AirTalk looks ahead after LA Times Executive Editor and Publisher Davan Maharaj and his second-in-command Marc Duvoisin, among other top editors, were fired Monday. We also debate a proposal that would charge property developers in LA a linkage fee per square foot; how hackers can wreck havoc using only your cell phone number; and more.
What does Trump’s new Afghanistan strategy mean for American troops?
Last night, President Trump addressed the nation on his new Afghanistan war strategy.
Trump, the third president to face the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, is likely to green light 3,900 additional troops. To date, there are about 8,400 U.S. soldiers there. While the details were fuzzy, the president pushed against the idea of a swift exit from the region. He also called for more unity within the U.S.--an apparent nod to the events in Charlottesville, Va. In anticipation of his announcement on Monday, some critics were quick to point out Trump’s back-and-forth position on the stalemate war. The Intercept compiled a chronological timeline of Trump’s tweets on Afghanistan.
Trump also discussed new pressures on Pakistan. Did you hear Trump’s speech? Call and share your thoughts. What did you think of Trump’s plan for Afghanistan? Should Americans have a reasonable expectation that the addition of thousands more troops will help stabilize Afghanistan, and stave off extremist groups?
Guests:
Phil Ewing, national security editor for NPR; he tweets
Hardin Lang, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress where his focus includes the Middle East, post-conflict stabilization and peacekeeping; he is a former senior fellow in the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Hal Kempfer, retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel and CEO of Knowledge and Intelligence Program Professionals (KIPP); he does terrorism and intelligence training; has worked in the intelligence community since 1987
Housing, development experts debate proposed LA City linkage fee on new construction
A more than two-year-old proposal from Mayor Eric Garcetti to impose a ‘linkage fee’ on new construction is still floating around city hall and, with a hearing Tuesday afternoon in front of the L.A. City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee and a major debate going on across California about solving the affordable housing crisis, the proposal is once again in the spotlight.
If passed, the proposal would levy a $5 per square foot fee on all new commercial construction and a $12 per square foot fee on residential projects, except those with five or fewer units, which will only be charged $1 per square foot. The revenue generated would go into a fund to help developers build more affordable housing in the city.
Supporters say it’s a show that the city truly wants to fix the housing crisis, and the necessity is increased by the amount of federal housing money being cut. Opponents argue it’s already expensive enough to build in the city of Los Angeles and fear that imposing more fees would drive businesses away. Others, still, say that different neighborhoods with different areas and property values might also be disproportionately impacted by the blanket approach the city is taking, imposing the same fee on the whole city. Other cities that have imposed similar fees have different fees for different neighborhoods.
Do you support the idea of a linkage fee on new construction in L.A.? What potential problems do you see it creating for developers? And what about the idea of a ‘one-size-fits-all approach’?
Guests:
Alan Greenlee, executive director of Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing, an organization that facilitates development of affordable homes across Southern California
Mott Smith, principal with Civic Enterprise Development, a mid-sized developing firm based in L.A., and adjunct professor in the USC Price School of Public Policy
The future of the LA Times after major shake-up
In the latest major shake-up at the Los Angeles Times, Executive Editor and Publisher Davan Maharaj and his second-in-command Marc Duvoisin were abruptly fired Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The newspaper's parent company, Tronc, has installed Chicago Sun-Times editor and publisher Jim Kirk as interim editor of the L.A. Times. The newspaper's publisher will be Ross Levinsohn, who has no experience in newspapers but worked at Fox and Yahoo.
Two other top editors were also fired Monday morning, the newspaper reported: Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig.
Read the full story here.
Guests:
Sharon McNary, KPCC reporter who’s been following the story
Ken Doctor, media analyst who focuses on the transformation of consumer media in the digital age; author of “Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get” (St. Martin’s Press, 2010)
Debating Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump’s new war on drugs
Since taking office, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has repeatedly touted his goals of reducing the recent national uptick in violent crime.
In February, during his speech as a newly-minted attorney general at a National Association of Attorneys General gathering, Sessions vowed to do what he could to combat the trend. He attributed the country’s rise in violent crime rates to a nationwide increase in drug use, echoing the sentiment of the war on drugs during the 1980’s that resulted in long sentences for many minority defendants.
“It happened in the 70’s and I think it could happen now,” he told the gathering. “I think we all have a charge to do better.”
In May, Sessions followed up on that charge by ordering his staff to crack down on nonviolent drug users, including pursuing mandatory minimum sentences for defendants. The move undid former attorney general Eric H. Holder’s policy of avoiding charging certain defendants with offenses that would trigger long mandatory minimum sentences.
Sessions’ decision was met with chagrin from both sides of the aisle. In a statement, Holder called the move, “dumb on crime.”
Last month, the Justice Department also gave state and local law enforcement the power to bypass potentially restrictive state laws and invoke federal law to seize the personal property of people suspected, but not charged, of crimes.
Opponents to the practice, called civil asset forfeiture, say police could easily abuse the privilege, stripping innocent people of their right to due process. There are also questions on how Sessions might crack down on marijuana, now legal in California, but prohibited at the Federal level.
Will Sessions’ rollbacks of the previous administration’s policies aid law enforcement? What will be the implications for drug policy and criminal justice in California?
Guests:
Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the labor union representing LAPD officers
Edward Chung, vice president for Criminal Justice Reform at the Center for American Progress; he was a former Department of Justice prosecutor and former assistant district attorney for Manhattan
Jeffrey Zinsmeister, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), a group that opposes marijuana legalization; he worked in Mexico with the U.S. State Department on drug and anti-corruption issues, 2012 to 2014
A growing threat to cybersecurity may be in your back pocket
A growing threat to mobile security is hitting cell phones across the country.
An article published this week in the The New York Times says hackers have been deceiving some of the world’s largest mobile service providers and transferring phone numbers and account information to a device hackers have in their possession.
Once hackers take control of a mobile number, they have the ability to reset passwords for Facebook, Twitter and Google accounts that use cellphones as backup. For example, if a hacker clicks “forgot password” on a login page and sends a reset code to the commandeered cell phone, they can take control of accounts in the time it takes to send a text message.
According to the Times, the attackers are targeting people who discuss owning virtual currencies on their social media accounts. But it’s not limited to them.
Lorrie Cranor, professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University joins the show to walk through the new form of mobile hacking.
What steps do you take to protect your mobile account information?
Guests:
Lorrie Cranor, professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University; former chief technologist at the Federal Trade Commission; she tweets
Joseph M. Lawlor, managing director in the Cyber Defense practice at K2 Intelligence with a focus on privacy, data security, compliance and proactive defense
Herbie Hancock on Bowl performance and upcoming album
Even if you’re not into jazz, you’ve probably heard the music of Herbie Hancock, whose compositions such as “Cantaloupe Island” and “Watermelon Man” have crossed the musical genre divide into mainstream pop.
The pianist, composer and actor came to the fore in the 1960’s and hasn’t slowed down since. He’s set to release a new album in 2018 and you can catch him tomorrow, Wednesday night, at the Hollywood Bowl.
Oscar and Grammy award winner and Creative Chair for Jazz at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Herbie Hancock joins us on AirTalk to talk about his upcoming performance at the Bowl, his new work and his legacy.
Herbie Hancock will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl, Wednesday, August 23, at 8:00 p.m. Kamasi Washington is the opening act.
Guest:
Herbie Hancock, jazz musician, Oscar-and Grammy-winning pianist