A show about rules and what happens when they’re vague and randomly enforced.
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The Hawaiian island of Niihau
Sean Cole/This American Life
Prologue
The Department of Homeland Security’s new policies on deportation have
sown fear and confusion among undocumented immigrants. Ira Glass and
Lilly Sullivan go to Chicago and meet a family trying to navigate the situation.
No one knows what to expect. (12 minutes)
Act One
That’s Just How I Rule
A family that owns a private island in Hawaii sets rules for the people who live there. But when the rules are administered in an unpredictable way, the islanders get upset. Sean Cole and Adia White tell the story. (22 minutes)
Act Two
A Dave in Court
A judge in a suburban New Jersey courtroom wants the people who come before him to see the rules as fair. Including our reporter, David Kestenbaum. (19 minutes)
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Act One: Brooklyn Archipelago
Out for a simple pleasure cruise with two friends, Alex Zharov was planning to see Jamaica Bay in New York City.
Act Four: Good Cop, Dad Cop
A protestor who thinks the Hong Kong police are terrible has a chat with his dad — a police officer. Alan Yu reports. (12 minutes)
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