This past Friday, California Legislature released documents that outline a slew of sexual harassment incidents, including the names of accused lawmakers as well as details into how the cases were handled. Guest host Libby Denkmann explores the content and impact of these documents. Today's show also looks into Amazon's latest patent; the week in politics; and more.
Week in politics: More Nunes memo madness, plus how Congress will try to avoid another government shutdown
This week, on AirTalk’s political roundtable, guest host Libby Denkmann speaks with analysts Jack Pitney and Lisa Garcia Bedolla about the week ahead in national politics, including:
Continuing fallout from Nunes memo release (latest is potential release of Dem response memo and Nunes hinting at more memos)
Gov’t shutdown deadline is Thursday
Senate to introduce bipartisan immigration plan today
The last two weeks of polls have been great for Republicans – do they signal a shift?
White House wants Pentagon to offer more options on North Korea
Nuclear posture review (see below press release from WH)
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Lisa Garcia Bedolla, professor in the Graduate School of Education and director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley; she tweets
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
A lesson in party hosting and guesting etiquette, and why no one wants to pay for your birthday gathering
The unspoken rules of being a host, or even a guest, can be difficult to navigate, largely because the rules are unspoken.
By definition, a host is someone who receives and entertains guests, either at home or elsewhere. It’s typically good manners to show up to a party with an offering of some sort – say, a bottle of wine for a dinner gathering or maybe some chips and dip for a big sporting event. But what do you do when the host of the party you’re attending casually suggests that you and the other guests help cover the cost?
Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary gets at this idea in her latest column, “Stop charging me to attend your celebrations — #guestsdontpay.” In it, she pushes back on the idea that guests should have to pay to go to someone else’s party.
Let’s say it’s a friend’s birthday and he or she wants to get a big group of people to meet at a restaurant for dinner. When the check comes, however, attendees discover that not only do they have to pay their own way, but it's implied that the guest of honor's tab will also get picked up by one or more of the attendees. Singletary says she doesn’t attend parties where she’s expected to pay anymore, and that she’ll ask in advance if the organizer isn’t clear about whether guests will need to cover their costs. She says the idea that people expect their friends to pay up so they can have the party they want on their special day “smacks of a sense of entitlement” and is evidence of a culture that encourages us to do things we can’t afford.
What is your expectation as a guest at someone else’s party or as a host of your own? And what about when they’re the host? Do you go potluck style and ask everyone to bring something to pitch in? Do you just foot the bill for everyone like a host generally should? Or do you ask guests in advance to pay their way? What’s the best way you’ve found to handle this?
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guest:
Michelle Singletary, writer of the Washington Post’s personal finance column, “The Color of Money”; she wrote the article, “Stop charging me to attend your celebrations — #guestsdontpay”; she tweets
Newly released documents shed light on how CA legislature has dealt with sexual harassment claims
The CA Legislature is expected to release a trove of documents pertaining to how sexual harassment claims against lawmakers were investigated at the state capitol.
AirTalk’s guest host Libby Denkmann speaks with two Sacramento reporters who have been following the story.
Information on eighteen alleged cases of sexual harassment were released Friday. Four lawmakers currently serving in the Legislature were named in those investigations.
Read more about them here and here.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Melanie Mason, reporter covering state government and politics in Sacramento for the Los Angeles Times who’s been following the story; she tweets
Laurel Rosenhall, political reporter who’s been covering the story at CALmatters, the nonprofit journalism site covering California; she tweets
Amazon patents wristbands that track warehouse workers hands, raising HR and privacy concerns
Last week, Amazon received two patents for wristbands that could track the wearer’s hand movement and buzz them if they begin wandering in the wrong direction.
At this point, the device is theoretical, but it’s already raising concerns about privacy and workplace morale.
The patented bracelets would use ultrasonic sound pulses or radio transmissions so that a receiver can track an employee’s hands in relation to inventory bins. The wristbands could be used in Amazon’s fulfillment centers.
The promise of the tech is that it could make life easier and more efficient for employees, but privacy advocates have concerns about the data collected and how it would be used, as well as how this would affect workplace morale.
We talk to a tech reporter and an employment lawyer and HR specialist about the promise and the drawbacks of Amazon’s wireless tracker wearables.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Karen Weise, reporter with Bloomberg Technology and Bloomberg Businessweek; she tweets
Kate Bischoff, owner of tHRive Law & Consulting, an employment law and HR consulting firm; she tweets
After Uma Thurman’s allegations, a look at Hollywood work culture
With the continuing stories coming out about allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood, Uma Thurman has added her account to the list.
As reported by the New York Times, not only has Thurman accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, but she has also discussed her relationship with Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino and the dangerous work conditions under which he allegedly created.
According to Thurman, she refused to drive an unstable car during shooting but was coerced by Tarantino to do the scene. The article included footage of Thurman losing control of the car, which crashed into a tree. Thurman said she is still suffering from injuries obtained during that accident.
As the conversation continues about power dynamics in Hollywood, we want to hear from listeners. Have you ever experienced dangerous work conditions and how did you handle that? If you’re an actor, how far would you go for your art--i.e. weight loss, doing your own stunts, etc? Call us at 866-893-5722.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guest:
Katie Kilkenny, associate editor at The Hollywood Reporter; she’s been following the story; she tweets