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This Day in Legal History: Massachusetts Institutes Death Penalty for HeresyOn November 4, 1646, the Massachusetts General Court enacted a law that imposed the death penalty for heresy, requiring all members of the colony to affirm the Bible as the Word of God. This harsh mandate reflected the deeply religious nature of the Puritan colony, which viewed dissenting beliefs as a grave threat to its social and spiritual fabric. The law underscored the colony's commitment to a strict religious orthodoxy, where deviation from established doctrine was considered not just a sin but a serious civil offense. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was, at the time, a theocratic society in which religious and legal authorities were often intertwined, giving ministers and magistrates alike substantial power over both personal belief and public behavior.By criminalizing heresy with such severity, the General Court aimed to maintain religious uniformity and discourage the influx of non-conforming individuals or beliefs. This law was part of broader efforts to deter the spread of religious pluralism, especially from emerging groups like the Quakers, who would later challenge Puritan authority. The legislation also reveals the degree to which early American colonies experimented with extreme measures of social control, often in ways that would seem incompatible with later ideals of religious freedom. Though not widely enforced with executions, the law served as a powerful deterrent, shaping a culture of religious conformity and setting a precedent for laws that linked faith and governance. It highlights the tension in early colonial America between the desire for communal unity and the eventual American principles of individual religious liberty. This strict legal approach to heresy foreshadowed the eventual legal conflicts and philosophical shifts that would lead to religious freedom protections enshrined in the First Amendment.Ahead of the U.S. election, an intensifying legal dispute pits lawyers associated with former President Donald Trump against an advocacy group called the 65 Project, which seeks to hold attorneys accountable for pushing false election claims. Formed after Trump's 2020 election loss, the 65 Project has filed more than 80 ethics complaints against lawyers involved in Trump's legal efforts, aiming to deter future claims of election fraud. In response, Trump-aligned America First Legal (AFL) filed an ethics complaint against Michael Teter, the 65 Project's lead lawyer, accusing him of targeting attorneys simply for their client affiliations.The conflict underscores how lawyers are once again at the center of electoral controversies, with Trump suggesting he would contest any loss in the upcoming election. The 65 Project claims its goal is to prevent misuse of the legal system, while AFL counters that the group seeks to intimidate conservative lawyers. Meanwhile, the AFL has taken other legal actions, such as challenging voter registrations and election procedures in battleground states like Arizona and Pennsylvania. Although many of the 65 Project's complaints have led to disciplinary investigations, several cases have been dismissed, and some targeted attorneys remain active in election-related litigation for Trump allies. This legal clash highlights the growing stakes of election law as both sides brace for potential disputes over the upcoming presidential vote.Ahead of US election, lawyers fight over ethics breach accusations | ReutersA Pennsylvania judge is set to rule on whether to halt Elon Musk's $1 million-a-day giveaway to registered voters, just one day before the presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Musk, who has recently endorsed Trump, has been awarding daily $1 million prizes to randomly selected voters in battleground states, including Pennsylvania, as part of a campaign promoting free speech and gun rights. The initiative, backed by Musk's America PAC, has been criticized as potentially violating state consumer protection laws and possibly federal election laws, as it resembles an illegal lottery.Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner filed a lawsuit against Musk and America PAC, arguing that the program is unlawfully influencing voters and alleging that the winners may not be chosen entirely at random, citing two winners with ties to pro-Trump events. Musk's team attempted to move the case to federal court, asserting that it raises free speech and election interference issues, but a judge ruled that it would proceed in state court. The legal debate around the giveaway centers on whether it constitutes paying people to register to vote, which would violate federal law. The Department of Justice has reportedly cautioned America PAC about the program's legality, but has not formally intervened.Judge weighs challenge to Elon Musk's $1 million voter giveaway | ReutersThe U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear cases from Meta's Facebook and Nvidia, as both companies seek to block federal securities fraud lawsuits that could impact the power of private litigants to hold corporations accountable. Facebook faces allegations of misleading investors about the Cambridge Analytica data breach, with plaintiffs claiming Facebook failed to disclose the breach's materialized risk and instead framed it as hypothetical. Meanwhile, Nvidia is contesting claims that it misled investors about the portion of its sales driven by the volatile cryptocurrency market, allegedly downplaying crypto's influence on revenue growth. The Supreme Court's recent rulings favoring limits on federal regulatory power could make the justices receptive to Facebook and Nvidia's arguments. These cases follow a trend in which the Court has reined in federal agencies, like the SEC, potentially leaving gaps in enforcement that private securities lawsuits might fill. Proponents argue that private securities litigation is essential to holding companies accountable, especially as regulatory agencies face resource constraints. Legal experts suggest that if the Court sides with Facebook and Nvidia, it could limit the scope of private lawsuits in securities fraud cases, thereby shifting more accountability from private plaintiffs back to under-resourced public agencies.Facebook, Nvidia ask US Supreme Court to spare them from securities fraud suits | ReutersA Pennsylvania judge ordered the Erie County Board of Elections to provide ballots to as many as 17,000 voters who did not receive their requested mail-in ballots ahead of the November 5 election. The order came after the Democratic Party filed a lawsuit claiming that the county's failure to send out up to 20,000 requested ballots had caused significant delays, potentially infringing on voters' rights. Erie County is considered a crucial area in Pennsylvania, a key swing state with 19 electoral votes, where the presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris remains extremely close.Judge David Ridge's ruling extended early voting in the county through November 4, allowing the election board to use overnight delivery services to expedite ballot distribution, especially for the 1,200 voters temporarily out of state. The court also addressed issues with duplicate ballots, allowing affected voters to cancel earlier submissions and cast new ballots if needed. The decision aims to rectify complications caused by a contractor's errors and ensure that eligible voters can participate.Judge orders Pennsylvania county to issue ballots for voters who did not receive them | ReutersAs you head to the polls tomorrow, I'm not here to tell you who to vote for. You have to decide that for yourself and, frankly, I can't imagine anyone would do much of anything on my say-so alone. Instead, I'd like to offer a few brief anecdotes from the past to think about. Immigration has been a central issue in this election cycle, with some arguing that immigrants pose a threat to our safety and economic stability. But before making up your mind, I'd encourage you to consider how these same debates have played out in history. Each time, we've faced similar fears and questions: Are immigrants helping or harming us? Are they a part of our communities or a threat to them? Let's take a look back at a few key moments when these questions came up and see if they offer any lessons for us today. In the full light of history, on which side would you like to imagine you would have come down on? What does that mean for your voting choice tomorrow?Chinese Exclusion Act (1882, United States) - Chinese immigrants were blamed for taking jobs from American workers, particularly on the West Coast, leading to the first federal law to restrict a specific immigrant group.Irish Immigrants and the Potato Famine (1840s, United States) - Irish immigrants fleeing famine were accused of increasing crime rates and straining public resources, leading to widespread anti-Irish sentiment and discrimination.Jewish Immigrants in Tsarist Russia (Late 1800s–Early 1900s) - Jewish communities were scapegoated for economic hardships and social unrest, culminating in violent pogroms and restrictive laws.Japanese Internment (World War II, United States) - Japanese-Americans were blamed for posing a national security threat, resulting in mass internment based on ethnicity, despite no evidence of disloyalty.Mexican Immigrants During the Great Depression (1930s, United States) - Mexican immigrants were accused of taking jobs from American citizens during economic hardship, leading to widespread deportations, including some American-born citizens.Indian Migrants in Uganda (1972) - Under Idi Amin, South Asian immigrants were blamed for controlling the economy at the expense of native Ugandans, resulting in the expulsion of 80,000 Indians and Pakistanis.German Immigrants in the United States (World War I) - German Americans were often targeted and accused of harboring pro-German sympathies, leading to discrimination and suppression of German culture.Italian Immigrants in the U.S. (Early 1900s) - Italians were often blamed for increased crime rates, particularly due to the association with organized crime, leading to discrimination and limited employment opportunities.Syrian and Lebanese Migrants in Latin America (20th Century) - In countries like Argentina and Brazil, Syrian and Lebanese immigrants were accused of taking jobs and resources, leading to restrictions and anti-Arab sentiment.These are just a few notable examples of past debates around immigration. As above and in conclusion, I challenge you to ask yourself where you'd like to imagine you would have come down in these debates – and vote accordingly.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

The vast and varied landscapes of Texas loom large in our American imaginations. As does Texas culture with its BBQ, cowboys, and larger-than-life personality. But before Texas was a place that embraced ranching, space flight, and country music, Texas was a place with rich and vibrant Indigenous cultures and traditions and with Spanish and Mexican cultures and traditions. Martha Menchaca, a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin, is a scholar of Texas history and United States-Mexican culture. She joins us to explore the Spanish and Mexican origins of Texas with details from her book, The Mexican American Experience in Texas: Citizenship, Segregation, and the Struggle for Equality. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/381 Sponsor Links Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Complementary Episodes Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution Episode 115: Andrew Torget, The Early American History of Texas Episode 178, Karoline Cook, Muslims & Moriscos in Colonial Spanish America Episode 241: Molly Warsh, Pearls & the Nature of the Spanish Empire Episode 334, Brandon Bayne, Missions and Mission Building in New Spain Episode 358: Charles Tingley, St Augustine and Early Florida Episode 371: Estevan Rael-Gálvez, An Archive of Indigenous Slavery Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Amazon Music Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin's World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

U.S. Representative Ken Buck (R-CO) joins Leland to discuss the ongoing - and escalating - crisis at the United States-Mexican border as well as President Biden's $3.5 trillion spending spree which threatens to throw the American economy into a tailspin of inflation and recession.

In this episode, Kenneth goes on the arduous journey from Mexico to the United States with a young mother, Lydia, and her eight-year-old son, Luca, fleeing for their lives from a dangerous cartel hellbent on capturing them before they make it to safety by crossing the border. Along the way, they will encounter all sorts of people. Can they be trusted, or are they agents of the cartel closing in on them? Are Lydia and Luca willing to make the sacrifices necessary to survive as they are tested to their ultimate limits, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? What are your thoughts on American Dirt? Do you have any interest in reading it if you haven't already? What other migrant or refugee books set around the United States-Mexican border would you recommend? Let me know by emailing bookblurbs19@gmail.com or follow the show on social media at www.facebook.com/bookblurbs19 or twitter.com/bookblurbs19. You can also leave a voice message at anchor.fm/bookblurbs. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I’m honored to share this episode, the first I’m releasing after our lives have changed in immense ways due to this global pandemic. At a time when we realize how interconnected we all are, I’m honored to bring you a conversation with Dr. Belinda Arriaga, a leader at Bay Area Border Relief, about the incredibly important work she does championing families seeking asylum at the United States Mexican border. In addition to her advocacy through Bay Area Border Relief, Belinda is Founder and Executive Director of Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, a non-profit which stands for Believing in Latinos to Dream, dedicated to working with Latino rural youth, families, farmworkers, asylum seekers, and seniors living on coastside in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bringing her training as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco in the School of Education, as Co-Founder of the Half Moon Bay Latino Advisory, and founder of the Latino Trauma Institute. She’s beloved by those who know her as being a fierce advocate with a heart of gold.In this episode, Belinda shares about her own childhood immigration experiences journeying to America from Panama, how despite her mother’s instruction to keep her head down she learned to speak out and fight injustice, about our country’s history of honoring asylum as a human right, and now the ways in which our current immigration policies increase trauma for families fleeing violence instead of providing our protection, shelter and support. Belinda tells her firsthand accounts of the devastating conditions that families experience living in encampments on the Mexican side of the border now and also about miracles and community rising up to literally open doors.  With faith in our collective generosity and hope for more miracles, Belinda and I spoke this week about what the families at the border need now. We want to invite you to say “yes” to the challenge of writing love letters in Spanish especially to the children there and also to send along children’s masks that can provide some protection from the spread of the coronavirus if it reaches their encampment. As we are sheltering in place, Belinda, the Bay Area Border Relief team and I invite you to follow the information in the show notes to take action within your homes, to send care packages that let these families know that they are not forgotten. Much appreciation, P.S. Know someone who would love this conversation? Pay this forward to a friend who may be interested.   This Episode is Dedicated by: Vickie Giambra of ABA’s Children’s Immigration Law Academy Vickie Giambra is a Senior Staff Attorney with the ABA’s Children’s Immigration Law Academy. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and twice-exceptional daughter. She has been practicing immigration law since 2009. She began her nonprofit immigration law career when she joined Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in January 2017.  As a Managing Attorney, she led the General Immigration Program at Catholic Charities, which encompassed family immigration matters and provided a full range of immigration services for refugees and asylees. With a B.A., cum laude, in Latin American Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, Vickie began her career working in HR and recruitment for a large international law firm in New York and London.  This sparked an interest in employment and immigration law, which led Vickie to enroll in the University of Houston Law Center, graduating in May 2009. She’s also a member of the Texas Bar and is also a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy   Connect with Vickie: LinkedIn Twitter   Vickie’s Suggested Resources:    DHS Measures on the Border to Limit the Further Spread of Coronavirus Trump administration has expelled 10,000 migrants at the border during coronavirus outbreak, leaving less than 100 in CBP custody U.S. deports 400 migrant children under new coronavirus rules Under coronavirus immigration measure, U.S. is expelling border-crossers to Mexico in an average of 96 minutes There is No Public Health Rationale for a Categorical Ban on Asylum Seekers   In This Episode We Talk About: How Belinda’s painful experience leaving her native Panama for the United States connects to the work she does now supporting immigrants.  An explanation of the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), a policy that stopped asylum seekers from entering the United States since November A discussion of asylum-seeking as a basic human right Belinda's firsthand experience and observations about children's suffering under our current immigration policy and the ways we can support them How Belinda finds the personal strength and faith to persevere in the challenging work she does Belinda’s belief in miracles and a powerful story about community rising up to support a family seeking asylum    This Week's Challenge: For this episode’s challenge, Belinda encourages us to write love letters to the children who are seeking asylum (especially after the government’s latest announcement to shut down all asylum efforts right now) and to support an effort to bring 1,000 children’s masks to the families at the border. With this simple act of love and care, we can empower them to have strength especially when they are scared or lonely. You can send your letters and masks to 4 Windsor Drive, Hillsborough, CA 94010 If you're interested in contributing to the larger project, you can go to https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/bayareaborderrelief to make a fully tax-deductible donation.  And/or order masks for your family & friends with proceeds supporting the campaign visit

Welcome to Unsolved Mysteries of the World Season 6 Episode 14 The Old Idaho Penitentiary Part II.In 1932, Joseph F. Hook, a well-known author of pulp fiction stories, and his wife, Edna, moved to 4312 N 37th Street with their three children: Clyde, 21, Mildred, 19, and Vincent, 18.Carl C. Van Vlack, a bottler at the Columbia Brewery, his wife, Edna, and their son, Douglas, 28, lived around the corner on the same block at 3621 N Stevens Street in Tacoma. Mildred Hook met Douglas F. Van Vlack in the spring of 1933 while searching for the Hook family dog, “Buster.” and soon they began seeing each other.The couple was privately married in Shelton on July 28, 1933, and kept it secret for five months before telling their parents, who weren’t especially pleased. In December 1933, they moved to an apartment at 801 North I (Eye) Street in Tacoma. But living together proved difficult from the beginning. Mildred was gregarious and Douglas was misanthropic. Mildred had a good job with the Washington Gas and Electric Company as a cashier and Douglas, sullen and argumentative, was unemployed and had difficulty holding jobs. He was drinking heavily and started to physically abuse her. Mildred filed her first divorce action on November 29, 1934, but the couple got back together when Douglas got a steady job driving a truck for the Delicious Ice Cream Company. But he proved unreliable and irresponsible and several months later was discharged. In early 1935, he was employed by Meadowsweet Dairies as a milk-truck driver, but was soon fired for insubordination.In September 1935, during an argument over money at the Van Vlack home, Douglas shoved Mildred down a flight of stairs and locked her out of the house. After cutting her hand on broken glass while trying to regain entrance, Mildred retreated to her parents home, bruised and bloody. The following day, she filed for divorce, charging “burdensome home life and spousal abuse,” and was granted a restraining order prohibiting Douglas from having any contact. Douglas retaliated by stealing all her clothes and jewelry from their apartment and burying them in the ground. Mildred and her attorney responded by a filing theft complaint. Douglas was arrested on September 15, 1935, but the complaint was later dismissed on plaintiff’s motion when items were returned, even though dirt and mold had ruined Mildred’s clothes.Meanwhile, both Mildred and Douglas moved home to live with their respective parents. On October 11, 1935, Mildred obtained an interlocutory degree of divorce, and was granted the right to assume her maiden name. Mildred resumed a normal life and went to work every day, while Douglas became morose and isolated himself. He became obsessed with getting Mildred back and began stalking her and watching the Hook home for male visitors. On Sunday, October 18, Mildred went to a physician for treatment after being tied up and raped by Van Vlack.On Thursday, November 14, Douglas forced Mildred to accompany him on an afternoon automobile ride, then bound her wrists and again physically attacked her. The following day, Mildred and her attorney went to Pierce County Deputy District Attorney Stewart Elliott to file a complaint against Douglas for criminal assault. But when she learned the penalty was 20 years in prison, she decided to drop the charge. Instead, she wanted Elliott to talk to Van Vlack and enforce the restraining order.However on Monday morning, November 18, Joseph F. Hook and his attorney, Idaho State Senator Wesley Lloyd, demanded Elliott charge Douglas Van Vlack with violation of the new Washington state kidnapping law. Elliott said it didn’t meet the criteria for kidnapping, since there was no request for ransom, but agreed to charge Van Vlack with abduction and assault.Sometime during the week, Van Vlack stole a .38-caliber Remington Model 51 semi-automatic pistol and shoulder holster from Morley Barnard, a casual friend, who was living at the YMCA. Earlier Van Vlack told Barnard he planed to take Mildred to Mexico and if anyone interfered, he would kill her. Barnard didn’t realize his gun was missing until days later.At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, 1935, Mildred Hook was on her way home from work with her close friend, Doris Clark, age 20, a student nurse. The two women had just stepped off a downtown streetcar and were walking north on Mason Avenue toward the Hook residence when Douglas Van Vlack drove his car over the sidewalk, blocking their path. He got out of the car, brandishing a pistol and smelling of liquor. The couple quarreled for 15 minutes, then he told Mildred she had 30 seconds to get into the car or he would shoot her and commit suicide. When Clark tried to intervene, Van Vlack pointed the gun at Mildred, and shoved her, crying, into the car. Before driving away, he told Clark to tell Mildred’s father he would kill her if anyone set the police on their trail or tried to interfere in any way.When Joseph Hook learned of his daughter’s abduction, he immediately contacted Deputy District Attorney Elliott who obtained a bench warrant for Van Vlack’s arrest. The Tacoma Police Department alerted law enforcement up and down the West Coast to be on the lookout for the couple traveling in Van Vlack’s slate-gray 1931 Ford Model A coupe bearing Washington license plates.With Mildred as hostage, Van Vlack sped down the Pacific Highway (US Highway 99) toward California and the United States-Mexican border. At 10:45 p.m., she telephoned her uncle, Frank Michel, in Portland, Oregon, telling him she was all right but was being forcibly detained and Van Vlack had threatened to kill her if anyone notified the police. At Salem, Van Vlack headed east across central Oregon to Boise, Idaho. They had been driving for 24 hours straight and arrived in Boise about 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 24. The couple stayed overnight in a Boise hotel and departed late Monday morning for Salt Lake City. While in Boise, a telegram was sent to Mildred’s parents, under her name, purporting she was safe and would be returning to Tacoma soon. Van Vlack also sent a telegram to his parents: “Sorry I had to do this. Everything all right. Letter follows. Douglas” But a letter never came.At 2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, 1935, Idaho State Patrolman Fontaine Cooper, age 34, and Twin Falls Deputy Sheriff Henry C. Givens, age 45, spotted Van Vlack’s 1931 Ford coupe on Highway 30, a half-mile east of Buhl. The officers pulled Van Vlack over to the side of the road, then got out on foot and approached the vehicle. Cooper ordered Van Vlack to step out of the car and when he didn’t respond, opened the driver’s door. Van Vlack pulled his pistol from the left pocket of his topcoat and shot Cooper through the left eye, killing him instantly. When Givens went for his gun, Van Vlack shot him three times: in the throat, in the left arm, shattering the bone, and through the left hand. With both officers down, Van Vlack calmly drove down the highway toward Twin Falls.Clifford Hammond, a farmer from Buhl, was an eyewitness to the shootings. He was passing in his truck and watched the event unfold in his rear view mirror. As soon as Van Vlack left, Hammond went to the scene, found Cooper dead and Givens critically wounded. Hammond put Givens in his truck and rushed to the Twin Falls County Hospital. Then he telephoned the news to Twin Falls County Sheriff Edwin F. Prater, who immediately ordered a countywide dragnet for Van Vlack’s automobile. Sheriff’s posses set up roadblocks on all roads and highways leading out of the county and guarded all bridges and service stations. Radio stations broadcast descriptions of the couple and asked the public for assistance in locating Van Vlack’s car. It was the biggest manhunt in south central Idaho’s history with hundreds of posse-men, armed with weapons from the Idaho National Guard armory and scores of radio-equipped cars, searching for the killer.For the rest of the day, Van Vlack played a game of cat and mouse with sheriff’s patrols and roadblocks. He hid the car in the sagebrush on the Salmon Tract until nightfall and removed his license plates, hoping for the opportunity to steal another set off an Idaho car. Van Vlack wanted to head south into Nevada, but roadblocks on the highway forced him to stay on unmarked backroads, which seemingly led nowhere. Eventually Van Vlack, low on gasoline, ditched his car in a dry irrigation canal near the small farming community of Berger and the couple set out on foot.The night was clear and the temperature dropped into the 20s. The couple was lightly clad, having left Tacoma with no winter clothing. Van Vlack wore a topcoat and street clothes, and Hook wore a suede coat over a woolen dress and high-heeled pumps. Mildred had gloves, but neither wore a hat. They set out on foot, walking through sagebrush, across fields and along the banks of irrigation canals to avoid being seen. They periodically took shelter inside haystacks and culverts to get out of the biting wind.At dawn on Tuesday morning, November 26, 1935, two spotter planes left Twin Falls to assist the sheriff’s posses searching for the couple. At 8:15 a.m. a posse found Van Vlack, cold and exhausted, huddled in a roadside ditch along Highway 93 approximately two miles north of Hollister. Carl Groth, a Linotype operator for the Twin Falls Idaho Evening Times, disarmed Van Vlack, who claimed his name was Jack Burke, and held him at gun point until Sheriff Prater arrived. The prisoner was taken to Twin Falls and lodged in the jail atop the county courthouse. That afternoon, a search party found Van Vlack’s Ford coupe in a dry irrigation ditch on the Salmon Tract, a mile and a half southeast of Berger and about three miles from where he was arrested.Although Van Vlack admitted shooting the two police officers, he insisted Mildred was uninjured and was likely making her way back to Tacoma. He told Sheriff Prater they parted company in the middle of the night because he would have a much better chance of escaping alone. But when Prater found blood and long black hairs stuck to the butt of Van Vlack’s pistol, he worried Hook had been bludgeoned on the head and was lying unconscious somewhere in the freezing cold.On Wednesday, November 27, Twin Falls District Attorney Edward C. Babcock filed a complaint against Van Vlack in probate court before Judge Guy L. Kinney. Van Vlack, who appeared without counsel, waived a preliminary hearing and was bound over for trial. Judge Kinney ordered him to be held without bond in the county jail until the next term of district court, scheduled for January 1937.Scores of volunteers, led by Twin Falls Police Chief Samuel B. Elrod, renewed their efforts to find the missing victim. Search parties picked up the couple’s tracks at the site of Van Vlack’s abandoned car and slowly and methodically began following the footprints. One set led to the top of an irrigation canal, then seemed to disappear. On Thursday, November 28, 1935, in the off-chance that Hook had drowned, water was shut off in the Twin Falls Canal Company irrigation system, allowing 12 hours to search the tract canals for Hook’s body.Chief Elrod and his search team discovered two sets of footprints leading to the Union Pacific Railway tracks and followed. Finally, at 8:45 a.m. on Friday morning, November 29, they found the frozen body of Mildred Hook lodged in a 16-inch galvanized steel culvert underneath the track bed, approximately one-and-a-quarter miles northwest of Berger. The ends of the culvert had been plugged with sagebrush to hide the body. Mildred Hook appeared to have died from a massive head wound and when Chief Elrod removed the body, he found a bullet inside the culvert and an empty .380-caliber cartridge casing on the ground nearby. A single set of male footprints led away from the culvert, down the railroad tracks toward Hollister.Twin Falls County Coroner Harwood L. Stowe was called to the scene of the murder and ordered that Mildred Hook’s body be taken immediately to the White Mortuary in Twin Falls for an autopsy. At the coroner’s inquest, held on Saturday morning, the jury determined that Hook’s death was caused by Douglas Van Vlack, who fractured her skull with a blow to the head and shot her through the left eye. After the inquest, Clyde and Vincent Hook, Mildred’s brothers, arranged to ship her body by train to Tacoma for burial.The body of Idaho Patrolman Fontaine Cooper lay in state for two days at the White Mortuary in Twin Falls, then was taken to his home town of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, for burial in the community cemetery. A poignant funeral service was held on Friday afternoon, November 29, attended by Idaho Governor Charles Ben Ross and scores of police officers from Idaho and the surrounding states. He had been an Idaho patrolman for 12 years, and left behind a wife and one child.Meanwhile, Van Vlack seemed to be willing to admit his crimes to whomever would listen. On the day of his capture, he gave Prosecutor Babcock a 17-page statement, confessing to shooting the two police officers, but refused to sign it. He said “Kidnapping is a capitol offense in Washington and I thought I might as well burn them up” Van Vlack steadfastly denied harming his ex-wife until Sheriff Prater confronted him with photographs of her body. Then he admitted shooting her.Van Vlack also confessed to Buhl Police Chief Arthur C. Parker, and gave a two-hour interview to Associated Press reporter Walter A. Beasley, during which he admitted hitting Mildred on the head and shooting her as she emerged from the culvert. He claimed his motive was revenge against the Hook family for breaking up his marriage. “If Mildred’s father had kept his nose out of our affairs, all this would not have happened,” he declared. Joseph Hook, however, believed that Mildred knew too much and, in addition to witnessing Cooper’s murder, could link him to other crimes in the Tacoma area.The funeral for Mildred Hook was held at the Buckley-King Funeral Church, 201 S Tacoma Avenue, on Tuesday afternoon, December 2, 1936. The elaborate service, conducted by the Order of the Eastern Star, a large fraternal organization, was attended by family and hundreds of friends, after which her body was entombed in a crypt at the Tacoma Mausoleum.Although Henry Givens appeared to be slowly recovering, his throat wound became infected and he developed pneumonia. He died at the Twin Falls County Hospital at 9:25 p.m. on Sunday, December 8, leaving behind a wife and six children. Givens had been a Twin Falls deputy sheriff for three years.On Tuesday, December 10, District Attorney Babcock filed an information in Idaho District Court, charging Van Vlack with first-degree murder, but only in the death of Fontaine Cooper. The prosecution needed only prove one premeditated death to qualify the defendant for the death penalty. Babcock decided to hold the additional murder charges in abeyance, pending the outcome of the first trial, then file if necessary.The funeral for Henry C. Givens was held on Wednesday afternoon, December 11, in the First Presbyterian Church and he was buried in the Twin Falls Cemetery. The service, conducted by six ministers of the Church of the Nazarene, was attended by hundreds of police officers and friends.Van Vlack pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Idaho District Court on Monday, December 16. He was represented by Embert V. Larson, a former Twin Fall District Attorney, and Leo Teats, an attorney from Tacoma. Judge Adam B. Barclay set the trial date for Monday, January 20, 1936, and ordered Van Vlack held without bail in the Twin Falls County Jail.On Wednesday, January 15, the charge against Van Vlack for the premeditated murder of Fontaine Cooper was dismissed on motion of the prosecution and replaced with the premeditated murder of Mildred Hook. Van Vlack maintained his plea of not guilty.Trial began on schedule in the Twin Falls County Courthouse before Judge Barclay but was slowed by jury selection. In addition to District Attorney Babcock, the prosecution team now included Idaho Attorney General Bert H. Miller and his senior assistant, J. W. Taylor. Questioning of the prospective jurors revolved around their impressions of the crime gained from the news media and their views about an insanity defense and the death penalty. After four days of questioning, a jury of 14 men, including two alternates, was selected.Opening statements and testimony commenced on Friday morning, January 24, 1936. The prosecution stated simply that the defendant killed his ex-wife for reasons of jealousy and revenge. He had declared his murderous intentions to Joseph Hook and others, stolen a firearm for the purpose, killed Mildred and then confessed his crime to several witnesses. The defense maintained that Van Vlack had been temporarily insane when he killed Mildred Hook. He had borrowed the gun to protect a large amount of money he was carrying on his person, had abducted Mildred to save his marriage, had only meant to wound the two Idaho police officers, claimed she was alive when they parted company, and had no memory of her death.The trial testimony lasted two weeks. The prosecution rested its case after three days of direct testimony. The defense called Carl and Edna Van Vlack and Mrs. Ethel Bennett, Edna’s sister, who testified about the family’s alleged history of hereditary insanity and Douglas’s troubled childhood. Douglas Van Vlack took the stand and laid all the blame for the murders on Joseph Hook, who hated him because he was not good enough for his daughter, turned Mildred against him, and wrecked his marriage. He also claimed his confessions had been fabricated by the police. Three expert witnesses, one psychiatrist and two medical doctors with psychiatric training, testified that Douglas suffered from manic depression (now called bipolar disorder). He had been temporarily insane at the time of the killing and therefore was not responsible for his actions.Closing arguments began on Thursday afternoon, February 6. Idaho Attorney General Miller addressed the jury for four hours, outlining the state’s evidence and concluding with a request for a first-degree murder verdict and the death penalty. The defense argued that a series of events, caused mostly by Joseph Hook, combined to unbalance Van Vlack, making him incapable of premeditated murder. Further, the state’s evidence against the defendant for the murdering of Mildred Hook was weak and circumstantial, and his alleged confessions contrived.The trial concluded on Friday night, February 7, and the case went to the jury. At 2:20 p.m. the following day, Judge Barclay reconvened the court and the jury delivered its verdict. Van Vlack was found guilty of first-degree murder and the jury voted to impose the death penalty. Although sequestered for 17 hours, the jury had deliberated for seven hours and 30 minutes.On Tuesday afternoon, February 11, Judge Barclay sentenced Van Vlack “to be hanged by the neck until dead,” set the execution date for Saturday, April 3, 1936, at the Idaho State Penitentiary in Boise and signed the commitment order. On Friday, February 14, Sheriff Prater, accompanied by three deputies, shackled Van Vlack and loaded him into the back seat of a patrol car for the two-and-a-half hour trip from Twin Falls to Boise. Although it would prove be his last ride, Van Vlack appeared happy. It was the first time he had been out of the county courthouse in three months.Van Vlack’s execution date was stayed on March 12, when his attorneys filed notice of intention to appeal the conviction to the Idaho State Supreme Court. His case was argued before the tribunal on November 9 and Van Vlack appeared before the justices asking that his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. On December 10, the supreme court upheld his conviction in district court and, on February 9, 1937, affirmed the sentence of death. Van Vlack’s attorneys made two more appeals to the state supreme court for a commutation of his death sentence, but the petitions were denied. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case. On October 29, Twin Falls District Court Judge James Porter scheduled Van Vlack’s hanging for December 10, 1937.In a last-ditch effort, Van Vlack’s chief counsel, Robert Ailshie Jr., appealed his death sentence to the Idaho board of pardons. A commutation hearing was held on Monday, December 6 to consider documents submitted by Ailshie alleging jury prejudice and misconduct, and affidavits from a psychiatrist stating Van Vlack was hopelessly and incurably insane. The pardons board turned down Van Vlack’s commutation appeal by a vote of two to one and Idaho Governor Barzilla W. Clark chose not to interfere with the execution.Meanwhile, a gallows was constructed in the elevator shaft of the former shirt factory, which operated between 1923 and 1933, at the Idaho State Penitentiary. The previous person to die on the gallows was John Jerko, on July 9, 1926, who was also convicted of murder in Twin Falls. This time, instead of a state executioner, the trapdoor would be sprung electronically by one of four red buttons pushed by Warden William H. Gess and three prison officials. The warden scheduled the execution for 12:10 a.m. on Friday morning so that “things could be cleared up before the inmates at the institution awoke the next morning” (Boise Capital News).At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, Reverend Frank A. Rhea, from Saint Marks Episcopal Church in Boise, visited Van Vlack in his cell to administer the last sacraments. A short time later, his parents, Carl and Edna Van Vlack, arrived to visit Douglas at the open door of his cell, under the watchful eye of prison guard Al Baker.At 7:12 p.m., as the Van Vlacks left the cell block, Douglas broke away from Baker, jumped onto a nearby table and scrambled up three tiers of cells into the rafters. He walked on a beam to the opposite side of the cell block, then stayed there, looking at the concrete floor some 30 feet below. Warden Gess ordered him to come down, then sent guards to fetch a fire net. Prison chaplain Reverend Arvid C. Ohrnell and attorney Ailshie begged Van Vlack to come down, but he did not respond.Jumping to His DeathAt 7:42 p.m., just as the guards returned with a fire net, Van Vlack shouted “I have a right to choose the way I die” (Boise Capital News). Then he plunged forward and hit the floor on his head and left shoulder. Dr. George H. Wahle, the prison physician, determined Van Vlack was still alive, rolled him onto a mattress and covered him with a blanket. There was some discussion whether Van Vlack should be hanged if he was still alive at execution time. When Dr. Wahle determined the prisoner’s death was only a matter of time, Warden Gess called off the execution.Van Vlack was pronounced dead at 12:32 a.m., Friday, December 10, having never regained consciousness. “Death was caused by a broken neck, possibly a fractured skull, internal hemorrhages and other injuries,” Dr. Wahle said (Tacoma New Tribune). At 1:30 a.m., an ambulance took Van Vlack’s body to the McBratney Funeral Parlors where Ada County Corner James T. McCann discovered the broken half of a razor blade concealed under his upper lip; the other half was found in his cell. Prison officials surmised he was determined to commit suicide one way or another, but had no idea where the pieces of razor blade came from. Later that morning Van Vlack’s parents made arrangements to ship Douglas’s body by train to Tacoma for burial.On Saturday December 11, the state prison board convened to open an official investigation into the suicide. Idaho Attorney General J. W. Taylor said the suicide was either colossal stupidity or collusion on the part of the warden and state prison officials. Governor Clark said: “Van Vlack is dead. I presume we should let him remain dead. The affair is closed as far as I’m concerned” (Boise Capital News). But after a week-long political battle with the prison board, Warden Gess was discharged for incompetence. Sheriff Prater was offered the position but declined for financial reasons. Gess was replaced in early February 1938 by Pearl C. Meredith, a real-estate developer from Buel, Idaho.Several visitors and museum staff believe they have felt the presence of Van Vlack from sudden drops in temperatures, hearing his voice call out, being touched by a ghostly hand or seeing his spirit manifest on the roof of cell block #4 and grounds alike.Please Join Us for Part III as we cover more of the Old Idaho State Penitentiary on Unsolved Mysteries of the World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When Ali Noorani visited Honduras, he met migrants desperate to escape poverty and violence for the presumed safety and opportunity of the United States. They started this journey with their dignity intact but were robbed of it through their experiences at the United States-Mexican border. As Ali sees it, this administration's hateful rhetoric and treatment of immigrants is robbing the entire nation of its dignity. The Forum was launched in 1982 to coalesce civil rights organizations in advocating for a more just immigration and workforce system. Its strategic approach sharpened when Ali Noorani joined as executive director in 2008. After President Obama was elected there was growing optimism about the potential for a path to citizenship and other meaningful immigration reform. When momentum for change built and then came crashing down in 2010, Ali had a realization that defined the next generation of the National Immigration Forum’s vision and strategy. He noted that while political parties talked about immigration in political terms, the rest of the country viewed it in cultural terms. In 2012, Ali began engaging with cultural influencers: faith, law enforcement and veterans’ leaders in traditionally conservative parts of the country. The resulting conversations about their fears, questions and concerns, have generated unprecedented trust. And they have uncovered the strong relationships that exist, away from public view, between conservative employers and their immigrant workforce. As a result, a collective willingness to stand for and with immigrant communities, has brought some of these leaders to advocate for pro-immigrant public policies on Capitol Hill. It turns out, that in Idaho, Mississippi and Arizona, it is immigrants, working for local employers, and starting their own businesses, that are bolstering local economies and forging deep community bonds. Don’t miss this important and hopeful episode of Power Station.

Activism, writing, and film: Tune in to learn about the Gemini Ink Literary Conference; actions to stop #babyjails from forming; and a new documentary created by 2 Latinas to explore how the illicit drug trade decimated a small town. Guests: From Gemini Ink Alexandra Vandekamp-Interim Director & Amanda Ireta-Goode; Poet and Activist Blanca Alanis Rodriguez; Mayra Garza and Melissa Santillan who created the documentary “Ciudad Mier”. Bios: Blanca Rodriguez Alanis a Mexican American poet, poetry teacher, folk artist, and human/civil rights activist. In 2008 she opened the first Spanish bilingual bookstore in Houston. Her first work was published by Boundless 2010, The Río Grande Valley International Poetry Festival. Her Spanish bilingual poetry book, Puro Corazón was released in 2013. Blanca has participated in Houston WAT Poetry Tour, Frida Festival, Women with Disabilities Empowerment Fair, and Houston’s Women International Festival. Her work is inspired by Mother Earth, humanity, and justice. She is a Curandera, she studies and practices traditional medicines of Mexico. Mayra was born in Laredo, Texas and raised just across the United States-Mexican border in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), she started her career in broadcast production as a technical director in Laredo’s NBC affiliate KGNS-TV. She currently works at the TAMIU-KLRN TV studio, where she helped to establish the university’s first student reporting lab. Additionally, she is the assistant editor of the Laredo Morning Times’ Spanish section, where she occasionally writes about border culture and the local art scene. Melissa Santillana was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Melissa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and a Master’s Degree in Communication with a concentration in Border and Latin America Media Studies from Texas A&M International University. She was recently granted admission to a Ph.D. program in Media Studies at UT Austin. She is currently the Spanish Editor at Laredo Morning Times and Public Speaking Adjunct Instructor at Texas A&M International University. Alexandra van de Kamp: Originally from New York, Alexandra van de Kamp has called San Antonio, TX her home for over three years now. She is the Interim Executive Director for Gemini Ink, a literary arts nonprofit based in San Antonio that creates a wide range of programming all around the power of engaging with creative writing and literature. Van de Kamp is a working poet and the author of two full-length collections of poems: The Park of Upside-Down Chairs (CW Books 2010) and Kiss/Hierarchy (Rain Mountain Press 2016). Board operator: Leti Lopez. Producer: Marlen Treviño. Interns: Alex Sorto, and Joe Anthony Trevino. NP Radio airs live Tuesdays 6pm-7pm cst 90.1 FM KPFT Houston, TX. Livestream www.KPFT.org. More podcasts at www.NuestraPalabra.org. The Nuestra Palabra Radio Show is archived at the University of Houston Digital Archives. Our hard copy archives are kept at the Houston Public Library’s Special Collections Hispanic Archives. Tony Diaz Sundays, Mondays, & Tuesdays & The Other Side Sun 7am "What's Your Point" Fox 26 Houston Mon Noon "The Cultural Accelerator" at www.TonyDiaz.net Tues 6pm NP Lit Radio 90.1 FM KPFT, Houston www.NuestraPalabra.org 24/7 The Other Side TV www.TheOtherSideTele.com

Dan Goldman and Andrew Livingston join host Kris Lotlikar to talk about recent statistics showing a drop in illegal marijuana seized at the United States/Mexican border and what it could mean for the legal industry. Produced by Shea Gunther.