PODCAST | In the U.S., nine individuals are charged with deciding the most difficult and divisive questions: Should states kill killers? Can a woman get an abortion? Is affirmative action just? And how much slack should we give those who enter the country illegally? Just to name a few. Even if you don't geek out as much as I do about the major issues facing the SCOTUS and the impact its decisions have, this new podcast, MORE PERFECT, a spin-off of the popular Radiolab, will set you on the right path. In the first two episodes, More Perfect digs into the 8th Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment as it applies to the death penalty, and the nervous breakdown of one justice during a case that changed the court's course forever.
ALTRUISM | In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting on U.S. soil, one local blood bank saw an outpouring of support and collected enough blood to meet its initial demand. But the need is still there. Even though there is no guarantee that your blood will go to HELP A VICTIM IN ORLANDO, you can still donate to a local blood bank. There are other ways to help as well: Attend a vigil, advocate for smarter gun laws (or don't, but let's have a civil debate), or donate money to one of the crowdfunding efforts. LGBT civil rights organization Equality Florida set up a GoFundMe site, which has raised more than $2.5 million of the $3 million goal.
DOCUMENTARY | You might be tired of hearing about O.J. Simpson. With the 10-hour trial drama that aired on FX in February, what's left to say? Plenty. ESPN's five-part documentary, O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA, which was previewed at the Sundance Film Festival and has been receiving stellar reviews. Emmy-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman takes an in-depth look at intimate details of Simpson's life, juxtaposed against the shifting social tides. The series, which concludes on Saturday, June 18, but is available on demand, chronicles Simpson's life before and after the 1995 "Trial of the Century" as a child in San Francisco housing projects and the man who (possibly) got away with murder. ♦
