Google Doodler Jennifer Hom designs the Freddy Mercury doodle at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, on September 2, 2011.; Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Do positive jobs reports, high graduation rates and low unemployment numbers really reflect how well America’s workforce is doing and how it sees itself?

Gallup has released new data that it says makes the case for a re-examination of what markers we use to track and evaluate employment and educational success. Their findings show 34 percent of all working adults report making the same or less overall income than they did five years ago, and that just 12 percent working adults say they’re in the “best imaginable job” for them. The data, Gallup says, is evidence of the need to create a new method of evaluating employment that looks not only at how many people have jobs and how many new jobs are created, but also at how many people feel they have a “great job” and how that’s defined. They say some examples of those factors could be flexibility of working hours and location, how your job lines up with your skill set and what you actually do every day, or whether your work involves you being asked to be creative and/or come up with new ways to do your job.

What do you think of Gallup’s findings? What about creating a new way to evaluate employment that looks at quality of work and employee satisfaction? How are you seeing these findings play out in your workplace? By Gallup’s suggested definitions, would you say you have a “great job?” What factors define a “great job” for you?

Guest:

Brandon Busteed, executive director for education and workforce development at Gallup

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

Victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse and their supporters protest during a #MeToo march in Hollywood, California on November 12, 2017.; Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

The public fallout of major entertainment players from Kevin Spacey to Harvey Weinstein in the #MeToo era has some studios scrambling to add broad morality clauses to their contracts.

Hollywood morality clauses go back as far as the 1920s, when the notorious Fatty Arbuckle scandal and its following trial rocked the entertainment world. Since then, their popularity and importance has ebbed and flowed with societal values and current events – and the recent rise of the internet and 24/7 news cycle had already increased their prevalence before the #MeToo movement took off last fall.

If you work in the entertainment industry, what has been your experience with morality clauses? Have you been able to negotiate more specific terms than “conduct that results in adverse publicity or notoriety”? Would you sign a contract so broad with the current industry atmosphere?

Call us at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Tim Cedrone, labor and employment law attorney at Apruzzese, McDermott, Mastro & Murphy, P.C. in New Jersey and adjunct professor at Seton Hall University; he previously served as the chair of the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association

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

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Pool/Getty Images

This morning, President Trump spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in front of a gathering of different Christian leaders, praising God and the intersection of faith and American values.

Many in the audience were Evangelical Christians, who are a crucial part of Trump’s base. On the heels of his speech, we examine Trump’s relationship with the Evangelical community – the more liberal Evangelicals who have denounced Trump, as well as the more conservative core that has been willing to overlook Trump’s personal behavior in favor of his rhetoric.

Why does Trump have such strong support from the Evangelical community? What has been their relationship with conservative candidates and politics throughout U.S. history? And more broadly, how has faith intersected and influenced U.S. politics?

Guests:

Tommy Givens, assistant professor of New Testament Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary; his research interests include theological ethics, political theory and the history of Christianity in U.S. politics

Marie Griffith, professor and Director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis; her recent book is “Moral Combat: How Sex Divided American Christians and Fractured American Politics”

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

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (3rd L) talks to reporters while announcing the House Democrats' new infrastructure plan during a news conference with (L-R) Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) at the U.S. Capitol February 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Congress is set to vote on another temporary budget bill. It would increase military spending, among other things, but leaves out a proposal to potentially provide legal status to millions of so-called “dreamers,” those who came to the country illegally as children.

The lack of a DACA deal is dividing members of the Democratic Party. On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke for more than eight hours on the floor in a plea for GOP action on immigration.

The 77-year-old congresswoman wore 4-inch heels and took no breaks, only pausing to sip water.

Many Democrats who were previously critical of Pelosi’s leadership were won over by her grit on the House floor. But some were critical of the speech as a way to break a budget deal.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) told the Washington Post that he would back the budget if it included disaster relief funds to help his state recover from recent wildfires, and to “take what you can get.”

We speak to Post reporter David Weigel on the latest and also hear from a Democratic strategist for analysis on the party’s divide.

Guest:

David Weigel, reporter covering politics for the Washington Post; he tweets @daveweigel

Roger Salazar, Democratic strategist and president of ALZA strategies; he’s worked as a spokesperson and communications strategist for a number of national and state offices including the Clinton Administration and Attorney General Xavier Becerra

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

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, leaves the House Chamber following a vote to fund the U.S. Government on February 9, 2018 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

President Donald Trump signed a $400 billion budget deal early Friday morning, ending what’s reported to be the shortest government shutdown on record, just before the official work day began.

The shutdown, which lasted from 12:01 a.m. to about 5:30 a.m. Friday, was triggered by GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky after he objected to adding $1 trillion to the federal deficit in 2019.

But the bipartisan short-term funding agreement also brings relief of compromise. Military spending will go up about $80 billion for each of the next two fiscal years, non-defense accounts about $60 billion per year, plus an additional $90 billion in disaster aid for recent wildfires and hurricanes.

Other notable boosts include securing 10 years of CHIP funding and a 65-page-long list of extended tax breaks that were close to expiration.

For more on the bill’s specifics and overall impact, we’ll get the latest from a Washington reporter and hear from two economic experts.

Guests:

Seung Min Kim, congressional reporter for Politico; she tweets @seungminkim

Donald Marron, economist and fellow at the Urban Institute where his research focus includes federal budgeting; he was acting director of the Congressional Budget Office in 2006; he tweets @dmarron

Chris Edwards, economist and director of tax policy at the Cato Institute; he is also editor of the Cato project DownsizingGovernment.org, which focuses on federal spending; he tweets @CatoEdwards

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

Los Angeles Sheriff Jim McDonnell attributes 2014 crime reduction to better policing and community relations.; Credit: Frank Stoltze/KPCC

Sheriff Jim McDonnell is back with his regular AirTalk check in.

Today, we’ll ask him about:

• A contentious emergency town hall meeting this week which heard complaints about three shootings by deputies in South L.A., one of which involved an allegedly armed 16-year-old boy who was killed in a deputy-involved shooting.
• Preliminary department statistics on decreasing crime rates in 2017.
• The L.A. Times investigation into a 2014 list of problem deputies, how much the Sheriff knew and District Attorney Jackie Lacey looking into those cases.
• How the first L.A. Sheriff’s civilian oversight panel is doing, one year in.
• Immigrant’s rights activists have been accusing the Sheriff of misleading the public over the level of LASD cooperation with ICE.
• The L.A. Sheriff’s body cam plan.
• LASD working on complying with federal law on prison rape.
• Over 500 human trafficking arrests in California in a statewide sting.
• The LASD’s outdated computer system.

Have a question for Sheriff Jim McDonnell? Call us at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Jim McDonnell, Sheriff of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; he tweets @LACoSheriff

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

US President Donald Trump takes part in a meeting on infrastructure with state and local officials in the State Dining Room of the White House on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC.; Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Today on our weekly political roundtable, our experts preview the week ahead in national and state politics. Here’s what we’re watching out for:

• Budget deal (also here), lack of immigration framework in it, and the political dimensions of the spending

• Infrastructure plan rollout today

• Immigration discussion

• Rob Porter saga continues, how Gen. Kelly plays into it all

• CFPB future

• Justice Ginsberg argues sexism is to blame for HRC loss

• NASA future (especially in wake of successful SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch)

• PPIC poll on CA gov’s race

• Status of Delta Water Tunnel & high speed rail status

• Cristina Garcia takes leave of absence from CA legislature

Guests:

Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies; he is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets @RodStrategies

Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush

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

Val Zavala celebrates her retirement from KCET.; Credit: Courtesy of KCET

For three decades, Val Zavala has been the voice of Southern California on KCET.

From her defining roles as reporter, anchor and executive producer of many series, including “SoCal Connected,” “Town Hall Los Angeles” and “Life & Times,” Zavala’s influential tenure helped shape independent and unique coverage across the region.

The veteran Latina journalist retires this year. She first joined KCET in 1987, reporting on topics such as Los Angeles’ first Mexican-American mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, to the 9/11 attacks, along with winning dozens of awards that include Emmy’s, Golden Mikes, and most recently, the Walter Cronkite Award for her informative digital series on California’s 2016 ballot measures.

On Tuesday, February 13, KCET will air its special tribute, “30 Years with Val Zavala,” hosted by KNBC’s Fritz Coleman. The half-hour feature is joined by a long list of guests including KPCC’s own Larry Mantle. February 13 will also be declared “Val Zavala Day” in Los Angeles in a presentation by the Los Angeles City Council.

Zavala joins Larry to talk about the defining moments of her career. Call us at 866-893-5722 to share your appreciations.

KCET’s SoCal Connected airs “30 Years with Val Zavala” on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, at 8:00 p.m. PT, and will encore on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Guest:

Val Zavala, award-winning journalist and former anchor and executive producer of KCET’s “SoCal Connected”; she also served as Vice President of News & Public Affairs and many other roles during her time at KCET

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

A FedEx delivery driver unloads packages from his truck in Lower Manhattan on June 2, 2017 in New York City.; Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

It’s comes as no surprise that Amazon may have plans to compete with FedEx and the United Parcel Service.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the tech giant is planning to launch a delivery service for businesses, which means it could eventually rival other services that have dominated the shipping market.

Amazon is certainly poised for the move. The company is known for its one-day package delivery for third-party sellers. But expanding Amazon’s reach to the national shipping business is still an ambitious plan. They have leased up to 40 planes and about 300 warehouses in the U.S., and that is a far cry from what they need to compete with UPS and FedEx, which dominate the delivery service market. FedEx has about 650 aircraft and 4,800 operating facilities, which ship internationally.

But this isn’t the first time Amazon has taken on a well established industry. Remember brick and mortar bookstores? While there wasn’t an oligopoly there, it just goes to show how far Amazon could go.

Larry speaks to a reporter and an e-commerce analyst to find out more about the company’s future in the delivery world.

Guests:

Laura Stevens, a San Francisco-based e-commerce reporter for the Wall Street Journal; she co-wrote the article, “What It Would Take for Amazon to Become UPS or FedEx”; she tweets @LauraStevensWSJ

Sucharita Kodali, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research, a technology research and advisory firm based in Cambridge, MA; she tweets @smulpuru

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

Homeless veteran Kendrick Bailey (C) and General Dogon (L) outside Bailey's tent on a streetcorner near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, California on June 20, 2017. ; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Los Angeles City is considering allowing homeless housing projects to circumvent certain review processes, but some community groups don’t want to cede local control and are afraid that this might result in housing that’s too concentrated in specific geographic locations.  

City Council will be considering two measures Tuesday. One ordinance would help permanent supportive housing circumvent certain review processes, such as environmental review, and would allow them to bypass certain parking requirements. The other would facilitate the process of turning motels into temporary supportive housing.

Certain community groups such as Venice Vision have pushed back on the measures, saying that they take too much power away from local communities and might result in concentrated homeless housing in some neighborhoods and not others.

We discuss the measures and take you calls at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Mark Vallianatos, co-founder and policy director of the group Abundant Housing L.A., a volunteer pro-housing organization that advocates for housing in LA County; he tweets @markvalli

Mark Ryavec, president of the Venice Stakeholders Association, a neighborhood organization

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

Usain Bolt of Jamaica competes in the Men's 4x100 Metres Relay heats during day nine of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 12, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. ; Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images for IAAF

At age 70, “Godfather of Fitness” Jack LaLanne towed 70 rowboats in a mile-long swim against tumultuous winds and currents while handcuffed and shackled.

LaLanne tapped into a jaw-dropping reserve of endurance. And so have many human beings before and after him. But how?

In Alex Hutchinson’s new book, “Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performances,” the longtime science writer pairs the stories of men and women who have pushed beyond their limits in extraordinary feats with the latest scientific research on mental endurance. His book is also an exploration of the body’s physical barriers brought by pain, muscles, exhaustion and more.

In 2017, Hutchinson was one of only two journalists with access to Nike’s top-secret training program attempting to break the 2-hour 26.2 mile marathon.

The “Sweat Science” columnist and former long-distance runner joins host Larry Mantle on the making of his book and the resilience of the human spirit.

Guest:

Alex Hutchinson, author of the new book, “Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance” (William Morrow, 2018); regular contributor to Outside magazine, Runner’s World, and the New Yorker; he tweets @sweatscience

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

A pedestrian walks past the NBC News studios, November 29, 2017 in New York City. ; Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

How much would today’s conservative and liberal news have influenced the Watergate scandal?

That’s one question explored in a recent Associated Press article on the divide between partisan media outlets. The article points to comments made by Geraldo Rivera of Fox News, who said Nixon would never have had to resign if Sean Hannity was hosting in the 1970s. In the age of Hannity and Rachel Maddow, it’s tough not to hear opinions and accusations against Dems and Republicans in the zeitgeist. Now, with special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing Russia investigation, partisan commentators are magnifying opposition in Washington.

While combative style and accusations aren’t new on partisan cable news shows, political discussions have taken air-time from other forms of news, and the financial success of Fox and MSNBC continue to thrive.

As the country becomes more divided – and so do these news outlets – what are the consequences? And to what extent are partisan hosts influencing public policies?

Guests:

Joe Concha, media reporter and columnist for The Hill; he tweets @JoeConchaTV

Judy Muller, journalism professor emerita at USC where she focuses on the changing news industry, news literacy and fake news; she tweets @judusc ‏

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

A sign advertising an apartment for rent is displayed in front of an apartment building July 8, 2009 in San Francisco, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The battle over rent control in cities across California may come to a head later this year.

A ballot initiative that’s currently called the “Affordable Housing Act,”currently in its signature-gathering phase, would repeal the 23-year-old Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a state law that prevents rent control from being applied to any housing built in 1995 or after. The initiative is backed by Los Angeles tenants rights attorney and Eviction Defense Network founder Elena Popp, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and AIDS Healthcare Foundation president Michael Weinstein.

Proponents of the measure say repealing Costa-Hawkins would be a big step forward in combating the affordable housing crisis that is impacting cities across the state, arguing that the amount of housing California needs to keep pace with demand will take years to build, and that a repeal would provide immediate relief to tenants who have seen rents skyrocket and neighborhoods that were once affordable become gentrified and expensive.

Groups that are opposed, who include the California Apartment Association, the California Building Industry Association, and the California Chamber of Commerce, worry that if the measure were to pass, cities and counties would pass their own, potentially more stringent rent control laws, which they say would effectively halt new housing construction.

Do you agree with the repeal of Costa-Hawkins? Do you see positive or negative results overall if the measure were to make the ballot and pass?

Guests:

Anya Svanoe, communications coordinator for The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), a statewide grassroots community organization and one of the official proponents of the ballot proposal

Tom Bannon, chief executive officer for the California Apartment Association

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

FBI Director Christopher Wray (L), CIA Director Mike Pompeo (2nd L), Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats (3rd L), Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley (3rd R), National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers (2nd R) and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo (R) testify on worldwide threats during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 13, 2018. ; Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Intelligence leaders are testifying in front of the Senate today about global and cyber security threats to the U.S., with a focus on China, North Korea and Russia.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said that Russian interference is likely to continue and that the 2018 midterm elections are the next target.

FBI director Christopher Wray, CIA director Mike Pompeo and other leaders will be testifying as well.

Meanwhile, Trump has sent back Adam Schiff’s rebuttal to the Nunes intelligence memo saying it was too political and needed redaction. Some on the left are calling this move unfair, considering that Trump’s release of the Nunes memo a few weeks ago.

We’ll get the latest from the hearings, as well as an update on the dueling memos.

Guests:

Miles Parks, reporter and producer on NPR's Washington Desk; he covers election interference and voting infrastructure; he tweets @MilesParks

Aaron Blake, senior political reporter for the Washington Post; he tweets @AaronBlake

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

Rain clouds move over downtown Los Angeles, California on January 12, 2017. ; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Southern California will be getting a little taste of the rain this week, but it won’t be enough.

After kicking off 2017 with a hot and dry winter season, California has little chance of reaching normal rainfall totals by the end of the year. Low snowpack levels in the Sierra Nevada are leading ski resorts to close their doors and residents are fearing another long dry spell could be on the way.

The State Water Resources Control Board is already preparing. In a week, the Board is expected to adopt restrictions similar to those Governor Jerry Brown implemented after two years of drought in 2014 – but instead of expiring, these would be permanent.

Larry sits down with KPCC’s science reporter Jacob Margolis to hear how much rain is expected in SoCal’s future and how likely it is the state is headed for another drought.

Guest:

Jacob Margolis, science reporter at KPCC

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

Richmond Emergency Food Bank volunteer Abdul Olorode packs boxes with food to be handed out to needy people on November 1, 2013 in Richmond, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

President Trump’s budget proposal is causing a stir, and for those who use the nation’s food assistance program it could also affect what's put on the dinner table.

Under Trump’s plan, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP would incorporate a “USDA Foods package” as half of its benefits. As reported by NPR, the package would include “shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit and vegetables.” Under SNAP’s current program, recipients get money every month on an EBT card, which can be used on food that falls under certain guidelines.

Critics of Trump’s plan say it will give a stigma to low income SNAP beneficiaries, and restrict their food choices. The USDA has said that state governments will deliver food a lower cost, although it’s unclear how the food would be distributed on a state-by-state basis, so how viable is the plan?

Guests:

Andrew Cheyne, director of government affairs for the California Association of Food Banks

Brandon Lipps, acting deputy undersecretary for food nutrition and consumer services administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture

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

A room in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on March 16, 2009.; Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

The decision of whether to release a defendant on bail and on which conditions is usually left in the hands of judges, but some courtrooms are now turning to risk-assessment AI systems in an effort to make the process less biased.

One commonly used system -- Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s Public Safety Assessment -- is now used in nearly 38 jurisdictions, including four counties and one city in Arizona, and Santa Cruz County in CA. The system  processes data on a defendant based on factors such as their prior convictions, past behavior and age, to create two scores on a scale of 1-6: the likelihood that a defendant will skip out on their court date and the likelihood that they will commit another crime. These scores are one of the many factors that a judge can choose to incorporate into their pre-trial sentencing decision.

Proponents of using AI systems in pre-trial sentencing are hopeful that this will reduce human bias and even replace the cash bail system. But critics are afraid that judges will grow too reliant on these scores. And there are concerns that the system itself may have prejudice baked into it. The argument goes that since these risk-assessment systems rely on data about prior convictions and people of color interact more with the criminal justice system because of pre-existing human bias, they will end up with higher risk scores than white defendants.

We talk with a researcher who is currently running a study on the Arnold Foundation’s Public Safety Assessment scoring system.

Guests:

Christopher Griffin, research director at Harvard’s Access to Justice Lab, which evaluates new ideas in civil and criminal justice; the lab is currently assessing the Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s Public Safety Assessment, a risk-assessment scoring system

Suresh Venkatasubramanian, professor of computing at the University of Utah and a member of the board of directors for the ACLU Utah; he studies algorithmic fairness

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

Pop group The Beatles, waving to screaming fans en route to Boston airport, America, from left to right, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, on August 12, 1966. ; Credit: Express/Getty Images

It’s safe to say love songs aren’t what they used to be – but is that such a bad thing?

As the societal concept of love has changed, it only makes sense that romantic music has changed with it. Love songs tackle issues such as gender, sexual preference, dating, cheating – the list goes on. Arguably, these ideas have all evolved since before Mozart struck his first piano key, so how has music reflected the change?

We sit down with LA Times music critic Mikael Wood to discuss.

Guest:

Mikael Wood, pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the Muni World conference in Tel Aviv on February 14, 2018. ; Credit: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images

Allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust have been brought against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As reported by CNN, Israeli police said Tuesday that there’s “sufficient evidence” to indict Netanyahu and criminal charges in two separate corruption cases have been brought against him. Israeli police are investigating whether Netanyahu accepted gifts including cigars from overseas businessmen, and is particularly honing-in on the prime minister’s relationship with Arnon Milchan, an Israeli billionaire and Hollywood film producer.

The second case involves Netanyahu’s conversations with the owner of one of Israel’s leading newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, which is known to be critical of the prime minister. In leaked transcripts of conversations with the paper’s owner, Arnon Mozes, Netanyahu talks about limiting the circulation of a competing news publication, bartering for more favorable coverage.

Netanyahu said Tuesday that the allegations would not amount to anything. Investigation evidence will now go to the attorney general, who will decide whether to indict the prime minister. So what does this mean for the state of Israel? Larry speaks to a reporter and analysts to find out more.

Guests:

Paul Danahar, Washington bureau chief for the BBC; former Jerusalem bureau chief for the network; he is also author of “The New Middle East: The World After the Arab Spring”

Eran Vigoda-Gadot, a political scientist and the dean of the faculty of social sciences  at The Haifa University in Israel

Aaron David Miller, vice president for new initiatives and Middle East Program director at the Wilson Center; former adviser to Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State on Arab-Israeli negotiations, 1978-2003; he tweets @aarondmiller2

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

A picture taken on October 17, 2016 shows an employee walking behind a glass wall with machine coding symbols at the headquarters of Internet security giant Kaspersky in Moscow. ; Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images

Russia is already interfering in this year’s midterms elections, according to top U.S. intelligence officials at the Senate Intelligence Committee’s annual hearing on “worldwide threats” yesterday.

Similar to the 2016 election, Russia is currently using fake social media accounts, many of which are bots, to spread inaccurate information. Reports have also shown the U.S. state elections systems are vulnerable to hacking because of outdated technology.

Larry sits down with Secretary of State of California Alex Padilla to hear what California is doing to protect its voting system ahead of this year’s midterm elections – plus, the executive director of Harvard’s Defending Digital Democracy Project tells us how they’re working with states and candidates to prevent hacking and interference.

Guests:

Alex Padilla, Secretary of State of California

Caitlin Conley, executive director of the Defending Digital Democracy Project at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; the project aims to protect democratic processes and systems from cyber and information attacks; she’s an army officer who is currently a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government

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