US President Barack Obama (R) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (L) participate in the second presidential debate, the only held in a townhall format, at the David Mack Center at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, October 16, 2012, moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley. Credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

Round one of the series of presidential debates went to Mitt Romney, with President Barack Obama delivering a lackluster and disappointing performance. But the general consensus on last night’s rematch is that both candidates were on their game.

The setting, a town hall style forum at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, was in a state generally dominated by the Democratic Party, which certainly didn’t hurt the president’s case. Questions came from the audience of undecided voters and covered a variety of issues including energy independence, job creation, pay equity for women, foreign policy and of course, the economy. This gave each candidate the opportunity to spin off into their favorite talking points.

Obama leaned heavily on his record of accomplishments in health care, foreign policy, middle class tax breaks and the auto industry bailout. Meanwhile, Romney criticized the President’s economic policies, expounded on his own tax plan and positioned himself as a job creating machine. The two clashed over everything from the administration’s handling of the Benghazi attack to where their pensions are invested to who had more time left on the clock.

Moderator Candy Crowley kept things in check despite sometimes volatile verbal sparring and intense, near-physical confrontations. The event offered up plenty of Twitter-worthy moments, with phrases like “binder full of women” quickly going viral. And Obama used his final statement to his advantage, getting in a dig about Romney’s hidden-camera reference to the “47 percent.”

Both sides are claiming a victory, but did the performance sway any of those who are still undecided? Is there a clear winner of round two? What did you hear last night that surprised you? What were your favorite moments?

Guests:

Eugene Kiely, deputy director, FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center

Frank Newport, Editor-in-Chief for the Gallup Poll

Credit: Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images

Now that we’ve debated Propositions 30 and 38, a pair of competing tax initiatives that would restructure the way California’s tax structure pays for its education system, let’s take a step back and examine the common link between both initiatives.

Governor Jerry Brown’s plan to pay for education in the Golden state is Prop 30, which features an incremental sales and personal income tax increase. Pasadena attorney Molly Munger has been stumping for the California PTA supported Prop 38, which would use a sliding scale income tax increase to raise more funding for the state’s struggling schools. But California voters will likely note what both plans have in common: a tax increase.

Organizations like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association stand in opposition to both initiatives because of that commonality and the belief that higher taxes would imperil California’s economic climate.

Is this hard-line no-new-taxes stance a viable path forward for funding California’s schools? Where can lawmakers turn to find enough places to cut spending and close loopholes to balance the budget and pay for education?

Guest:

David Spady, California state director of Americans for Prosperity

US President Barack Obama (R) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (L) participate in the second presidential debate, the only held in a townhall format, at the David Mack Center at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, October 16, 2012, moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley. Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Two major points of contention during last night’s presidential debate were the divergence between the two opponents’ tax policies and plans to increase employment. Some experts criticize President Barack Obama for exaggerating the benefits of taxing the wealthy, while others say Mitt Romney’s numbers simply do not add up.

In the debate and throughout his campaign, Obama has emphasized the importance making sure wealthy Americans pay their fare share in taxes. What he doesn’t seem to mention is that even if all Americans in the highest income bracket pay significantly more in taxes, it would only be a small drop in the bucket toward paying down the nation’s towering deficit. Meanwhile, Romney has proposed to cut taxes for all Americans, including the wealthy, but has not provided a detailed account of how to fill the gap left by the major loss in tax revenue that would occur under his plan.

The candidates have also expressed very different views on how to create more jobs. Obama seems poised to focus on fostering employment in newer and greener industries, while Romney supports increasing jobs in more traditional industries such as domestic oil production.

Which plan has the most holes in it? What more can be done to solve America’s financial difficulties for the long-term?

Guests:

Michael Ettlinger, Vice President, Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress

Curtis Dubay is a Senior Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation, where he specializes in tax issues

A voter walks from the polling place inside Fire Station 38 in Pasadena, California. Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

One of the most heated contests in this November’s election is between two prominent Californians who aren’t running for anything. Governor Jerry Brown and civil rights lawyer Molly Munger have been out stumping for competing tax proposals, both aimed at giving a financial leg up to California’s struggling schools.

Brown’s Proposition 30 asks wealthier taxpayers to pay 1 to 3 percent more in income tax for the next seven years and imposes a modest quarter-percent increase in sales tax for the next four years. Munger’s Prop 38 also increases income taxes, but on a sliding scale across all income levels and for the next 12 years.

Prop 38 funds will be allocated to K-12 schools and early childhood programs, with a portion going to pay down state debt. Anticipated revenues for both plans range from $6 billion annually (Prop 30) to $10 billion+ (Prop 38). Both campaigns have been on the offensive, with Prop 38 ads implying that Prop 30 money will end up in the hands of Sacramento politicians, and Prop 30 backers saying their opponents stand to sink both ships unnecessarily.

Brown has been going after the youth vote, warning students that if his proposition fails it will spell disaster for California’s public colleges. All of this sniping and number-play has left many voters confused, so much so that many may decide to vote against both.

Which way do you plan to vote?

Weigh In:
Are these competing measures locked in a battle to the death? Will negative campaigning on either side hurt the chances for both? How will voters cut through the rhetoric and choose between them? Which plan puts more money in the classroom? What will it mean to California’s students if both measures fail at the ballot box?

Guests:

Molly Munger, author and chief backer of Proposition 38, civil rights attorney and co-director, Advancement Project (Yes on 38)

John Mockler, spokesperson for Yes on 30 campaign, former Executive Director of the State Board of Education and Secretary for Education for the State of California. Mockler was the chief architect of Proposition 98, California’s school finance law. (Yes on 30)

Credit: John W. Poole

If you’ve ever stumbled out of a bar on Hollywood Boulevard at closing time, you know the smell: Bacon wrapped hot dogs. They’re very tasty, but are they legal?

Right now, street vendors can be fined up to $1,000 and face jail time for selling food on L.A. sidewalks. The carts are generally operated by immigrant vendors who make a living selling quick late-night snacks to concert, club and bar-goers.

Los Angeles County’s Street Vending Compliance Program does require vendors to pay fees and get public health permits, but they are still not permitted to prepare or sell the food on sidewalks. With the help of City Councilman Jose Huizar, street vendors in Boyle Heights recently came to an agreement with the city to be allowed to sell food at the Boyle Heights Farmers Market once a week.

The East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC) in Boyle Heights is organizing a series of forums and working with community members to try and garner support for the legalization of street vendors.

“We’re taking a different approach and want to make sure at the front end, that residents are engaged in the policy development versus of having it be behind closed doors and then bringing them to react to it,” said Isela Gracian, associate director of ELACC. “Those town halls are really so see where the residents are at, what they would want to see in legalizing it.”

However, the downside to street vendors preparing food and doing business on the streets are the issues of lack of health inspection, property tax payments, a lack of bathroom facilities, and sometimes the improper disposal of waste.

Leron Gubler, the president and CEO of Hollywood chamber of commerce, spoke to some of these concerns.

“Number one, there are no health inspectors out that late at night. There is no supervision and review to be sure that they comply with health requirements,” said Gubler. “Then secondly and perhaps even more importance [sic], is the competition they provide. They don’t pay any business license fee, they’re not registered. They just show up and they may be right out in front of businesses that are open.”

Bob from central Los Angeles called into the show to add that he knows that the, “model for the country is New York,” referring to street vending being so widely successful in Manhattan. But Bob points out that Los Angeles does not have a concentrated mass and, unfortunately, this has lead to L.A.’s inability to adequately facilitate the street-eating culture in terms of restrooms and trash.

Gracian points out that she has been made aware of local complaints regarding sanitation issues and payment of licensing fees for street vendors. ELACC is trying to work with vendors and residents so the vendors are accountable for their equipment in addition to the surrounding area of their cart and that each vendor is paying a licensing fee.

“We have seen where there have been street vendors that are outside of shops that have already done a kind of informal agreement that actually supports each others business,” said Gracian. For example, the street vendor will sell pupusas only in front of a liquor store, which, according to Gracian, can help boost foot traffic for both businesses.

Summing up the issue of street vending at its fundamental core is former L.A. City Councilman Mike Woo. He introduced ordinance to legalize street vendors in the 80s and now thinks that ,“It should be tried. If the city regulates it, let’s give it a go.”

Weigh In:
Is this a form of discrimination toward Latino immigrants? Do these vendors hurt other local storefront shops? Do they help these establishments?

Guest:
Isela Gracian, associate director of the East Los Angeles Community Corporation

Leron Gubler, president and CEO, Hollywood chamber of commerce

Khaled Hassan, owner, Zena Grand Commissary

A doctor carries a young wounded boy at a hospital in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, who was injured when a shell, released by regime forces, hit his house on August 24, 2012. Syrian forces blitzed areas in and around Aleppo, activists said, as Western powers sought to tighten the screws on embattled President Bashar al-Assad. Credit: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images

Now in its 18th month, Syria’s ongoing civil war between the regime of ruling President Bashar Assad and rebel forces fighting to end nearly five decades of Assad’s Ba'ath Party rule has claimed thousands of lives and created a humanitarian crisis. While the world watches the bloodshed and governments criticize each other for getting involved or turning a blind eye to daily atrocities, a group called the Syrian American Medical Society is taking risks of its own to provide medical care to wounded Syrian citizens in the war zone.

Syrian-American Doctors like pulmonary specialist Zaher Sahloul from Chicago have traveled to the region and made multiple clandestine trips across the Syrian border from Turkey to reach field hospitals and treat the many wounded. The journeys are perilous and have found these volunteer doctors sneaking through holes in barbed wire fences and dodging border guards. Once there, these doctors treat hundreds of casualties under the constant threat of attacks by Syrian military artillery and airstrikes.

Syria’s health care system, once one of the best in the Middle East, is now in shambles and the thousands of refugees that have poured into neighboring Turkey has overwhelmed that country’s medical infrastructure. The cruel irony is that Syria’s leader, Assad, went to medical school with Sahloul and his forces now target hospitals and doctors in the ongoing conflict.

What inspires medical professionals to travel halfway around the world to risk their own lives to treat the victims of another country’s civil war? How should the international community address the unfortunate victims of Syria’s conflict?

Guest:

Dr. Souheil Habbal, M.D., Regional Chief of Allergy, Kaiser Permanente; Volunteers with the Syrian American Medical Society

Hassan Twiet, Head of the L.A. Chapter of the Syrian American Council

US President Barack Obama speaks during a rally at Veterans Memorial Park October 18, 2012 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Obama is traveling to New Hampshire and New York to attend campaign events before appearing on the 'Daily Show' and attending the 2012 Al Smith Dinner. Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

As he campaigns for reelection, President Barack Obama is playing hardball with the GOP. The president is prepared to veto legislation aimed at stopping year-end tax hikes and spending cuts, which are collectively known as the ‘fiscal cliff,’ unless Republicans agree to raise tax rates for the wealthy, according to administration officials.

Some Republicans are skeptical that Obama will actually follow through with the veto in light of the fact that he has backed off demands for higher taxes twice in the past. If Obama does not cooperate to pass the legislation, taxes rates for nearly 90 percent of households would rise, military and domestic budgets would be deeply cut, and this might spark a brief recession.

Is Obama bluffing or is he potentially putting the economy at risk? How can Democrats and Republicans reach a bipartisan compromise on tax legislation without financially hurting taxpayers?

Guests:

Adam Schiff, Congressman (D-29), district includes Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, Glendale, Griffith Park, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Temple City

Tom Del Beccaro, Chairman, California Republican Party

A for sale sign is posted in front of house on September 15, 2011 in Glendale, California. Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Some blockbuster housing numbers were released yesterday, raising the happy possibility that a housing recovery is finally on its way. According to the Census Bureau, housing construction starts rose an impressive 15 percent in September, to their highest rate in four years.

Housing prices are also creeping up, which may be good news for the economy, but bad news for entry-level buyers in Southern California who have been hoping to get in the market for the first time while the getting was still good.

Are entry-level buyers about to miss the boat, as prices go up? Are we seeing a bit of a pricing frenzy at the entry-level due to shortage? If so, might it be better to wait for more normalizing in prices? Or is this still a great time to buy?

Guest:

Stuart Gabriel, professor of finance and director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA

Matt DeBord, KPCC Reporter; writes the DeBord Report KPCC.org

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca talks about the Department of Homeland Security's Secure Communities program during a news conference at Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters Oct. 6, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Los Angeles Country Sheriff Lee Baca met with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to discuss their 63 proposed measures for jail reforms. The board grilled Sheriff Baca on the notorious issues of violence in his jails, specifically the use of excessive force against inmates.

Baca expressed his openness to a collaborative process and fulfilling a recommendation proposed by the Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence, electing a new inspector general. Still, he clashed with the board – Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky argued that the Board of Supervisors should select the new inspector general.

Sheriff Baca is under mounting political pressure to reform L.A. County jails, and the board has put in place a compliance monitor to track his progress. Baca says he will begin to implement the new reforms, with or without crucial funding, and that a new force policy will be released in January.

Sheriff Baca answers our questions about the events going on in the LA County jail system.

What role do you see this inspector general playing?
“Essentially to oversee what our policies and procedures are and the level of training we provide our deputies, and in the event there is a misconduct issue the investigative process is thoroughly investigating what the facts are… Basically to be a communication link between the department and the supervisors.”

Has the issue been resolved as to who hires this person?
“The person most likely will be selected by the board, and that individual will work within the framework of the department.”

How do you intend to deal with the potential for conflict between your assessments and those of the new inspector general?
“Well, the board will first require that the inspector general must understand the legal ramifications of the power of such and office and there are very distinct rules must be followed regarding California law, regarding labor law, regarding even the board of supervisors, so the individual is just not going to be a loose cannon, they have to look at things from a practical point of view not just a political point of view.”

What do you view as the major outstanding reforms of the 63 proposed measures?
“We have already implemented 20 and hope to have the rest by end of year. Two of the top ones are to fill the position of assistant sheriff with a very experienced individual… I’ve had several resumes and I’m looking very seriously at one at this point. Number two is that training supervision and policy are one of the three cornerstones of improvements that are necessary. I need supervision and that has to be funded, I also created a training bureau for the custody environment, the kind of force that’s used in the community is different than inside a jail, so we have to make sure that jails have a specialized form of need not just a policing need… We are the lowest use of force agency in America when compared to New York system and Chicago system. We have to legitimize the prevention of force as well.”

Did you error in trusting those under you to manage the jails?
“No, I think the findings of the commission were accusations but there were no probative investigations of the accusations. I have investigated some of them and I’m getting contradictive evidence.”

So are you taking issue with the findings of these commissions?
“I questions the facts that make the findings…I will go out and find out whether the facts support the finding… but the recommendations are sensible sound many are things I had been trying to do but I need support and funding to do them. The raggedness of the findings is not my biggest concern, but no I’m not convinced that the individuals being blamed for the problems are the cause of the problems. Force is a spontaneous thing that happened in the jail. One third of all of our force is breaking up fights between inmates. That has nothing to do with shift rotation. We have record low significant force, and all significant force is documented in data system. Commanders were not examining the data system to look for trends…Every person that ever visited the jail including the commission itself never came out saying they saw first hand of anything.”

So you don’t think this is a systemic problem of management within the system?
“There is a lack of the number of additional supervisors which I reported years ago, there was not a force prevention policy, now we have one, and the ability to train people was not sufficiently strong enough, because we don’t have enough training staff. Now all of those are systemic and process oriented.”

Frank Stoltze, KPPC reporter, continues this conversation.

What do you think about the Sheriff’s notions that the findings of the commission were not accurate?
“What’s interesting about the sheriff is on the one hand he does not accept the findings of the commission but on the other hand he accepts the recommendations of the commission… He said that internal investigators only found two of the ACLU complaints to be true, he dismissed the testimony of inmates... I’ll note though that there are former sheriff commanders who testified before the commission that there is this culture of violence or at least a culture of a failure to fully investigate the instances of abuse.”

One of the recommendations was that there are more civilian guards in jails, what problems might come with those lengthy periods of service in jails?
“What they want to do is set up a dual track where you are trained to be a jail guard or patrol deputy which are very different skills right now all deputies carry their first few years as jail guards, the challenge with that is the union has set up this ration where 65 percent have to be deputies and 35 percent have to be civilian guards to protect the number of jobs. They are going to have to deal with the union, which has expressed some opposition to that.”

Who besides inmates testified?
“There were civilians who testified, not just the inmates. This commission found what it described as a persistent deputy on inmate problem. Most of the deputies acted to be professionals and were acting within the law, but there is a problem, with the violence and the failure to report the abuse.”

Why is this issue not getting as much attention?
“All is happening behind bars inside LA county jails. It doesn’t get near attention that the LAPD incidents of abuse got which were video taped… part of the difficulty in getting to this issue is all of this is happening behind closed doors with people who were accused of have been convicted of crimes.”

Weigh In:
Should Sheriff Baca be handling jail reforms on his own? What is the role of entities like the Board of Supervisors and the Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence in implementing changes? What kind of collaborative process will be most beneficial in L.A. County jails?

Guests:

Lee Baca, Sheriff, Los Angeles County

Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter

Prop. 39 would require out-of-state businesses to pay taxes on income made in California. Credit: vision63/Flickr (cc by-nc-nd)

Currently, companies conducting business in California can potentially increase profits by keeping their headquarters outside of the Golden State. By remaining out-of-state, corporations such as General Motors, International Paper, Kimberly-Clark, and Chrysler are able to avoid paying California taxes on their income.

This trend or loophole has arguably cost the state of California over $1 billion annually in lost tax revenue. A new proposition on this November’s ballot is designed to make up for this loss. If passed, Proposition 39, an “Income Tax Increase for Multistate Businesses Initiative,” would require out-of-state businesses to pay taxes on income made in California and earmark those tax dollars to pay for state projects that “create energy efficiency and clean energy jobs.”

Those in favor of Prop. 39 say that the current loophole encourages companies to send jobs out of state. Opponents say a tax increase would give companies another reason to not invest or hire. New Jersey, Illinois, and Texas have similar laws already, but does that mean that it is appropriate for California to tax out-of-state businesses? How would this measure impact California’s business climate? Would it discourage some companies from conducting business in the state at all?

Guests:

Kevin de Leon, co-chairman of the YES on Prop. 39 campaign, Democratic state senator representing California’s 22nd Senate district (Los Angeles, Alhambra, East Los Angeles, Florence-Graham, Maywood, San Marino, South Pasadena, Vernon, and Walnut Park)

Mike Spence, president, California taxpayer protection committee; Republican who signed the statewide ballot arguments

What's next for Twitter? Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Two weeks ago, the first Presidential debate generated a record 10 million tweets. The second debate scored over 7 million tweets, a large portion of them mentioning Mitt Romney’s ‘binder full of women’. People following on Twitter don’t have to wait for the debates to be over before finding out who wins. Twitter wants to be a companion for everything you watch on television. The site is making moves to be more accessible to those who don’t even have accounts.

With Twitter turning out these kinds of numbers it begs the question: what’s next for the social media giant? Will there be a fight for ‘the second screen’? What is ‘the second screen’? Does Twitter give citizens a voice that they didn’t have before? Why yell at your politicians or favorite athletes on television when you can just mention them on Twitter?

Guest:
Will Oremus, staff writer, Slate

Picture released on January 25, 1978 of Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel staring in the film 'Emmanuelle 2'. Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, best known for her work in the "Emmanuelle" erotica films, passed away this week.

Kristel became pigeonholed in the erotica film genre, which lies somewhere between R-rated movies and hardcore pornography. Some say the more recent NC-17 rating was developed as a direct result of erotica films.

Today, we’re discussing the titillating and often taboo films in terms of how they fit into the history of cinema and film culture.

Which erotica movies have been the biggest turn ons and which ones were laughably bad? How difficult is it to make high-quality films that are also erotic?

Guest:

Maitland McDonagh, film critic and author of many books including "The 50 Most Erotic Films of All Time”

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 15: Writer/producer James Patterson, actor Matthew Fox, director Rob Cohen, actors Rachel Nichols, Tyler Perry and Edward Burns pose at the premiere of Summit Entertainment's "Alex Cross" at the Arclight Theater on October 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan of dearhenrysheehan.com and Wade Major from boxoffice.com to review the week’s new films, including Alex Cross, The Sessions, For Ellen and more. TGI-FilmWeek!

Guests:

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and for dearhenrysheehan.com

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and for boxoffice.com

KPCC's Frank Stoltze. Credit: Frank Stoltze

As part of KPCC’s continuing online project That’s My Issue, political reporter Frank Stoltze heads east to Redlands to take voter temperature in the Inland Empire. KPCC and WNYC are gathering stories about how voters came to care about the issues that matter to them. We’ll check in with Frank to find out what he discovered by talking with a variety of voters today.

What issues in this year’s election are most important to you? Do you know your props and representatives?

Guest:

Frank Stoltze, KPCC Reporter

Credit: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images

Lately the Boy Scouts of America has been having to put out more fires than it’s been building. The latest media blaze for the over 100-year-old institution is the release of the Boy Scouts Ineligible Volunteer Files.

The files, over 14,500 pages of previously confidential materials containing allegations against thousands of volunteers over many decades, were published as part of a $20 million civil suit against the Scouts on behalf of sexual abuse victims. This development is the latest in a string of concerns surrounding the institution and its management following debate about unfriendly policies towards LGBT members and volunteers and court battles over the BSA’s failure to protect scouts who had been sexually abused.

The BSA’s website espouses its mission of building character, training young people in citizenship and promoting personal fitness, and for generations of boys, those values have held true. How will these controversies change the perception of an organization that has established such a prominent place in American culture? How can the Boy Scouts adapt and move forward? Do new disclosures about problems within the institution affect your memories of the Boy Scouts? If you’re a parent, have your feelings changed about enrolling your child in scouting?

Guest:

Paul Mones, children’s advocate and sexual abuse attorney and co-counsel on the 2010 case that led to the release of the Boy Scouts Ineligible Volunteers Files.

A technician opens a vessel containing women's frozen egg cells on April 6, 2011 in Amserdam. Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Statistics show that women who get pregnant over the age of 35 face increased risk of complications, but these statistics are at odds with a growing number of American women who decide to wait to start their families. There are many reasons for women to choose putting off having a baby: Americans are living longer, women are making different career choices that mean they may be reluctant to be sidelined with a pregnancy while climbing the company ladder, or maybe they opted to wait longer to marry and start a traditional family. Whatever the case, technology has facilitated these important life choices.

The freezing of eggs is one controversial infertility practice that is becoming so commonplace that the American Society of Reproductive Medicine will announce Monday that the technique should no longer be considered “experimental.” The change in position was prompted by a report that reviewed 1,000 published studies about egg freezing and determined that developing technology has made the procedure safe and more effective. But not everyone is heralding this change. Some women’s health advocacy critics cite that the studies were based on pregnancies rather than healthy births and that more study is necessary.

So why the change? Is there enough information to warrant an increase of egg freezing? How can technology safely give more reproductive freedom to women?

Guest:
Dr. Richard J. Paulson, MD; Director of USC Fertility; Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

Guest:
Marcy Darnovsky, PhD, Associate Executive Director, Center for Genetics and Society based in Berkeley

U.S. President Barack Obama hosts a reception in honor of national Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month in the East Room of the White House June 15, 2012 in Washington, DC. In the midst of a re-election campaign against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Obama’s recent declaration of support for same-sex marriage was celebrated as a key endorsement among gay rights groups. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Election endorsements... how much do they matter? What impact do newspaper endorsements have on voters at the polls? Do you use editorial endorsements when figuring out how to vote in local races and on propositions? How about for president?

In 2004, Sal Khan was a successful hedge fund manager in Boston who had started remotely tutoring his young cousin in New Orleans when the “aha” moment occurred. What started with his young protégé’s need for a little help with her math homework has exploded into called the Khan Academy, now the world’s most popular online learning website with five million unique visitors a month, a million page views a day and over 650 million exercises completed.

Khan’s approach to education is based on the idea that the existing model we use to teach humans is hopelessly archaic, and may never have been effective in the first place. In his new book, “The One World Schoolhouse,” Khan does far more than criticize the existing education paradigm; he offers specific and radical ideas to push the way we teach, and the way we learn into the 21st century.

A cornerstone of Khan’s approach is the use of technology to humanize the learning process and provide free access to education through the use of online videos and software. Khan also believes that this new approach can address existing problems in education like low teacher pay and job satisfaction and the lack of access to quality education for children and adults alike.

With American high school students ranking 23rd in the world in science and math proficiency, how can a new approach change things for the better? What can technology bring to education on a national or global scale?

Guest:

Salman Khan, founder and executive director of The Khan Academy, the world’s largest online learning website; author of “The One World Schoolhouse”

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch pauses as he delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform on October 14, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As the Tribune Co. emerges from a long and messy bankruptcy, there is growing speculation about its newspapers changing hands. The latest gossip had media giant Rupert Murdoch interested in the Los Angeles Times.

Reports said James Murdoch had been combing through the financials of the L.A. Times. However, that was summarily denied as “wholly inaccurate” by News Corp. representatives over the weekend. The FCC currently prohibits ownership of a television station and a newspaper in the same area, but is reconsidering this sanction - good news for Murdoch, who owns two Fox stations in L.A. and two in Chicago.

As Murdoch prepares to divide News Corp. to focus separately on entertainment media and print news, word is spreading quickly about his intentions to purchase the two financially-struggling papers. Murdoch already controls the Wall Street Journal, one of the most widely read publications in the country. He is not the only buyer on the market. Eli Broad and San Diego’s Doug Manchester are also on the list.

What do Angelenos want for the future of their paper? How would a Murdoch purchase impact media nationwide? Who else is best positioned to buy the paper? How should media concentration figure in a deal?

Guest:

Tim Rutten, former longtime writer and media critic for the Los Angeles Times

Craig Turner, former longtime reporter and editor for the Los Angeles Times

Cheerleaders at Kountze High School in east Texas can continue to use Biblical phrases on their banners during football games, thanks to an injunction from a State District Judge.

The cheerleading team started using verses from the New Testament on their motivational banners early in the fall football season after seeing similar ideas on a Pinterest board. When Superintendent Kevin Whedon prohibited the religious banners, the cheerleaders and their families filed suit. State District Judge Steve Thomas filed the injunction to prevent what he determined to be “imminent and irreparable injury.”

The injunction has been in place for a total of four weeks, but the trial isn’t scheduled until June 24, 2013; until then, cheerleaders are permitted to continue to use religious material at games. Meanwhile, politicians on all sides are cashing in - voicing their support for the cheerleaders and drawing criticism from the left for pandering to conservative Republican constituents.

Is the cheerleader’s freedom of speech at risk? How should public schools handle religious expression in the context of large, school-wide events?

Guests:

Ken Klukowski, director of the Center for Religious Liberty, Family Research Council and faculty at the Liberty University School of Law

Aaron Caplan, associate professor of law at Loyola Law School