Hsi-Chang Lin

Associate Producer

Hsi-Chang Lin appears in the following:

Reservation Courts Denied Justice By DOJ

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Nearly 800,000 Native Americans living on reservations must rely on federal prosecutors to go after major crimes, including sexual assault, murder and other felonies, because state law enforcement agencies lack the legal right to intervene in tribal affairs. The process involves a written plea to federal prosecutors to pick up these cases which the tribal courts are fiscally and legally unable to fully prosecute.

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'Skateboarders Take Over Swimming Pools' as America's Homes Lay Vacant

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Two years after The Great Recession officially came to a close, housing prices have dropped to their lowest levels since 2006. A Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller report showed the home price index dropping 4.2 percent last month, aided in part by the growing number of foreclosures, and a reluctance on the part of new buyers. 

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Does America Need New Homes?

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal's Kelly Evans delivered stark news to recent homeowners. She reported that "since house prices peaked in 2006, the average home equity loss is $105,000 per homeowner." Evans was reacting to the latest Case-Shiller report, which showed that between February and March, housing prices dropped in 18 out of 20 major metro areas. Driven in part by foreclosures, a glut of unsold homes and the reluctance of new purchases, many home prices reached their lowest level since the bubble burst in 2006.  

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Top Brass: President Nominates Dempsey as Joint Chiefs of Staff

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

On Memorial Day, President Barack Obama announced his nomination for two top military positions. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey will replace Navy Adm. Michael Mullen as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dempsey would be joined in the Pentagon by Adm. James Winnefeld Jr., who would serve as his vice chairman. Also announced, Gen. Ray Odierno was picked to replace Dempsey as Army chief. These choices, especially Dempsey’s nod for the Joint Chiefs assignment, took many military watchers by surprise.

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War is Hell for Foreign Civilian Workers

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Serving in overseas wars, the men and women of today’s armed forces could easily miss the familiar tastes and luxuries of home. Fortunately for them, the US military has made it a point to make Pizza Huts, Taco Bells, Cinnabons and even beauty parlors common fixtures of their major bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, in order to provide those familiar amenities, the military must staff tens of thousands of international civilian employees. With few oversights, and little accountability, those workers — dubbed “Third Country Nationals” in military parlance — are often subject to terrible living and working conditions. 

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Memorial Day with Veterans and their Families

Monday, May 30, 2011

For millions of Americans, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the Summer. It's a time for backyard barbecues, town parades and family getaways. However, for the men women and families of those who killed serving their country, Memorial Day weekend resonates more deeply. William Brown is a former Navy Seal and currently a law student at Rutgers.  Mary Galeti is the wife of First Lieutenant Russell Galeti of the National Guard.

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Toyota Suspends US Production for One Week

Monday, May 30, 2011

Toyota announced that it would suspend U.S. production for one week beginning today. The car maker's decision in part due to problems with the Toyota supply chain, which was disrupted by March’s Sendai earthquake. However, it is unclear exactly what is causing the shutdown. To get to the bottom of the announcement, is Paul Eisenstein, publisher of website TheDetroitBureau.com.

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Pump Prices Drive Weekend Plans Off Course

Friday, May 27, 2011

As memorial day approaches, Americans are topping off their gas tanks and getting ready for a long weekend away from home. But with gas prices creeping up across the country, American travel patterns are beginning to shift accordingly. For just over a week now, The Takeaway has been asking listeners to text us the price at their local pump. We’ve collated the information on an interactive map. In this conversation we discuss some of our findings with Andrea Bernstein, Director of the Transportation Nation project and senior correspondent for our flagship station WNYC.

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Patriot Act Extension Ignites Debate on Capitol Hill

Friday, May 27, 2011

On the Senate floor, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky sought to single-handedly block a vote which would extend two sections of the Patriot Act and a related intelligence law set to expire on Thursday night. The Senator's opinion stood in opposition to the majority of both parties who hoped to approve a four year extension. Senator Paul objected to majority leader Harry Reid’s "hurry-up" vote, which would not allow votes on several proposed amendments. Julian Sanchez is a research fellow at the CATO institute where he focuses primarily on issues of civil liberty, surveillance, intelligence and national security. He drills down into the Patriot Act renewal.

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'War Zone' in Sanaa, Yemen as Crisis, Fighting Intensifies

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Fighting has intensified in the capital city of Yemen, Sanaa, where parts of the city are being called “a warzone” by international journalists. There are reports that at least 100 people have been killed in the violence. On Wednesday, opposition tribesmen controlled at least the trade and tourism ministries as well as the building which houses the country's state-run news agency, Saba. Is it possible that President Ali Abdullah Saleh will weather the storm? Robert Worth, correspondent for The New York Times, has been following the crisis. Hakim Almasmari, editor of the Yemen Post reports in Sanaa.

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Americans Becoming More Financially 'Fragile'

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The age-old, personal finance rule-of-thumb is that every American household should have about three months salary tucked away in savings in the case of a really rainy day. In the the best of times, Americans are pretty poor savers; so, how feasible is a three-month financial cushion in these troubled economic times? A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research decided to find out. Researchers asked Americans whether or not they would be able to raise $2,000 in cash within thirty days. The results of the poll may surprise you.

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Joplin Mo. Faces $3 Billion Price Tag for Disaster

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sunday’s massive tornado left six miles of roads, buildings and homes flattened by 200 mile per hour winds and killed at least 122 people. With over 2000 damaged buildings, including a complete shutdown of Joplin’s St. John’s Medical Center, the municipality is facing fiscal damages of at least $3 billion. Through it all, Joplin citizens are still trying to rebuild their lives. Rod Pace, helicopter medic for St. John's, is still working despite the damage done to his place of work. Rob O'Brian, president of the city's Chamber of Commerce discusses the impact on local businesses.

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Tornado-Ravaged Joplin, Mo. Begins Cleanup

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

On Sunday a deadly tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri; in its wake, a six mile path of destruction and at least 116 people dead. Today its people begin to survey the damage, as rescue efforts for those potentially trapped in the rubble continues. Brian Stelter has been reporting on the disaster for The New York Times.

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Area Hospitals Strive to Help Missouri Tornado Victims

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The tornado, which flattened much of Joplin, Missouri also passed through St. Johns Hospital on Sunday evening, leaving all 183 patients, and any incoming tornado victims, without a place to go for help. Fortunately, the Via Christi Hospital in nearby Pittsburg, Kansas was ready to join in the rescue and relief efforts. For more on their interstate relief efforts, we speak to Michael Hayslip, director of public relations for Via Christi Hospital. 

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On Call: How the National Guard Prepares for Flash Disaster

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

When national disaster strikes, it is often members of the National Guard who are tasked with the major search, rescue and relief efforts for victims on the ground. But how do they prepare for devastation like that left in the wake of Sunday's deadly tornado in Joplin, Missouri? For more on the relief efforts, and the rigorous training that goes into it, we speak with Major Tammy Spicer, Missouri National Guard State Public Affairs Officer.

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Tornado Damaged Town Phil Campbell's Saviors: Guys Named Phil Campbell

Monday, May 23, 2011

Devastated by last month’s tornadoes, communities across the South are working toward recovery. For one small Alabama community help is coming from an unexpected group of benefactors. With a population close to 1000 citizens, Phil Campbell, Alabama was hit hard losing 26 citizens and over 400 town structures. Phil Campbell, organizer of the “I am with Phil” campaign, which draws support from people named Phil Campbell committed to help rebuild the small Alabama community.

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Should DSK Have Made Bail?

Monday, May 23, 2011

Last week, a New York judge ordered Strauss-Kahn released on a bail package that included a $1 million cash bail, a $5 million bond and 24-hour home confinement. Is this justice? How hard is it to sit confined in a multimillion dollar apartment? For a first-hand account, we speak to Nicholas Casale, former detective for the NYPD. Nicholas was assigned to watch over Bernie Madoff when he was under house arrest.

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President Obama to Address Muslim World

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Today President Obama will deliver his first major policy speech to the Muslim World since the beginning popular demonstrations and political revolutions began sweeping across the Middle East and Northern Africa. It's not his first speech on the region. In June, 2009, the president addressed the region from Cairo University, speaking in broad terms in order to reset the relationship with the region following the Bush administration. Today’s Arab world demands a different kind of speech than the one delivered during the commander in chief's first year in office. President Obama will be forced to address specific nations and outline concrete agendas.

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Round Table: Obama Administration's Middle East Policies

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

On Thursday, President Obama plans to deliver an important speech regarding his Administration’s Middle East policy. For first time since demonstrations and political revolutions began sweeping across the Middle East and Northern Africa, President Obama will likely address specific countries, including Bahrain and Yemen. The Takeaway hosts a round table discussion with Arab-Americans, who share their expectations, and hopes for U.S. involvement in their home countries.

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Flood Evacuees Find Shelter in 'Canadaville'

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Mississippi floodwaters are forcing a wave of Americans to flee their homes. Fortunately for those living near Magnaville, Louisiana, there is hope for a new beginning. Situated 120 miles Northeast of New Orleans is a planned community created by a Canadian entrepreneur which served as a long-term solution for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Now that Americans living along the Mississippi River face the threat of major flooding, the place known to locals as “Canadaville” is being called on for help once again.

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