AirTalk continues its election coverage with a preview of Tuesday's primaries and analysis of Cruz and Kasich's deal to defeat Trump; Larry Mantle remembers KPCC's Morning Edition host, Steve Julian and journalist and author, Greg O'Brien, talks about the impact of documenting his struggle with Alzheimer's.
AirTalk election 2016: Previewing Tuesday primaries in five states, plus the Cruz-Kasich plan to defeat Trump
Five states along the Eastern seaboard hold primaries this week as the campaigns creep closer and closer to the conventions this summer.
Voters in Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware will cast their ballots on Tuesday with some interesting storylines running in both parties.
For the Republicans, it’s the last-ditch effort to railroad Donald Trump from getting the delegates he needs to win the nomination. Over the weekend, the campaigns for Ted Cruz and John Kasich put together a plan to help one another win important upcoming states in the hopes that it will lead to a brokered convention.
Kasich’s campaign will dial back its efforts in Indiana so that Ted Cruz can win there, and in return Cruz will clear the way for Kasich in Oregon and New Mexico. Trump’s campaign responded with a statement saying it was “sad that two grown politicians have to collude against one person who has only been a politician for ten months in order to try and stop that person from getting the Republican nomination."
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton’s campaign is beginning to look at the big picture and has started compiling a list of running mates for vetting. There’s no word on who might be on that list or if Clinton has any frontrunners in mind, but the campaign will undoubtedly be considering things like whether the country would be ready for an all-female ticket, and whether to tap a seasoned veteran with experience or a rising star in the hopes of exciting voters.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders’ campaign is pushing for a bigger role in determining the Democratic party’s platform at the convention this summer in Philadelphia.
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 from
Lisa Camooso Miller, Republican strategist and partner at Blueprint Communications, public affairs firm based in D.C., Republican strategist; she tweets from
California jurors may face fines up to $1500 for misusing the internet during a trial
In modern court cases, jurors are told not to research cases online and not to post about the proceedings on social media.
Of course, not all jurors follow that rule. In fact when jury members violate this rule, it can lead to a mistrial or a case being thrown out entirely.
Whenever this happened jurors would typically be scolded by the judge and dismissed. Judges do hold the power of contempt in these situations, but that process is especially time consuming.
Now, in new legislation supported by state court officials, Judges will have the power to fine offending jurors up to $1500. The bill now authorizes the judiciary to select some county courts for a five-year pilot program, which a legislative analysis said could save participating courts money. It is before the full assembly.
We want to know more about what effect this could have. Will potential jury members have to be vetted more extensively for their internet habits? Will it give judges teeth to deal with anyone whose internet habits are ruining court proceedings?
Guest:
Greg Hurley, a lawyer who studies juries at the National Center for State Courts
Larry Mantle remembers Steve Julian: A warm voice, a beloved friend
To many thousands of Southern Californians he was the friendly and authoritative voice of the morning. Someone to wake up to, or drive to work with. A predictable, warm presence to help Angelenos start the day.
He was certainly that for me too, but KPCC Morning Edition host Steve Julian was also my best friend of 33 years. It was a friendship that began at CBS news/talk station KPRO in Riverside, continued through my move to KPCC and Steve’s shifts in and out of radio, and settled into our shared experience of working together again over the past 16 years at KPCC. We met when we were both 24 and couldn’t have guessed we’d be working across the hall from each other more than three decades later.
Steve made a point of introducing himself to me my first day at KPRO. I’d been hired in the wake of a format shift from Big Band music to all news and talk. I was slotted to host a daily three-hour afternoon drive-time newscast. Steve had been there doing production and voice work before the change.
Steve and I immediately hit it off, talking at length about radio, politics, music, sports and family. Overhearing our energized conversations, KPRO’s News Director asked us what we thought about co-anchoring afternoons. For Steve it would be a move out of production and into news. He didn’t have to be asked twice.
For the next couple of months, we worked together and tried to build an audience for KPRO’s new format. Our co-hosting didn’t last long, as I left to take over KPCC’s news department. Our friendship continued as Steve moved on to a couple of other Inland Empire radio stations before deciding to pursue his longtime love of law enforcement.
Steve’s father, Bill, was a Pomona police officer for many years. Right out of high school, Steve worked as a dispatcher at Pomona PD, and his first wife, Judy, also worked there as a civilian employee. Steve appreciated the mission of law enforcement and enjoyed the camaraderie that came with the work. He enrolled at the Rio Hondo Police Academy. Upon graduation, he was hired as an officer with the Baldwin Park PD.
I went on a couple of ride-alongs with him and saw how much he enjoyed the work and the company of his fellow officers. He helped train new recruits and seemed at home in his new career.
That changed quickly after Steve reported the circumstances of an arrest that he deemed exhibited excessive force. He didn’t feel supported in his decision to report the force by either departmental leadership or many of his fellow officers. What had seemed such a perfect fit was now a source of stress.
Steve left law enforcement and ended up back in radio as a traffic reporter. His split-shift morning and afternoon reports were heard on many Southland radio stations, including KPCC. Some stations required he use a pseudonym so listeners wouldn’t know it was the same guy on another station. That’s why Steve Julian sometimes morphed into “Jack Vick.” Yes, it’s true.
After Minnesota Public Radio’s lease of KPCC, and the creation of Southern California Public Radio in 2000, Steve was hired as host of Morning Edition . It was great for me because Steve was now working out of KPCC’s studios and we could talk briefly every morning between our shows.
It was also the perfect job for Steve. It was a position that encompassed his many talents: writing, editing, news judgement, local knowledge, and vocal performance. He was also able to mentor people coming up in the business who frequently asked his advice on how to handle a news story or event. Steve was strongly opinionated and sometimes had it out with those with whom he disagreed. But that occasionally contentious process also led to better radio.
I can’t tell you how many times over the years Steve and I talked about what we thought listeners did and didn’t like. Our mutual love for radio played out in long conversations over scotch and cigars on how to improve what we did on air. Many times we went back to our wives secure in the knowledge we’d built the perfect radio station (in our minds) and solved the Dodgers’ never-ending relief pitching problems.
Every March, Steve and I would take a few days to drive out to Arizona for spring training baseball. Seeing the Dodger and Angel games was great, but more memorable were our conversations in the car and over dinners. We’d go from religion to social media, family to personal challenges. Nothing was off limits and nothing got shut down or ridiculed. Each of us could talk freely, without being concerned that our ideas had to be fully thought out.
I appreciated that Steve didn’t take what I’d say at face value. He’d ask questions about how I came to the conclusion I did. Our conversations helped me work through my ideas and to become a better host. I hope I was similarly helpful to him.
I first knew something wasn’t right with Steve just last October. I was running lines with him to help him prepare for an understudy role in a local small theater production. He’d learn the lines as we went, only to lose them a few minutes later. He worked harder, spending hours trying to get the lines to stick. It was incredibly frustrating and concerning to him that something he had done so easily for previous acting roles wasn’t working this time. I suggested Steve see his doctor.
Steve’s wife, Felicia, was also concerned about the memory problems. Then, on the Monday before Thanksgiving, Steve came into my studio shortly before I was to go on the air. He was clearly stressed and confused. Felicia took him to the doctor later that day. An MRI the following day revealed a large midbrain tumor.
The week after Thanksgiving, I went with Steve and Felicia to visit specialists in an effort to determine the best course of treatment. Surgical removal was out, given the size and location of the tumor. After starting a couple courses of treatment, Steve decided that he preferred to have the best quality of life he could for his remaining lifespan. He stopped radiation and chemotherapy.
Felicia took a leave of absence from her work to be Steve’s full time caregiver. She’s been remarkable. From cooking him beautiful, gourmet, meals to lovingly helping him manage his frustration over no longer having words at his command. What was a good marriage going into this trial became even deeper and richer. Seeing the two of them work through his symptoms and her exhaustion with extraordinary grace and love is something I’ll never forget.
I was already a huge fan of Felicia’s, but seeing her capacity for love and caregiving has made me appreciate her even more. She’s a wonderful friend, who’s been beautifully supported by all her friends.
Steve was his mother Marlene’s only child. She still lives in Pomona in the house where Steve grew up. Steve’s father Bill died years ago. I’ve been visiting Marlene every couple weeks and taking her groceries since Steve’s illness kept him from getting out. I feel inadequate in fulfilling the task that allowed her to see the son she so deeply loves and respects. But it helps me feel better to visit her and to talk about my family, Steve, and Marlene’s other big love, the Dodgers.
Over these past five months, the KPCC family has been a wonderful source of support for Steve, Felicia, and me. The love and care shown by Steve’s and my colleagues, and by listeners, is overwhelming. I know it meant a great deal to Steve to see how much he meant to so many people in broadcasting, local theater, and our listening audience.
I have many great memories of Steve’s and my friendship and of all the things I learned about myself during our thousands of hours of conversation. What his death leaves me with is a clearer sense of how much he meant to so many people, including our listeners. Fortunately, we’ll always be able to hear his great voice in our heads saying, “This is Morning Edition on 89.3, KPCC. I’m Steve Julian.” It will always bring a smile to my face.
In win for Koch brothers-backed nonprofit, group won’t have to reveal its donors
Should political nonprofits be compelled to reveal the names of their anonymous donors?
That’s the question at stake in an ongoing legal battle between California Attorney General Kamala Harris and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a political nonprofit backed by the conservative Koch brothers.
Claiming it “chills the exercise of [AFPF]’s 1st Amendment freedoms to speak anonymously and to engage in expressive association,” U.S. District Judge Manuel Real ruled last week that the AFPF can ignore demands from Harris’ office to turn over the names and addresses of donors who have given more than $5,000. Now the Attorney General says she’ll appeal, arguing that California law requires charities to submit donor information.
As a foundation, AFPF is more restricted in how it spends money in politics than its sister organization, American for Prosperity, which has supported many conservative causes in state and national politics.
They argue that releasing their donors’ information would make them fear for their safety if their identities were publicly revealed. But the Attorney General’s office maintains that the donor documents would help investigators track unfair business practices by nonprofits. The case is being closely watched for the broader implications its outcome could have on money in politics.
Guests:
Derek Shaffer, an attorney for the Americans for Prosperity Foundation
Kathay Feng, executive director of nonprofit advocacy group California Common Cause
ISO a better ballot for the state Senate race
California officials have a unique problem on their hands this June: to come up with an appropriate election ballot for the Senate primary.
Thirty-four candidates are in the race to replace Sen. Barbara Boxer in June, who will be retiring after two decades in Congress. The unusually large field of contenders have sent elections officials scrambling for a ballot with a better design – one that would accommodate all 34 names in a clear, intuitive way. Failure to do so might lead to a ballot being incorrectly marked and thrown out.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Santa Cruz County recently tested a range of formats, but found that none did the job.
Guest:
John Myers, Sacramento Bureau Chief for the LA Times, who’s written a piece on the topic; He tweets from
First person: Longtime journalist documents his struggles with Alzheimer’s
Greg O’Brien spent 35 years working in the news industry, as a writer, editor, investigative reporter and publisher.
In 2009, at the age of 59, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. And since, he has been tirelessly documenting the toll the unforgiving disease has taken on him. Those endless pages of notes and reflections culminated in the book, “On Pluto,” which came out in 2014.
Now two years later, O’Brien has published an article in the Washington Post that continues his dialogue with public.
O’Brien speaks with Patt Morrison about this difficult journey, and how he’s managed to remain hopeful in the face of the illness.
Guests:
Greg O'Brien, the author of "On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's" (Codfish Press, 2014) and a patient-advocate for the Alzheimer's Association. His recent piece in the Washington Post is titled “I’m documenting my own Alzheimer’s disease while I still can”
Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program, and Associate Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA