Quinnipiac poll finds that half of Americans are embarrassed of Trump, despite his GOP lead; Saudi Arabia's strategy to combat ISIS; FDA to allow some gay and bisexual men to donate blood; LA Times Test Kitchen director offers tips and tricks for gifting baked goods and more.
What the latest Quinnipiac Polls say about Trump and Clinton in a general election
Tuesday's Quinnipiac Poll showed what has been the trend for many months: Donald Trump still leads the Republican campaign for presidential nomination.
However, the poll also revealed some good news for Senator Ted Cruz: he only trails Trump four points.
The poll also showed figures on how the general public feels about a Trump-versus-Hillary Clinton general campaign.
Thanks to most independents polled, Trump is viewed as more trustworthy than Clinton. Further, half of Americans, including a fifth of Republicans, said that they would be embarassed if Trump were elected president. Only a fifth of Democrats felt that way about Clinton.
How would you feel about a Trump/Hillary general election? Do you see either candidate as an embarrassing candidate for nomination?
Guest:
Ken Rudin, Host, Political Junkie podcast and radio program
Muslim women and their decisions to wear — and not to wear — the hijab
Muslim women who wear hijab, the traditional headscarf, have been on edge since the recent mass shooting in San Bernardino.
One of the two shooters, Tashfeen Malik, wore hijab herself. Lately, after more dirty looks and harsh words than they can take, some Muslim women are making difficult choices.
Read the full story here.
Guests:
Hala Arafa, news editor and broadcaster at Voice of America and a retired journalist and co-author of a recent op-ed published in the Washington Post titled, “As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the ‘hijab’ in the name of interfaith”
Hosai Mojaddidi, an Irvine-based Muslim blogger and activist featured in Leslie’s story. She recently wrote a post providing safety tips for Muslim women who wear the hijab
Pressure on Saudi Arabia to face realities of ISIS, terrorism
In the multi-national effort to get Syrian President Bashar Assad out of power, Saudi Arabia is a notable ally.
The powerful desert kingdom can influence other Arabian Gulf states in building the Syrian opposition or creating ceasefire zones - in an effort to undermine the so-called Islamic State violence.
However, allying with the oil-rich nation is often viewed as paradoxical to Americans. The Saudis are both victims and fomenters of extremism. And while their resources have long ensured a mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S., the required diplomacy has often tied the hands of U.S. presidents who otherwise might demand changes within the conservative Islamic country.
On AirTalk, we'll speak with Brian Katulis, a foreign policy expert with the Center for American Progress. Katulis just returned from Saudi Arabia and reports that the country is trying to expand its role in the Middle East.
Guest:
Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow at American Progress, where his work focuses on U.S. national security policy in the Middle East and South Asia; Wall Street Journal “How Saudi Arabia is expanding its role in the Middle East”
FDA relaxes the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, but with a caveat
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made a preliminary decision to end a 30-year old restriction on blood donations from gay and bisexual men for fear of infecting blood supplies with HIV.
Monday, they made good on that early decision.
Under the new rules, these men will be allowed to donate blood under the condition that they are HIV free and have not have sex with another man for at least one year.
This puts the U.S. more in line with other countries such as Australia, Japan and the U.K.
The reason that the FDA has not repealed the ban entirely, they say, is that completely lifting the restrictions would increase the transmission of HIV through the blood supplies by 400 percent.
Is not having sex a realistic expectation for gay and bisexual people who want to donate blood? Do gay people see this as a step in the right direction? Or is this an unacceptable decision when the ultimate goal is to lift the ban?
Guest:
Ayako Miyashita, the Inaugural Brian Belt HIV Law and Policy fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA.
Ruling on Title IX in Pepperdine case likely means broader interpretation of landmark law
Title IX is the statute that prevents discrimination based on sex in schools and colleges across the U.S.
Thanks to a ruling from a federal judge in Los Angeles yesterday, that law will now be able to be interpreted even more broadly.
U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation falls under the umbrella of Title IX’s view of discrimination based on sex or gender, and is not a separate category of discrimination.
The original lawsuit, filed by two former women’s basketball players at Pepperdine University, alleged that Pepperdine discriminated against them because they were in a relationship. The players say in the complaint that their coach told them that it “would cause the team to lose games.”
Pepperdine argues that the women’s complaints didn’t meet Title IX standards for gender discrimination and that the coach of the team was not trying to discriminate against the women, but rather bring the team closer together by eliminating off-court distractions.
Guest:
Erin Buzuvis, professor of law and director of the Center for Gender & Sexuality Studies at Western New England University; she also founded and contributes to the Title IX blog
Gastronomical-inspired gifts for the holidays
‘Tis the season to eat. Rules, diets and promises aside, L.A. Times Test Kitchen Director, Noelle Carter, lavishes her readers (and our listeners) with delicious and practical baking gifts and baked goods.
We’ll explore cookie recipes, a unique gift idea for bakers, the spectrum of olive oil and dessert wines. Plus, if you’re looking for a regional gingerbread house, how about a beach shack, complete with a fondant beer cooler, and instructions?
What’s the craziest gingerbread house you’ve made? What kind of foods or sweets to you make every year? What’s the best baking gift you’ve received? Ask your burning cookie questions -- we’re here with answers.
Click for recipes and ideas
Guest:
Noelle Carter, L.A. Times Test Kitchen director