Notre Dame Is Dropping Birth Control Coverage For Students, Employees
Notre Dame is the “first and most important employer publicly to take advantage” of the rollback, The Los Angeles Times says.
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Michael Conroy/AP
The University of Notre Dame will no longer provide birth control coverage to students and employees, taking advantage of the Trump administration’s decision to weaken the Affordable Care Act’s birth control mandate.
As Indiana Public Media notes, the Catholic university previously “made the coverage available through a third-party service separate from the rest of its health insurance and attempted to sue for the right to not offer the coverage at all.”
That lawsuit, against the Obama administration, was unsuccessful.
But last month, the Trump administration rolled back the requirement, allowing any company or nonprofit to refuse to cover contraception based on a moral or religious objection.
That policy change allowed Notre Dame to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage in any form.
Notre Dame is the “first and most important employer publicly to take advantage” of the rollback, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The policy change will kick in for faculty and staff on Dec. 31 and for students on Aug. 14.
The American Civil Liberties Union has a lawsuit pending against the Trump administration’s weakening of the contraceptive mandate. One of the plaintiffs in that case is a Notre Dame student who was anticipating the university would drop its contraceptive coverage, as Indiana Public Media reports:
” ‘The Trump Administration Policy allows Notre Dame to declare a wholesale exemption and to not even allow their insurance company to provide the coverage, so we anticipated that Notre Dame would be revoking contraception coverage if given the opportunity,’ says Brigitte Amiri, an attorney with ACLU’s reproductive freedom project.
“Amiri says even though the university will still provide contraceptives as a treatment for other medical problems, it is still an infringement on a woman’s rights.
” ‘No matter where a woman works or goes to school, she should have coverage for basic health care services like contraceptives regardless of the purpose used for the contraception,’ she says.”
In an email to faculty and staff, which the university shared with NPR, a spokesman wrote that the school “honors the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.”
Today in Movie Culture: Harley Quinn Meets Winter Soldier, the Devastating Truth About Thor's Hammer and More
Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:
Mash-up of the Day:
What if I, Tonya involved different characters played by Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan? Here’s BossLogic with a fun superhero franchise crossover:
When they both post about the movie this is what I see XD #dailyPhotoshop@MargotRobbie@ITonyaMovie@thealexrossart inspired pic.twitter.com/3gQRfNuDoX
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) November 2, 2017
Movie Science of the Day:
With Thor: Ragnarok opening in theaters this week, Kyle Hill scientifically explains why the world would end when Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, is shattered:
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Movie Comparison of the Day:
Speaking of Thor, here’s Couch Tomato with 24 reasons Thor: The Dark World is like a remake of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones:
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Alternate Trailer of the Day:
You could put The Neverending Story out in theaters today like it was a new movie if you advertised it with this awesome epic fan-made trailer by Stryder HD:
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Vintage Image of the Day:
Ann Rutherford, who was born on this day 100 years ago, poses with Evelyn Keyes for a promotional photo for Gone With the Wind in 1939:
Filmmaker in Focus:
John Carpenter is one of the most influential filmmakers of the last 40 years, but Matt Draper makes the case for his musical legacy deserving as much notice:
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Alternate Poster of the Day:
MondoCon is happening this weekend, and this E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial poster is just one of the things you’ll want to see there:
This gorgeous E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL poster by Jim Titus will be available at the Mondo Store! #MondoCon4pic.twitter.com/iokCNhAAWb
— MondoCon (@MondoConAustin) November 2, 2017
Movie Song Cover of the Day:
On Halloween, Kristen Bell and Dave Grohl, in costume on Jimmy Kimmel Live, performed a rockin’ cover of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” that turns into a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”:
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Cosplay of the Day:
Is it time for a live-action remake of Toy Story yet? Because Will Poulter’s Halloween costume proves he’s ready and perfect to be cast in one (and he used the opportunity for a good cause):
HAPPY HALLOWEEN pic.twitter.com/et8nbbd1Em
— Will Poulter (@PoulterWill) October 29, 2017
Oh, and Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and their son could be in the live-action Toy Story 2 remake:
Clearly Lil Woody is the boss of this Halloween rodeo! Love, Buzz, Jessie and Woody #HappyHalloweenpic.twitter.com/1J0hU2zfCs
— Jessica Biel (@JessicaBiel) October 31, 2017
Classic Trailer of the Day:
This week is the 55th anniversary of the release of Gypsy. Watch the original trailer for the classic musical below.
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Yellen Will Leave Top Fed Post With Solid Record
Janet Yellen has served as chair of the Federal Reserve Board since 2014.
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Win McNamee/Getty Images
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, the first woman to hold that position, won’t have the opportunity to serve four more years as leader of the nation’s central bank. But she leaves the Fed’s top post having largely achieved its mandate to engineer full employment while keeping inflation at a level that fosters growth.
On Thursday, President Trump said he would nominate Jerome Powell, a Fed governor, to be Fed chairman, the first time in decades that a president hasn’t reappointed a Fed chief for a second term.
When Yellen took over as Fed chair from Ben Bernanke in 2014, the economy had largely stabilized after the turmoil of the Great Recession. But interest rates remained near zero.
While there were calls from some to raise rates quickly to avoid sparking higher inflation, Yellen engineered a consensus at the Fed for increasing rates gradually. The policy led to steady job growth and a downward march of the unemployment rate to its current level of 4.2 percent.
Most economists view that as very near to full employment. Meanwhile, inflation has remained in check. In fact, it has hovered below the 2 percent level that Fed policymakers think is best for economic growth.
While Yellen has her critics, she is widely viewed as a successful Fed chair. Even President Trump said Thursday that Yellen is “a wonderful woman who has done a terrific job.” It would not have been unusual for Trump to reappoint her even though she was a Barack Obama appointee. Three presidents in recent history — Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Obama — have reappointed Fed chairs initially nominated by presidents of the opposing party. However, Trump made clear he wanted to put his own stamp on the Fed.
Yellen was vice chair of the Fed’s board of governors for four years before taking over as chair in February 2014. She was the head of the San Francisco regional Federal Reserve bank from 2004 to 2010. In the 1990s, she served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton.
Beyond overseeing the Fed’s traditional role of setting interest rates, the Yellen Fed also has begun the task of unwinding the extraordinary intervention the Fed engineered to stabilize the economy after the financial crisis.
That involved injecting trillions of dollars into the economy through Fed purchases of mortgage-backed securities and government bonds. It left the Fed with a balance sheet of more than $4.5 trillion. Yellen has overseen a process to begin slowly shrinking the balance sheet without destabilizing financial markets.
Investigators Say No Sign Of Cruelty In Kennel Of Former Iditarod Champ
Four-time and defending champion Dallas Seavey mushes during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 4. Seavey has faced recent accusations of doping, which he denies, and animal cruelty, which local officials say is not supported by evidence.
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Officials in Alaska says they have investigated conditions at the kennel of four-time Iditarod winner Dallas Seavey, and found no signs of cruelty, as had been reported by an anonymous complaint.
Seavey made headlines last month when his dogs tested positive for a banned substance; Seavey has denied that he was doping and has withdrawn from the 2018 Iditarod dog sled race in protest.
After that story broke, PETA issued a statement asserting a “whistleblower” had sent the group evidence that a Seavey-owned kennel “allowed severely injured and ailing dogs to suffer—sometimes fatally—without veterinary care.”
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough investigated the allegations. In a press statement reported by KTUU, a borough spokesman says authorities “closed the investigation after finding no evidence of any violation—no evidence of failure to provide humane animal care and no evidence of cruelty to animals.”
“Alaska State Troopers also are separately investigating complaints against a kennel, but won’t identify the musher,” The Associated Press reports. “Borough officials and Seavey didn’t immediately return messages Thursday.”
Seavey came in second in this year’s Iditarod (behind his father, Mitch Seavey).
Watch Exciting New 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Extended TV Spot: Darkness Rises
A television spot for Star Wars: The Last Jedi just revealed several cool new angles to consider in the upcoming eighth installment of the sci-fi series. The movie will see the heroes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens “join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.” Here’s what we saw:
Luke and the Falcon
We’ve known, of course, that Mark Hamill reprises his role as Luke Skywalker, though we’ve only seen him in exile. Now we get a look at him right away on board the Millennium Falcon, presumably for the first time in years.
Snoke’s throne room
‘Darkness rises … and light to meet it.” This just might be the theme of the movie. In The Force Awakens, we saw how the New Order threatens to swamp the galaxy with its evil ways, with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) playing a key role. The expansive throne room of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) is revealed for the first time, as he utters a very memorable declaration of intent. A formidable foe indeed!
Rey raising her lightsaber to Luke
We’ve suspected that Rey (Daisy Ridley) will be training with Luke, but now we get a glimpse of her raising her lightsaber against Luke. In his own training with Yoda on Dagobah, seen in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke faced many different scenarios, so this could just be another training scenario, but, truthfully, Rey and Luke both look far too invested in the scene for it to be simple “training.”
We also get glimpses of Finn (John Boyega) in action — twice! — along with Poe (Oscar Isaac) and the beloved Leia (Carrie Fisher). Watch the new spot below. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters everywhere on December 15.
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Join KEXP At 2017 Iceland Airwaves Music Festival
Join KEXP as the Seattle public radio station returns to the land of fire and ice, broadcasting live from KEX Hostel (no, that’s not a typo) in Reykjavik for the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival.
KEXP’s international broadcast will feature 16 exclusive performances live on air on Wednesday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST.
Sets on Wednesday through Friday can be heard live on KEXP at 90.3 FM in Seattle and worldwide at KEXP.org. Sets from all days will be streamed with live video on KEXP’s Facebook page. Click on the names of the artists below to view past performances.
Tuesday, Oct. 31
1 p.m. PST/ 4 p.m. EST – Bangoura Band
2 p.m. PST/ 5 p.m. EST – Kiasmos
Wednesday, Nov. 1
6 a.m. PST/ 9 a.m. EST – Between Mountains
8:30 a.m PST/ 11:30 a.m. EST – Sóley
11 a.m. PST/ 2 p.m. EST – GusGus
1:30 p.m. PST/ 4:30 p.m. EST – Hatari
Thursday, Nov. 2
6 a.m. PST/ 9 a.m. EST – JFDR
8:30 a.m PST/ 11:30 a.m. EST – Par-Ðar
11 a.m. PST/ 2 p.m. EST – Glintshake
1:30 p.m. PST/ 4:30 p.m. EST – Hórmónar
Friday, Nov. 3
6 a.m. PST/ 9 a.m. EST – Mikko Joensuu
8:30 a.m PST/ 11:30 a.m. EST – Gordi
11 a.m. PST/ 2 p.m. EST – Fai Baba
1:30 p.m. PST/ 4:30 p.m. EST – Högni
Saturday, Nov. 4
6 a.m. PST/ 9 a.m. EST – Megas
8 a.m PST/ 11:30 a.m. EST – Lido Pimienta
10 a.m. PST/ 2 p.m. EST – GlerAkur
12 p.m. PST/ 4:30 p.m. EST – HAM
Houston Astros Are World Series Champions, Beating Los Angeles Dodgers
Episode 803: Nudge, Nudge, Nobel
Allison Shelley/for NPR
Economists used to assume that people were, overall, rational. They may make mistakes now and then, but, if reasonably informed, they do the right thing. Then came Richard Thaler, who, in October, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics.
While Thaler was teaching at the University of Rochester, he had a side gig. Not a lot of people knew about it or took it seriously. He would catalog ways people behaved irrationally. And Thaler though, there must be a way to make sense of this behavior, to understand it and to predict it. This list lead him to psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky.
Inspired by Kahneman and Tversky, Richard Thaler started running experiments on his classrooms. Once, he gave half of his class coffee mugs, and allowed those with mugs to sell to those without. People with mugs (mugs they got for free, that had no sentimental value) would value them at twice the rate of those without mugs. Thaler found a name for this phenomenon: the endowment effect. This trio, Kahneman, Tversky and Thaler, did more and more of these studies. Thaler’s field of study finally gets a name: behavioral economics.
Today on the show, how Thaler’s work went from a side hustle to winning a Nobel Prize.
Music: “Roof Top Pre-Game,” “Flinging About” and “After Surf Chill.” Find us: Twitter/ Facebook.
Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, PocketCasts and NPR One.
A Look At The Effectiveness Of Anti-Drug Ad Campaigns
NPR’s Ari Shapiro discusses anti-drug campaigns with Keith Humphreys a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University and a former drug policy adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
When President Trump officially declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency last week, he promised a massive campaign to discourage drug use.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Really tough, really big, really great advertising so we get to people before they start.
SHAPIRO: For people alive in the ’80s and early ’90s, that might bring back some memories.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Parents, I’m here to talk to you about a very difficult subject.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) Nine out of 10 laboratory rats will use it until dead.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character) You, all right? I learned it by watching you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character) This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?
SHAPIRO: Anti-drug campaigns started in the early 1980s with Nancy Reagan’s message of Just Say No. So researchers have had a lot of time to study whether these messages work. Keith Humphreys is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, and he’s a former drug policy adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Welcome to the program.
KEITH HUMPHREYS: Great to be here.
SHAPIRO: I gather your research shows that these anti-drug ads from the ’80s were not very effective.
HUMPHREYS: Yeah. I can’t take personal credit for the research, which has been done by many, many groups, but despite billions of dollars spent from the late ’80s up through the ’90s, the general conclusion is these ads either had no effect or in some cases maybe even a perverse effect that some of the kids who saw the most ads actually said they were more likely to try marijuana rather than less.
SHAPIRO: As a teenager who saw these ads growing up, I can kind of appreciate why that might have been, but explain why these ads intended to deter people from using drugs might have actually had the opposite effect?
HUMPHREYS: Well, partly there was a problem of political economy. I mean, I remember watching one of the – I thought the silliest – ad where somebody smashed an egg and smashed up a whole kitchen with a frying pan being shown to a bunch of members of Congress, and they all jumped up and clapped, but America’s youth thought it was ridiculous. And the problem that the ads had was they’re trying to please the congressional audience, a 60-year-old white man or woman in a suit. That’s not what’s going to resonate with kids. In fact, for the kind of kids who are a bit rebellious, it was a signal that, hey, you know, if you really want to irritate your elders, this is the way to do it.
SHAPIRO: So if you do want to deter kids from using recreational, illegal drugs, what might work?
HUMPHREYS: Well, the campaign was dramatically redesigned into something called Above the Influence in about 2006 or so, and it copied more what had been done with tobacco. They – you know, they said to kids, look, you know, the tobacco industry is run by people your parents age you think you’re a sucker, and they want to addict you. If you want to really, you know, show that you’re free, don’t smoke. And that seems to work a little better. What you’re saying to young people is if you want to be a cool, independent, free kid, you have the power to choose something else. And that resonates more.
SHAPIRO: The particular challenge today seems to be different from the past because so many people who are addicted to opioids got their first prescription from a doctor who told them to take it for medical reasons.
HUMPHREYS: That’s exactly right, and that’s another reason I don’t think these campaigns work very well. Most of the time, when you get an opioid, someone in a white coat who you trust and are told to trust from a very early age is handing it to you. So it would be strange then to say to your doctor, well, no, I’ve learned just to say no, doc. I’m not going to follow your instructions.
SHAPIRO: If you had a pot of money to spend on prevention, what do you think would be the most useful way to spend it?
HUMPHREYS: Well, there are really terrific programs that invest in kids, and they don’t necessarily focus that much on drugs. They focus on things like teaching kids emotional regulation skills, helping them connect with other people socially and also connecting them with other things that are fun. It’s a competition out there, and drugs produce, in the short term, rewards. In the long term, they’re destructive. So you want to have other things for kids to do, community events, religious events, anything that will engage them and make them sort of happy, full of life without drugs.
SHAPIRO: That’s Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. He was a drug policy adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Thanks for speaking with us.
HUMPHREYS: Thank you.
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Today in Movie Culture: Marvel Celebrates “Hela-ween,” Pennywise Meets Other Movie Villains and More
Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:
Prank Call of the Day:
Watch Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo call Cate Blanchett to jokingly wish her a “Happy Hela-ween”:
Happy #Helaween! #ThorRagnarok#HappyHalloweenpic.twitter.com/uhfjmS90Na
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 31, 2017
Custom Costume of the Day:
Speaking of Thor: Ragnarok, here’s a tutorial on how to make your own headdress for a Hela costume:
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Adorable Costume of the Day:
Speaking of Marvel movies, here are the best mother and son costumes of the year:
Halloween dreams do come true. @Stelfreezepic.twitter.com/bGxXwBZdZg
— Sidney Logan (@sidneylogan) October 29, 2017
Pet Costume of the Day:
Now onto DC heroes, not only is this Wonder Woman dog the cutest, but she’s also available for adoption:
Read this great @phillyvoice piece w/ heart-melting Morris dogs in Halloween costumes https://t.co/yakLKeK61e & come to ???? Yappy Hour 10/28!
— MonsterAnimalRefuge (@MorrisAnimal) October 25, 2017
Villain Parody of the Day:
See what happens when Pennywise meets a bunch of other movie villains after he’s defeated in It:
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Vintage Image of the Day:
John Candy was born on this day in 1950, so here’s a publicity still of him in a crazy costume on the set of the Halloween-centric horror comedy Nothing But Trouble in 1990:
Halloween Decorations of the Day:
This house with a The Nightmare Before Christmas-themed musical light show wins Halloween this year (via Geekologie):
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Movie Trivia of the Day:
Speaking of The Nightmare Before Christmas, here’s ScreenRant with some dark trivia about the Halloween classic:
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Movie Food of the Day:
Want to hand out some homemade sweet treats for Halloween? This Binging with Babish episode teaches us how to make Turkish delight from The Chronicles of Narnia:
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Classic Trailer of the Day:
Given that it’s Halloween, we logically have to revisit the original trailer for the holiday-set, Frank Capra-helmed classic Arsenic and Old Lace. Watch it below.
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