Dueling bills will aim to make it easier to criminally prosecute police officers who are involved in deadly use of force incidents. We’ll look at the two bills side by side and discuss the potential pros and cons of each. We also hear your war stories in the battle against outside critters; review this weekend’s new movie releases; and more.
Was the National Enquirer’s ‘catch and kill’ story on Jeff Bezos politically motivated?
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says he was the target of "extortion and blackmail" by the publisher of the National Enquirer, which he said threatened to publish revealing personal photos of him unless he stopped investigating how the tabloid obtained his private exchanges with his mistress.
Bezos, who is also owner of The Washington Post, detailed his interactions with American Media Inc., or AMI, in an extraordinary blog post Thursday on Medium.com. The billionaire did not say the tabloid was seeking money - instead, he said, the Enquirer wanted him to make a public statement that the tabloid's coverage was not politically motivated.
Bezos' accusations add another twist to a high-profile clash between the world's richest man and the leader of America's best-known tabloid, a strong backer of President Donald Trump. Bezos' investigators have suggested the Enquirer's coverage of his affair - which included the release of risque texts - was driven by dirty politics. In a statement on Friday, American Media said it "acted lawfully" and was engaged in "good faith negotiations" with Bezos.
But the company said its board of directors met and determined it should "promptly and thoroughly investigate" Bezos' allegations and would take "whatever appropriate action is necessary" following the investigation.
The company has admitted in the past that it engaged in what's known as "catch-and-kill" practices to help Trump become president. Trump has been highly critical of Bezos and the Post's coverage of the White House.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Michael Overing, principal of The Law Offices of Michael Overing in Pasadena; adjunct professor of media law at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
Kelly McBride, senior vice president at The Poynter Institute and head of the The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at Poynter
Comparing and contrasting two California bills targeting police deadly use of force
Dueling bills in Sacramento will aim to make it easier to criminally prosecute police officers who are involved in deadly use of force incidents, setting up another showdown between law enforcement groups and civil liberties organizations over the most effective way to address the issue.
One bill, which has yet to be formally introduced by its sponsor, Ceres Democratic Senator Anna Caballero, focuses on improving internal department rules and training, would require officers to deescalate a situation before resorting to deadly force and asks for $300 million in state funding for mental health and homelessness programs.
The other bill, sponsored by San Diego Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber and backed by the ACLU and other similar groups, would let prosecutors consider an officer’s actions right before an incident resulting in a fatality that might have negligently put the officer in danger. Its other major component would only permit an officer to use deadly force on a fleeing suspect if it’s believed that person committed a violent felony, and that not using force could result in harm or death. This is aimed at pushing prosecutors to look at whether there were opportunities to deescalate the situation before using a service weapon.
Asm. Weber introduced a version of this bill last year, which ultimately ended up being shelved after it was met with strong opposition from law enforcement groups, causing it to be scaled back and eventually shelved after support broke down. Subsequent talks between law enforcement and civil liberties lobbying groups failed to produce joint legislation, which resulted in the competing bills.
We’ll look at the two bills side by side and discuss the potential pros and cons of each.
Guests:
Peter Bibring, a director of police practices at ACLU of Southern California; he tweets
Robert Harris, director for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the labor union representing LAPD officers, and an LAPD officer; he tweets
AirTalk asks: What are your war stories in the battle against outside critters?
For Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez, the critter battle started with a racoons.
They were perpetually digging up holes in his Silver Lake yard, and his attempts to drive them away were futile, despite his creative efforts. “Coyote urine, ammonia-soaked sponges, cayenne pepper and motion sensor sprinklers”; these were just some of the tactics used to stop his unwanted visitors.
Lopez even hired an animal communicator--yes, that’s a thing. And no, it didn’t work. But Lopez’s story isn’t unique. As he wrote recently, rats are also a common form of vermin in L.A. homes. They apparently made their way here on ships from Asia, back in the day. The SoCal sunshine, and all that healthy food made for a pleasant place for rats to populate.
We want to hear from you. What is your “white whale” vermin or critter story? Was there a pest you tried with all your might to get rid of, but fell short?
Call us at 866-893-5722
Guest:
Steve Lopez, columnist for the Los Angeles Times; he wrote the article, “Man vs. rat: A true tale of life in Los Angeles"
FilmWeek: ‘The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part,’ ‘Cold Pursuit,’ ‘What Men Want’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig, Christy Lemire and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
- "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" in wide release
- "What Men Want" in wide release
- "High Flying Bird" at Laemmle's NoHo & streaming on Netflix
- "Cold Pursuit" in wide release
- "Everybody Knows" at the ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark Theater
- "The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center & The Frida Cinema
- "UnTogether" at ArcLight Sherman Oaks
- "Berlin, I Love You" at Arena Cinelounge Sunset
- "The Amityville Murders" at Arena Cinelounge Sunset
- "The Prodigy" in wide release
- "Under the Eiffel Tower" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "One Million American Dreams" at Laemmle's Music Hall
CRITICS' HITS
Claudia: 'High Flying Bird' & 'Everybody Knows'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iL1K_l8Jyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L68mUxKuAnA
Christy: 'The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cksYkEzUa7k
MIXED FEELINGS
Claudia: 'What Men Want' & 'The Prodigy'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeoLiTirRp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC4cyYRxjFk
Christy: 'The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot,'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFHJMBQIav0
MISSES
Claudia: 'UnTogether' & 'Berlin, I Love You'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJj98aNCtjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwtetumpm4A
Christy: 'Cold Pursuit,' 'The Amityville Murders' & 'Under the Eiffel Tower'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2Nad0aMPg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAbtgtmuDL4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvlFoLw1Rk
Charles: 'One Million American Dreams'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFy2MH7pKXE
Guests:
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA); she tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Live action, animation and documentary: we review the best of the Oscar-nominated shorts
If you’ve already seen all the big name Oscar-nominated films, now’s your chance to see the little ones.
The Oscar nominated shorts in the categories of live action, animation and documentary will be screening in various theaters across Southern California.
KPCC critics Claudia Puig, Christy Lemire and Charles Solomon sit down with Larry Mantle to discuss their favorites.
For tickets, trailers and more information about the nominated shorts click here
Guests:
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA); she tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine