Predatory Lending, An Alabama Shake Up, Enduring Police Reforms

Coming up on today’s show:

• Student loan companies like Navient are being accused of using predatory lending practices. Now, the attorneys general in Illinois and Washington and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are fighting for bad loans to be forgiven. Betsy Mayotte, director of consumer outreach and compliance at the non-profit group American Student Assistance, explains.

• Mohamad Ali, the CEO of Carbonite, and Kara Miller, the host of WGBH and PRI’s “Innovation Hub,” explore how the Trump Administration’s immigration and travel restrictions are impacting the tech world, including Carbonite’s ability to recruit and retain foreign born talent, and the broader economy.

• In a move to avoid impeachment, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley resigned on Monday after facing charges of corruption, and a salacious affair with one of his key advisers. John Archibald, a columnist for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group, which publishes The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press Register, has the details on this scandal. 

• On Tuesday, Kansas’ 4th Congressional district will hold a special election to replace former Representative Mike Pompeo, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the CIA. Republican state treasurer Ron Estes is competing against Democrat Jim Thompson, an attorney, and Independent Chris Rockhold. Though the race hasn’t been as close as other special elections, a recent influx of Republican spending suggests that it may be more competitive than anticipated. Deborah Shaar, a reporter at Wichita public radio station KMUW, weighs in. 

• Susan King was wrongly convicted of murder in Kentucky in 2006. She spent over six years behind bars and is now the plaintiff in a federal civil rights case against the detective she alleges framed her. Along with King, Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project, explain the case and shine light on a little known type of plea deal, the Alford Plea, which has provided the foundation for the civil rights case. 

• In 1997, Pittsburgh became the first city to sign a consent decree, offering a lesson in what works, and what doesn’t, in reforming police departments. Pittsburgh’s consent decree expired in 2002, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, domestic affairs correspondent for The New York Times, explores which reforms endured.