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The use of police body cameras has become much more widespread in recent years with the hope that they will curb police violence and improve accountability. But a new investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine found it can often take months or years before the video is released, if at all. In this NewsHour production, William Brangham discussed more with Eric Umansky of ProPublica.
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On January 6, 2021, backers of President Donald Trump (R, 2017–21) stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the election that Joe Biden (D) had won in November 2020. For weeks, President Trump had claimed that the election was rigged, and that morning he urged a crowd near the White House to "fight like hell." In August 2023, federal prosecutors indicted Trump on four charges: "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States," "Conspiracy...
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In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. By 2023, 23 states had followed their lead, and another 14 had legalized cannabis for medical use. In 2022 and 2023, however, voters in four states rejected legalization, which remains prohibited under federal law. Supporters of legalization argue that cannabis is a relatively harmless drug, that law enforcement wastes time and resources...
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Facing mounting domestic and international pressure for a fair and transparent framework of laws, China is racing to reshape the rules of its Communist society. Hundreds of thousands of judges and lawyers have been trained in the past 25 years, but with senior judges under direct control of the state and citizens taking to the streets in record numbers, this transformation has been anything but easy. This unprecedented Wide Angle report takes viewers...
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Since 1869, the U.S. Supreme Court has consisted of nine justices. Nothing in the U.S. Constitution, however, determines the number of justices—that is up to Congress—and in its first 80 years of existence, its membership varied from six to ten. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D, 1933–45)—angry at the Court's nullification of some of his New Deal programs and claiming the justices were out of touch with the American people—urged...
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In this program, former Attorney General Edwin Meese and Judge Robert Bork discuss the "original intent" of the framers of the Constitution-on abortion, presidential powers, and big government. Edwin Meese was Ronald Reagan's top advisor from his gubernatorial days through the White House. He discusses Presidential power and how Congressional law applies-or doesn't apply-to the Chief Executive. Robert Bork, a Reagan nominee to the Supreme Court, discusses...
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The ability to vote-to have a legal say in the affairs of America, large or small-is one of the greatest powers a U.S. citizen can have.and, too often, it's one of the most neglected. This program reemphasizes the value of universal suffrage through the stories of Amendments 15, 19, 23, 24, and 26, which, taken together, enfranchise citizens 18 years of age and older and forbid denying the vote on the basis of race, sex, locale, or tax arrears. Profiles...
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This program is an indispensable tool for helping students to understand the constitutional amendment process and to see its importance in their own lives. It defines what an amendment is, explains why amendments have been needed down through the centuries, and describes the process for proposing and ratifying an amendment. Amendments used as illustrations of the process of changing the Constitution have been carefully selected for their interest...
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Law enforcement officers are on the front line every day. Research has shown that continual exposure to combat-like situations can produce mental and physical breakdowns-and that training in mental preparation significantly increases the chance of surviving a serious confrontation and its after-effects. This valuable program presents the FBI's Law Enforcement for Safety and Survival Program, designed to channel and control the human stress response...
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Angela Macdougall is a wife, mother, and S.W.A.T. team sniper. This program explores what it is like to balance a career in a risky, high-visibility, male-dominated occupation with marriage and motherhood. Angie and her husband, Chris, talk about the demands of law enforcement-the need for objectivity, the fight against cynicism, the skepticism of fellow officers, the emphasis on physical fitness-and the sacrifices they have both made to accommodate...
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Since New York City enacted its zero-tolerance drug policy in the early 1990s, arrests for narcotics violations have increased over 40 percent. This program goes on the streets where the policy is enforced, taking a gritty look at narcotics stake-outs and arrest procedures. Cameras follow the real-life beats of Detective Danny Murphy and Sergeant Vincent Curulli in Brooklyn, Detective Larry Burke in the Bronx, and Detective Bernie Malone, a 17-year...
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When someone is in trouble, they call the police; when the police are in trouble, they call ESU. This program travels with the highly trained, heavily armed officers of the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit who specialize in forced entries, raids, and situations where the violence or potential for extreme violence are more than ordinary police are prepared to handle. Cameras capture ongoing operations as the ESU storms a crack house and responds to emergency...
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By its nature the work is grisly, but a successful homicide investigation can at least give survivors the consolation of justice. In an ongoing case and in a notorious one that was closed, this program shows how killers are caught by NYPD homicide experts. Veteran Detective Robert Mooney discusses his methods, including forensics and what he calls "victimology," the background checks that often lead right to the suspect. Police archive footage includes...
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In the United States, prosecutors file about 13 million misdemeanor cases each year. These cases, which constitute about 80 percent of all cases nationwide, are mainly low-level, nonviolent crimes, such as drug possession, disorderly conduct, shoplifting, and prostitution. Some prosecutors, including those in are processed. The district attorney’s offices in areas like Suffolk County, Massachusetts, and the New York City borough of Manhattan, have...
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This documentary film is a concise and captivating review of the legal battle waged by Dr. Henry Morgentaler in Quebec and federal courts between 1970 and 1976. Through a combination of newsreel footage, interviews, and dramatic reenactments (in which Dr. Morgentaler and his lawyer play themselves), this docudrama unravels the complexities of the case that began as a challenge to Canada's abortion law and turned into a precedent-setting civil rights...
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From minor infractions to identity theft and murder, this program sorts out categories of crimes and their severity, and lets viewers know what takes place during an arrest and arraignment. With input from prosecutors, police officers, and other experts, the video also discusses some fairly common scenarios and their constitutional parameters. Can a student's locker be searched without permission? When is evidence found without a warrant admissible...
18) For the People
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This program examines the impact of the Constitution on the lives of American citizens, as seen in three landmark Supreme Court cases-Engel volume Vitale (school prayer), Keyishian volume Board of Regents (academic freedom), and Bowers volume Hardwick (sodomy).
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To many, worrying about constitutional rights seemed like an archaic luxury while Ground Zero was still smoking. The need for tighter homeland security made civil liberties take a back seat to urgent measures such as the USA PATRIOT Act designed to defend America from terrorists. But two years later, that piece of legislation came under fire from both the left and the right. In this ABC News program, Ted Koppel takes a hard look at the law with representatives...
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Microsoft has allegedly made predatory use of its monopoly power to stifle competition, integrated its own browser software into Windows' core code, and manufactured Internet Explorer with embedded Microsoft-oriented hyperlinks. This Emmy Award-winning NewsHour program, which combines footage of top Microsoft executives and their opponents with a hands-on examination of the Windows operating system, neatly presents the root causes of the long-running...