Today on AirTalk, we talk with Rep. Adam Schiff on his thoughts after the Senate voted to acquit the president, bringing to an official end Trump's impeachment trial. Also on the show, we give an update on how Iowa's doing with those votes; remember Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas who died at age 103; and more.
AirTalk Special: Lead House Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff On Trump Acquittal
President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House.
The outcome Wednesday followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House to Mitch McConnell's Senate, reflecting the nation's unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency.
Adam Schiff, the House lead impeachment manager and one of the central figures of the impeachment proceedings, joins Larry for an interview.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Adam Schiff, lead House impeachment manager; chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; Democratic Congressman representing California’s 28 Congressional District, which includes Burbank, parts of Pasadena, and Glendale; he tweets
After Barrington Plaza Fire, Should All Residential High-Rises In LA Be Retrofitted With Sprinklers?
After last week’s fire in the Westside high-rise Barrington Plaza, some Los Angeles Councilmembers are proposing that all residential high rise buildings be retrofitted with fire sprinklers.
Most apartments already require sprinklers, but an exemption for high-rises constructed between 1943 and 1974 means that about 55 buildings in L.A. city aren’t up to current fire code, Barrington Plaza among them.
Apartment owners have expressed concerns about the costs of retrofitting. Without government assistance, they say these costs could be passed along to renters.
The motion gestures towards looking into state and local funding sources to help cover the costs.
We take a closer look at the motion.
Guests:
Robert Solomon, fire protection engineer with the National Fire Protection Association, a global nonprofit focused on eliminating death, injuries and economic loss due to fire hazards; he tweets
Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, an organization advocating for multifamily owners, managers, developers and suppliers in the city and county of Los Angeles
Remembering One Of Hollywood’s Great Leading Men: Kirk Douglas Dies At 103
He was born Issur Danielovitch, a ragman’s son. He died Kirk Douglas, a Hollywood king.
Douglas died Wednesday at 103 and was a force for change and symbol of endurance. He is remembered now as a final link to a so-called “Golden Age,” the father of Oscar winner Michael Douglas and a man nearly as old as the industry itself. But in his prime, he represented a new kind of performer, more independent and adventurous than Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and other greats of the studio era of the 1930s and 1940s, and more willing to speak his mind. His career began at the peak of the studios’ power and ended in a more diverse, decentralized age that he helped bring about.
Reaching stardom after World War II, he was as likely to play cads (the movie producer in "Bad and the Beautiful," the journalist in "Ace in the Hole") as he was suited for the hero-slave in “Spartacus,” as alert to the business as he was at home before the camera. He was producing his own films at a time most movie stars were content to act and was working with an enviable range of directors, from a young Stanley Kubrick to a middle-aged John Huston, from a genius of noir like Jacques Tourneur to such master satirists as Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
By the end of the 1950s, the use of banned writers was widely known within the industry, but not to the general public. Douglas, who years earlier had reluctantly signed a loyalty oath to get the starring role in “Lust for Life,” delivered a crucial blow when he openly credited the blacklisted Oscar winner Dalton Trumbo for script work on "Spartacus," the Roman epic about a slave rebellion that was released in 1960. In the 1970s and 1980s, he did several notable television films, including "Victory at Entebbe” and "Amos.” His film credits in the '70s and '80s included De Palma's "The Fury" and a comedy, "Tough Guys," that co-starred Burt Lancaster, his longtime friend who previously appeared with Douglas in "Seven Days in May," "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" and other movies. Douglas also was one of Hollywood’s leading philanthropists. The Douglas Foundation, which he and Anne Douglas co-founded, has donated millions to a wide range of institutions, from the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to the Motion Picture & Television Fund. In 2015, the foundation endowed the Kirk Douglas Fellowship - a full-tuition, 2-year scholarship - at the American Film Institute.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Leonard Maltin, film historian and critic, he’s the author of many books on cinema, including “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide” series; he spent 30 years on the television show Entertainment Tonight, appears regularly on Reelz Channel and Turner Classic Movie and co-hosts the podcast “Maltin on Movies” with his daughter Jessie; he tweets
2020 Update: What We Know (And Don’t) From Iowa, What’s Ahead In New Hampshire
Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are nearly tied in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, with nearly all results counted in a contest marred by technical issues and reporting delays.
The race remained too early to call early Thursday with 97% of precincts reporting. Party officials were scrambling to verify the remaining results three days after Iowans gathered at caucus sites across the state to begin choosing which Democrat will take on President Donald Trump in November.
Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential hopefuls descended on New Hampshire earlier this week, fresh off overnight flights, full of caffeine and without official results from Iowa. That didn’t stop many of them from offering some form of a victorious message — and raising the stakes on the importance of New Hampshire.
With the next democratic debates on the horizon for tomorrow, we check in with what’s going on in New Hampshire and what we still don’t know from Iowa.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Trent Spiner, Politico reporter covering the New Hampshire primary, he’s currently in Manchester; he tweets
James Lynch, reporter for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; he covers politics, government and the Iowa legislature; he tweets at
Should Federal Judges Be Barred From Membership In Ideological Legal Groups?
A draft advisory opinion circulated last month by a committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference, the policy-making body for the federal judiciary, recommends that federal judges be barred from membership in certain ideological groups.
Specifically, the rules mention the Federalist Society a conservative/libertarian legal organization, and its left-leaning counterpart the American Constitution Society, although it stopped short of recommending that they also be barred from membership with the American Bar Association because, they say, the ABA has a judicial division whose members can’t and don’t endorse the organizations policy positions. If the rules were to be adopted, judges would still be allowed to go to and participate in panel discussions and symposiums hosted or organized by Federalist Society or ACS. The draft advisory does not, however, make mention of any other groups where a judge being a member could be seen as ethically dubious.
Do you think judges should be prevented from having membership status in ideological groups? What constitutional issues could arise if these rules were implemented?
Guests:
Jody Armour, professor of law at USC; he tweets
David Rivkin, partner at the law firm BakerHostetler; he co-authored a recent op-ed for The Wall Street Journal titled “Shut Up, They Advised”; he has previously held positions at the Department of Justice, in the Office of White House Counsel and elsewhere in the federal government; he tweets
Fur Coats, Problematic Souvenirs And Gaudy Jewelry: What’s Your White Elephant Of A Family Heirloom?
Sometimes the things left behind by your deceased loved ones can become sentimental keepsakes, reminders of the happy times you shared together or the markers of a proud family legacy. Or sometimes, they’re just awkward.
In his recent Wall Street Journal piece, “The Awkward Family Heirloom: No One Wants Grandma’s Fur Coat," Ray Smith dives into the generational divide that makes millennials feel uncomfortable with inheriting fur coats.
But fur is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to family heirlooms. Racist or sexist antiques, ugly ceramics, puzzling paintings, tacky jewelry, unwieldy collections, ashes -- we want to hear about them all. Call us with your awkward family heirloom story: 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Ray Smith, fashion reporter with the Wall Street Journal, where his recent piece is “The Awkward Family Heirloom: No One Wants Grandma’s Fur Coat”; he tweets