Discussing the positive and negative effects Donald Trump's primary campaign; Analyzing a Georgia couple's distracted driving lawsuit against Snapchat; and debating Regal Cinema's new policy which restricts parents from bringing children under 6 to R-rated movies. TGI-FilmWeek!
Positive and negative effects of protests on Trump’s CA primary campaign
Protesters and conflict are no stranger to Donald Trump rallies. Such was the case last night in Orange County, where police and protesters briefly butted heads in the wake of a campaign speech in Costa Mesa.
20 people were arrested as rocks were thrown and windows were broken. Trump has shown in the past that he’s able to shake off these brief instances of violence, sometimes even using them to play to his supporters.
It makes sense, then, that Trump could see this kind of conflict as free advertising for his campaign, because the media is going to cover it. On the other side, what if a tipping point is reached in the protesting and a line gets crossed. Would that damage Trump’s chances of winning California’s primary?
For more on last night’s rally in Costa Mesa, click here.
Guests:
David Mark, CNN politics editor and author of the book “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes"; he tweets
Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He has served as a media consultant for many policy leaders, including former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former congress
Is Snapchat’s speed filter responsible for a distracted driving crash?
(AP) A Georgia couple is suing Snapchat, claiming that the social media app's "speed filter" tempted a woman to drive too fast and to cause a crash that injured the husband.
The lawsuit says that in September, McGee was driving down a highway south of Atlanta using a Snapchat filter that places the rate at which a vehicle is traveling over an image. It says McGee was trying to reach 100 miles an hour in her car, which struck the Maynards' car, sending it across the left lane and into an embankment.
SNAPCHAT STATEMENT:
"No Snap is more important than someone’s safety. We actively discourage our community from using the speed filter while driving, including by displaying a "Do NOT Snap and Drive" warning message in the app itself."
Guest:
Jody Armour, a professor of law at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law whose areas of focus includes product liability law
Racist jurors' impact on guilty verdicts will be weighed by Supreme Court
If a juror shows racial bias during jury deliberations, then is a defendant being robbed of his or her Sixth Amendment right to trial by an impartial jury?
That question will be debated at the Supreme Court in the fall. The case stems from Colorado where a Latino man was charged with attempted sexual assault.
After he was found guilty, two jurors told the defense lawyer about a fellow juror's racist statements against the defendant. They claim the juror known as initials H.C. made several racist comments during jury deliberations, including: "I think he did it because he's Mexican and Mexican men take whatever they want."
The high court has considered bad behavior by jurors in the past, but in narrow decisions has found verdicts cannot be nullified due to what happens during jury deliberations.
Where do you stand on this case?
If the justices overturned the verdict against Miguel Angel Pena Rodriguez, what would be the impact of that precedent?
Why did the defense lawyer fail to identify a racist juror before it was too late?
Guests:
Lisa Kern Griffin, Professor of Law, Duke University; Griffin drafted an amicus brief submitted by a group of law professors
William (Bill) Otis, Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University; Otis has worked in the criminal division at the Department of Justice and served as Special Counsel to the President (George H.W. Bush)
FilmWeek: ‘Keanu,’ ‘Mother’s Day,’ ‘Ratchet & Clank’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Charles Solomon, Tim Cogshell, and Wade Major review this weekend’s new movie releases including cat caper comedy called “Keanu” from the comedy team Key and Peele; a new ensemble holiday movie celebrating “Mother’s Day” from Garry Marshall; a video-game spin-off titled “Ratchet & Clank” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Tim's Hits
- "Keanu"
- "Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt"
- "Tale of Tales"
- "The Wait" (L’Attesa)
- "Sworn Virgin"
- "Dough"
Wade's Hits
- "Mother's Day"
- "Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt"
- "The Man Who Knew Infinity"
- "Tale of Tales"
- "The Wait" (L’Attesa)
- "Sworn Virgin"
Mixed Review
Misses
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; Tim tweets from
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Regal Cinemas restricts parents from bringing children under 6 to R-rated movies
The MPAA mostly keeps lone under-17 year olds out of R-rated movies, but if a child has a guardian with them, there’s technically no limit to how young they can be.
Last month Regal Cinemas, the largest theater chain in the US, instituted a policy that would keep children under six out of all R-rated releases.
The policy will hopefully help those of us have missed the plot wondering “Who..? Why...? How...?” when we see a very young person watching adult themes, but it is also intended as part of an upscale trend, as theaters add reclining seats, alcohol, and food to compete with the core demographic’s home theaters.
Guest:
Patrick Corcoran, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, National Association of Theater Owners