Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is officially running for president. Also, Christianity has been the world’s largest religion since 2010, with Islam coming in second. But if current demographic trends continue, researchers at PEW say Muslims will catch up by 2050, and could surpass Christianity by 2070. Then, several prominent black women say the TSA’s screening practices are discriminatory. Now the TSA plans to do something about it.
Rand Paul announces presidential run
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is officially running for president. He formally announced his intent to run this morning at a rally in Louisville.
“I am running for president to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government,” Paul wrote on his website.
Paul, a libertarian surgeon, joined the Senate in 2010 and built his brand advocating for civil liberties, and a more “hands-off” government. Rand, the son of three-time presidential hopeful Ron Paul is doing something his father never did: run a campaign that could attract voters from both sides of the aisle. This could give him an advantage later in the general election.
Rand Paul has long enjoyed strong tea-party support; the group even helped him win the Senate. Paul gained notoriety from his readiness to challenge everyone, including other Republicans, on issues like national security spending, Common Core and medical marijuana.
Paul has a long history of leaning right, however, in the weeks and months leading up to his announcement, he has remained noticeably silent on several controversial issues, including the recent religious freedom laws passed in Indiana and Arkansas. Critics of the laws say that they will allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
Rand Paul has proposed a series of “common sense” policies in Washington, including introducing term limits for congress, and cutting off foreign aid to countries he considers “haters of America.” He has also rallied against surveillance of web and phone records. Paul’s policies are both liberal and conservative. Does this improve his chances of a successful presidential run?
Does the Rand Paul campaign have a better chance of success than his father’s? Could he gain enough political momentum to steal votes from Hillary Clinton?
Guests:
Aaron Blake, political reporter with the Washington Post
John Samples, vice president and publisher of the Cato Institute - a think tank focused on libertarian principles
Pros and cons of California Democrats’ 10-bill immigration package
Tuesday morning, Democratic lawmakers pulled the tarp off of an immigration package containing 10 bills that the state legislators hope will build momentum for federal immigration action.
One of the bills, proposed by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would allow enrollment in Medi-Cal for immigrants so long as they qualify, regardless of their immigration status. Senator Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) has also proposed a bill that would prohibit businesses from refusing to provide service on the basis of citizenship or immigration status.
Will this bill package help spur federal immigration action? Would you change anything about the bills proposed?
Guests:
Polo Morales, political director for CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Joe Guzzardi, national media director for CAPS, Californians for Population Stabilization
Aruba? Jamaica? New report suggests rise in demand for travel agents
For many, travel agencies are a thing of the past.
Sites like Expedia, Kayak, and Booking make it relatively easy for just about anyone to book an affordable vacation in a few simple steps.
But reports in the last couple of years suggest that travel agents are coming back into demand, possibly due to the overwhelming number of online travel sites. A recent report from the American Society of Travel Agents shows that 74 percent of its members employ at least one additional person or independent contract, which is the highest percentage since 2010 when the rate was 77 percent.
Why are people turning to travel agents once again in the age of booking online? What do travel agents offer that travel websites can’t or don’t?
Guest:
Zane Kerby, President and CEO of the American Society of Travel Agents
Pew projects Islam to dominate world religion by 2070
Christianity has been the world’s largest religion since 2010, with Islam coming in second. But if current demographic trends continue, researchers at PEW say Muslims will catch up by 2050, and could surpass Christianity by 2070.
The future growth is determined mostly by where each religious group is geographically located, and Muslims are a youthful population with high fertility rates, living in the fastest growing parts of the world. The study released last week, is the first formal demographic projections using data beyond just age, fertility or mortality that extends to migration and religious switching for multiple religious groups around the world.
By 2050, people unaffiliated with a religion including Atheists and agnostics, despite increasing in the U.S. and France, will be declining. The global Buddhist population will be the same as it was in 2010, but Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger. In the U.S., Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion and Christians will make up two-thirds of the population.
The projections are limited to a 40-year time frame because many unforeseen events such as social movements, political upheavals or natural disasters could shift demographic trends. Have you noticed a religious shift, or lack thereof, in your community?
Guest:
Jenny Trinitapoli, Professor of Sociology, Demography and Religious studies at Penn State. She contributed to the Pew Report
Todd M. Johnson, Associate Professor of Global Christianity and Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Johnson is visiting Research Fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Culture, Religion and World Affairs leading a research project on international religious demography; Johnson contributed to the Pew Report
Black women want the TSA ‘out of their hair’
Several prominent black women say the TSA’s screening practices are discriminatory. Now the TSA plans to do something about it.
The women claim that they are often singled out for special screening by TSA agents at numerous airports across the U.S., including LAX. Women with especially voluminous hair say that they’re frequently targeted by TSA agents who ask to search their hair for potential weapons. The TSA will now work with the ACLU to begin anti-discrimination training at LAX.
The problem first came to light when ACLU staff lawyer Novella Coleman reported discrimination in 2012. The complaint finally received a response after neuroscientist Malaika Singleton complained that TSA agents handled her “Sisterlocks” at LAX and again at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 2013.
Many women who have experienced similar treatment have taken to Twitter to share their displeasure. Solange Knowles, sister to Beyoncé, started a social media firestorm after tweeting about her experiences with airport screeners.
Discrim-FRO-nation. My hair is not a storage drawer. Although, guess I couuld hide a joint up in here. *Blames "Romnesia" (my wigs name)
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles)
Lets play a little game called: "What did TSA find in Solange's Fro"?
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles)
Several other African American females have also tweeted about perceived discrimination:
I assume TSA woman meant the machine picked up an anomaly hence why she touched my
. Hell who knows.
— Around The Way Girl (@vivrant_thang)
Yes, know I'm counting, consecutive
pat down #6. I believe my hair may be a threat 2
. Really
.
— Latarsha Rose (@LatarshaRose)
I am ALWAYS selected for an extra "hair" search w
. Invasive fingers thru cornrows twisties twistouts & braids.
— Afro State of Mind (@AfroStateOfMind)
The 1 time it's ok 2 touch my hair: when I wear pipe cleaner curlers to the airport. All up IN my hair.
+
= hilarity.
— Nikki Silvestri (@nikkicsilvestri)
The 1 time it's ok 2 touch my hair: when I wear pipe cleaner curlers to the airport. All up IN my hair. #tsa + #blackwomenshair = hilarity.
— Nikki Silvestri (@nikkicsilvestri) November 19, 2014
Great news for my naturals
will now stop searching our hair for bombs and weapons. Finally they realize our hair is not a shelf...
— Brittani C (@Beautyfulbriit)
Great news for my naturals #TSA will now stop searching our hair for bombs and weapons. Finally they realize our hair is not a shelf...
— Britt (@Beautyfulbriit) March 30, 2015
Do you feel like you have been subjected to excessive screening? What criteria do you think was used: race, hair, headwear?
Guest:
Hugo Martin, travel reporter for the LA Times; LA Times: TSA reaches agreement on pat-down searches of black women's hair
As Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan slams ‘one-and-done,’ a look at the alternatives
Duke Blue Devils beat the Wisconsin Badgers last night to capture a fifth NCAA title under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The game was a nailbiter up to the final minutes between the two top teams. As evenly-matched as they are, there is one difference: the Blue Devils are thought of as a "one-and-done" team, made up of freshmen that will likely enter the NBA draft after playing for a year, while the Badgers are known to cultivate committed players.
The "one-and-done" rule has been in place since 2006, which barred players from entering the NBA draft straight out of high school. The system has been much maligned, and critics have long called for its dismantlement.
What are other alternatives? Do you think the “one-and-done” rule harms college basketball?
Guests:
Warren K. Zola, Adjunct professor of Sports Law and the Business of Sports at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College; contributor to Sports Law Blog
Jeff Borzello, writer at ESPN.com’s College Basketball Insider. He tweets