The Breakroom panel (l to r): Kathy Lohr, Roxanne Donovan, Celeste Headlee, Robbie Medwed, and Greg Williams.

The Breakroom panel (l to r): Kathy Lohr, Roxanne Donovan, Celeste Headlee, Robbie Medwed, and Greg Williams. / On Second Thought

The Breakroom gang joined host Celeste Headlee to weigh in on the week's news. The panel included LGBT educator and activist Robbie Medwed, Kennesaw State University professor Roxanne Donovan, former NPR correspondent Kathy Lohr, and conservative radio talk show host Greg Williams. 

 
 

1) Donald Trump’s comments on the campaign trail have caused a lot of controversy for more than a year now. Whether it's about veterans, immigrants, or people with disabilities, nothing held him back from the GOP nomination. But now he may have gone too far for a majority of voters. Comments recorded more than a decade ago were recently unearthed, and they may cost him the election.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PM9kwFwnc

Why are these particular comments the tipping point for so many people?

2) There’s no question that the tone of this presidential race has been nasty. So much so that during the second debate on Sunday, the very first question wasn’t about public policy. Instead, it was this question asked by audience member Patrice Brock. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOaEDTbJrvg

That’s a question on a lot of people’s minds. A high school teacher in Kentucky asked his students to watch the debate as homework. He then then tweeted out an apology:

He added that rather than learning about important issues, students got to see a man who wants to be president behave in a fashion that would have sent him to the principal’s office. Are the debates now unsuitable for kids? Would you let your kid watch?

3) There’s a deadly new drug now being sold across the country. It’s called carfentanil, and it's an elephant tranquilizer. In most cases, it is mixed heroin. Dozens of people have died from the drug already. A sheriff in Michigan says it's becoming a major problem. Is this the next health crisis?

4) The San Francisco 49ers are making a change to their starting line-up. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will debut on the field in their upcoming game against the Bills. Coach Chip Kelly announced the move this week. Kaepernick has been in the headlines lately for kneeling during the national anthem at every game. He says he’s doing this to bring greater attention to social injustice in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbN-DxN4E9Y

Reaction to his decision to kneel has been widespread. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called it "dumb and disrespectful."  President Obama said Kaepernick represents a long history of activism in sports. So, what do you think the reaction will be for Kaepernick when he returns to the field?

5) It turns out there’s no evidence to show that baby boomers work harder than younger generations. A team of researchers examined dozens of past studies on work ethic. Turns out the analysis revealed no significant differences in work ethic among different generations. What do you make of that?

6) In an essay published Tuesday on CNN’s website, President Obama renewed his call for American astronauts to visit Mars. He says this exploration won’t just be to visit the red planet, but also to stay and in doing so, make our lives better here on Earth. Would you want to live on another planet?

7) The most recent revelation by the website Wikileaks shows that former Blink 182  singer Tom DeLonge wrote Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager messages about UFOs. Clinton says she’s open to declassifying some government files on UFO's. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBEJjy_s_ZM

Do you think the government has secret knowledge of aliens? 

8) President Obama has signed the Babies Act. It requires that changing tables be available in all bathrooms, including in men’s rooms. Did you ever have to change a baby in the bathroom? How important is the changing table? 

9) There’s a new study out that shows patients get different care from doctors based on the doctor’s political affiliation. A group of Yale researchers linked publicly available information on more than 42,000 practicing physicians to a list of party affiliations. Among the finding....Democratic doctors were less likely to discuss the health risks of marijuana….Republican doctors were twice as likely as Democrats to discourage patients from having more abortions….But with a less politicized issue like drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, that difference diminished. Here are more of the findings from the report. Will you check your doctor’s political leanings? 

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