WHETHER through shrewd planning, good fortune or a bit of both, Edinburgh managed to complete the bulk of their business for next season before rugby came grinding to a halt. When precisely play resumes is, of course, unknown and out of their control, but they are at least confident that they will be in good shape to hit the ground running.

Illinois elected officials have strong feelings about former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's early release from prison. He served eight years of his 14 year sentence because President Donald Trump commuted his sentence earlier this week. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara doesn't agree with the president's move. "I really think it was a horrible decision and sends a really bad signal, not just to politicians, but to all citizens across the state." McNamara elaborated. "Look back at what he did. He literally tried to do one of the worst things you can do in politics, which is to enrich himself while selling a public seat." Rockford's Democratic mayor said Blagojevich bypassed the trust of the citizens. McNamara emphasized that this is not a partisan issue. "Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Independent -- what he did is despicable and I think he should serve his full sentence." John Beck identifies as a moderate Republican and is the alderman for Rockford's 12th ward. He said the

While government lockdown measures remain in effect - people all across the country are now working from home - and educating children who would otherwise be at school.

Like everyone else, my hands have taking a true beating from hand sanitiser, hand wash and cleaning products throughout this pandemic.

IN this continuing history of Glasgow we have reached the time of the Reformation, and the city played an important role in the whole process of turning a Roman Catholic nation into a Protestant country.

There are two types of grant available to ratepayers.

A family of four was caught flouting lockdown restrictions after attempting to travel to Motherwell for a mini-break.

Glasgow Science Centre's Chris Banks looks at the science of Interstellar, Black Panther and Back to the Future

Host Joseph Pace and guests explore the history of discrimination against Japanese Americans and immigrants in the first half of the 20th century. What parallels can be drawn between their experiences and today’s debate over immigration and national security?

Marijuana -- from jail to the workplace? The law practice of criminal defense attorney Bruce M Margolin has a definitive working motto, "No one belongs in jail for marijuana." Program host Jeffrey Hayden welcomes Mr Margolin to Your Legal Rights, live tonight for listeners' questions via telephone. Questions? Please call toll-free 1-866-798-8255.

On this edition of Your Call, we’ll talk about farmworkers and meat processing plant workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're speaking with journalist and author Antonia Juhasz about the 10th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, which spewed over 130 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the worst oil spill in US history.

On this edition of Your Call, we're speaking with Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz about how the US government has handled the COVID-19 crisis. He says the public safety net is not working and the US is on course for a second Great Depression.

Former Hearts chairman Leslie Deans has urged the club to take legal action against the SPFL as well as those who voted to end the season early, effectively relegating the Jambos.

Several local bars and coffee shops in downtown Fayetteville will get a little Artosphere Festival Orchestra pop-up action, thanks to this year's "Off the Grid" this Thursday, June 27. “It’s not that concert hall, tuxedo formal at all,” AFO violist Carl Larson said. “It’s just a great raw, raw way to listen to music and clink a beer.” This annual classical pub crawl, along Dickson and Block, concludes at Smoke and Barrel when AFO conductor Corrado Rovaris joins the musicians to perform, perhaps, an entire movement of a symphony. Click the streaming link above to listen to the full interview with Of Note’s Katy Henriksen.

GBX DJ George Bowie will perform from the balcony of his Glasgow home via Facebook live tomorrow afternoon in aid of Children's Hospice Across Scotland (CHAS).

Updated at 6:40 p.m. ET President Trump announced an executive order on gathering citizenship information, a shift from an earlier effort to get a question about citizenship on the 2020 census. Trump spoke alongside Attorney General William Barr, who praised his decision. Their remarks come after the Supreme Court blocked, for now, the addition of the question " Is this person a citizen of the United States? " on the annual headcount. Critics feared the question would lead to undercounts of immigrant groups and communities of color. Despite the justices' rejection, Trump had vowed to continue pushing for the change — even as printing of the paper forms has begun. The administration's persistence includes an attempt to change the Justice Department's legal team on the issue. But Trump's remarks Thursday indicate the administration is dropping the question fight in favor for a different avenue for getting a count of noncitizens in the U.S. Still, it's not clear what impact the executive

When President Trump tweeted his racist remarks Sunday, asking why certain Democratic congresswomen don't just "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," he did not just take aim at the four women of color — three of whom were born in the U.S. He did so using a taunt that has long, deeply entrenched roots in American history: Why don't you just go back where you came from? The question doesn't always appear in those precise words, nor does it always surface in the same situations. And it doesn't always get directed at the same groups of people — far from it, in fact. But more often than not, it conveys the same sentiment: You — and others like you — are not welcome here. "There have been different phrases that have been used," says Michael Cornfield , a scholar of rhetoric at George Washington University , "but the idea that we don't have any more room for people, or those people don't look like us, this is a long, ugly strain in American

Editor's note: This is an updated version of a story that was published on Nov. 9, 2018. The United States has the 28th-highest rate of deaths from gun violence in the world: 4.43 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017 — far greater than what is seen in other wealthy countries. On a state-by-state calculation, the rates can be even higher. In the District of Columbia, the rate is 16.34 per 100,000 — the highest in the United States. In Louisiana, the rate is 10.68 per 100,000. In Texas and Ohio — the scene of two mass shootings at the beginning of August — the rates are close to the national average: 4.74 per 100,000 in Texas and 4.60 in Ohio. And the national rate of gun violence in the U.S. is higher than in many low-income countries. Those findings are part of the latest version of an annual report on gun violence from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation , which tracks lives lost in every country, in every year, by every possible cause of death. The

John Prine, a wry and perceptive writer whose country and folk songs often resembled vivid short stories, has died at age 73. His death, from complications caused by COVID-19, was confirmed by his family. Even as a young man, Prine — who famously worked as a mailman before turning to music full-time — wrote evocative songs that belied his age. With a conversational vocal approach, he quickly developed a reputation as a performer who empathized with his characters. His beloved 1971 self-titled debut features the aching "Hello In There," written from the perspective of a lonely elderly man who simply wants to be noticed, and the equally bittersweet "Angel From Montgomery." The latter song is narrated by a middle-aged woman with deep regrets over the way her life turned out, married to a man who's merely "another child that's grown old." Bestowing dignity on the overlooked and marginalized was a common theme throughout Prine's career; he became known for detailed vignettes about ordinary

For the first time in its 231-year history, the Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments remotely by phone and made the audio available live. The new setup went off largely without difficulties, but produced some memorable moments, including one justice forgetting to unmute and an ill-timed bathroom break. Here are the top five can't-miss moments from this week's history-making oral arguments. A second week of arguments begin on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. Here's a rundown of the cases and how to listen. 1. Justice Clarence Thomas speaks ... a lot Supreme Court oral arguments are verbal jousting matches. The justices pepper the lawyers with questions, interrupting counsel repeatedly and sometimes even interrupting each other. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has sat on the bench for nearly 30 years, has made his dislike of the chaotic process well known, at one point not asking a question for a full decade. But with no line of sight, the telephone arguments have to be rigidly organized, and

For the first time in its 231-year history, the Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments remotely by phone and made the audio available live. The new setup went off largely without difficulties, but produced some memorable moments, including one justice forgetting to unmute and an ill-timed bathroom break. Here are the top five can't-miss moments from this week's history-making oral arguments. A second week of arguments begin on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. Here's a rundown of the cases and how to listen. 1. Justice Clarence Thomas speaks ... a lot Supreme Court oral arguments are verbal jousting matches. The justices pepper the lawyers with questions, interrupting counsel repeatedly and sometimes even interrupting each other. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has sat on the bench for nearly 30 years, has made his dislike of the chaotic process well known, at one point not asking a question for a full decade. But with no line of sight, the telephone arguments have to be rigidly organized, and

Dr. Stanley Perlman has studied corona viruses for more than 40 years. Now, his research is part of the global race to better understand COVID-19.

The rash of coronavirus outbreaks in meatpacking plants across the country is causing alarm. On this edition of River to River , IPR’s Amy Mayer explains Iowa’s meat packing challenges.

Podcasting is a time-shifted media. Some fans will binge on all your content, which can reveal some areas to improve your podcast. Here are 12 lessons.

A podcast failure doesn't mean you should quit podcasting. Here are 9 steps to help you recover and keep moving forward!

Apple is cracking down on keyword-stuffing in podcast tags. Here's information from testing and experience to help you protect your podcast!

Give your fans an easy way to support your podcast, and have the option to offer exclusive content!

The RØDECaster Pro is my new favorite piece of podcasting gear! I'll have a thorough review soon. In the meantime, here are some tips to help with one of the biggest complaints I've heard about the RØDECaster Pro.

In cities across America, black men are on the run. On April 4, 2015, in South Carolina, Walter Scott was killed while running away from a police officer. Eight days later, Freddie Gray ran from police in Baltimore. He was caught and later died in custody.

On this episode of Reveal, we explore the consequences of fleeing from the police through two stories, both set in Baltimore.

In cities across America, black men are on the run. On April 4, 2015, in South Carolina, Walter Scott was killed while running away from a police officer. Eight days later, Freddie Gray ran from police in Baltimore. He was caught and later died in custody.

On this episode of Reveal, we explore the consequences of fleeing from the police through two stories, both set in Baltimore.

Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting.

Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @reveal.

And to see some of what you’re hearing, we’re also on Instagram @revealnews.

In 2010, Brad McGahey was sentenced to a year in prison for buying a stolen horse trailer. But when he went before a judge, he was told he was going to carry out his sentence by working instead, through a program called CAAIR, or Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery.

McGahey wasn’t addicted to anything at the time of his sentencing. Hundreds of men are sent to CAAIR in lieu of a prison sentence each year. The program promises recovery from addiction for participants, but most of their time is spent working at a chicken processing plant, where they pull guts and feathers from slaughtered chickens and prepare them for distribution to companies such as Walmart, KFC and PetSmart.

Bernard Madoff may be a fading memory from the past, but for reporter Steve Fishman, the fallen financier’s story holds lessons for today. Madoff masterminded one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history, duping thousands of investors out of tens of billions of dollars. His scam rocked Wall Street for years.

In this episode, we trace the rise and fall of Madoff through Fishman, who spent years interviewing investors, regulators and even Madoff himself from inside federal prison. We learn how Madoff pulled off his scam, and why nobody caught on for decades. We also hear from experts who say that investors still are vulnerable to financial fraud, especially in the era of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

—

Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting.

Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @reveal.

And to see some of what you’re hearing, we’re also on Instagram @revealnews.

In 2014, WBEZ Chicago reporter Linda Lutton followed a class of fourth-graders at William Penn Elementary School on Chicago’s West Side. She wanted to explore a big idea that’s at the heart of the American dream: Can public schools be the great equalizer in society, giving everyone a chance to succeed, no matter where they come from or how much money their families have?

Lutton told the story in a Peabody Award-nominated show, “The View from Room 205.” This week, Reveal presents a condensed version of that documentary.

Don’t miss the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.

*This show was originally broadcast February 3, 2018. *It’s been ten years since former NASDAQ chairman Bernie Madoff was arrested for committing one of the largest financial crimes in U.S. history. For decades he ran a Ponzi scheme from a secret office in New York, duping thousands of investors out of billions of dollars. Many of them lost everything when the house of cards fell.

How did Madoff pull it off? And what steps have regulators taken in the past decade to ensure that it doesn’t happen again? For this week’s episode, we teamed up with Steve Fishman, a reporter based in New York City who’s followed the story for years. He produced and hosted a seven-part podcast for Audible called “Ponzi Supernova.”

Through interviews with financial experts, federal agents, Madoff’s cellmates and Madoff himself, Fishman explains how the $60 billion con worked, and why Madoff was able to elude regulators for decades. Fishman says that while Madoff was the mastermind of the scheme, it was banks and other financial institutions who “weaponized” him, turning him from a “local swindler” into an unstoppable force.

Madoff will spend the rest of his life in prison, but no one from these institutions faced similar consequences. And even though some precautions have been put in place since Madoff’s arrest, financial experts warn that for the most part, investors are still on their own.

Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.

Al Letson with a programming note on Reveal's upcoming episodes

'Amid struggles, trials, or even times of great happiness and prosperity, how can we learn to keep Christ at the center of our lives? Why is it so important that we do so?'

'As we face the challenges of the twenty-first century, we need to recapture the perception of God that is so vividly reflected in the book of Daniel.'

'Whenever we face a big problem, we also should recognize that our God is great enough to resolve even the most unsolvable challenges.'

'We show real faith when we pray to the Lord for what we want but trust Him to do what’s best for us, even if at the time we don’t understand what is happening or why.'

'God continues to change lives today. No matter how proud or sinful people may be, in God there is mercy and power to turn rebellious sinners into children of the God of Heaven.'

What are ways in which our society and culture profane the truth of God’s Word? How can we be careful not to take part in that profanation, even in subtle ways? At what point can we say that we are acquainted with all the truth that we need to know?

'What kind of witness do we present to others in regard to our faithfulness to God and to His law? Would people who know you think that you would stand for your faith, even if it cost you your job, or even your life?'

'With the coming of the Son of Man, God’s dominion is restored to those to whom it properly belongs. What Adam lost in the garden, the Son of Man recovers in the heavenly judgment.'

'What should this study tell us about how precious and important the knowledge of biblical truth really is in contrast to human traditions?'

'Christ’s sacrifice in our behalf is our only hope. How should this help keep us humble and, even more important, make us more loving and forgiving of others?'

'How often do you think about just how closely tied heaven and earth are? How might you live differently if you always kept this truth alive in your heart and mind?'

'How can we draw comfort from knowing that, in the end, God and His people will be victorious?'

'Amid the pains and struggle of life, how can we draw hope and comfort from the promise of the resurrection at the end? Why, in a very real sense, does almost nothing else matter?'

Today on Political Rewind , reports that medical facilities are not releasing enough information on coronavirus. What information is missing, and what does this mean for the public? And, voting by mail is now a crucial but contentious tool for residents to participate in upcoming elections. What’s the latest on this form of voting?