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Former U.S. Attorney Available to Discuss Fallout for Trump Administration in Light of Cohen Plea
Wheaton College Professor David Iglesias, a former U.S. Attorney in New Mexico whose areas of expertise include federal prosecutions, is available for interviews regarding the fallout for the Trump administration in light of Michael Cohen’s guilty plea in federal court on 8 criminal counts, including violation of campaign finance laws. “President Trump is now in a place few presidents have ever been,” Iglesias says. “At this point, he is basically an unindicted co-conspirator to federal crimes.” “I wouldn’t call it the beginning of the end, but it’s certainly the end of the beginning.” Iglesias is an associate professor of politics and law and director of the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics, and Economics. He can discuss topics including: -The process of presidential pardons -How federal prosecutors treat indicted persons who cooperate with information concerning the crimes of other persons, and the quid pro quo for getting an individual to cooperate with law enforcement -Guilty pleas, hung juries, and sentencing in federal court -Impeachment (What Iglesias calls “the nuclear option for removing a sitting President of the United States”), the process, and why it has happened so rarely in U.S. history -Whether a sitting president can be indicted for crimes -The importance of the rule of law (Why is America the world leader for holding all accountable for their actions? What message is being sent if wealthy and powerful people can avoid criminal exposure for their actions?) -Watergate as a precedent, and similarities/differences with the current situation -Rules of federal investigations (How do federal agencies conduct investigations? What is public and what is non-public? Why are prosecutions that are considered "political" so dangerous for law enforcement?) To request an interview with Professor Iglesias, e-mail Wheaton College Director of Media Relations LaTonya Taylor at latonya.taylor@wheaton.edu. Source:
Independence Day: Baylor’s Benjamin Franklin Scholars Bring Light to Complex Figure
Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was a complex man. Among his many roles, he was a businessman, entrepreneur, inventor, journalist, author, printer, editor, politician, postmaster, statesman, ambassador and signer of the Declaration of Independence. And even with a treasure trove of accomplishments, sometimes the Franklin legends are bigger than Franklin the man – and it’s taken an army of historians and scholars throughout the centuries to sort it out. As July 4 Independence Day approaches, Baylor University's two Franklin scholars share different perspectives of Franklin, his faith and his business acumen: • Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History and associate director of Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion • Blaine McCormick, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the management department in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business Both have penned Franklin books and both have been featured nationally for their research on the Founding Father. Kidd’s 2017 book, “Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father,” has received high marks for its analysis of Franklin’s beliefs. From his Puritan upbringing to deism, skepticism and more, the book explores the influences and evolution of faith throughout Franklin’s life. “In today’s polarized political and religious environment, some pundits seek to remake the Founding Fathers in their own image. Benjamin Franklin’s example reveals that the historical truth is often more complicated,” Kidd wrote in a column for The Wall Street Journal. McCormick, who wrote “Ben Franklin: America’s Original Entrepreneur,” discovered a passion to study the Founding Father after listening to an audiobook of Franklin’s autobiography. “Franklin could do things as a statesman, and understand things, and achieve things as a statesman, because he had achieved things in the marketplace first,” he said. “I’ve yet to find a better book for businesspeople to learn about how to run a business in the American Experiment. He wrote the autobiography to help train people in the life of business. Many of the principles are still very robust.” And the way he shared those principles (many of which have been misquoted and made into memes through the decades) is important, McCormick said. “Franklin used sentences no longer than a Tweet to train generations of colonial businesspeople,” he said. “They were short. They were memorable. They were high-impact.” Source:
Professor David Iglesias, a former U.S. Attorney in New Mexico who also served as chair of the border and immigration subcommittee under John Ashcroft, is available for interviews about President Trump's executive order ending family separations at the border. Iglesias, now a professor of politics and international relations at Wheaton College (Ill.) and director of the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics (wheaton.edu/fpe) had called the policy "a moral outrage" in a recent comments (http://bit.ly/2MIIxtA), and, along with a bipartisan group of former U.S. Attorneys, called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the policy. "The president did the right thing to rescind this policy," he says. "It's to the administration's credit that they pulled back." However, he says, the zero tolerance policy, which still remains in place, is "a terrible idea." Iglesias says it is likely to overload the courts with misdemeanors by first-time offenders. "Federal courts along the border will be overwhelmed with nothing but immigration cases, and serious crimes will languish under the weight of minor offenses," he says. "Federal courts on the southwest border will be reduced exclusively to handling immigration offenses and will essentially become federal traffic court." "Zero tolerance may make a catchy bumper sticker, but it is the very definition of bad public policy," Iglesias says. To request an interview with Professor Iglesias, e-mail media.relations@wheaton.edu. Source:
Former U.S. Attorney: Family Separation Is "A Moral Outrage"
Professor David Iglesias, a former U.S. Attorney in New Mexico who also served as chair of the border and immigration subcommittee under John Ashcroft, is available for interviews about the zero tolerance and family separation immigration policies. "The president's zero tolerance for people crossing the border is more than just a moral outrage--it rejects decades of administrations deferring to prosecutors in the region know how best to deal with immigration cases," he says. Iglesias, who is an associate professor of politics and law and director of the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics, and Economics, is among a bipartisan group of former U.S. Attorneys who have called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end family separation. "Zero tolerance may make a catchy bumper sticker, but it is the very definition of bad public policy," Iglesias says. To request an interview with Professor Iglesias, e-mail media.relations@wheaton.edu. Source:
Meet Baylor’s nationally recognized expert on coping with grief and loss
Dr. Helen Harris has centered her life’s work on a topic that most would prefer to avoid: grief and loss. While no one likes to think about the loss of a loved one, facing grief is unavoidable. Harris’ research on those tough subjects has made her one of the nation’s most-sought after experts on the topics of bereavement, trauma, the role of faith in processing grief, and more. Before coming to Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Harris worked in the trenches daily alongside people grappling with these very issues. She was the first director of the Hillcrest Community Hospice in Waco, where she also served as a social worker and bereavement coordinator. Even after coming to Baylor in 1997, she has continued to volunteer with hospice organizations and provide training to hospices throughout the area. Source:
In the attached Q&A, Baylor University’s Karon LeCompte, Ph.D., associate professor of curriculum and instruction and an expert on civics education and leadership theory, discusses the importance of investing in student leaders and how parents and teachers can identify leadership characteristics in their children. LeCompte co-directs Baylor’s iEngage Summer Civics Institute, a five-day program that helps students learn how to make a difference in their neighborhoods, schools and communities. "Authentic leaders with experiences that manifest characteristics of extensive skills and high moral values will be on the front stage of our democracy,” she said. “They are the future. It is our responsibility to give them the best gifts that we can – our attention and faith in their ability to lead. Source:
Baylor Expert on Founding Fathers Discusses Ben Franklin's Faith in New Book
What the Founding Fathers believed about God and religion has long been a subject of debate and fascination, and Benjamin Franklin’s beliefs in particular may have the widest variety of interpretations among his peers. As multi-faceted as Franklin’s life was — he was a printer, diplomat, scientist and more — his religious beliefs were perhaps even more complex. From his Puritan upbringing to deism, skepticism and more, Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University and Associate Director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, explores the influences and evolution of faith throughout Franklin’s life in the new book: "Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father." In a column for The Wall Street Journal, Kidd wrote of Franklin: "In today’s polarized political and religious environment, some pundits seek to remake the Founding Fathers in their own image. Benjamin Franklin’s example reveals that the historical truth is often more complicated." Source:
Meet Baylor’s nationally recognized expert on spirituality and pop culture
Why is U2 so popular across the globe? How much of our idea of heaven and hell is actually from the Bible? And why are we so obsessed with zombies? Garrett’s unique, critical look at religion and pop culture has garnered the attention of media such as Christianity Today, Austin Monthly, and even overseas in the Irish Times. If you’re someone who searches to deepen your faith and study how it fits into daily life, it’s worth taking a look at a Greg Garrett book for yourself. Source:
Baylor Film Expert Featured on NPR's Marketplace to Explain Marketing of Faith-Based Films
Chris Hansen, M.F.A., associate professor and chair of Baylor University's film and digital media department, is a featured expert in this Marketplace story by Adriene Hill about the marketing of faith-based films. During the interview, Hansen discussed how Mel Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” – which made more than $600 million worldwide – helped kick-start Hollywood’s interest in faith-based films. "Once ‘The Passion’ came out and did that kind of business, Hollywood was all over the idea of making films for this audience,” he said. Source: