Nasser al-Awlaki says a US drone killed his grandson. ; Credit: Getty Images

On the eve of his court case commencing against the U.S. government, Nasser al-Awlaki makes an emotional plea in today's New York Times. He explains why he's suing over the drone strike killing of his son, Anwar, and his grandson, Abdulrahman. The former was a confessed al Qaeda leader killed in a targeted strike in September 2011. The latter was 16 years old when he was allegedly collateral damage in a drone strike in October 2011. Both were American citizens at the time, on Yemeni soil.

The ACLU, co-counsel for al-Awlaki, argues the killing violated the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of due process. The Obama administration has defended the strikes. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has said, "[Such strikes] are necessary to mitigate ongoing, actual threats, to stop plots, to prevent further attacks and, again, to save American lives."

The Administration says the strikes are legal and ethical. What are the merits of this lawsuit? Would the US government have a better case if it had conducted judicial review prior to the drone strikes?

Guests:

Brett Max Kaufman, National Security Fellow in the ACLU's National Security Project, American Civil Liberties Union

Marc Thiessen, Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; he specializes in counter-terrorism; Former speechwriter for then President George W. Bush and then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Jessica Yu's film "The Guide" is set on Mount Gorongosa in Mozambique.; Credit: Meraj Chhaya/Flickr

Set in Mozambique, filmmaker Jessica Yu’s main character, Tonga Torcida, lives on Mount Gorongosa and wants nothing more than to become a tour guide at the Gorongosa National Park, where 90 percent of the animal population has been wiped out by warfare.

His fortuitous meeting with a humanitarian spurs Torcida’s education about the environment. He learns about the ecosystem’s dependence on everything in it — big and small. But he also learns about the human role in the environmental destruction occurring in the park and the difficulties of getting people to change.

Guest:
Jessica Yu, director of “The Guide”

Actor Ryan Reynolds arrives at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Guest host Frank Stoltze and KPCC critics Henry Sheehan, Andy Klein and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including R.I.P.D., The Conjuring, Turbo and more. TGI-Filmweek!

R.I.P.D.

The Conjuring

Turbo

Guests:

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and criticsagogo.com

Charles Solomon, film critic and animation historian for KPCC, author for amazon.com

What would you want to ask Orson Welles?; Credit: Getty Images

If you could have lunch with any movie icon, if you could ask them technical questions about filmmaking, gossip about the great stars, and even just chat about current events, would you choose Orson Welles? A new book gets you as close as possible to doing just that. Director Henry Jaglom lunched with Welles every week from 1978 to 1985, and tape recorded their conversations for the two last years of Welles' life. Film writer Peter Biskind edited the transcripts, and the product is an extremely personal portrait of Welles, who had gone from being Hollywood's greatest director to a pariah relegated to hosting celebrity roasts and voicing Paul Masson TV ads.

KPCC's John Rabe spoke with Biskind and Jaglom about the book called My Lunches with Orson.

Guests:

Henry Jaglom, filmmaker

Peter Biskind, filmmaker

John Rabe, host of KPCC’s “Off-Ramp”

Long Beach police officers are preparing for a "bash mob" that was purportedly planned for today via social media.

Police in Long Beach are warning residents about a possible crime spree this afternoon. It would be the latest in a string of so-called 'bash mobs' that recently struck Hollywood and San Bernardino. In each case, police arrested groups of teenagers accused of running through the streets and attacking and robbing local residents and tourists.

This would be  the second crime wave in Long Beach this month. On July 9 more than 100 people descended on the streets of downtown in an organized, sudden crime rampage, police said.

What are these types of 'bash mobs'? How are police departments responding to these crime sprees? What can residents do to keep themselves safe?

Guest:

Sergeant Aaron Eaton,  Long Beach Police

Has the George Zimmerman trial had any effect on how neighborhood watch groups in Southern California operate?

There are an estimated 20,000 neighborhood watch groups and many more informal programs established in the country. Since the George Zimmerman trial, where the Florida neighborhood watch coordinator has been found not guilty for reasons of self-defense in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, neighborhood watch programs have been in the spotlight. AirTalk invites a couple local neighborhood watch program coordinators to come on the show to talk about how their programs work, and whether the Zimmerman verdict has changed the way they strive to protect their neighborhoods.

Guests:

Michelle Boykins, senior director of communications at the national crime prevention council

Johnnie Raines, public safety chair for the West area neighborhood council which covers the Crenshaw area

Peter Nichols, founder of the Melrose Action Neighborhood Watch

Jessica Yu's film "The Guide" is set on Mount Gorongosa in Mozambique.; Credit: Meraj Chhaya/Flickr

Set in Mozambique, filmmaker Jessica Yu’s main character, Tonga Torcida, lives on Mount Gorongosa and wants nothing more than to become a tour guide at the Gorongosa National Park, where 90 percent of the animal population has been wiped out by warfare.

His fortuitous meeting with a humanitarian spurs Torcida’s education about the environment. He learns about the ecosystem’s dependence on everything in it — big and small. But he also learns about the human role in the environmental destruction occurring in the park and the difficulties of getting people to change.

Guest:
Jessica Yu, director of “The Guide”

The nature of the internet has made it easier for scammers to target victims anonymously. ; Credit: Ryan Hyde/Flickr

It’s one thing to get fooled into buying fake concert tickets from Craigslist scammers. But we heard about getting suckered on a new level this month. An 18-year-old woman from Palm Springs found a pretty good deal on a used 2009 Honda Civic. She contacted the Burbank couple selling the vehicle. She test drove it and looked at the documentation, then paid $10,000 cash to drive it home.

The next day she woke up and the car was gone. Worse still, the title was discovered to be a fake. The Burbank couple had stolen it back. When police were notified, they found the same vehicle listed on Craigslist, started a sting operation and were able to arrest the couple. Thankfully, the young victim will get her money back, but that’s not usually the case. Whether it’s stolen camera equipment, rental property leased by imposters or faux Disneyland passes, most of us don’t realize we’ve been deceived until it’s too late. 

When have you been fooled? Or how have you avoided it? What are your buyer-beware tips?

Guests:

Sergeant Darin Ryburn, Media officer, Burbank Police Department

Katherine Hutt, National Spokesperson, Better Business Bureau

More information on scams from the Better Business Bureau: Better Business Bureau Scam Alert

Are people dressing too casually for work?; Credit: Flickr/thetaxhaven

The office dress code has slackened over the years. It’s not so surprising nowadays to see folks wearing flip-flops or baring some of their tattoos in the office. Still, how much sartorial latitude a worker has depends largely on where one works. A judge in Tennessee decided that he has seen enough women attorneys rocking sleeveless dresses and low-cut blouses and fired off a memo in June to local bar associations on the topic.

“The unanimous opinion was that the women attorneys were not being held to the same standard as the men,” Judge Taylor wrote in the memo. “I have advised some women attorneys that a jacket with sleeves below the elbow is appropriate or a professional dress equivalent…Your personal appearance in court is a reflection upon the entire legal profession.”

What do you think of his memo? What dress code horror stories do you have? Are people dressing too casually for work?

Guest:

Samantha Maxwell, President, CYA Human Resources in Los Angeles

Should all wine bottles have an ingredients label?; Credit: Flickr/Max and Dee

One of the true beauties of wine is its simplicity...grapes, oak, and time. Well, not so fast. What many vinophiles don’t realize is that most wines aren’t nearly that simple.

In the pursuit of exactly the right flavor, most vintners add ingredients to wine in an attempt to shape what comes out of the bottle. Sulphur dioxide gives it longer shelf life, enzymes make it dryer, sugar lengthens the fermentation process, and sturgeon bladder clarifies the color. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg that is the recipe for a great glass of chardonnay or shiraz.

So why, then, with all that’s being added, aren’t wineries required to list these ingredients on their bottles? A few wines already do it, but the majority of winemakers would rather not. Do they have something to hide? Or do they just think we’d rather not know? Do you think an ingredients label on a $50 bottle of pinot noir makes it more or less drinkable?

Guest:

Jon Bonné, Wine Editor, “San Francisco Chronicle;” Author of forthcoming “The New California Wine” 

Is there anyway to minimize danger at Eaton Canyon?; Credit: Flickr/CAHairyBear

Southern California is blessed with gorgeous hikes. Just north of Pasadena, is one so alluring it tempts people to an uncertain fate. More and more locals have a cautionary awareness about Eaton Canyon and the so-called Second Waterfall. Still it continues to attract inexperienced hikers - dozens have been injured in just the last couple of years. Four have died since 2011.

Not only is the terrain a nightmare, as a new article in Pasadena Magazine explains, the multi-jurisdictional responsibility is a bit of a nightmare, too. L.A. County is responsible for the park land, but the U.S. Forest Service is responsible for the terrain beyond the park. A volunteer crew, the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team, looks after many rescues. And they have their own ideas of how to fix the problem. Agencies continue to talk about it, but nothing is changing.

Should it be a costly, well-engineered trail? Is a fence the answer, or signage? Is there any way to eliminate or minimize danger at Eaton Canyon?

Guests:

Matthew Fleischer, Freelance Writer who wrote “The Second Waterfall” for July/August issue of Pasadena Magazine. Public Service Announcement about the Second Waterfall 

Richard DeLeon, Captain, Altadena Mountain Rescue Team 

Can protesting effect change? ; Credit: Flickr/Steve Devol

This weekend, demonstrators across the country continued to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Some leaders, like Pasadena assemblyman Chris Holden, called for a boycott against Florida tourism to send a message. The combination of protests and calls for boycott keeps the trial in the media, but is it doing anything to change policies? During the Occupy Movement, sit-ins and demonstrations continued for months across the country. But what impact did it actually have for measurable change? Facebook, twitter, and online petitions like Change.org can spread a movement quicker than just word of mouth. When local lifeguards lost their job because of a parody of the  "Gangnam Style." video,  it was the online movement on Facebook that got their job back.  It could be argued that demonstrations from the 1960s truly brought historic change, but does collective activism today still produce an effect?

Do protests still work? What impact do they have on actual laws and policies? Were protests stronger in the past, than they are today? What role does social media play in protesting? Is an online petition just as effective as a written one?

Guests:

Rory McVeigh, director of the center for the study of social movements at the university of Notre Dame and Professor of Sociology

Karen North, Director of the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism

Should computers automatically block websites that feature adult content?; Credit: Matthew T Rader/Flickr

Let’s say you like porn…a little too much. Would it help to have a company block your access? What if that was a country-wide mandate?

That’s what’s happening in the UK, where Prime Minister David Cameron wants internet providers to block access to porn in all homes unless customers opt in. Such a move would probably never happen here in the United States where personal choice is seemingly sacred. But more and more, companies that provide porn blocking technology, originally aimed at protecting children, are finding a new market in adults.

There’s even a lawsuit against Apple by a man who wants the company to “sell all of its devices on ‘safe mode,’ with software preset to filter out pornographic content.” Chris Sevier, who blames the failure of  his marriage on his “addiction” to porn, plans to seek damages “due to the content he accessed through the Apple products,” which he says led to a downward smut spiral.

But is the company really to blame for his porn problems? Who should be liable if exposure to porn destroys one’s life? For addicts, does carrying an iPhone make it as hard to quit porn as carrying a pack of cigarettes would make it hard to quit smoking? How helpful are voluntary porn blockers?

Guest:

Tracy Clark-Flory, staff writer for Salon.com; freelance writer for Elle, Marie Claire, Women's Health, San Francisco and the yearly “Best Sex Writing” anthology

How much does age really impact fertility with today's available technology and treatments?; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Suppose you’re a woman of a certain age and you’d like to have children. Chances are you’re concerned about your ability to conceive naturally.

Most headlines on the topic and well-meaning grandparents don’t help ease the anxiety. Their advice is generally to pop those kids out while you’re still young, or risk never being able to. But is the fertility news really that bad for women in their 30s?

No, argues Jean Twenge in her recent Atlantic Magazine article, “How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby?” According to Twenge, “the statistics on women’s age and fertility—used by many to make decisions about relationships, careers and when to have children—were one of the more spectacular examples of the mainstream media’s failure to correctly report on and interpret scientific research.”

For example, Twenge argues, the widely cited statistic that one in three women ages 35 to 39 will not be pregnant after a year of trying is based on French birth records from 1670-1830.

“In other words,” Twenge writes, “millions of women are being told when to get pregnant based on statistics from a time before electricity, antibiotics, or fertility treatment.”

Is the science used to educate women outdated and alarmist? Do modern studies paint a more optimistic picture? How much does fertility truly decline with age and what’s the takeaway for women in their 30s and 40s? How loud is that biological clock ticking for you?

Guests:
Jean Twenge, author of the Atlantic Magazine article “How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby” and the book “The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant” (Atria Books)

Dr. Marcelle Cedars, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)

Geothermal Production in the Imperial Valley has increased activities around the San Andreas Fault; Credit: Flickr/Ben+Sam

There are over 10 geothermal energy plants around the Salton Sea and the vast amount of electricity they generate is making the Imperial Valley a renewable energy hub in the state. Turns out, though, power might not be the only thing these plants are producing. A paper published in the online journal Science found that geothermal production in the Imperial Valley inadvertently increased seismic activities around the San Andreas fault. The Los Angeles Times reports that between 1981 and 2012, some 10,000 earthquakes over a 1.75 magnitude were registered in the area.

Could these smaller earthquakes trigger larger ones that could really rock Southern California? As we learn more about the tradeoffs involved with the use of alternative energy sources, should we rethink our adoption and reliance?

Guests:

Emily Brodsky, Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences at UC Santa Cruz and the lead author of the paper

Timothy Kelley, President and CEO of the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation

Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers was suspended for 65 games for violating MLB rules regarding performance enhancing drugs.; Credit: Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Major League Baseball has suspended Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun without pay for the rest of the season, which equates to 65 games and an estimated $3.8 million. MLB commissioner Bud Selig made the announcement yesterday. It is the first punishment doled out in the wake of the league’s investigation into Biogenesis, the Miami-based clinic accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to baseball players.

Braun had repeatedly denied using performance-enhancing drugs before this latest scandal caught up with him. The 2011 MVP has deep Southern California roots, having played for Granada Hills High and was named a three-time All-City player.

"I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions,” Braun said in a statement. Braun is among 20 players, including the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, who will face disciplinary actions from MLB.    

Guest:
Lance Williams, co-author of “Game of Shadows; Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports” (Gotham, 2007). He is also Senior Reporter at the Center of Investigative Reporting.

USC students have filed a complaint with the US Dept. of Education regarding the school's handling of cases of sexual assaults. ; Credit: Great Degree/Flickr

The Federal government is investigating the University of Southern California over how it handled alleged sexual assault cases that were not properly dealt with by school administration. Two current students told reporters at a news conference that many more cases were reported to the school and handled improperly, in their opinions. The investigation is being carried out by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, and it's just the latest in a series of investigations into colleges about how they're complying with Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education.

Why have some schools run into problems implementing Title IX? Should USC reopen the cases?

Guests:

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, Reporter, KPCC

Linda Fairstein, Senior Advisor, K2 Intelligence, a corporate investigations firm

Crowds gather at the beach, Sunday, July 18, 2010, in Hermosa Beach, Calif. ; Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP

The battle over oil drilling is mounting in Hermosa Beach. In close to a year, the city will hold an election to decide whether or not oil drilling should return to the South Bay beach town.

It’s been nearly 80 years since Hermosa Beach residents voted to ban oil drilling. Bakersfield-based oil company E & B Natural Resources is now asking Hermosa voters to overturn the ban. The oil company contends that the city stands to gain up to $500 million over the next 30 years.

Proponents of drilling say Hermosa Beach could resume delayed public works projects, shore up the police force and fund schools. Opponents of oil drilling, however, say the health and environmental risks of drilling are just too great.

This debate is pitting neighbor against neighbor. E&B Natural Resources wants to use the slant drilling technique.

Weigh In:

Is this a safer alternative to drilling through the sea floor? What are the benefits of drilling? Does Hermosa need the funds oil drilling will supply?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Guests:

Stacey Armato, Committee Chair of Stop Hermosa Beach Oil and an attorney

Michael Finch, Vice President of  Health, Safety and Environment at E&B Natural Resources

A Town Crier reads an announcement about the birth of a baby boy to Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London, on July 22, 2013. ; Credit: Photo credit:ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images

The future prince of England and potential heir to the throne still remains nameless. Britain eagerly anticipated the birth of Prince William and his wife Kate’s first child by wagering on the gender. Those bets ended yesterday when Kate gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Now, the country is once again at odds about the name of the baby. Right now, the odds are in favor of George.

How important is a royal baby name? How have royal names been used as historical reference points? Which name would you put your money on?

Also, if you think you’re tired of hearing about the royal baby, imagine if you were in Britain. The Guardian decided to allow their website users turn off all the royal baby news. Just click, “Not a royalist.” Should U.S. press take note and also allow users to opt-out of celebrity news? Would you opt-out?

Guest:
Autumn Brewington, Editor of The Washington Post’s Op-Ed page; she has written about the royal family for the Washington Post and anchored the Post’s Royal Wedding Watch blog.

Are longer, happier relationships products of avoiding talking about conflicts?; Credit: Martin Smith/Flickr

Negotiation is at the heart of how we as a culture like to deal with conflicts. From your work life to your home life, how often has the saying "let's talk about it" come up when things hit a snag? But this collective impulse runs counter to the findings of a new study.

San Francisco State University psychologist Sarah Holley followed over 100 couples for 13 years to see how they approach conflict resolution and finds that for older married couples at least, avoiding talking about conflicts actually leads to happier marriages.

Why is this the case? How do you deal with conflicts in your relationship? Does avoiding a persistently thorny issue work for you and your partner?

Guest:
Sarah Holley, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Relationships, Emotion, and Health Lab at the San Francisco State University who conducted the research.