Depending on what your reading, Trump's core supporters are either happy with his recent reversals or they're abandoning ship - what's going with his base?; we analyze the bombing in Afghanistan the latest in politics; plus, what are your favorite Mars movies?; and more.
Weighing the potential risks and payoffs in President Trump’s bombing of Afghanistan
President Trump's foreign affairs stance seems to be shifting from his campaign rhetoric. A shift isn't unusual in transition from candidate to President, but this one's happening fast.
Events in Afghanistan, Syria, North Korea, and elsewhere are leading threats of force and bombings. What are the potential risks and payoffs in the President's approach?
Guests:
Megan Oprea, senior contributor and editor of INBOUND, the national security and foreign policy newsletter published by The Federalist website
Vikram Singh, vice president of National Security and International Policy for the Center for American Progress in DC
Max Boot, senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of several books, including ‘Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present’ (Liveright, 2013); he tweets
Nearing 100 day mark, Republican analysts explore competing narratives on Trump's core supporters
Depending on what you’re reading or who you’re talking to these days, you’ll probably very different perspectives on whether President Trump’s core supporters are still in his corner or starting to feel, as some voters often do after their candidate wins a presidential election, that he isn’t following through on promises made during the campaign.
Two recent articles, one by POLITICO and the other by the New York Times, paint very different pictures of how the president’s main supporters are feeling about Trump now, as president, versus Trump as a candidate.
Since being elected, President Trump has gotten a Supreme Court nominee confirmed, has begun the process of getting bids for his highly-touted border wall, and has got many people pointing to his immigration crackdown as a cause for the decrease in illegal border crossings.
However, some supporters see the missile strike he called for on Syria as a walk-back of previous rhetoric cautioning against action in Syria while others point to his change of tune on NATO and China being a currency manipulator as signal that the president may be abandoning the populist, anti-establishment message from his campaign that captivated his core voter base as he grapples with the pressures of governing and the realities of mainstream Washington politics.
Guests:
Tevi Troy, president of the American Health Policy Institute and author of the book, "Shall We Wake the President? Two Centuries of Disaster Management from the Oval Office"
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
United CEO promises to stop forced removal of passengers, but how would it work?
The forced removal of a man from a United flight has caused the airline carrier dearly. Days after the incident was captured on phone video and went viral, the company is still dealing with the repercussions.
United CEO Oscar Munoz told ABC News that the airline will no longer use security officers to remove passengers.
With flights frequently overbooked, what will be the effect on air travel if airlines would no longer involuntarily remove passengers?
Guest:
Charlie Leocha, president and founder of Travelers United, a nonprofit consumer travel organization
FilmWeek: ‘The Fate of the Furious,’ ‘The Lost City of Z’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Peter Rainer and Justin Chang review this weekend’s new movie releases including:
- "The Fate of the Furious" in wide release
- "The Lost City of Z" at ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark
- "Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer" at ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark
- "Tommy's Honour" at Island Cinema and the AMC Century City, Promenade and Rolling Hills theaters
- "Heal the Living" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Graduation" at Laemmle's Royal Theatre
- "David Lynch - The Art Life" at The Cinefamily Silent Movie Theatre and The Frida Cinema
- "My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea" at Nuart Theatre
- "A Woman, A Part" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Truman" at Laemmle's Playhouse and Laemmle's Royal Theatre
- "All This Panic" at Arena Cinelogue Sunset
Critics' Hits
- Peter: "The Lost City of Z"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwjtdOqTmrA
- Justin: "Heal the Living" & "Graduation"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otYWveDaplo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlxGMOJ0jK0
Mixed Feelings
- Peter: "Tommy's Honour" & "A Woman, A Part"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgdRDee1Ssw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOFsQe43IeA
- Justin: "The Fate of the Furious"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwMKRevYa_M
Misses!
- Peter: "All This Panic"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCyl1aLUp2E
Guests:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Justin Chang, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
‘Mars in the Movies:’ A history on how the planet has dominated sci-fi film
Until there’s life on mars, the big screen is your surefire way to experience the red planet.
For decades our neighboring body has captivated sci-fi in film, from the 1953 technicolor “War of the Worlds” to this year’s latest, “LIFE, ” which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds. What is it about Mars that beckons us, and how has its portrayal in film changed over the years?
Host Larry Mantle speaks with Thomas Kent Miller who has chronicled the planet’s journey throughout the movie industry, including the dynamic changes in special effects across the last century.
Guest:
Thomas Kent Miller, former documentation specialist at NASA and author of “Mars in the Movies: A History” (McFarland, 2016)