Obama, Big Data, Gerrymandering, Angelou and Waffles

President Barack Obama used his commencement speech at West Point today to talk about foreign policy. What’s his administration’s track record on that front? Next, the Federal Trade Commission just released the most detailed report ever on so-called data brokers, companies that mine our digital tracks for information to sell to marketers. We examine why the F.T.C. wants Congress to crack down. Then we take a look at how laws on gerrymandering, the process of drawing political districts to benefit certain incumbents or political parties, are changing across the country. Michael Silverblatt, host of KCRW’s “Bookworm,” joins us for a remembrance of Maya Angelou. And finally, have Americans forgotten about the Belgian waffle?

 

Banner Image: U.S. President Barack Obama arrives for a commencement ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, May 28, 2014. Obama's commencement address was the first in a series of speeches that he and top advisers will use to explain U.S. foreign policy in the aftermath of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and lay out a broad vision for the rest of his presidency. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque.