On the day that LAPD lapel cameras make their debut, we talk about the ratcheting-up of tensions between cops and activists. Also, the AP is bringing legal action against the FBI after a sting operation that involved impersonating an AP journalist and creating a false AP news story as part of a sting operation. Then, how has the tone of immigration debate changed over the decades? All that and more, on today's AirTalk.
Cops, activists react to Sheriff’s comment that Black Lives Matter spurred deputy’s death
On the day that LAPD lapel cameras make their debut, we talk about the ratcheting up of tensions between cops and activists.
A Houston-area sheriff’s deputy was shot in the back of the head as he put gas in his patrol car, and the local sheriff hinted that the "Black Lives Matter" movement was making matters worse. At the Minnesota state fair, “Black Lives Matter” sympathizers marched and chanted, “Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon.”
African Americans say they have felt threatened by police for years. Now, cops may be feeling that they have targets on their backs.
Guests:
Randy Sutton, retired police lieutenant with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He’s the author of multiple books on policing, including "A Cop’s Life" (St Martin’s Press, 2006)
Jody Armour, law professor at the University of Southern California who specializes in civil liability law.
Associated Press lawsuit challenges boundaries of law enforcement deception
Sting operations are one of the most helpful tools at law enforcement’s disposal when it comes to catching particularly wary criminals.
A cop might go undercover as a minor soliciting sex on the Internet in order to capture a sex offender, or a DEA agent might impersonate a heroin addict to conduct a controlled drug buy as part of evidence building against narcotics traffickers. But what happens when police impersonate a journalist?
The answer, at least in the case of the Associated Press, is to sue. The AP is bringing legal action against the FBI after a sting operation that involved impersonating an AP journalist and creating a false AP news story as part of a sting operation that involved a 15-year-old bomb threat suspect in Washington, who the FBI emailed a link to a fake AP news story. When the suspect clicked the link, it downloaded surveillance software to his computer that allowed the FBI to track him.
When the news of the sting broke, AP filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act in the hopes of getting more information, but the government has said they could be waiting almost two years for the materials. The AP filed suit, accusing the government of freezing them out.
Under current law, there is nothing that explicitly prohibits law enforcement from impersonating journalists in sting operations. While the AP’s lawsuit doesn’t allege the government is violating the First Amendment by impersonating a journalist, it does bring up concerns about how the practice could jeapordize the credibility of news organizations.
Do you think law enforcement should be allowed to impersonate journalists in sting operations? Are there other professions that might also be ethically questionable for law enforcement to impersonate? What are the legal implications of this lawsuit for the AP and the FBI?
Guests:
Mary-Rose Papandrea, professor of law at the University of North Carolina School of Law and a constitutional and media law expert
Aaron Caplan, associate professor of law at Loyola Law School
How has the tone of immigration debate changed over the decades?
In 1980, George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan debated immigration policy. The tone of their debate was, arguably, downright loving.
Their attitude stands out in stark contrast to rhetoric used today.
Mitt Romney coined the phrase, “self-deport” -- asking unauthorized immigrants to turn themselves into the authorities. Trump said that Mexico is not a friend to the US. Obama calls undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children, “dreamers.”
How has the tone of political rhetoric changed over the decades? How does language impact policy and public opinion?
Guests:
Leslie Berestein Rojas, Immigration and Emerging Communities Reporter for KPCC
Leo Chavez, Professor of Anthropology at UC Irvine with a focus in migration, media and discourse analysis
Joaquin Guerra, President of Mas Power Group, a political advocacy firm abased in San Antonio
Alfonso Aguilar, Executive Director, Latino Partnership at American Principles Project.
Nazi Gold Train: The biggest discovery of the 21st century?
Last week, news of a "Nazi gold train" broke from Poland’s deputy culture minister, Piotr Żuchowski.
Images had been found of the train near the 4km stretch of railway near the country’s Wrocław-Wałbrzych line. It may carry art, along with jewels and gold that were rumored to have been stolen during the Nazi flee from Russia’s Red Army in World War II.
The train, depicted in the 2014 film "Monuments Men,” could be the biggest discovery of the century.
Robert Edsel, author of "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves," which was adapted for the film, weighs in on the significance of the potential find of the historical treasure.
What’s the significance of the so-called “Nazi gold train”? Could this be the Titanic discovery of the 21st century?
Guest:
Robert Edsel, author of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves; He is founder and president of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art.
Gehry camp unveils details of LA River overhaul -- what do YOU want it to be?
Less than a month after the LA Times revealed that Frank Gehry has been looking into revitalizing the LA River, details of the proposal have finally been released.
On Friday, Gehry’s architecture firm released preliminary details on the project, which the Times reports could include both commercial and residential developments, a bike and pedestrian path, as well as a water reclamation project.
Gehry’s team has been working on the river project for about a year for free. The next phase of the project is estimated to take 3 to 6 months to complete, with a price tag in the millions.
Guests:
Peter Jamison, reporter for the Los Angeles Times who’s been covering the Frank Gehry river restoration project. He was at Friday’s press preview.
Lewis McAdams, cofounder and president, Friends of the Los Angeles River
William Deverell, Professor at University of Southern California and Director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens