A toy car pileup mimics a car crash.; Credit: Photo by jcarwil via Flickr Creative Commons

After the Associated Press changed its official style guide last month, municipal and state governments have been striking car “accident” from official language and replacing it with “crash.”

Proponents say the change makes us less complicit with the number of auto fatalities and also avoids deferring fault, but opponents say it’s a similarly inaccurate and broad brush with which to paint all collisions.

What do you think?

Guest:

Jeff Larason, Massachusetts Director of Highway Safety and author of the blog, Drop the A Word

Tony Gwynn is introduced as one of the 2007 Hall of Fame Electees at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria on January 10, 2007 in New York City. ; Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the tobacco industry yesterday, the family of former San Diego Padres outfielder and Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn argues Gwynn was manipulated by the tobacco industry into using smokeless tobacco.

Gwynn died in 2014 from salivary gland cancer. He was a lifelong smokeless tobacco user, who would chew a can and a half to two cans of the stuff every day and did so for more than 30 years.

The lawsuit argues that despite knowing the risks associated with chewing tobacco, the main defendant, Altria, targeted Tony Gwynn as part of an effort to market smokeless tobacco to groups like college kids, baseball players, or young black men. While the suit does not specify damages, it does call for a jury trial to determine whether the tobacco companies are liable for Gwynn’s death.

What are the legal forces pulling at both sides of this case? Does the Gwynn family have a leg to stand on or will the tobacco companies prevail? Is this likely to make it to a jury trial or will the case ultimately be settled?

Guests:

Richard Daynard, University Distinguished Professor of Law and president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University

Jim Copland, senior fellow and director of legal policy at the Manhattan Institute

The Libertarian Party is making its way onto at least 32 state ballots for the 2016 presidential candidate election. ; Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump –and the Libertarian Party?

That’s right, the Libertarian Party is making its way onto at least 32 state ballots for the 2016 presidential candidate election.

The U.S.’s third-largest political party has its convention happening in Orlando this weekend with former New Mexico Governor poised to be the party’s nominee for the second straight election cycle.

The party has traditionally espoused views encouraging small government and more autonomy for individual citizens to make choices about how they live their lives. Some research even suggests that millennials are more likely to identify as Libertarians, which lends some credibility to the idea that the Libertarian movement is on the rise.

What does a Libertarian candidate look like? Meet Austin Peterson, owner and CEO of publishing consulting firm Stonegait, and a Libertarian Party presidential candidate hopeful who believes in economic freedom and personal liberty.

He describes himself as “Pro Liberty, Pro Life and Pro Constitution” in his twitter bio and was recently vocal about supporting same-sex marriage at the May 16 Libertarian Party debate in Nevada. One point Peterson has stressed about Libertarianism is that the party’s ideas are marketed incorrectly.

How do Peterson’s ideas differ from his fellow candidates? What are some of his biggest national concerns and how does he plan to address them? Will the #NeverTrump #NeverClinton movement pick up steam with the help of the Libertarian Party? Can the Libertarian Party change the dynamic of the current election?

Guests:

Matt Welch, editor-in-chief at Reason Magazine and co-author of the book "The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America"; he tweets @MattWelch

Austin Petersen, 2016 Libertarian Party presidential candidate; he is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services; he tweets @AP4LP

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN), escorted by California Republican Party chairman Tom Del Beccaro, arrives to deliver a speech to the California Republican Party Convention banquet September 16, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

AirTalk’s U.S. Senate race coverage continues with the top candidates vying to fill Barbara Boxer’s seat.

Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez have the lead among the top five contenders and Larry Mantle has already welcomed Republican candidates Duf Sundheim and Ron Unz to the studio. Next up? Former state Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro.

Del Beccaro has been regarded as the most conservative candidate running for Barbara Boxer’s seat in the state Senate race.

His most notable campaign positions include a wastewater recycling program to lead the state in water technology and, as a Contra Costa County business attorney, he’s also drawn up a plan to redesign the federal tax code, implementing a flat tax.

Del Beccaro has also voiced his concerns with security along the Mexico-U.S. border. In a Sacramento Bee article last month, he was said to have disagreed with Kamala Harris’ stance that undocumented immigrants are not criminals.

Larry Mantle speaks to Del Beccaro today on his positions, his campaign struggles in a largely liberal state and what he hopes will be the future of California.

Guest:

Tom Del Beccaro, candidate for U.S. Senate; lawyer and former chair of the California Republican Party

Team members of Germany's Women's Eight look dejected after missing the qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.; Credit: Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images

The Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer may be stifling athletes and attendees’ excitement with worry.

Open water swimmers, canoers and rowers will have to compete in water with floating debris and raw sewage. For Olympians and their supporters in Rio, summer heat and humidity may mean more exposure to mosquitos and higher chances of picking up the Zika virus.

But ticket sales are up for the 2016 games, which begin on August 6. That means people aren’t necessarily hindered by headlines of polluted water and Zika. And there’s little chance that athletes working to make it to the Olympics will forfeit their opportunity to compete because of a waterborne illness.

So what health risks should athletes consider going into the games? What is the likelihood of waterborne illnesses for those competing in contaminated water? Which precautions can people take to guard against the Zika virus?

Guests:  

Ed Hula, editor-in-chief of Around The Rings, a publication devoted to covering the Olympic Games

Kristina Mena, U.S. expert in risk assessment for waterborne viruses at the University of Texas

William Schaffner, MD, Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN

Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks on during a campaign event on May 24, 2016 in Commerce, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

An internal investigation by the State Department has concluded that Hillary Clinton violated cyber security guidelines by using a separate email account and server to handle sensitive government business.

In a 78-page report, out today, the inspector general finds that Clinton never sought approval to use private email for government business, or proved that her Blackberry met minimum security requirements to conduct such business.

It found the past five Secretaries of State did a poor job of recognizing and managing cybersecurity risks and sometimes failed to meet the legal requirements for how they handled electronic data.

However, the IG is particularly pointed in criticizing practices during Clinton's tenure from 2009 to 2013. The report points out that State's security guidelines were significantly beefed up and better-communicated by the time of Clinton's arrival. Despite State's cyber rules, Clinton exclusively used her personal email server to conduct government business. She often used an unapproved mobile device for such communication.

The report contends Clinton staffers twice shut down State's IT department when it raised concerns about Clinton's email practices, saying the matter wasn't to be discussed any further. The FBI criminal investigation is continuing into Clinton's email practices. Clinton aides have been interviewed for that.

Former Secretary Clinton and her staff members at the time refused to be interviewed for the State Department audit. We talk with two strategists about what this could mean on the campaign trail.

Full Hillary Clinton Email Report

Guests:

Michael Biesecker, reporter for the AP based in Washington D.C.

Bill Burton, Democratic political strategist, California managing director at the public affairs firm SKDKnickerbocker, and former deputy White House press secretary to President Obama; he tweets @billburton

Paris Dennard, Republican political analyst and former staffer for President George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee; he tweets @PARISDENNARD

"Street of Eternal Happiness" by Rob Schmitz; Credit: Penguin Random House, 2016

Changle Lu is the Street of Eternal Happiness in Shanghai, the most populated city in the world, in a country going through rapid change.

Most of the stories we hear about China in the news are about issues: the economy, national security, human rights. We hear much less about are people, the people affected by these issues in concrete ways. As a foreign correspondent Marketplace reporter Rob Schmitz immersed himself in his neighbor’s stories, walking the street and meeting middle-aged women who have new money-making opportunities, young people who are looking for meaning in a hectic urban landscape, and the workers who move from job to job to job to try to pass a little more than what they have to their children.

If you’d like to hear more from Rob, you can see him tonight at our Crawford Family Forum here at KPCC where he’ll be in conversation with our All Things Cnsidered host, Nick Roman . You can find more information about that here.

Guest:

Rob Schmitz, China correspondent for Marketplace; his new book is “Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road” (Crown, 2016); he tweets @rob_schmitz

Activists at Los Angeles City Hall earlier this week were demanding greater civility in council chambers after a gadfly made racist and violent comments targeting Council President Herb Wesson and Councilmember Nury Martinez.; Credit: Mae Ryan/KPCC

Activists at Los Angeles City Hall earlier this week were demanding greater civility in council chambers after a gadfly made racist and violent comments targeting Council President Herb Wesson and Councilmember Nury Martinez.

Wesson received an offensive drawing at a meeting earlier this month. On it was a person hanging from a tree, and a hooded Ku Klux Klan figure holding a noose. The KKK figure also held a sign using the n-word in referring to Wesson, who is black. Wayne Spindler is accused of making those threats as well as muttering swear words at Martinez. Spindler denies the comments were racial, but he has appeared in chambers in the past wearing a white hood with a red swastika drawing and signaling "Hail, Hitler."

Wesson has filed a restraining order against Spindler who is not only free on bond after being arrested Friday, but also free to continue attending council meetings.

Keeping discourse civil during government proceedings can get tricky. A man sued LA after he was kicked out of a meeting in 2011 for refusing to take off a KKK hood. He claimed his free speech rights were violated. The city settled the suit two years ago.

The activists want the district attorney to aggressively pursue charges against Spindler. Additionally, because Spindler is a licensed attorney, they are calling on the California Bar Association to disbar him.

Guest: 

Eugene Volokh, Professor of Law at UCLA expert in the First Amendment

Fernando J. Guerra, Ph.D., Director, The Center for the Study of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University; KPCC Trustee

An ice sculpture is placed in a vehicle to warn of the dangers of leaving a dog in a hot car on April 9, 2014 in London, England.; Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for Dogs Trust

What do you do if you see a dog locked in a car on a hot day? Do you try to find the owner? Maybe you call the police? Or do you take matters into your own hands and try to free the dog yourself?

If passed, AB 797 would allow ordinary citizens to break a stranger’s car window to save a dog trapped in a hot (or cold) car without fear of being prosecuted. The “Right to Rescue” Act, was proposed by Rancho Cucamonga Republican Assemblyman Marc Steinorth, and it comes with a few caveats. You can’t just go busting in someone’s window just because you see a dog in the car. In order to avoid prosecution, a person would have to make sure the car is locked, rule out all other “reasonable” methods for freeing the dog, and have a “good faith belief” that the animal is in danger if not immediately rescued. Once the glass is broken, the Good Samaritan must wait with the dog until authorities arrive.

Unlike humans, dogs do not sweat through their skin. They pant to cool off instead. Because dogs can’t sweat like humans, they overheat much faster than humans. If left in a hot car, it could only take minutes before inducing brain damage or organ failure. The American Veterinary Association reports that on a 70 degree day, the temperature inside a car can get up to 89 degrees in 10 minutes and 99 degrees in 20 minutes.

What do you think of the concept behind this law? Are there any situations that come to mind where the law might not give clear direction on who is liable?

Guests:

Marc Steinorth (District 40 - R), Assemblyman representing California's 40th District, which includes Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and San Bernardino. He introduced Assembly Bill 797

Michael Kraut, criminal defense lawyer, Kraut Law Group, and former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney

Introductions can be tricky when pronouncing newly heard names.; Credit: YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images

Writer Mona Chalabi makes a conscious choice when she introduces herself as "MO-nah" instead of using her parents' Arabic pronunciation of "MUN-ah."

As she writesin “The Guardian,” the choice faced by many second-generation immigrant kids is tricky because straying from your parents' native-tongue pronunciation can be viewed as inauthentic and a betrayal of your roots in favor of assimilation.

Chalabi explains her choice reflects her life experiences as an English speaker, raised in England: "Where you were raised matters, and I choose my pronunciation in recognition of that. But I also respect others who feel differently. In fact, I respect them a whole lot given how burdensome it is to have to repeat your name in every introduction until someone gets it right."

How have you handled Americanization of your given and family names?

Guest:

Mona Chalabi, data editor, “The Guardian;” she tweets from @MonaChalabi

A soil removal, part of the Exide cleanup through the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, takes place at an East Los Angeles home on Wednesday, April 20, 2016.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

In light of recent news about the clean up of Porter Ranch, we check in on the clean up around the former Exide battery plant.

The now-shuttered plant once called the city of Vernon home but closed its doors in April 2013 after the Department of Toxic Substances Control expressed concerns about arsenic and lead getting into the soil, water, and air surrounding the area. In 2014, new tests revealed lead found in the soil at homes nearby, putting in motion a clean up process that could take years.

In August 2015, additional testing showed that up to 10,000 properties could be facing lead contamination. It’s well-known that lead poses serious health risks, including an elevated risk of cancer and learning disabilities in children. Residents have not been pleased with the lack of swift action to clean up their neighborhoods.

What progress has been made to clean up in Vernon? Where does the process stand as of now? What challenges has the DTSC faced?

DTSC declined to join our conversation, but released this statement to AirTalk:

DTSC Statement to AirTalk

Guests:

Elizabeth Aguilera, KPCC community health reporter

Tony Barboza, L.A. Times Environment Reporter. He tweets @tonybarboza

Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan, arrives in court for day two of his case against the website Gawker at the Pinellas County Courthouse Tuesday morning Mach 8, 2016 in St. Petersburg, Florida. ; Credit: Pool/Getty Images

Gawker media has hired an investment banker to explore a possible sale after it lost another round in court yesterday to Hulk Hogan.

The judge who oversaw the trial refused to reduce the jury's $140-million judgement against the tabloid news site. She also refused to order a new trial. Hogan successfully sued for invasion of privacy. Gawker posted a portion of a video showing Hogan having sex with his then-friend's wife. Radio host Bubba the Love Sponge Clem recorded the activity between his then-wife and Hogan. Hogan says he didn't know they were being videotaped.

Yesterday, PayPal co-founder and major Facebook investor Peter Thiel admitted bankrolling Hogan's lawsuit. He claims Gawker and its sister Silicon Valley publication Valleywag ruined people's lives for no reason. Several years ago, Valleywag outed Thiel as gay and mocked Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Gawker says it'll appeal, but is the judge's affirmation of the jury's big award likely to chill tabloid media's future celebrity covereage?

What are the prospects for an appeal? Which entities might this verdict most effect?

Guests:

Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at Poynter

Jose Lambiet, veteran gossip writer and columnist; Publisher, GossipExtra.com

Danielle Citron,Law Professor specializing in privacy law, University of Maryland

A car drives past the Chevron refinery on January 25, 2011 in Richmond, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Despite projecting over $500 million in proceeds for the state, California’s most recent cap-and-tradeauction for greenhouse gases brought in a woeful $10 million, which is less than 2 percent.

Of the 43 million carbon allowances up for grabs, auction-goers only bought 785,000. The money from the sale of carbon credits goes to help fund state programs, one of which is the high-speed rail project. It was expecting $150 million but due to the lower-than-expected auction proceeds, it will get only $2.5 million.

So, why aren’t carbon credits being bought? Some analysts say because of a combination of things, not the least of which are uncertainty about the future of the program, which could expire in 2020, and a pending lawsuit that could upend the whole program. California’s Department of Finance notes that there is a $500 million cap-and-trade reserve built into Governor Brown’s budget. However, the long-term implications of the auction results could also be troubling, as the high-speed rail project needs the funds from selling carbon credits to match the almost $3.5 billion it's receiving in federal grants.​

Guest:

Dan Walters, columnist for the Sacramento Bee

Drivers fill the 110 freeway during afternoon rush-hour on January 9, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Since The Toll Roads of Orange County did away with cash collection completely two years ago, they have seen an increase in traffic without the congestion and an increase in fare collection without costs to labor.

While toll roads have been commonplace for decades around the country, they are fairly new to Southern California, and learning how to use them has been hard for drivers.

On Wednesday Ebrahim Mahda sued The Toll Roads in federal court, claiming the payment system and its accompanying signage is confusing, perhaps on purpose. His attorney is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit and $5 million restitution of penalties.

Guests:

Sarah King, spokeswoman for The Toll Roads

Jamie Court, President and Chairman of the Board, Consumer Watchdog

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump say they're game for a head-to-head debate. ; Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump say they want to debate. Trump was asked about it by Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night's show.

Sanders is looking for a high-rated platform in advance of the June 7th CA Primary. Hillary Clinton says she's done debating until the general election runup. Networks would undoubtedly love to carry a Sanders-Trump matchup. Insiders say it was all a joke. The sticking point could be Trump's insistence on that $10-million donation to charity. Might it come off? Might Clinton want in?

Guest:

Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School

Tosh Kano (R) and his sister Yorie Kano (L). They stand outside the house where they lived at the time of the WWII Hiroshima bombing. Their mother was pregnant with Tosh and Yorie was 3-years old when the bomb dropped.
; Credit: Guillaume Serina/France USA Media

President Obama visited Hiroshima on Friday. It was the first visit by a sitting American president to the city in the 71 years since the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city, killing over 140,000 civilians.

Amongst a delegation of survivors is Toshiharu Kano, an American citizen who had not been to Hiroshima since 1961, which is when his family returned to the U.S.

Kano, who goes by Tosh, had actually yet to enter the world on August 6, 1945. His mother was only 12 weeks pregnant and was one of the very few who escaped from the one-mile radius of the blast’s epicenter with his sister Yorie, who was three and a half.

Surviving the bombing has been a lifelong struggle for his family. His mother and sister were burned, witnessing extreme horror as they fled. His older brother died two months after the explosion. His father was involved in the clean-up — moving thousands of burned bodies out of the flattened city — and he told Kano that the work was so overwhelming, he didn’t fully understand what had happened until three weeks later.

His parents, born in Hawaii Territory, had their citizenship revoked for 15 years. His grandfather lost his land in Hawaii to be interned in Wyoming for three years. Kano and his sister have dealt with lifelong illnesses from radiation exposure.

As there were for past American presidents, there have been calls for Obama to apologize on behalf of the country for the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Kano does not see that as a constructive part of healing. To cope with the trauma, he focuses on forgiveness, peace, and ending the use of nuclear weapons.

“I don’t expect him to apologize because it was a war,” he said. “Physical and emotional scars remain forever and ever. So we cannot afford to use this type of weapon against each other. That is my message to the world: That for survivors, it’s going to be so difficult to survive day to day.”

Hear his full story at the link above. 

Content note: This is an emotional personal testimony that includes graphic descriptions of injuries and human remains.

Guest:

Tosh Kano, his mother was 12 weeks pregnant with him at the time of the bombing; he and his sister are the only living survivors who were within a half mile radius of the blast’s epicenter. Tosh has not been back to Hiroshima since 1961 but travelled there with his sister for the President’s visit.

DURHAM, NH - FEBRUARY 04: Democratic presidential candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders during their MSNBC Democratic Candidates Debate at the University of New Hampshire on February 4, 2016 in Durham, New Hampshire. This is the final debate for the Democratic candidates before the New Hampshire primaries. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images); Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

It may be a holiday weekend, but in this election year the campaigning never stops.

Candidates for local offices are out and about greeting prospective voters this weekend. The Libertarian party decided on its nominee - former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will once more be the Libertarian Party candidate. He's hoping to poll high enough to earn an invitation to the Presidential debates alongside the two big parties' nominees.

The three leading Presidential candidates have spent the last week hanging around California laying the groundwork for our June 7th primary.

But what do we as Californians most want to hear from those candidates? According to a recent field poll, California voters rank jobs and employment as top presidential election issues. Which issues are of greatest importance to Californians and how do Trump, Sanders and Clinton measure up on those issues?

To commemorate Memorial Day, take a look at some digital archives.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial, based in Kansas City, Missouri, has online exhibitions of that war that claimed millions of lives. 

Plus, there are the digital collections of the National WWII Museum, based in New Orleans, with archival photos and video interviews with veterans who recall their service during WWII. 

Guests:

Mark DiCamillo, Director of the Field poll at Field Research Corporation, a public opinion research group

Pete Peterson, Dean of the School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University

Pilar Marrero, senior political reporter at La Opinion and other ImpreMedia Newspapers; she tweets from @PilarMarrero

Larry Gerston, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University and author of many books, including “Not So Golden After All: The Rise and Fall of California” (CRC Press, 2012)

Health workers fumigate to wipe out mosquitoes in Recife, Brazil.; Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The World Health Organization has rejected a call by prominent health experts to recommend a postponement or relocation of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics because of the Zika outbreak.

The 150 experts - including former White House science adviser Dr. Philip Rubin - issued an open letter on Friday to the U.N. health agency, calling for the games to be delayed or relocated "in the name of public health."

In response, the WHO letter stated: "Based on the current assessment of the Zika virus circulating in almost 60 countries globally and 39 in the Americas, there is no public health justification for postponing or cancelling the games...WHO will continue to monitor the situation and update our advice as necessary."

To add fuel to the fire, renowned basketball player and former Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol published an op-ed saying people should be more worried about Zika and that he's considering bowing out of representing his home country, Spain.

The Summer Games are scheduled to kick off August 5.

Guests:

Professor Arthur Caplan, Co-author of health experts' coalition letter; director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center's Department of Population Health

David Wallechinsky, President of the International Society of Olympic Historians and author of The Complete Book of the Olympics (Aurum Press)

KPCC's Larry Mantle moderated a debate among candidates for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors district 5 seat. ; Credit: Quincy Surasmith/KPCC

The most important vote those in LA County will cast this June is arguably NOT one for president, but for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Two longtime Republican members step down from the Board this year, a result of term limits passed in 2002 limiting supervisors to three terms of four years. Board member Mike Antonovich has served since 1980 and his fellow conservative Don Knabe since 1996.

The Board’s influence cannot be overstated. It is felt throughout Southern California. They manage a $28 billion budget, run the nation’s largest jail and foster care systems and the second-largest public health system in the country. And while the five-member board is officially non-partisan, Antonovich and Knabe’s departure could open the door to a continued shift leftward of the powerful panel’s politics. That would be the first liberal “supermajority” on the board in modern history, although another Republican will likely fill Antonovich’s seat.

LA Councilman Mitch Englander, Antonovich’s chief of staff Kathryn Barger, state Senator Bob Huff, prosecutor Elan Carr and former Mayor of Glendale Ara Najarian and Entrepreneur Darrell Park are all vying for the contested position. Join "AirTalk" host, Larry Mantle for a lively debate with these top fundraising candidates. Hear about their plans for the vacated seat and for some of the seemingly intractable issues that face Los Angeles County.

Join the conversation on Twitter under #BoS5

Candidates:

Kathryn Barger, Chief Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich

Elan Carr, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney

Mitch Englander, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 12, which occupies the Northwest San Fernando Valley

Bob Huff, California State Senator, he has represented Los Angeles County in the state legislature since 2004

Ara Najarian, Glendale City Councilmember and former Mayor of Glendale, 2007 to 2016 (term ended in April)

Darrell Park, Former White House office of Management and Budget Staffer, 1994-2004

AirTalk chose the top 6 fundraising candidates running for District 5 to participate in this debate.

"A Self-Made Man: The Political life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. 1, 1809-1949" by Sidney Blumenthal; Credit: Simon and Schuster, 2016

In any presidential election season, people often give a lot of thought to who candidates are, and the perspectives of life that they come from.

But perhaps no one past president’s story is as fascinating as Abraham Lincoln’s.

Coming from poor beginnings, Lincoln was known for his insatiable appetite for news. He would later delve into the writings of Tom Paine, Euclid, Shakespeare and the Bible. Lincoln rose out of poverty, becoming socially mobile with his marriage to Mary Todd. He eventually was thrust into the national political spotlight as the sixteenth president of the United States. 

Author Sidney Blumenthal has focused extensively on Lincoln’s political life, and has written volumes to prove it. Blumenthal joins AirTalk to talk about his book, “A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln.” Blumenthal will also lend insight into what comparisons can be made between the political climate of Lincoln’s time, and today.

Guest:

Sidney Blumenthal, author of the new book, "A Self-Made Man: The Political life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. 1, 1809-1949" (Simon & Schuster, 2016). He is a former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, and senior adviser to Hillary Clinton.