Hillary Clinton met with Clinton Foundation donors while Secretary of State, and some say that's "pay-to-play" politics; a potential new LAPD program looks to create a dialogue between the department and families of those killed by police; plus, why a proposed law in Italy could make vegan diets a form of child abuse.
More evidence of Clinton Foundation influence at State Department
The Associated Press revealed yesterday that the Democratic presidential nominee met with major Clinton Foundation donors while she was the Secretary of State.
Hillary Clinton promised to keep the foundation and her work with the Obama administration separate, but the AP found that more than half of the private-interest meetings she held were with people who’d given money to her family’s global philanthropy.
The presidential hopeful has been plagued by the charity’s perceived conflicts of interest and the AP’s investigation suggests big Clinton Foundation donors might have been given special access to the State Department head.
The Trump campaign and other Hillary critics are calling it pay-to-play politics. Others say these kinds of meetings and small favors are common in Washington D.C., plus there’s no clear evidence of illegal activity or donor influence on matters of state.
Do you think the relationship between Clinton Foundation donors and the former secretary of State’s office was too cozy or is this just another case of inflated politics-as-usual?
Guests:
Doug White, non-profit expert and former director of Columbia University's Master of Science in Fundraising Management program.
Michael A. Cohen, national politics and foreign affairs columnist for the Boston Globe, and author of "American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division"
Debating the effectiveness of Stanford’s hard alcohol ban
Hard alcohol no longer has a place with undergraduates at Stanford University. School officials released a new alcohol policy on Monday that put a campus-wide ban on hard liquor and “high volume distilled liquor containers.”
This comes amid the continuing fallout from the Brock Turner incident in which Turner, a highly-recruited swimmer on Stanford men’s team, was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on campus. Turner, to the outrage of many, received a six month sentence for his crime.
While Stanford spokeswoman Lisa Lapin says the concern over alcohol abuse on campus isn’t new, critics see the ban as not addressing the real problem of the culture of sexual assault on-campus, plus they worry about students drinking more off-campus.
What do you think of Stanford’s hard alcohol ban? Will the ban help stop the abuse of alcohol on campus, or is it just a distraction for a bigger problem?
Guests:
Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director and CEO, Alcohol Justice based in San Rafael - a national advocacy organization that campaigns against the influence of the alcohol industry
Michele Landis Dauber, professor of law and sociology at Stanford Law School; she tweets
'Seoul Man:' a look inside Korean car titan Hyundai
After an 18-year career at the Washington Post, newly-married journalist Frank Ahrens moved to South Korea his with his wife Rebekah.
She was stationed there with the foreign service, and he found a job as a PR executive with car giant Hyundai. Never imagining he would live outside the US, working for one of Korea’s massive chaebol -- the conglomerates that helped fuel the country’s economic boom -- was equal parts confusing and gratifying for Ahrens.
In his new memoir “Seoul Man,” he outlines three simultaneous “midlife crises:” Hyundai’s, Korea’s, and his own. As the country moved away from an economy driven by a few conglomerates and Hyundai tried to remake its image, Ahrens experienced family life for the first time at 46.
On AirTalk, Larry Mantle interviews Ahrens about his time at Hyundai, getting the journalist’s take on the changes in the company and the country during his time in South Korea.
Guest:
Frank Ahrens, former Washington Post editor; he is the author of “Seoul Man” a memoir about his time working for Hyundai in South Korea
Can LAPD’s proposed ‘Family Liaison Program’ bridge the communication gap?
In an effort to create a dialogue between LAPD and the families of those who have been fatally shot or died while in police custody, the police department has proposed what is thought to be the nation’s first Family Liaison Program.
Police Commission President Matt Johnson said the program will provide families with an official point of contact for obtaining documents, including death certificates and other record required by insurance companies.
Some, including LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, think the program will help guide families through investigations, but others, including Black Lives Matter protester Ebony Fay, see the program’s development differently. “What that says to me really is that you're planning for there to be more of that – more death and more killings,” Fay told KPCC.
The Family Liaison program has not yet been implemented, but police commissioners proposed hiring two liaisons to formalize conversations that would explain the investigation process to families. Commissioners announced the proposal yesterday at a nearly empty boardroom inside the LAPD headquarters while Black Lives Matters protesters cried for Mayor Eric Garcetti to fire Chief Beck.
Do you think this new program will alleviate tension between families and the police department?
Guests:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC correspondent who covers criminal justice and public safety issues; he tweets from
Eugene O’Donnell, Professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; former NYPD officer; former prosecutor in Kings County, New York
RIP Gawker, the internet's original purveyor of snark
Univision won Gawker Media in an auction for $135 million last week, bringing Nick Denton’s reign of the media empire he founded 14 years ago to an end.
Gawker.com has officially shut down, but other properties like Gizmodo and Dead Spin are still in operation.
It is an end of an era for one of the internet’s most original voices. Before TMZ and Buzzfeed, there was Gawker and its slate of in-the-know, cooler-than-thou writers. The site was a must-visit for media elites and heartland readers alike, and the snarky, gossipy tone it created was as envied as it was imitated.
What’s in store for Gawker Media? What does Univision get out of the purchase? What is Gawker’s legacy?
Guests:
Jeb Lund, a columnist for the Rolling Stone who’s been following the Gawker story
Veronica Villafañe, editor and publisher of Media Moves, an online publication that focuses on the Hispanic media industry and Latinos in the media
Italian lawmakers consider ban of veganism for kids — what are the pros and cons?
Restricting kids to a vegan diet could be considered child abuse punishable by jail time in Italy if a new proposal by a lawmaker in that country passes.
The new law is in response to the mayor of Turin, Italy, saying she wanted her town to be Italy’s first “vegan city.”
The text of the bill (in Italian) says that parents who force their kids to eat vegan are imposing a diet that is “devoid of essential elements for healthy and balanced growth.” While it doesn’t outright ban veganism country-wide, if passed it would make it difficult for parents to impose the diet on their children.
Under the law, parents who make their kids eat vegan could face a year in prison if their child is over the age of 3 and two years if the child is younger. That term could turn into four years if the child gets sick as a result of the diet, and up to seven years if the child dies. Word is that the bill stands a decent chance of passing, as it comes after four children in Italy over an 18 month period were removed from their homes and placed in hospital care due to vitamin deficiencies believed to be tied to vegan diets.
Reed Mangels is registered dietician and lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She raised her children on vegan diets. She believes veganism is a good choice for kids, as long as it’s done correctly.
“[The proposed law] is just absurd...A well-planned vegan diet has the elements that are necessary for growth and development” said Mangels.
She suggested it’s as easy learning a few nutritional tips and applying them at mealtime.
“I think if you learn the basics about good nutrition, it becomes second nature. So, you’re planning a meal and you think ‘Oh, I need a protein source -- beans for instance, soy products -- I need vegetables, fruits, some kind of starchy food.’ That’s pretty simple.”
Adjunct professor of public health at UCLA Bill McCarthy agrees, but he said parents must be cautious.
Some vegan diets may not provide kids with all of the necessary vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin B12. Low B12 levels can hamper neurological development, as well as cause irritability and weakness.
McCarthy suggested closely monitoring vegan children’s vitamin levels and making changes accordingly.
“Even though most parents of vegan children are aware of the need for supplementation, nonetheless, when tested using a simple blood test, the children do show some signs of Vitamin B12 deficiency,” McCarthy said.
There are vegan B12 supplements on the market, though Mangels said kids should start with a daily multivitamin.
She and McCarthy agreed that ultimately what’s most important is making sure your child gets the nutrients they need.
“You can have a lousy animal diet or conversely a vegetarian or vegan diet that’s not healthy. It’s not just [about] veganism versus animal foods, but also the quality of your food choices,” McCarthy said.
These interviews have been edited for clarity.
Guests:
Reed Mangels, Ph.D., registered dietician and lecturer specializing in vegetarian nutrition at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Bill McCarthy, Ph.D., adjunct professor of public health at UCLA