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Understanding China’s globalization through a softer lens: a journalist’s family

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View of the skyline of Shanghai during the J.P. Morgan China Squash Open 2017 in Shanghai on September 3, 2017.; Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

When tasked with opening the first China bureau for the daily radio program “Marketplace,” reporter and correspondent Scott Tong realized that the changing landscape of the world’s largest populated country could be captured through the stories of five individuals: his family members.

In his new book, “A Village with My Name: A Family History of China’s Opening to the World,” Tong reconnects with extended relatives and traces key events embedded in their lives – from the end of the Qing dynasty, to the Great Leap Forward, to China’s One Child Policy and today’s factory and export boom – to help shape a refreshing, disparate understanding of modern-day China.

Larry sits down with the veteran reporter to talk about the book and his efforts to unearth China’s mounting history at a much more human level.

Guest:

Scott Tong, former China correspondent and founding Shanghai bureau chief for Marketplace; his new book is “A Village with My Name: A Family History of China’s Opening to the World” (The University of Chicago Press, 2017); he is currently a correspondent on Marketplace’s sustainability desk

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.


Privacy, national security experts debate the future of FISA Section 702 government surveillance

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Senate Intelligence Committee Holds Closed Hearing

Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is accompanied by plain-clothed U.S. Capitol Police as he arrives for a classified hearing at the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill October 26, 2017 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

AirTalk®

The law allowing the U.S. government to collect emails and other information non-U.S. persons on foreign soil was extended this week in Congress as the House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday morning that continues government surveillance and information collection allowed under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for another six years.

The programs were set to expire on December 31, 2017, but Congress passed a short-term extension as part of a continuing resolution to fund the government before leaving Capitol Hill for the end-of-year holidays. With lawmakers back in Washington, the focus turned to the House Intelligence Committee’s bill, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017.

Section 702 has been a controversial topic and one that intelligence communities say is crucial to national security and counterterrorism but privacy advocates argue constitutes government overreach and invasion of privacy. Among the concerns, they say, is the fact that the 702 database may contain communications involving Americans who have contacted foreign targets that were acquired by the government without first getting an individualized warrant. The House Intelligence Committee’s bill would have required that the government obtain a warrant to search the 702 database, but only if it plans to use the information in prosecuting a criminal case. Privacy advocates say this doesn’t go far enough. They wanted to see the USA Rights Act, an amendment that privacy advocates and opponents of the House bill are pushing that would require government warrants before it looked in the 702 database for any information at all about Americans in criminal cases, passed in conjunction with the legislation to extend the program, as it would have replaced some of the language in the House’s bill with which privacy advocates disagreed.

What potential effect will this have on the U.S. government’s ability to surveil foreign targets? Do you think the Section 702 programs are necessary for national security or an example of invasion of privacy and government overreach?

Guests:

Robyn Greene, policy counsel and government affairs lead for the Open Technology Institute at New America (formerly New America Foundation), a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington D.C.; she tweets @Robyn_Greene

Asha Rangappa, senior lecturer at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University; she is a former FBI Special Agent specializing in counterintelligence investigations; she tweets @AshaRangappa_

 

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Heavy rains in SoCal cause mudslides, damage and freeway closures

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A home is surrounded by mud and debris caused by a massive mudflow in Montecito, California, January 10, 2018. ; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Hundreds of rescue workers are searching for bodies buried by debris in the Santa Barbara County’s Montecito.

Eight people are missing. Seventeen confirmed dead. Parts of the town are covered in mud, boulders, tree limbs, and splintered lumber. Fifty-nine residences were destroyed, with hundreds damaged. AirTalk has this latest update.

Guests:

Amber Anderson, public information officer for the City of Santa Barbara

Lance Orozco, news director with KCLU, our sister NPR station covering Ventura County; he is in Montecito

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

What Trump’s reported sh*thole comment tells us about WH politics, shifting immigration policy and the state of the media

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President Trump Holds News Conference With Prime Minister Solberg Of Norway

U.S. President Donald Trump walks up to speak to the media with Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway in the East Room at the White House, on January 10, 2018 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Decoding Trump’s reported use of a vulgarity in describing countries including Haiti and El Salvador.

It’s more than just a word, but points to bigger issues inside and outside the White House. Larry speaks with NPR’s Ron Elving and our panel of guests about Trump’s use of the word, and what it reflects politically and what it means for the immigration debate today.

Guests:

Ron Elving,  senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News

Philip Wolgin, managing director for Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress; he tweets @pwolgin

Andrew Arthur, resident Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies

Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US Supreme Court to examine constitutionality of attorney conceding client’s guilt despite the accused’s objections

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A police officer stands guard on the steps of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, June 15, 2017.; Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

In 2011, Robert McCoy was facing three counts of murder and, if convicted, a trip to Louisiana’s death row.

He had fired his original public defenders after not seeing eye-to-eye with them, and his family had hired a criminal defense attorney named Larry English to take their place. When English said he wanted to admit McCoy’s guilt in court in the hopes that it might bolster his credibility with the jury (and maybe even prevent a death sentence), McCoy protested. He wanted English to maintain his innocence, arguing local police had framed him for the murders to cover up a drug smuggling ring they were running. Despite his client’s objections, English told the jury that the evidence pointed to his client as the culprit of the murders.

So, was it unconstitutional for English to do this?

This question is at the heart of oral arguments being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court today. McCoy wants a new trial because he says his Sixth Amendment right to assistance of counsel was violated when English refused to maintain his innocence in court. The state of Louisiana says that while some cases do require a client’s consent before moving ahead with a legal strategy, that this case wasn’t one of them, and cited a 2004 U.S. Supreme Court case which ruled, in part, that an attorney admitting a client’s guilt does not equate to a guilty plea.

Where do you come down on this case? Was McCoy’s right to assistance of counsel violated? Or was English’s strategy of admitting guilt to save his client’s life the best option? Where do you think the line is between being in charge of your own defense and deferring to your attorney?

Guests:

Daniel Suleiman, partner at the Washington D.C. offices of Covington & Burling and a former senior official in the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division from 2010-2013

Stanley Goldman, professor of law at Loyola Law School and former deputy public defender for Los Angeles County

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

North Korea’s ‘Army of Beauties’ and other things you might see at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang

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In this handout image provided by the South Korean Unification Ministry, South Korean Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-Sung, (R) shakes hands with the head of North Korean delegation Jon Jong-Su (L) after their meeting on January 17, 2018 in Panmunjom, South Korea. ; Credit: Handout

AirTalk®

Tensions have been high between South and North Koreas, but the Winter Olympics taking place in Pyeongchang are providing a slight opportunity for diplomacy between the two places.

South Korea has announced that it will field a combined women’s ice hockey team with players from North Korea at next month’s Winter games. The two Koreas will also march under one flag.

North Korea will also send a delegation of more than 400 people, including 140 artists and 30 Taekwondo players for a demonstration.

Additionally, the North will send around 230 cheerleaders, all of which are members of a special cheerleading squad made up of beautiful, young North Koreans that has been dubbed the “Army of Beauties” by some in the South.

Check out this video from the Army Times on this famed group of cheerleaders:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TzX72KjPUhs

Guests:

Sergey Radchenko,  professor of international politics at Cardiff University in the UK, whose areas of specialties include Asia and Cold War politics; he has studied the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and what it meant for relations between the North and South Koreas

Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on the Koreas, and a professor in Korean Studies at The Fletcher School at Tufts University in Massachusetts

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Another price hike for CA bullet train, plus potential downsizing of Delta tunnels

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Governor of California Jerry Brown speaks during a panel conference at the One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017, at La Seine Musicale venue on l'ile Seguin in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris.; Credit: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

On Tuesday, it was announced that Gov. Jerry Brown’s bullet train project will cost $10.6 billion – that’s an increase of about $2.8 billion from what’s in the current budget.

The price of acquiring the land needed for the project, moving utility systems and installing the needed safety measures are all on the list of issues which drove the price increase for the train. That means the California High Speed Rail Authority may need to go back to the Legislature for more funding, and it’s unclear what this means for the project.

Meanwhile, potential changes are portended for Brown’s Delta tunnels project. Last week, California officials told potential contractors that the project may be downsized from two tunnels to one.

We get the latest on these California developments.

Guests:

Ralph Vartabedian, L.A. Times national correspondent; he has been following this story; he tweets @RVartabedian

Dale Kasler, covering water and the environment for the Sacramento Bee; he’s been following this story; he tweets @dakasler

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

How necessary are annual physical exams?

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Doctors Seek Higher Fees From Health Insurers

A doctor checks a patient's blood pressure on September 5, 2012 in Berlin, Germany.; Credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images

Caitlin Plummer | AirTalk®

Doctors recommend coming into their offices for a check-up and blood work once a year… but is the cost to insurers and patients worth the benefits?

Some experts are saying no, as a variety of studies suggest these appointments don’t actually prevent disease or prolong a patient’s life. Plus, they take up a lot of time and money – a 2007 study found about 10 percent of all appointments with primary care physicians are for annual physicals, costing more than $10 billion per year and possibly making it more difficult for sick patients to visit their doctors.

But supporters of the annual physical exam argue they’re necessary to form trusting doctor-patient relationships and increase patient accountability for any unhealthy habits they may be struggling with. Regular check-ins can also help physicians identify dementia, depression or cognitive delays if a patient’s behavior has shifted over time.

Patients, do you feel you benefit from your annual physical? Has your doctor ever detected a health issue you weren’t aware of, or is it perfunctory hoop you have to jump through every year? And doctors, what are your thoughts on the recommended yearly preventative exam? Do you feel it serves you and your patients, would you fix it, or just do away with it all together?

Guests:

David Hilden, MD, MPH, assistant chief of medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota medical school

Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School; he co-authored the 2007 study “Preventive Health Examinations and Preventive Gynecological Examinations in the United States

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.


Air quality regulators considering proposal to ban or reduce risk of toxic chemical at Torrance, Wilmington oil refineries

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A man works on his car in front of his home which is located near an oil refinery (background) in Wilmington, California on August 9, 2008.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is expected to meet with representatives from the Torrance and Wilmington petroleum refineries on Saturday to discuss a proposal that could ban or change their use of modified hydrofluoric acid (MHF) — a potentially lethal chemical if leaked.

The two Southern California refineries are believed to be the only refineries in the state that use MHF.

Saturday’s meeting, which is open to the public, comes after two years of community groups pushing for a total ban of the toxic chemical following an explosion at the Torrance Refinery in February of 2015, where a 40-ton piece of debris landed just five feet away from a tank filled with thousands of gallons of the acid.

An MHF leak could cause a catastrophic public health issue because it doesn’t dissipate into the air and severely damages the eyes, lungs and heart function.

But the likelihood of a leak is very low, and critics say it would cost hundreds of jobs to remove or replace the chemical, causing a spike in gas prices.

We speak with KPCC’s Sharon McNary who has been following the story closely since the explosion, and hear from both sides of the proposal.

For more information on the public comment hearing on Saturday, click here.

Guests:

Sharon McNary, infrastructure reporter for KPCC who’s been following this story

David Pettit, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council

Mike Karlovich, a spokesman for PBF Energy which owns the Torrance refinery

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

We have the tech to surveil kids like never before – what are the repercussions and boundaries?

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Logan Roe, 7, tries out the augmented reality system that shows what the finished Apple Park will look like at the opening of the Apple Park Visitor Center on November 17, 2017 in Cupertino, California.; Credit: AMY OSBORNE/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

From iPhone trackers to television parental controls that censor the content that kids watch, parents these days have a lot of technological options if they want to surveil their children’s lives – but to what extent should they?

That’s the theme explored in “Arkangel,” a recent episode of the sci fi show “Black Mirror,” in which a mother has her child implanted with a tracker that allows her to monitor her daughter’s location, censor stressful situations and even see from her point-of-view.  

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yef_HfQoBd8

Of course, putting a tracker inside a child’s skull comes with complex ethical implications, but even parents today have the ability to monitor their children and intervene in their lives in technological ways that weren’t available before.

When does monitoring your child through technology cross a boundary? How did you decide to what extent to surveil your child or censor the content they see? How does this impact the child-parent trust relationship and how do those boundaries change as toddlers turn into teens?

We talk to a psychologist and take your stories and questions, at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Kaveri Subrahmanyam, chair of the Department of Child and Family Studies and professor of psychology at Cal State L.A. and associate director of the Children's Digital Media Center at UCLA / Cal State L.A.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Are national injunctions creating ‘judge shopping’? Debating their use and legality

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Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson gives a press conference asking a federal judge to block US President Donald Trump's revised travel ban by affirming an order blocking the first ban, in Seattle, Washington on March 9, 2017.; Credit: JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

In 2015, it was a Texas federal judge who blocked then President Barack Obama’s plans to expand DACA and implement DAPA using a national injunction. Last week, a San Francisco federal judge also issued a nationwide injunction to temporarily block President Donald Trump’s move to end DACA.

The latter has once again sparked arguments concerning the legality of using local cases to halt national orders, and whether or not these injunctions have become a partisan tool to diminish an impartial judiciary.

Until the Obama and Trump administrations, national injunctions had been used sparingly. But in the last 10 years, federal judges have hampered executive actions of the presidency on policies ranging from overtime pay, to transgender rights, to recent travel bans and more.

Because there exists no clear rule for either authorizing or prohibiting the use of such injunctions, legal scholars have become increasingly split. Some argue the injunctions are unconstitutional and create “judge shopping” among lawyers who will seek after politically sympathetic judges for their cases. Others say universal injunctions offer necessary benefits to ensure complete remedies to a plaintiff.

We hear from experts on both sides.

Guests:

Howard M. Wasserman, professor of law at Florida International University; his expertise includes civil procedure, federal courts and civil rights

Amanda Frost, professor of law at American University and director of its SJD program; her expertise includes civil procedure, federal courts and immigration

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Should LA sue oil companies over climate change and would the suit stand a chance?

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City Council Los Angeles

Mike Bonin at a Los Angeles City Council meeting on August 6th, 2013. Bonin moved to sue oil companies for their contributions to climate change and their negative effects on LA on Jan. 12, 2018.; Credit: Mae Ryan/KPCC

AirTalk®

As Southern California recovers from the wildfires and mudslides, two L.A. Councilmembers are pushing a proposal for the city to sue oil companies and get financial reimbursement for “knowing that their business practice was contributing to climate change and doing nothing to stop their destructive ways.”

The current move is preliminary, calling for a meeting with City Attorney Mike Feuer to discuss potential legal claims and also calling on the city to file an amicus brief in a similar claim made by New York city against five prominent oil companies, including Chevron and ExxonMobil.

Similar climate change suits have also been filed by San Francisco and Oakland. Critics of the move say individual oil companies can’t be held responsible for the effects of climate change, and that this claim focuses on the negatives of oil production without looking at the benefits.

Is this a feasible lawsuit? Would it be a wise policy move for Los Angeles to sue petroleum companies? Is there any precedent for this case?

Guests:

Richard Frank. professor of Environmental Practice and director of the California Environmental Law & Policy Center at the University of California, Davis school of law

Damien Schiff, a senior attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation; he focuses on federal and state environmental and land-use issues

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

LA is on Amazon’s longlist for its HQ2. But Angelenos, is it something you want?

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Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive officer of Amazon. ; Credit: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Amazon has narrowed down the 238 location proposals to just 20 places and Los Angeles is one of them.

Besides the City of Angels, other contenders on the longlist include Austin, Newark, Miami, and Nashville.

The prize of hosting Amazon’s second headquarters, dubbed HQ2, comes with 50,000 jobs, plus all the ancillary businesses that would  spring up to take advantage of Amazon’s presence.

What do the 20 cities on the list tell us about what qualities Amazon is looking for in a second base? Angelenos, do you want Amazon to set up shop in this city? Call us at 866-893.5722 to let us know.

Guest:

Nathan Bomey, reporter for USA Today who’s been following Amazon’s search for a second headquarters

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

New scientific study supports lowering DUI threshold to 0.05, increasing alcohol taxes

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Miami Police Erect DUI Checkpoints During Holiday Season

Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department conducts a field sobriety test at a DUI traffic checkpoint December 15, 2006 in Miami, Florida.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

AirTalk®

On Wednesday, the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a 489-page report with multiple recommendations to curb “entirely preventable” drunk-driving related deaths in the U.S., including lowering the blood-alcohol concentration from 0.08 to 0.05.

The federally funded report also calls for states to increase its alcohol taxes and limit its availability in bars, restaurants and stores by reducing the days and hours alcohol is sold.

Although the number of drunk-driving related deaths has significantly dropped by half in the last 30 years, nearly 10,000 people still die each year from traffic accidents related to driving under the influence, with almost 40 percent of fatalities being victims other than the drinking driver. According to the report, women weighing over 120 pounds and men up to 160 pounds would reach the 0.05 threshold after two drinks.

The alcohol and restaurant industry are in fierce opposition, saying that a new threshold wouldn’t deter repeat offenders, and that tax increases and advertising bans will have little to no impact on traffic safety.

We take a closer look at the study and debate its recommendations with industry experts.

Guests:

Steven M. Teutsch, M.D., doctor of internal medicine who chaired the committee report; he is also an adjunct professor at UCLA and a senior fellow at both the Public Health Institute and USC’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics

Sarah Longwell, managing director of the American Beverage Institute

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The deadline approaches: how likely is a government shutdown and what would it mean for CA?

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Majority Leader Paul Ryan Holds Weekly Press Conference At The Capitol

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) answers questions on the possibility of a government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on January 18, 2018 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Republicans and Democrats continue talks on a short-term funding measure as the Friday government shutdown deadline approaches.

The House is planning to vote on a spending bill later today, and both the future of DACA and funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are significant issues on the negotiating table.

The last time we had a government shutdown was in 2013, lasted for 16 days and its impact reverberated from California’s National Parks tourism industry to its businesses.

What would a government shutdown portend for California? What’s the latest on negotiations? And if we do have a shutdown, which political party would be blamed?

Guests:

Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News

John Woolfolk, general assignment reporter  for the Bay Area News Group, based at The Mercury News; he’s been following this story; he tweets @JohnWoolfolk1

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.


Women’s March 2.0: A look ahead to the movement’s anniversary

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Women's March Los Angeles

A view of the signs at the women's march in Los Angeles on January 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

AirTalk®

This weekend marks the first anniversary of the Women’s March, where an estimated 750,000 Angelenos took to the streets to join one of the largest national and international movements on Jan. 21, 2017, the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

One year later, organizers are now focusing its inaugural march on bringing “power to the polls” in a lead up to the November 2018 midterm elections. Among the long lineup of celebrities and activists expected to attend the Los Angeles march on Saturday include Scarlett Johansson, Laverne Cox and Mayor Eric Garcetti. But will this weekend’s turnout prove to be a sustainable political movement?

AirTalk opens up the phones to talk to listeners who are planning to join the march – as well as those who might decide to opt out this year.

Call us at 866-893-5722.

We reached out to the Women’s March Los Angeles Foundation but they were unavailable to join us for an interview.

Guest:

Michelle Faust, KPCC health care reporter who will be covering the march this weekend; she tweets @MicheReports

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

New USC-Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll shows decreasing support for Trump, hopeful outlook on economy

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US President Donald Trump speaks live via video link to the annual "March for Life" participants and anti-abortion leaders on January 19, 2018 from the White House in Washington, DC. ; Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Nearly a year after Trump’s inauguration, USC-Dornsife/Los Angeles Times has released its new nationwide poll which reflects declining support for the president and portends trouble for the GOP in the coming midterms.

55 percent of the people polled did not approve of Trump’s performance, compared to 32 percent that did approve. Despite people’s outlook on the economy being fairly rosy, some are reading the poll numbers as predicting that Democrats will take the House in November.

We break down the results of the poll.

Guest:

Bob Shrum, the director of the Unruh Institute of Politics at USC, one of the entities behind the new poll

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The state of the LA Times: Unionization vote, NPR’s bombshell investigation into CEO

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The Los Angeles Times Building in downtown Los Angeles, California on July 10, 2013. ; Credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Today, the Los Angeles Times is expected to announce its official employee ballot count on whether or not to unionize in what is believed to be the first union vote in the paper’s 136-year history.

The results come just one day after a bombshell of allegations of inappropriate behavior against the paper’s new publisher and CEO, Ross Levinsohn.

Larry speaks with longtime LA Times observer and media analyst Ken Doctor about the state of the Times, and NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik who broke the Levinsohn story.

Guests:

Ken Doctor, media analyst who focuses on the transformation of consumer media in the digital age; author of “Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get” (St. Martin’s Press, 2010)

David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent who broke the story on the allegations against the LA Times’ new publisher, Ross Levinsohn

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Are we or aren’t we: the latest on the potential government shutdown

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White House budget director Mick Mulvaney discusses the possible government shutdown on January 19, 2018 during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC.; Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

AirTalk®

As the midnight deadline approaches, the Senate is readying for a vote on whether they’ll keep the lights on at the Capitol.

Democrats seem to be holding out on the issue of DACA, potentially hoping that Trump will concede on the issue this weekend.

It’s unclear whether Republicans have enough votes to pass the legislation. The bill would need 60 votes, and currently the GOP has a 51-49 majority in the Senate.

We get the latest on talks at the Senate.

Guest:

Erica Werner, congressional economic policy reporter at the Washington Post; she tweets @ericawerner

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The big sleep and beyond: What’s behind our fascination with the afterlife

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Dr Michael Shermer Promotes His Book "The Moral Arc. How Science Leads Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom"

Dr Michael Shermer speaks to students and guests as he promotes his book "The Moral Arc: How Science Leads Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom" held at Tilburg University in the Dante Building on March 17, 2015 in Tilburg, Netherlands. ; Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

AirTalk®

Heaven. Hell. Reincarnation. What happens after we die has been a core aspect of many religions, and a subject of imagination for many practitioners of the arts.

According to a 2007 Pew poll, 74 percent of those surveyed said they believed in an afterlife, with 50 percent saying they believed with “absolute certainty.”

In his new book, Michael Shermer of Skeptic magazine explores what drive this unyielding fascination in our culture – and how science and technology are being used towards its exploration and towards ways to extend one’s life.

Michael Shermer will be discussing his new book, “Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia” tonight at the New Roads School in Santa Monica. The event starts at 8pm.

Guest:

Michael Shermer, author of numerous books, including his newest, “Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia” (Henry Holt and Co., 2018); publisher of Skeptic magazine; he tweets @michaelshermer

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

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