President Barack Obama, standing with Vice President Joe Biden, conducts a press conference in the East Room of the White House in response to the Iran Nuclear Deal, on July 14, 2015 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Pool/Getty Images

The Wall Street Journal broke a story today that $400 million was secretly airlifted to Iran by the Obama administration while four Americans detained in Tehran were released.

President Obama had previously said it was the  first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Republican VP nominee Mike Pence is already making hay out of it on the campaign trail and raising questions about the U.S. paying for hostages.

The country’s official stance is not to give money for the release of detainees. So how will this play out on the campaign trail? And what does it mean for the country’s image around the world? Patt Morrison talks with Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon today, for an inside look on the story.

Guest:

Jay Solomon, foreign affairs correspondent who broke today's story for the Wall Street Journal; he tweets from @WSJSolomon

In this photo illustration, the Monopoly iron game piece is displayed on February 6, 2013 in Fairfax. This weekend's Gen Con will showcase how tabletop gaming has evolved far past the classics.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Today kicks off Gen Con -- the largest board game convention in North America.

This year, some 60,000 plus attendees will gather to design, publish, and, most importantly, play thousands of newly launched tabletop games.

The popularity of the convention paints a picture of an expanding industry. According to ICv2, a market research firm, the board game market is set to become a billion-dollar industry in the coming months. Big box retailers are carrying once obscure publications next to popular picks such as Scrabble, Operation, and Stratego. Indeed, gaming has come a long way since your grandfather’s worn copy of Monopoly.

Technology, instead of undermining old-fashioned tokens and pawns, is actually providing tangible games new platforms to flourish. Crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter are making board game releases easier and more accessible than ever.

In advance of Gen Con, guest host Patt Morrison checked in with “The Big Bang Theory” actor Wil Wheaton, who also hosts a web-based board game-themed show called “TableTop.”
He told AirTalk his top titles in gaming and recommended a favorite spot to play here in the Southland.

Wil Wheaton’s top tabletop games:

• Pandemic: “[It’s} introduced this idea this idea of ‘we’re all playing against the game itself.’”
• Dead of Winter: “One person is secretly working against everyone else in the game. It’s kind of a zombie horror survival game with a really heavy theme.”
• Fury of Dracula: “One player is Dracula, and the other players are trying to find him.”
• Misspent Youth: “An amazing role playing game...that we featured on ‘TableTop’ this upcoming season that I’m really excited about.”

On where to play in Southern California:

There is a wonderful boardgaming cafe in Glendale called Game Häus. When you walk in, you can grab a stand like you would see at a big banquet hall, and you can put a little sign in it that will say, “I’m looking for one player, two players, three players. I’m willing to teach a game. I want to learn a game. I want to play a strategy game. I want to play a minis game.” You put it at a table, and that way people who might be a little awkward or a little shy or not know who to go talk to can use that as an icebreaker to find people to sit down and play games with.

Gen Con runs through Sunday at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Guest:

Wil Wheaton, actor and host of Tabletop, a popular web series on all things board games; he tweets at @wilw

A security agent stands near a display of products that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has for guests, including meat, wine and water before a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club Jupiter on March 8, 2016 in Jupiter, Florida.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Donald Trump’s latest headlines have been as much about business as the election.

Some could say this entire race has been one big business ad for Trump. But has the campaign had a positive effect on his brand?

While pushing Trump Steaks at speaking engagements may seem like a perfect business opportunity, the Republican presidential nominee may not be getting the response he had hoped for. And what if it ends without “the Donald” in the Oval Office?  A lost election could have devastating effects on his business.

How do you think Trump’s campaign has affected his brand? Has the presidential race given you a positive or negative image of Trump’s business? What could he do to bounce back if he loses the presidency?

Guest:

Sasha Strauss, founder and managing editor at Innovation Protocol, a management consulting firm focused on brand marketing; professor at UCLA & USC

Elon Musk speaks during an event to launch the new Tesla Model X Crossover SUV on September 29, 2015 in Fremont.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

From the telephone industry to the internet, history has shown time and again that when it comes to regulating new technology, the federal government has always been playing catch up.

Most of the time, inventors and technologists have taken advantage of this policy limbo, seeing regulation more as a roadblock than an enabling force.

But not so with artificial intelligence. OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research startup founded by Elon Musk, works to promote the field by giving away their open source findings. But it also sees the potential for its research to fall into the wrong hands. So what it’s started to do is to recruit vigilantes of sorts -- think of them as AI cops -- that can suss out malicious codes and bad actors in the nascent and rapidly developing field.

Guest:

Matthew Scherer, an attorney and legal scholar in Portland, Oregon who writes on the intersection of law and artificial intelligence; he is also the editor of the blog, Law and AI

Pablo Ross of the University of California, Davis, inserts human stem cells into a pig embryo as part of experiments to create chimeric embryos.; Credit: Rob Stein/NPR

A ban will be lifted on federal funding of experiments that use human stem cells to create part-human, part-animal embryos.

The embryos, known as chimeras, include sheep, pigs and cows, and would use stem cells to create human organs that could be used as transplants or to study diseases inside the animals. But this has some critics worried about the ethical implications of these experiments.

Though the NIH has put forth restrictions such as closely watching and reviewing cases on embryos that develop human brain cells, there is a chance that human reproductive organs could also develop and precautions would have to be taken to keep the chimeras from breeding.

Patt Morrison speaks to two experts today, to weigh in on the ethics of creating chimeras. What do you think of these experiments? Have these experiments gone too far?

Guests:

Ronald Bailey, Science Correspondent at Reason magazine and Reason.com; Author of the new book "The End of Doom: Environmental Renewal in the Twenty-first Century”

Stuart A. Newman, Ph.D, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at New York Medical College

One of the protesters streams live video as they face off with Baton Rouge police July 8, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling was shot by a police officer in front of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge on July 5th, leading the Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation.; Credit: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

Citizen journalism, including live tweeting and even more recently, live streaming, has given the public the option to document events from their perspective.

But live streaming wasn’t an option for Korryn Gaines on Monday, when she was shot dead Monday by Baltimore County police. What began as a live stream quickly ended after law enforcement requested that her Facebook and Instagram accounts be deactivated.

Law enforcement can request that accounts be suspended via the Law Enforcement Online Request System, but is it legal or ethical to do so? Activists claim this is another way to silence the public’s narrative. When should Facebook or other live streaming services be deactivated?

Guests:

Baynard Woods, Covers Baltimore, Maryland for The Guardian, and has written about Facebook deactivating Korryn Gaines’ account per the request of the Baltimore Police Department; he tweets from @baynardwoods

Charlie Warzel, senior writer for BuzzFeed News who writes about the intersection of tech and culture. He’s been reporting on Facebook and its livestreaming service after a couple instances of police-involved shootings were livestreamed on the social media site

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and US Vice President nominee Tim Kaine acknowledge the crowd at the end on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Few times in the history of the United States, if ever, have we seen a presidential election with two more polarizing candidates.

We hear over and over again from voters who say they simply can’t stomach the thought of a Trump White House, and there are equally loud voices saying the same for Hillary Clinton. But while some voters won’t vote for Hillary because they don’t like here, there are others who won’t vote for Hillary or any female candidate simply because she’s a woman.

Rapper T.I. said late last year that he “can’t vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman” because a woman president might make “rash decisions emotionally.” And, of course, the arguments of Evangelicals and other religious voters against a woman as president are well-documented, often using Bible verses to explain why they don’t believe a woman is fit to be president.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll examine from a political, religious, and psychological point of view why some voters won’t vote for women and look at how this might impact the 2016 election.

Guests:

Julie Zauzmer, religion reporter for the Washington Post; she tweets @JulieZauzmer

Nichole Bauer, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama

An Aedes Aegypti mosquito is photographed on human skin in a lab in Cali, Colombia.; Credit: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images

Florida officials this week have confirmed the first cases of Zika transmission in the US.

As the disease spreads around the globe, scientists  have been hard at work to come up with a vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus.

A new study published on the website of the journal, Science, on Thursday, shows promise in the race for a Zika vaccine.

A research team from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, developed three experimental vaccines. The 16 monkey that were vaccinated did not contract the Zika virus.

Progress aside, researchers warn that it’d still take years for a vaccine to be available. Early trials are next, possibly slated for later this year.

Cases of Zika were first reported in Brazil in 2015. A different disease, one that is much older, has recently been affecting Siberia.

An anthrax outbreak has sickened a handful of people and caused one death. The culprit: a reindeer carcass infected with anthrax spores that has recently been thawed out by a heat wave in the region.

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but many scientists have warned that the warming planet could resuscitate once dormant diseases.

Guests:

Dan Barouch, M.D., an immunologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who co-led the Zika study

William Schaffner, MD., Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. He’s worked on a range of CDC advisory committees

Paul Manafort, national chairman of Donald Trump's campaign, checks the teleprompters before Trump's speech at the Mayflower Hotel April 27, 2016 in Washington, DC.; Credit: /Getty Images

Rumors have been circulating this week that RNC Chair Reince Priebus and members of the Trump campaign are in talks over whether Donald Trump might actually withdraw from the Republican ticket.

Many have brushed off the notion as wishful thinking on the part of some Republican elected officials, but then Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort accidentally endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan for President on Thursday.

So what would happen if he were to withdraw?

According to RNC rule No. 9, “If a presidential nominee dies or withdraws, the RNC is empowered to replace her or him via one of two methods: (1) a vote by the RNC itself in which each state would cast the same number of votes as it possessed at the recent national convention, or (2) an actual reconvening of said convention.”

The only recent precedent was in 1972 when the Democratic VP nominee, Senator Tom Eagleton, withdrew from the ticket a couple weeks after the convention after it came to light that he has several DUIs.

Guests:

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

Jeffrey Lord, a contributing editor to The American Spectator, a former aide to Ronald Reagan and author of "What America Needs: The Case for Trump"

President Barack Obama hugs his daughter Malia Obama at the Fourth of July White House party on July 4, 2016 in Washington, DC. Maila Obama celebrated her 18th birthday during the party, which featured guests including singers Janelle Monae and Kendrick Lamar.; Credit: Pool/Getty Images

President Barack Obama wrote an article for “Glamour” magazine Thursday on his role as both a father and a feminist.

In the “Glamour” exclusive, “President Barack Obama Says, ‘This Is What a Feminist Looks Like,’” Obama gives a positive outlook on the opportunities for his daughters and recounts the struggle of his single, working mother. He also acknowledges there’s more work to be done for gender equality and how his feminist ideals were shaped by rejecting the stereotypes around masculinity.

So what does it mean to be a male feminist? What can dads teach their kids about being feminists? Patt Morrison speaks to a feminist father and to listeners today for an inside look.

Hayden in Palm Springs: I’m 23 years old and I think among people my age, it’s not such a big deal to consider yourself a feminist. I agree with your guest, I think feminism has moved towards a humanist standpoint, which I think it’s great. It’s much more inclusive—in terms of the whole LGBTQ+.

Even beyond that, my mom is one of the toughest and smartest people that I know. And because of that, it’s very easy for me to be with women who are powerful and smart. I think more and more, that is the case with people my age; however, I do think that part of the reason that I hold this belief is because my mom just went back to school for her master’s degree, and she puts in about 60 hours per week at work—but she’s on salary so she doesn’t make any overtime pay.  However, she makes less than my dad, who doesn’t have a college degree. He’s been at the company for 20 years and he’s pretty high up in the ranks, but it’s frustrating for all of us in my family right now that my family busts her butt the way that she does. She’s such a tough, wonderful woman and she doesn’t get the extra pay. My mom is the most bada** person that I know.

Anthony in Silver Lake: I’m so disappointed that feminism has to be an issue. I was raised with five sisters and believe me, I know what it’s like to go to the grocery store for tampons. It has nothing to do with being feminine or masculine, it’s about intelligence. My sisters have taught me that it’s not about being male or female, but intelligence. I feel bad that women have to have this distinction, but it’s ridiculous.

James in Hollywood: I have been surrounded by wonderful, strong women in my family, my profession and in my relationships. But I think I really started identifying as a feminist was just before graduate school, and in graduate school. I started connecting the lack of feminist values in our culture, in a broad way, to larger issues: to ecology, health; to men’s issues, in terms of the way that the men’s culture is and how that can be awkward and stifling and limiting; to sexuality and to gender issues. I started to see how calling myself a feminist sort of aligned with all the values I had socially and politically, and not just in terms of women’s issues.

Guests:

Kathleen Gerson, a professor of sociology at New York University, where she writes about gender, work, and family life in the US. She is the author of many books, including“No Man’s Land: Men’s Changing Commitments to Family and Work” (Basic Books, 1994)

Michael Kasdan,  Director of Special Projects at The Good Men Project, an online publication focusing on modern masculinity. A declared feminist, he is a dad of a son and a daughter

This story has been updated.

Listener comments have been edited for clarity.

Actor Matthew Modine, actress Winona Ryder and Chief Content Officer for Netflix Ted Sarandos attend the Premiere of Netflix's "Stranger Things" at Mack Sennett Studios.; Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

For those who remember the oversized eyeglasses and synthesized soundtracks of the ‘80s, watching Netflix’s “Stranger Things” can bring on a wave of nostalgia.

Shows like “Mad Men,” “Freaks and Geeks” and “That '70s Show” have a definite hook and attention to detail with styling. Even for those who don’t remember the '60s, who doesn’t want to imagine what it’s like to get a drink with Don Draper?

But what exactly goes into production design for a period television show or film? And what part does nostalgia play in our interest to watch?

“Stranger Things” production designer, Chris Trujillo joined Larry Mantle today to discuss the process and strategy of re-creating an era on film.

Interview highlights

When you’re trying to evoke an era, how do you keep it from looking too jam-packed with caricatures or stereotypes?

Chris Trujillo: It’s particularly tricky with the ‘80s because everybody has a very specific and sometimes outlandish sense of what the ‘80s look like. It’s all either neons or these big shoulder pads and big glasses. And obviously you need to show those things but it was definitely tricky to find a balance where you’re not distracting an audience by blasting them with the most obvious touchstones of what we think of when we think of the ‘80s. Firstly, we try and understand who these characters are on a really basic level and we kind of go from there.

In “Mad Men” for example, it was as if no older furniture made it into that era and everyone seemed like they had constantly redecorated. People didn’t always have things or wear clothes that just defined that decade. How did you mix eras to make things look authentic?

Trujillo: A lot of that is approached from understanding the characters on a socioeconomic level. You’ve got your stressed out, working class, single mom [character], so her house is not going to have the most up-to-date furniture from 1980 or ‘81. For that kind of set, we like to think about when that furniture would have been bought and what level of wear and tear it would have. And understanding that more than likely, she hasn’t redecorated since 1975.

What kind of research do you do to capture a decade?

Trujillo: I like to start with source material from the decade. We pored over all of the suburban women’s magazines, “Better Homes and Gardens,” “Architectural Digest,” “Life” magazine. The “Sears” catalogue was an invaluable asset to us. It’s always about starting with the media of the time to get a really clear sense of what specifically was going on.

But people didn’t lived the way the catalogues, so how do you find that balance?

Trujillo: Absolutely, and that’s where really it’s really important to understanding where the characters are as individuals, their past and what’s going on with them in the present. That’s where you really start to build a life layer into the sets beyond just the larger pieces of furniture or wallpaper choices. You really start to think about what the ephemera on the tables should be [etc.] and that’s where you start to sell [the characters] as real people.

*This interview has been edited for clarity.

Guest:

Chris Trujillo, production designer for “Stranger Things”

Supporters of gay marriage rally on the steps of the State Capitol November 22, 2008 in Sacramento.; Credit: Max Whittaker/Getty Images

A bill making its way through the California legislature is shining a light on the struggle between religious freedom and LGBT rights on the campuses of religious colleges and universities in California.

SB1146 would get rid of an exemption that has allowed religious institutions to be free from state anti-discrimination laws and to ask for exemption from federal Title IX laws.

Currently, religious colleges and universities are allowed to designate housing assignments based on sex, not gender identity, and to discipline students who violate school conduct policies involving sexuality. The new law would allow students to sue educational institutions who deny them housing based on gender identity or sexuality and require that any religious institution receiving state or federal exemptions to anti-discrimination laws disclose that exemption to current students and those who might attend in the future.

Officials at California’s religious colleges and universities argue that the bill is a direct attack on their ability to exercise religious freedom, and that the elimination of the exemption could also prevent them from accessing CalGrant money that the state gives to low-income students.

Should religious educational institutions be allowed to continue receiving exemptions from state and federal anti-discrimination laws? What would the impact be on the schools’ ability to obtain funding from state and federal government? How far does/should the protection of religious freedom extend when it comes to religious colleges and universities?

Guests:

Jo Michael, Legislative Manager, Equality California - an advocacy group focused on LGBTQ rights; Sponsors of SB 1146

Darren Guerra, Associate Professor of Political Science - with a scholarly focus on American Politics, Constitutional Law, and Public Policy, Biola University

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Some religious schools have these statements of faith for students, which can include abstaining from sex during their time there. Is there any problem with schools continuing those kinds of statements of faith under this legislation? 

Jo Michael: The intent of this legislation ... is to address discrimination that students face at these religious institutions. It's not about policies applied equally regardless of whether a student is LGBT or not LGBT. The question is when there is a policy used to discriminate against a student on the basis of their sexual orientation or their gender identity – for example, if there's a policy against gay students and presumably lesbian students engaging in sexual activity or even dating and there is NOT a policy against students of different sexes dating. When there's that kind of disparate impact that is just based on somebody's sexual orientation or gender identity – really just discriminating against students based on who they are – that's what we're concerned about and that's what the bill addresses. 

What about transgender rights if you have a school that believes gender is fixed? For example, if a transgender student identifies as a gender other than his or her anatomy, do you think the school doesn't have a right to say "no, your anatomy is male or female, so you need to be in the dorm housing that goes along with that?"

JM: That becomes a significant issue. California's existing non-discrimination law states that people need to be respected according to their gender identity and the way that they are living in the world. There's not room for the kind of discrimination that really targets somebody based on that deeply held aspect of who they are. If you have a student who's transgender, and is simply asking to be accommodated in the way that other students are – to be able to be housed according to their gender identity – that's something that the California non-discrimination law is already very clear about. There really should be no difference in how that student is treated, whether they're going to a private religious school or a public school in California. 

Professor Guerra, what would be the effect of this bill, if it passes, on Biola?

Darren Guerra: It would limit the academic freedom of our students to choose where they want to go to school, it would limit our religious freedom to express our faith traditions whether Catholic, Jewish, Protestant or other and to have learning communities that express our faith the way this faith has been handed down for thousands of years. It would expose us to frivolous lawsuits from anyone who might take offense for whatever reason to our faith traditions. It would disproportionately impact, at least on our campus and others, minority students who receive Cal Grants and who are increasingly taking the opportunity to avail themselves of our education at our institution. 

What percentage of your students are Cal Grant recipients?

DG: At our school, we have 879 Cal Grant recipients – 37 percent of those are Latino, 25 percent are Asian, 3 percent are African-American and 30 percent are white.

It's a significant percentage of your student population. Does this apply to federal funding at all?

DG: At this point, SB 1146 would only apply to state funding, but as we all know what starts in California rarely stays in California, and if successful here, I can easily see these types of measures at other states and at the federal level. 

Does the statement of faith for incoming Biola students address sexuality?

DG: Yes. As you know, faith traditions have codes of conduct regarding sexuality. We believe that the key to human flourishing is engaging in moderation in the area of sexuality. All students, gay or straight, have to sign on to a code of conduct before they come here. One might ask why would students sign on to this code of conduct, and I think students gay and straight believe that a faith-based community has some insights into the true, the good and the beautiful, and they want to experience that.  They want to learn in an environment that encourages moderation in these areas and encourages them to see themselves as more than sexual beings, but at whole persons who can flourish in many ways.

These interviews have been edited for clarity. You can listen to the full segment by clicking the blue play button above.

Flag bearer Michael Phelps of the United States and Ibtihaj Muhammad lead the U.S. Olympic Team during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 5, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images

If you’re normally someone who avoids watching sports, the Olympics may be the exception.

Even with all of Rio’s controversies, the country’s landscape combined with athletes’ stories and struggles for one moment of glory may be the driving force to watch.

But there are downsides to this year’s Olympics coverage. With Rio four hours ahead of Los Angeles time, spoilers for who wins the gold are rampant on social media or news alerts. That’s what happened to many fans of the games last night, when Michael Phelps won the 4x100 freestyle relay.

And with streaming even more popular since the last games, will the Olympics beat out binge-watching your favorite Netflix series?

If you don’t normally watch sports, why do you watch the Olympics? How do you avoid spoilers with Rio’s time difference?

Guest:

Andrew Wallenstein, co-editor-in-chief for “Variety”; he tweets from @awallenstein

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers an economic policy address detailing his economic plan at the Detroit Economic Club August 8, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan.; Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

In front of a boisterous crowd at the Detroit Economic Club, presidential hopeful Donald Trump put policy specifics to broad goals as he laid out his vision for an economic plan.

He advocated for three tax brackets, rather than the current seven. They would top out at 33 percent after deductions. The corporate tax rate would  drop from 35 percent to 15 percent, and he said he would eliminate the inheritance tax.

“What Mr. Trump did today was he laid out a total economic package, the goal of which is to double our economic growth rate, basically create trillions of dollars in new tax revenues and millions of jobs,” said Peter Navarro, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine and a member of the official economic advisory council for Donald Trump’s campaign.

Calling it a “second ‘Reagan Revolution,’” Navarro said that Trump’s plan would increase the GDP growth rate from its 15-year average of 1.8 percent to around 3.5 or 4 percent, which would lead to new tax revenue sizeable enough to offset revenue loss from tax cuts.

Jared Berenstein,  senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and an informal economic adviser to the Hillary Clinton campaign, wasn’t buying these figures. He argued that similar trickle-down policies enacted by presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan drained the Treasury of revenue and disproportionately benefitted the wealthy.

“I very much enjoy dessert, and I wish I could just eat ice cream sundaes all week long and never gain a pound,” Berenstein said. “But it just doesn’t work this way. We’ve tried this supply-side trickle-down business for decades now, and the result is extremely consistent.”

Navarro emphasized that focusing only on taxes ignores the synergy of Trump’s plan, which Navarro said will create a “pro-business, pro-economic climate” in the United States. He pointed to what he called “the four points on the compass” of Trump’s economic strategy to demonstrate how the Republican nominee would begin to create this environment.

1. Energy policy: “Trump wants to revive our energy sector and make it a key competitive advantage while putting people back to work.”
2. Regulatory policy: “Trump will put a moratorium on new regulations and ask his agencies to review every regulation and streamline them.”
3. Taxes: “When you lower the corporate tax rate, you basically have more assembly plants being built in Michigan than Mexico.”
4. Trade: “Trade deficits sap the lifeblood out of our economy.”

Navarro explained how he sees two of these points — taxes and trade — working in tandem.

Navarro: We have the highest corporate tax rate in the world. What does that high corporate tax rate do? In places like Michigan, where Donald Trump gave his speech today, it pushes companies like GM and Ford to Mexico for a tax break. We’ve seen in the last two years those two companies basically send to Mexico over $5 billion of new investment that should have stayed in Michigan. What Trump does with his tax plan is to try to create incentives to bring jobs back to America.

While Berenstein agreed that persistent trade deficits are harmful to American workers, he saw a very different solution to reforming the corporate tax rate.

Berenstein: We already have a massive tax avoidance industry, and one of the ways you stop that is you start closing some of the loopholes that so many of those folks take advantage of. I think you have to be mindful of the limits on how far you can go with that, but if you look at America in terms of its international taxation comparative to any advanced economy, we’re way at the low end. Our statutory rate is too high — 35 percent percent. The thing is, very few corporations actually pay that, because of all the loopholes. Start closing the loopholes, make sure the IRS is adequately funded to implement the tax policy, and there is no doubt in my mind that we could raise revenues.

Hillary Clinton will unveil her jobs plan Thursday, also in Detroit.

These interviews have been edited for clarity.

Guests:

John (Jack) Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College

Louis DeSipio, Director, Center for the Study of Democracy, UCI

Peter Navarro, professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine and a member of the official economic advisory council for Donald Trump’s campaign; he is the author of “Crouching Tiger: What China’s Militarism Means for the World” (Prometheus Books, 2015)

Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and an informal advisor to the Hillary Clinton campaign

Marilyn Thompson, editor at the Washington Post; she recently worked on a piece about Clinton’s failed job efforts as Senator of NY

This story has been updated.

AFP Technician Hussein Mourtada works next to journalist Roba El-Husseini from the Arabic desk on March 14, 2014 at the Middle-East and North Africa headquarters of the global news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.; Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

The hit show "Mad Men" helped illustrate what “boys clubs” were like in corporate America in the 20th Century.

The show's glass-ceiling cracker, Peggy, lost business opportunities by being excluded from her male colleagues' golf games, bathroom breaks, call-girl outings, and the like.

While many American industries are still dominated by Caucasian men, especially in management positions, other workplaces are more representative of America's urban demographics - including language diversity. Employees at these workplaces create different types of cliques, but with implications similar to those faced by Peggy.

In some offices dominated by women, the ladies’ washroom offers a space for junior employees to mingle with senior employees/employers, possibly gaining a special edge at the office.

Other workplaces have cliques based on language. Cliques of foreign language-speakers can spur the exclusion of colleagues who aren't fluent in those tongues.

A 2004 study focused on "language exclusion" in work teams. The findings, presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, indicated that workers who felt excluded when their coworkers spoke a foreign language liked their coworkers less and perceived their work team as less successful.

Have you ever felt ostracized or excluded at work due to your gender or ethnicity? Have you ever been part of group that excluded coworkers? What was the effect on the environment and productivity?

Guest:

Mindy Bergman, Ph.D., Professor of Organizational Psychology, Texas A & M University

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey answers reporters' questions during a news conference at the Pentagon October 30, 2014 in Arlington, Virginia.; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Army General Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, doesn’t think so, but yesterday 50 former national security officials signed an open letter warning about the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency.

It says he "would be the most reckless President in American history," that "he lacks the character, values, and experience for the job, and that he'd put the nation's security at risk. The signatories include former high-ranking military leaders.

That's par for the course in this campaign, as both party conventions featured retired generals blasting the opposing party's candidate.

12 generals have run for and held the office of President of the United States.

We’ll debate the role of military in elections.

Guests:

Don M. Snider, a Senior Fellow in the Center for Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE). He is former Director of Defense Policy of the National Security Council in the White House, serving in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations. His recent op-ed on General Dempsey’s statement appeared in the Washington Post

Rachel VanLandingham, Lt. Colonel (Ret’d., U.S. Air Force); Former Air Force Judge Advocate (2000-2012); From 2006-2010, legal advisor for international law at Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq; Associate Professor, Southwestern Law School in LA

A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump heckles demonstrators before the start of a rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago on March 11, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. The campaign decided to postpone the rally, citing safety concerns, after learning hundreds of demonstrators were given tickets for the event.; Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

In recent weeks, violent rhetoric aimed at Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called for her to be hanged or shot by firing squad.

The latest instance was a Riverside Republican who used that county's official Republican Party Twitter account to post an image of a masked, bloody hangman with the text: "I'm ready for Hillary." Nathan Miller has since resigned from his job at the California Board of Equalization and could face further fallout.

During the Republican convention in Cleveland, Trump advisor and state representative from New Hampshire Al Baldasaro was discussing the Benghazi affair on a radio show and said, "This whole thing disgusts me, Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason."

Not since the Civil War era has political rhetoric been so violent, according to presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.

"In the U.S. Senate people would be each other with canes. Duels happened regularly between government officials if you insulted someone. So the idea of violent rhetoric isn't new, but this isn't the 19th Century anymore. In our age of political assassinations, when you call for the hanging of a candidate, that is a death threat."

Why has this election cycle and/or these candidates stirred extreme rhetoric?

Guest:

Douglas Brinkley, Presidential Historian & Professor of History, Rice University; Fellow, James Baker, III Institute for Public Policy

Protesters rally in front of to City Hall in support of the decision to bring charges against the six police officers who arrested Freddie Gray on May 2, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland.; Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Last week the Movement for Black Lives, an umbrella organization that includes Black Lives Matter put forth a platform describing the group’s political aspiration and motivations.

 The platform presents six different sets of demands, including a call for reparations, divestment from fossil fuels, and a decrease in military spending. The most controversial part of the platform by far is its stance on Israel, which it calls an “apartheid state.”

Yesterday, "Orange is the New Black'' actor Matt McGorry and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, White People for Black Lives and Asian Pacific Islanders delivered a petition with more than 9,000 signatures calling on Mayor Eric Garcetti to immediately fire LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

We talk about the platform, the backlash to its position on Israel and get listener feedback.

Guests:

Jody Armour, the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at USC, and author of the book "Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism"

Joe R. Hicks, Vice President of Community Advocates, Inc.

A young woman samples freshly-brewed cappuccino. A growing number of so-called third wave artisinal coffee bean roasters are finding a niche market in Europe and the USA for their carefully-crafted and expensive coffee.; Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

What makes a cup of coffee undeniably delicious? Is it the type of coffee roast or is it all in the brew?

In recent decades, flavor profiles have been particularly important due to the current “third wave coffee” period-- where coffee-drinkers are conscientious about the quality and experience of the beverage and are willing to pay more for it.

Chain coffee shops like Starbucks are no longer viewed as a place that serves premium brews, instead, they’re viewed as generic and are generally avoided by third wavers. With new coffee shops vying for your tastebuds --and your wallet-- it can be challenging to find the perfect cup of Joe, so call us at 866-893-5722 to share your favorite coffee shop, brand and/or brew with us.

Guest:

Jason Sarley, Assistant editor and sensory analyst, Coffee Review in Oakland, an independent, third-party coffee reviewer; certified Q-grader; and certified roaster through the Roasters Guild of America

A student uses a laptop computer during a English lesson at the Ridings Federation Winterbourne International Academy.; Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

In our online lives, a lot of us make privacy concessions for the benefit of free email services or using social media.

But what about handing over personal details to your internet company for a lower bill?

That’s what Comcast defended in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission last week. The web service wants to offer two different plans: Privacy-conscious customers can pay more to keep their information out of the hands of marketers and those trying to save a few bucks can opt for a lower bill but with more ads online.

In the FCC filing Comcast argues this kind of information exchange already exists online, for example when you use Google or Facebook and then get personalized ads.

According to Comcast, banning two-tier pricing “would harm consumers by, among other things, depriving them of lower-priced offerings.”

Critics say pay-for-privacy discounts aren’t about providing lower-income customers with more options; they’re make the basic right to privacy cost prohibitive. The FCC is currently reviewing new rules on internet privacy. For now the potential regulations don’t ban two-tier pricing but it’s not out of the question.

Last week FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said, “I would hope that privacy doesn't become a luxury item.”

Do you feel people should pay more for their internet service to see less ads? Does two-tier pricing create privacy inequality online for those with less disposable income or give customers more affordable options? Would you share personal information for cheaper internet access?

Guests:

Doug Brake, Telecom Policy Analyst, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Dallas Harris, Policy fellow, Public Knowledge --a digital-rights group in Washington D.C; she tweets from @dallashpk