Fans and scientists alike will participate on Saturday in a national March for Science - will you participate and why? What is the role of politics in science?; we weigh the veracity of DHS Inspector General report saying ICE can’t handle increased deportations; plus, should the Oscars awards categories go gender neutral?; and more, on FilmWeek.
Immigration roundup: DHS Inspector General report says ICE can’t handle increased deportations, plus the DOJ’s warning to California
If the Trump administration goes forward with its plans to increase deportations of people in the United States illegally, a new report says the agency is going to have a tough time with logistics.
The report, released by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, says that ICE “does not effectively manage the supervision and deportation of non-detained aliens,” and attributes this to the agency being understaffed, a long backlog of cases, and lack of analysis of employee workloads to determine the right allocation of staff members.
We’re also learning this morning that the U.S. Department of Justice has sent letters to eight different jurisdictions, including the California Department of Corrections, asking that they prove they’re working with federal immigration enforcement. The DOJ says that if these jurisdictions aren’t cooperating, they could be at risk of losing DOJ grants.
Guests:
Joseph Tanfani, DC-based investigative reporter for the LA Times who’s been covering both stories
Chris Newman, legal director, National Day Laborer Organizing Network
Dan Cadman, retired ICE officer and a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, a research organization that focuses on immigration-related issues
On the eve of a country-wide march, AirTalk asks listeners about the role of politics in science
Fans and scientists alike will participate on Saturday in a national March for Science. As reported by Marketplace’s Jed Kim, there’s been a lot of talk about the role of politics in the science world.
These arguments include government funding, recognizing facts and the government’s reaction to further the study of science in the U.S. But should science be a partisan issue? Or should a scientist’s job focus only on research and leave politics to the rest of the masses?
Los Angeles, Pasadena, Long Beach, Riverside, and Santa Barbara are some of the Southern California cities that will hold their respective March for Science rallies tomorrow. Click here for other participating cities.
Guest:
Jason Marshall, a postdoctoral fellow in mechanical and civil engineering at Caltech, and an co-organizer of the Pasadena Science March
Roger Pielke Jr., Faculty affiliate at the University of Colorado, Boulder in their Center for Science and Technology Policy Research
FilmWeek: ‘Born in China,’ ‘The Promise,’ ‘Unforgettable’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s new movie releases including:
- "Born in China" in wide release
- "The Promise" in wide release
- "Unforgettable" in wide release
- "Free Fire" in wide release
- "Let it Fall: LA 1982-1992" at Laemmle's Music Hall
- "Finding Oscar" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent" at The Landmark
- "A Quiet Passion" at Laemmle's Playhouse and Laemmle's Royal Theatre
- "Somewhere Beautiful" at Los Feliz Vintage Cinemas
Critics' Hits
- Claudia: "Finding Oscar" & "Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcCTos5h8nY&t=9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Legzr_ED9R8
- Christy: "Let it Fall: LA 1982-1992," "A Quiet Passion" & "Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ_eHxee26Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3SyPbUTEeU
Mixed Feelings
- Claudia: "Born in China" & "A Quiet Passion"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xRQ5qOtsHI
- Christy: "Unforgettable"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFXIBL617yc
Misses!
- Christy: "Somewhere Beautiful"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU8jGLzIUQY
Guests:
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association; she tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC and host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?;”she tweets
Should awards shows have gender neutral acting categories?
This year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, coming up on May 7, are foregoing male and female acting categories for a single, gender-neutral award, citing their viewers’ changing understanding of gender and the desire to be inclusive to non-binary actors.
Should other award shows follow suit?
Some critics say this could be harmful to equality, considering the gender barriers within Hollywood. In the Oscars directing category, for example, there have only ever been four female nominees, and one winner – Kathryn Bigelow, for The Hurt Locker. If a show like the Oscars scrapped gender division in the acting category, would that lead to, as movie critic Peter Howell suggested, #OscarsSoMale?
Would you like to see awards shows adopt gender neutral acting categories? What would be the benefits and pitfalls?