Trigger Lock; Credit: Photo by Eric Byers via Flickr Creative Commons

Following the lead of a recently upheld San Francisco ordinances that regulated handguns and ammunition, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted 11-0 on Tuesday to begin drafting a new ordinance requiring handguns to either be locked up or disabled with trigger locks when they are not in use. The ordinance was proposed by L.A. city councilman Paul Krekorian and he has led the charge of getting it approved by city council.In addition, another ordinance passed with unanimous support, mandating firearm dealers throughout the city to electronic records to the Police Department and making it a misdemeanor charge for sellers who fail to do so.

The city’s lawyers will draft the firearm ordinance and bring it back to City Council, although the Council must vote again next week on the proposal becaues fewer than a dozen council members were present at the vote. While firearm groups such as FFLGuard opposed such proposed ordinances as recently as a letter sent to city council members last year, the group Women Against Gun Violence supported the plan. Trigger locks are already mandated for all handguns by the state of California.

Will the new ordinances make it more difficult for gun owners to use their firearms for self-defense? What will the effects of the ordinances be on gun deaths in the City of Los Angeles?

Guests:

Mike Feuer, Los Angeles city attorney

Allison Anderman, staff attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun violence

Sam Paredes, Executive Director of Gun Owners of California

A man is illuminated by the lights of approaching police vehicles as protesters set up barricades and shut down the 101 freeway following the grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer who had shot dead an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri on the night of Nov. 25, 2014 in Los Angeles.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Protests are expected for a third day today in LA over the decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown in Missouri. Dozens of demonstrators were arrested downtown overnight. About 100 protesters flooded the 101 freeway, scattering barricades across lanes. They brought traffic to a halt in both directions for about 30 minutes. The LAPD arrested some early this morning near Ninth and Flower and a second group at Temple and Broadway. Why are some protesters facing charges? What are LAPD’s plans for policing future protests?

Guest:

Officer Edgar Figueroa, Public Information Officer with CHP Southern Division, which includes LA County

Dunkerton Cider Company employee Jeremy Kent holds a handful of apples at the company orchard near Pembridge, England on October 17, 2011. Long-derided as a fizzy staple of park-dwelling adolescents, cider in Britain has undergone a curious transformation recent years to become a growing favourite of the discerning urban drinker. ; Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

These days, the term "frosty brew" doesn't just apply to beer anymore.

Because craft beers are becoming more and more popular among adult beverage aficionados, hard ciders are also skyrocketing in popularity. The explosion of craft beers into the beverage market has made beer-drinkers more willing to try different things. Brands like Woodchuck, Strongbow, and Angry Orchard can be found in grocery stores across the U.S., and many smaller-scale cider-makers are entering the market every year. For many, hard cider is an enjoyable alternative to beer because it has a sweeter taste while still maintaining alcohol levels that are comparable to beer. Hard cider is also gluten free, which makes it appealing to the growing number of people who are removing gluten from their daily diet.

Hard cider is made by grinding down large amounts of apples into what is called pomace. The pomace is then strained and put into either open vats or closed casks for fermentation. The fermentation process generally lasts about three months before the final product is ready for consumption and distribution.

What is your favorite brand of hard cider? Why? Do you think hard cider will ever be as popular as beer among alcoholic beverage-drinkers? What are some other reasons you think hard cider is becoming so popular?

Guests:

Tom Wark, publisher of ‘The Cider Journal,’ which covers cider news, reviews ciders, and provides commentary

Chris Le Mieux, co-owner and cider-maker at See Canyon Hard Cider in San Luis Obispo

The smoke stacks at American Electric Power's (AEP) Mountaineer coal power plant in New Haven, West Virginia, October 30, 2009. ; Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

The Supreme Court of the United States said Tuesday that it would be hearing an environmental case concerning the Environmental Protection Agency regulating toxic emissions from power plants.

The case centers around the questions of whether the EPA has to consider the cost of its regulations. The Clean Air Act requires regulations to be “appropriate and necessary,” but the EPA has determined that it does not require consideration of costs early in the regulatory process. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled earlier this year that the EPA’s interpretation of the Clean Air Act was reasonable, and therefore they did not have to consider costs.

By the EPA’s own calculation, they spend $9.6 billion a year regulating toxic emissions from power plants. In a brief, the EPA said that once its regulations were fully in place in 2016, the regulations would bring in total benefits between of $37 billion and $90 billion.

Should the EPA be required to consider the costs of its regulations? What do you think of the EPA’s interpretation of the Clean Air Act?

Guests:

Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter, Bloomberg

Ken Green, Senior Director, Centre for Natural Resources at the Fraser Institute, a think tank in Canada. He has studied environmental, energy, and natural resource policy for various think-tanks across North America including the Reason Foundation in Los Angeles and the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC

Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, which is a party to the case.

Police officers stand on alert after an arrest was made during a protest in downtown St. Louis, Missouri on November 30, 2014. Demonstrators marched through the streets of St. Louis that eventually led to clashes with police officers and fans from an American Football game between the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.; Credit: MICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images

From the White House to classrooms to an NFL football field, the fallout continues in the aftermath of a Ferguson grand jury's decision last week not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. It's the first day back at school for kids and teachers in the St. Louis area. Speaking on NPR's Morning Edition a Missouri school principal of a racially diverse high school said the events of last week offer a challenging learning opportunity. Principal Kevin Grawer said he'll ask students at Maplewood-Richmond Heights High, "When [is] the last time you allowed somebody to change the way you think about something?"

Meanwhile in Washington, President Barack Obama is meeting with young local and national civil rights leaders this afternoon. The conversation is said to focus on how law enforcement and communities can work together to build trust to strengthen neighborhoods across the country. Obama will also speak with police officials, faith leaders and politicians in the closed door meetings.

Also the St. Louis Police Officers Association is asking a small group of NFL players to reconsider their decision to make a symbolic gesture at a game yesterday. Five St. Louis Rams players walked on the field with their hands up in a "don't shoot" posture.

As debates continue over police trials, Ferguson protests and racism, has anything you have learned swayed your initial thoughts? When is the last time you "re-opened" your mind to heated controversy over a developing story and new information, emotions or analysis?

With files from the Associated Press.

Guest:

Jonathan Allen, DC Bureau Chief, Bloomberg News; Best-selling author of “HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton”

Benedict Cumberbatch in "The Imitation Game."; Credit: Jack English

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Peter Rainer, Tim Cogshell, and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including "The Imitation Game," "Horrible Bosses 2," "Penguins of Madagascar," and more.

Guests:

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

15th October 1977: The American actor and singer Bing Crosby with his wife Katherine, at the London Palladium. ; Credit: Frank Barratt/Getty Images

Once declared “the most admired man alive” ahead of  Jackie Robinson, Bing Crosby was one of the most recognizable and beloved performers of the 20th century. Now, 37 years after his passing, some of his best and most iconic music is being re-released in a collection titled “American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered.” The album comes out Monday, just over a week before PBS airs its upcoming American Masters Show “Bing Crosby Rediscovered.” The album will feature several recordings of songs heard in the PBS film that were previously unreleased.

An actor and singer, Crosby was recognized the world over for his bass-baritone voice. Crosby’s career spanned more than 50 years and earned him three Academy Award nominations, including a win in 1945 for Best Lead Actor for his performance in Going My Way. He was also a multi-platinum recording artist and radio announcer. He’s one of only 22 people to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for music, radio, and film.

Crosby died in 1977 but his impact on the music, film, and radio world is still visible today. He was posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame for his contributions to radio.

The documentary, “American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered,” airs tomorrow night (Tuesday, Dec. 2) on K-O-C-E, PBS SoCal, at 8 p.m. PT.

Guests:

Kathryn Crosby, Bing Crosby’s wife

Mary Crosby, Bing Crosby’s daughter

Director Sophie Hunter and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend the 'The Imitation Game' New York Premiere at Ziegfeld Theater, hosted by Weinstein Company on on November 17, 2014 in New York City.; Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The Weinstein C

'Tis the start of awards season: predictions for Oscars, Globes, Spirit Awards and more

The most talked about film lighting up marquees this weekend is a major awards contender, "The Imitation Game" starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a WWII codebreaker with a secret of his own. However, yesterday the film was snubbed by Film Independent. The group's Spirit Awards are a bellwether for the Academy. For Best Feature, the Spirit nominees are "Birdman," "Boyhood," "Love is Strange," "Selma," and "Whiplash." No sign of Reese Witherspoon starrer "Wild" on the list. As for bigger budget hopefuls, "Interstellar," The Lego Movie," and "Gone Girl" are a handful getting buzz in screenplay and director categories. What awards contenders have yet to be released on the big screen? Will independent films make a big showing at the Academy again this year? What films are on your early list of favorites?

Guests:

Tim Gray, Awards Editor, Variety

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Veronica Brenes, a prekindergarten teacher at the University of Southern California’s UPC Child Development Center, interacts with students and was surprised with the Early Childhood Educator Award and a $10,000 check from Knowledge Universe on October 16, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Rich Polk/Getty Images for Knowledge Unive

Thanks to a new plan from the U.S. Department of Education, teachers across the country could be getting report cards of their own before they get to hand out any to students in the classroom.

The recently-unveiled proposal would require states to give report cards for teacher evaluation programs in each state. This would include not only public and private colleges and universities, but also alternative programs run by school districts or nonprofits like Teach for America. The Education Department would have to approve the new ratings systems, which would consider, for the first time, how teacher candidates perform after they graduate. The ratings would be based on things like whether they land a job within their subject field, how long they stay in that job, and how well their students do on standardized tests and other academic achievement measures. It will be several years before the ratings systems are actually put into use and any changes take effect. The Education Department will hear public comments for 60 days and plans to issue the new regulations by September of 2015. However, report cards wouldn’t be issued until April 2019.

How do you think these regulations will change the way teachers are prepared for the classroom? Do you think enough is done to prepare new teachers or is more required? How will these new regulations affect the way teachers teach and the way students learn?

Guests:

Beverly Young, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Teacher Education and Public School Programs for the Cal State University system

Evan Stone, co-founder and co-CEO of Educators 4 Excellence, a teacher-led organization in New York City that works to give teachers a voice in the policies that impact their profession

Deborah Koolbeck, director of government relations for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Many residents of Ferguson, Mo., would like to see the police wear video cameras, like this one worn by a Los Angeles police officer.; Credit: Damian Dovarganes/AP

President Obama has proposed a new program to fund body-worn cameras (BWCs) for 50,000 police officers as part of a broader effort to address tensions between communities and the police that serve in them. While the plan would need Congressional approval, the goal is to appropriate $263 million in funding over a three-year period to create a 50% match for dollars spent on BWCs by local police departments.

As Obama is poised to set up a larger task force will focus on establishing a system for “21st century policing” to “examine how to promote effective crime reduction while building public trust.” some have questioned how effective the BWC program could be. Much of the criticism comes from those who believe the action does not go far enough, with significant attention being place on the federal government’s program of transferring military weapons and equipment to local police departments such as assault rifles, heavily armed vehicles, and full body armor. In addition, the President has continued to resist calls by civil rights leaders and some in the Ferguson community to visit the town, a move that would be viewed as symbolic as when President Kennedy invited Martin Luther King, Jr. to the White House after a bombing in Birmingham killed four black girls.

Will cameras placed on the police make them act in a more accountable manner? Does the presence of BWCs create a new objectivity for interactions between citizens and law enforcement? Will the placement of BWCs be enough to stem the tensions between minority communities and the criminal justice system?

Guests:

Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst with the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at The American Civil Liberties Union; Stanley authored the ACLU's white paper on police body-worn cameras.

Attendees open umbrellas as a symbolic gesture during a vigil on Wednesday night, Oct. 1 at Grand Park in support of pro-democracy demonstrations happening in Hong Kong.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Symbols have long been part of protests, from the Guy Fawkes masks that were adopted by Occupy protesters, to the umbrellas donned by students in Hong Kong -- in what we now refer to as the “umbrella revolution,” to the three-finger-salute seen in protests this summer against the Thai government and hoodies for Trayvon Martin. This week in the wake of the Ferguson grand jury decision, 5 players on the St. Louis Rams football team came out onto the field with their hands up, echoing the calls of protesters in the streets chanting “hands up, don’t shoot.” How and why do certain symbols become icons of protest? And do some symbols attract people to the cause?

Guests:

Anthony Kammas, Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department at USC

Movindri Reddy, Associate Professor, Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College

Iraqi army soldiers stand before boarding a military plane in Baghdad to fly to a conference on fighting the Islamic State group attended by Iraq's tribal leaders, militiamen and members of the government in Iraq's mainly Sunni Anbar province, on November 11, 2014. A team of US troops was on the ground in Iraq's Anbar province today as Washington steps up efforts to help Iraqi forces battle the Islamic State jihadist group.; Credit: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

The Pentagon and State Department are reacting to the ongoing extremist violence in Iraq and Syria by reaching out to private-sector security contractors for new roles and renewing old contracts. According to a new feature report by CQ Roll Call, the Army posted an "expansive announcement for 'Security Assistance Mentors and Advisors' in Iraq...to help the Baghdad government" in a wide variety of positions.

Underscoring the desperate situation for Iraqi leaders, yesterday in Baghdad, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi launched sweeping changed to the country's security forces by retiring 24 officials who failed to confront the IS crisis, according to the government. Meanwhile yesterday, 15 Iraqi policemen were killed by the extremist jihadi group. The bold assault happened at a checkpoint near the Syrian border. In the same region, more than 55 airstrikes were launched by U.S.-led forces over the weekend, according to U.S. Central Command.

With little desire for foreign boots on the ground, what role will a new batch of military contractors play?

Guests:

Laura Dickinson, Professor of Law, George Washington University; Author, “Outsourcing War and Peace: Preserving Public Values in a World of Privatized Foreign Affairs;” Future of War Fellow with the New America Foundation's International Security Program

Sean McFate, Associate Professor, National Defense University, which provides Joint Professional Military Education to members of the U.S. Armed Forces; former U.S. Army officer and former project manager for military contractor DynCorp International; Author, “The Modern Mercenary and What They Mean for World Order”  to be published January 2, 2015

Actor James Franco (L) is honored on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame, with actor Seth Rogen attending the installation ceremony on March 7, 2013 in Hollywood, California.; Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Controversy has followed the upcoming James Franco-Seth Rogen comedy, “The Interview,” since the project was first announced. The latest dustup it finds itself in goes well beyond the typical Hollywood tabloid fodder. Over Thanksgiving weekend, rumor started swirling that the cyber-attack that Sony had been a target of was perpetrated by North Korean hackers unhappy about the film’s premise. The comedy is about a successful TV interview show (produced by the Rogen character, and hosted by the Franco character) that’s been invited to do a one-on-one with Kim Jong Un. The CIA soon comes knocking, asking the two to use the opportunity to assassinate the North Korean dictator.

The North Korean government has made its displeasure on the film known and has threatened to retaliate. "Making and releasing a movie on a plot to hurt our top-level leadership is the most blatant act of terrorism and war and will absolutely not be tolerated," an unnamed spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs apparently said.

Is “The Interview” politically problematic? What kind of reaction would there be if another country was to make a film premised on an attempted assassination on another world leader? Can the film be considered a political satire which lessens its offense?

“The Interview” is scheduled to drop on Christmas day.

Guests:

Dominic Patten, Legal Editor and Chief TV critic at the entertainment industry news website, Deadline, who's been following the story

Hye Seung Chung, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, specializing in race and ethnicity in American pop culture, at Colorado State University. She is the author of “Hollywood Asian: Philip Ahn and the Politics of Cross-Ethnic Performance” (Temple University Press, 2006) and Kim Ki-duk (University of Illinois Press, 2012)

; Credit: Photo by Robert S. Donovan via Flickr Creative Commons

FBI agents paid a surprise visit to the Los Angeles Unified School District on Monday, taking away 20 boxes of documents related to the school district's troubled iPad project, the Los Angeles Times reports. Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines told the Times agents stopped by late Monday afternoon and he alerted the district's general counsel to notify the board of education. KPCC has independently confirmed the information. The district has been under fire over the iPad program, which launched last school year with the aim of giving every student and teacher a personal tablet. The district chose Apple and textbook publisher Pearson to provide the devices.

It was expected to cost $1.3 billion. An investigation from KPCC revealed that the district had been in talks with Apple and Pearson long before the bidding process was formally opened - and that some bid specifications closely resembled the iPad and Pearson's proposed software, which was still under development. Former superintendent John Deasy canceled the contract and resigned under intense pressure after those stories aired and were published.

Guests: 

Annie Gilbertson, KPCC education reporter

Laurie Levenson, former federal prosecutor and a professor at Loyola Law School

Vocal demonstrators protesting outside of the Supreme Court Wednesday December 3, 2014.; Credit: Kitty Felde/KPCC

In a case that has allied abortion-rights groups with anti-abortion groups, today the Supreme Court justices heard arguments that United Parcel Service discriminated against a pregnant employee. While working at UPS, Peggy Young was required to lift packages weighing up to 70 pounds, but she says most weighed about 20 - the maximum allowed by Young's midwife. When she told her bosses about her needs, she was put on unpaid leave and lost medical benefits, rather than being put on "light duty" - an accommodation that had been provided to other workers with injuries or even suspended licenses due to DUIs.

UPS said pregnant women and those injured off the job had never been provided accommodations. However, it has since changed its policy allowing light duty for pregnant woman, while still fighting this case in court. What does the Pregnancy Discrimination Act  mean for workers and companies? How has your workplace or your employees struggled or handled pregnancy on the job?

Guests:

Lenora Lapidus,  Attorney and Director of the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a brief in support of Young.

Beth Milito, Senior Executive Counsel, National Federation of Independent Business Legal Center; NFIB submitted a brief in support of UPS

A general view of atmosphere at the 86th Academy Awards Nominations Announcement at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater on January 16, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California.; Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The short list is out for the best documentaries of 2014. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a list of 15 documentaries which will be vying for the Academy’s five documentary-feature nominations. The original list was whittled down from 134 submissions. The Academy’s documentary branch will now select five nominees from the 15 titles. Which documentary wins your vote for best of 2014? See the full list, watch trailers, and vote for your favorite below.

The List:

“Art and Craft,” Purple Parrot Films

“The Case Against 8,” Day in Court

“Citizen Koch,” Elsewhere Films

“CitizenFour,” Praxis Films

“Finding Vivian Maier,” Ravine Pictures

“The Internet’s Own Boy,” Luminant Media

“Jodorowsky’s Dune,” City Film

“Keep on Keepin’ On,” Absolute Clay Productions

“The Kill Team,” f/8 filmworks

“Last Days in Vietnam,” Moxie Firecracker Films

“Life Itself,” Kartemquin Films and Film Rites

“The Overnighters,” Mile End Films West

“The Salt of the Earth,” Decia Films

“Tales of the Grim Sleeper,” Lafayette Film

“Virunga,” Grain Media

Guests:

Tim Gray, Awards Editor, Variety

"Nothing but Love in God's Water: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement" by Robert Darden

When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL to kick off the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, it was before “5,000 hymn-singing blacks.” Those thousands of voices united in song, prayer, and protest show the power of black sacred song.

In "Nothing but Love in God’s Water: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement,"  gospel music scholar Robert Darden explores how songs and singers helped African Americans challenge slavery, subjugation, and oppression, and how those songs informed the civil rights movement.

Guest:

Robert Darden, author of “Nothing but Love in God’s Water Vol. 1: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement” (The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2014). He’s also an associate professor of journalism and new media at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Joseph Ochieng, 18, gets circumcised at the Siaya General Hospital in western Kenya.
; Credit: Jason Beaubien

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released new guidance that suggests that circumcision could help straight men in the U.S. lower their chances of becoming infected with the HIV virus.

According to clinical trials and studies, men who are circumcised have less of a chance than men who are uncircumcised of acquiring sexually-transmitted diseases during vaginal intercourse. In fact, circumcised males are 50 - 60 percent less likely to be infected with HIV from a female sexual partner. The study also found that women who have sex with circumcised males are less likely to contract STIs like HPV.

Opponents of the guidelines say regardless of HIV prevention, the choice to be circumcised should be left up to the person who is having the surgery. They argue that the procedure is torturous and inhumane, and that the most sensitive part of a male’s body should not be tampered with.

The new guidelines were released Tuesday in the Federal Register, and say that The CDC says the guidelines are just a draft and will be open for public comment before they are made final.

Do you think HIV prevention is a good reason to have your child circumcised? Where do you fall in the debate of whether to circumcise a newborn boy?

Guests:

Marilyn Milos, Registered Nurse, founder and director of the National Organization of Circumcision Research

Dr. Edgar Schoen, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Emeritus, at the University of California, San Francisco medical school; former Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Circumcision. He’s also author of the book “Circumcision, Sex, God, And Science: Modern Health Benefits Of An Ancient Ritual”

; Credit: FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty Images

LAUSD’s rollout of its iPad program has been challenge-prone to say the least. On Monday afternoon, the FBI seized 20 boxes of documents for its investigation in how the district handled its $1.3 billion program. KPCC is reporting that a federal grand jury will meet Friday to look at the evidence.

There’s little argument against the incorporation of new technology into the classroom. But what form should it take? Should it be the tablet? Or would student needs be better served with a laptop? What are the infrastructural challenges to a school technology rollout? What can LAUSD learn from other districts in the country?

Guests:

Brandon Martinez, assistant professor of clinical education, Rossier School of Education at USC. He’s also a high school administrator at a comprehensive high school in the San Gabriel Valley

Keith Krueger, CEO of Consortium of School Networking, a national association for chief technology officers for school districts in the country

Jane Margolis, senior researcher, UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

A party underway after kickoff near UC Berkeley. ; Credit: Daniel Parks/Flickr

It’s no secret that underage drinking on college campuses is an issue that administrators have been dealing with for many years. More recently, an uptick in sexual assaults on college campuses across the country has drawn a lot of attention to the amount of binge drinking and underage drinking that goes on at a typical college or university. A recentop-ed in the New York Times tackles this issue, and argues that lowering the drinking age could be the first step to helping curb sexual assault on college campuses.

A recent article in Rolling Stone chronicled the sexual assault of a University of Virginia student and her discovery that trying to bring her attackers to justice would only result in more pain. Colleges and universities are now faced with the challenge of not only curbing binge and underage drinking, but also finding a way to curb sexual assaults.

Those in favor of lowering the drinking age say the current drinking age pushes many college students to drink under the radar by attending fraternity parties or other social gatherings. They say a lower drinking age would allow students to drink in public establishments where staff or security personnel are present rather than at private house parties. Those opposed to lowering the drinking age say that it would only encourage more binge drinking at a younger age, which could lead to more sexual assault.

Do you think the drinking age should be lowered? What age should it be? If the drinking age were lowered, what impact would it have on sexual assaults on college campuses?

Guests

Jed Rubenfeld, Robert R. Slaughter Professor of Law at Yale Law School, Yale University, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about how colleges are mishandling rape

Bill DeJong, Professor of Community Health Sciences at Boston University’s School of Public Health