded with contentious cases on LGBTQ rights, abortion, religious freedom and immigration, that assertion will be put to the test. Kerri Miller will speak with Lawrence Baum, author of “The Company They Keep: How Partisan Divisions Came to the Supreme Court” and professor emeritus at The Ohio State University.
For the second half of the hour, we talk water. The world's oceans are heating up. According to a study published in January in the journal "Science,” 2018 was the hottest year ever for our oceans, and the rate of that heat increase is faster than previously thought. That could be because the world's oceans absorb up to 90 percent of the warming caused by carbon emissions. That's a huge problem for sea life. But it's also a problem for those of us who live on land — because the oceans buffer us from the full effects of climate change. MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a group looking to find solutions for coastal communities that are the most vulnerable to climate change.
10 a.m. — 1A with Joshua Johnson
Create a More Connected Minnesota
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More than two years have passed since President Trump pulled America out of the Paris climate agreement. But the demand for renewable energy in this country continues to increase. A record amount of wind energy production is set to come online in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. This is largely driven by state renewable energy mandates and Fortune 500 companies committing to reducing their net carbon emissions to zero. Yet the push for wind energy is dividing some communities in parts of the country where wind energy has major potential. In this 1A Across America conversation, we explore resistance to wind farms and transmission lines in and near Kansas, a state known as the "Saudi Arabia of Wind."
11 a.m. — MPR News with Angela Davis
On Tuesday, as part of the fall membership drive, Angela Davis will join MPR’s Catharine Richert in our Rochester bureau. We’ll rebroadcast a program built around some of Catharine’s reporting:
Nationally, rural areas are losing prenatal and labor and delivery services, and Minnesota is part of that trend. But researchers are just starting to look at what this means for the health of mothers and their babies. Initial research suggests that the outcomes for moms and babies are worse when prenatal and labor and delivery services are lost. Three guests joined Angela Davis to talk about how this is playing out in Minnesota, why, and the effect it’s having on women and families.
Noon — MPR News Presents
A new program from the Commonwealth Club's Climate One series: "How Professional Sports Can Be a Player in Climate Change." Sports franchises can influence other businesses by showing leadership in sustainability and green stadiums ... and players can emphasize teamwork, commitment and the importance of "doing the right thing." Hosted by Greg Dalton.
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