Should you be allowed to vote if you’re a convicted felon who’s now on parole? We also discuss the charges against ‘birth tourism’ agency operators; preview some of the major films and storylines from Sundance 2019; and more.
A deep dive into the charges against ‘birth tourism’ agency operators
Twenty people have been charged in the largest-ever crackdown on businesses that help Chinese women travel to the United States to give birth to babies who automatically are American citizens, authorities said Thursday.
Three people were arrested in Southern California on charges including conspiracy, visa fraud and money laundering. More than a dozen others have also been charged in cases stemming from three so-called birth tourism businesses, with many believed to be in China, the U.S. Attorney's office said. It is the first time the United States has criminally prosecuted birth tourism operators, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.
The businesses - which were raided by federal agents in 2015 - billed Chinese women tens of thousands of dollars to travel to California to deliver their babies in American hospitals so the children would automatically obtain U.S. citizenship, prosecutors said. It isn't illegal to visit the United States while pregnant but authorities said the businesses touted the benefits of having U.S. citizen babies and had women hide their pregnancies while seeking travel visas and lie about their planned trips.
One business allegedly coached women to tell consular officials they planned to visit a Trump hotel in Hawaii when really they would spend three months at an apartment in Irvine, California to give birth. U.S. authorities said the businesses not only engaged in fraud but have created a national security risk. Their customers - some who work for the Chinese government - have secured American citizenship for children who can later move back to the United States, and once they're 21 years old, sponsor their parents for green cards.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Nick Hanna, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles and six other counties
Roxana Kopetman, staff writer at the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group who’s been following the story
Yong Chen, professor of history at UC Irvine where his research focus includes Asian American and immigration history
What US announcement of withdrawal from Cold War treaty with Russia means for already tense relations between the countries
The Trump administration said that the United States will pull out of a nuclear treaty with Russia on Saturday if Russia continues not to comply.
It’s called the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force treaty, and it’s kept the arms race between Russia and the U.S. under control since the Cold War ended. The U.S. claims Russia has violated the treaty for several years now, but Russia denies the violation.
Analysts worry leaving the treaty will lead to an arms race. Officials say the treaty is prohibiting the U.S. from responding to China as it continues to deploy missiles in Asia. But it won’t happen all at once. Full withdrawal from the treaty will take six months.
Should the United States withdrawal from the treaty? How will that affect its relationships with Russia and China?
Guest:
David Sanger, national security correspondent for the New York Times; he is the author of "The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage and Fear in the Cyber Age” (Crown, June 2018); he tweets
Californians might decide next year whether to let parolees vote again
Should you be allowed to vote if you’re a convicted felon who’s now on parole?
About half of the states in the U.S. say yes, and that statistic is growing. Florida just allowed 1.4 million ex-convicts to register, and Louisiana is about to let ex-convicts who were released at least five years ago to vote. As of now, California is not one of them. For felons granted lifetime parole, that means they’re not eligible to vote again. But residents will be voting on it soon, and if they say yes, California could gain nearly 50,000 eligible voters.
The Free the Vote Act would allow criminals the same voting rights once they are released from prison. The bill working its way through the legislature now. It needs two-third support in the House and the Senate before it can get onto the 2020 ballot. Then it just needs a simple majority to pass.
Do you think parolees should vote? If it does pass, how likely are parolees to vote? And how might that new group of voters influence elections?
Guests:
Taina Vargas-Edmond, co-founder and executive director of Initiate Justice, a non-profit that advocates for people impacted by incarceration; she filed the initiative; she tweets
Christine Ward, executive director of Crime Victims Action Alliance, a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization advocating for victims rights and public safety at the state level
FilmWeek: ‘Miss Bala,’ ‘Arctic,’ ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Lael Loewenstein and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
- "Miss Bala" in wide release
- "The Frame's" John Horn interviewed director Catherine Hardwicke earlier this week, You can listen to that interview here
- "Arctic" at The Landmark Theater & Arclight Hollywood
- "Velvet Buzzsaw" at the Landmark Theater & streaming on Netflix
- John Horn of "The Frame" interviewed the star of 'Velvet Buzzsaw" Jake Gyllenhaal earlier this week. To listen to that interview click here
- "Tito and the Birds" at Laemmle's Glendale & Edwards University Town Center
- "Then Came You" at Laemmle's Glendale
- "Daughter of Mine" at Laemmle's Royal Theater
- "Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission" at The Downtown Independent Theater, Harkins Theaters Cerritos & Harkins Theaters Chino Hills
- "Dragon Ball Super: Broly" in wide release
- "Who Will Write Our History" at Laemmle's Music Hall & Laemmle's Town Center (Through Thursday Feb. 7th) Ahrya fine Arts Center (Saturday Feb. 2nd only)
CRITICS' HITS
Tim: 'Daughter of Mine' and 'Who Will Write Our History'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLVw6wlYJPo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPBGWvKMSs
Lael: 'Arctic' and 'Tito and the Birds'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5aD9ppoQIo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qwfgZtZvA8
Charles: 'Dragon Ball Super: Broly'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU-c-GS93Bg
MIXED FEELINGS
Tim: 'Miss Bala' and 'Then Came You'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-kPf-n4Mto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIkRfCKd7Lc
Lael: 'Velvet Buzzsaw'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdAR-lK43YU
Charles: 'Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbylrrZ6C_k
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
New programming head, Michael Jackson doc and more: recapping Sundance 2019
The 2019 Sundance Film Festival wraps up on Sunday, February 3rd and it was a big year for mega-deals, female directors, and Amazon Studios.
Several films from high-profile directors earned big global contracts, the festival’s new programming head scheduled a lineup with 45 percent female directors, and Amazon dropped almost $45 million dollars on three films. We also saw the festival’s founder, actor Robert Redford, announce he’d be stepping back from the spotlight.
Today on FilmWeek, we’ll preview some of the major films and storylines from the festival with “The Frame” host John Horn and Amy Nicholson, both of whom have been in attendance.
Guests:
John Horn, host of KPCC’s “The Frame” who has been in Park City, Utah covering Sundance; he tweets
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘The Canon’ and ‘Unspooled’; she tweets