It's confirmed - the last US hostage believed held by the group calling itself Islamic State is dead. President Obama is now preparing to ask Congress for War Powers. Also, a group of top US scientists just released its look at possible technologies to cool Earth, as global warming continues. Then, to pluck or not to pluck: our complicated relationship with hair.
White House readies request for War powers from Congress
Within 24 hours, President Barack Obama is expected to ask Congressional lawmakers for authorization of use of military force (AUMF) against the self-described Islamic State fighters.
Strategies in the AUMF could disappoint both conservative and progressive lawmakers who diverge on the option of a ground offensive with US troops in Iraq and/or Syria. In recent months, the US military has conducted nearly 1,000 airstrikes against IS in Syria, relying on war powers Congress gave former President George W. Bush after 9/11.
Does a new AUMF signal the president wants more than airstrikes? What would that mean practically speaking? Does the threat posed by IS justify American military intervention?
Guests:
Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow focusing on U.S. national security policy in the Middle East for the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C.
Danielle Pletka, Senior Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, right-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C.
Climate change: Extreme cures may make things worse
If there’s a man-made way to fight off the consequences of climate change, it’s not a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Some of the country’s leading minds on climate change issued a two-volume report, evaluating some of the current carbon dioxide removal techniques and albedo-modification technologies, which attempt to improve the ability of Earth and its clouds to reflect incoming sunlight. The NRC committee deemed these techniques, commonly referred to as “geoengineering,” risky and suggested that they may not be ready to be used yet.
What are some of these techniques for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and who is developing them? Are there other techniques that
Guests:
Ken Caldeira, member of the NRC panel that released the reports; climate scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University
David Biello, environment and energy editor at Scientific American
How to tell loved ones their pipe dreams are unhealthy
Los Angeles is a city of big breaks and broken dreams where talented go-getters either get a lucky break as working actors, singers, producers, et cetera, or live in frustrated delusion.
There are objective ways to figure out who is going to "make it big" according to career coach Marty Nemko, Ph.D. "There are simple questions to assess whether someone's dreams are reality-based," Nemko says. He asks, "As you look back, have people been willing to pay you? What if you you relegated your dream to a hobby - would you be devastated or relieved? What is your drive level? Are you living off someone else's money to pursue your goal?"
Nemko says if the answers are worrying, then loved ones should avoid Pollyannaish cheerleading. However, psychotherapist Janice Kinter, Ph.D., counsels, "It is hard to take away someone's hope. Losing hope is one of the biggest signs of depression."
Actor Gene Hackman went to acting school after being in the U.S. Marine corps, then was voted “least likely to succeed” by teachers at the Pasadena Playhouse. Should he have quit? How do you know whether a dream career is more of a fantasy? What's the best way to talk about this touchy subject?
Guest:
Marty Nemko, Career coach and Psychology Today contributor; “Dismiss Pollyanna”
Yes, the March election is coming. Here’s a preview
It’s election time in L.A. again! There are fifteen openings in the Los Angeles City Council, Board of Education and Community College Districts. Los Angeles voters will get to cast their votes on March 3.
Read more about the most contested races
Guests:
Jessica Levinson, Professor of Law, at Loyola Law School. Her areas of specialty are election law and governance issues.
Raphael Sonenshein, Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CSU Los Angeles
Your car and your smartphone: What's legal, what's not
L.A. sheriff's officials said Sunday that they were looking into reports that cell phone use was a factor in the fatal car crash involving Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star Bruce Jenner on Saturday.
In the aftermath of that accident and many others like it, we decided to look into what drivers can and can't do on their smartphones by California law.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than nine people are killed and more than 1,153 are injured every day due to "distracted driving," defined as driving while doing another activity. Those activities include using a cell phone and navigation system while behind the wheel.
It's not yet certain whether cell phone use was a factor in Saturday's fatal four-car collision. And for many, the rules around using a cell phone while driving aren't always clear.
What’s allowed? What’s not? And how has the hands-free law fared since its implementation?
See our FAQ on the subject here
Guests:
Kevin Tao, Public Information Officer with CHP Southern Division
Jeff Spring, spokesman with the Auto Club of Southern California, which has been researching driver behavior over the past 10 years since cell phone and texting bans have gone into effect
To pluck or not to pluck: Our complicated relationship with hair
For a significant portion of human history, mankind has endeavored to be hairless.
Though recent inventions have made that goal significantly easier to achieve, our ancestors had a decidedly more difficult time trimming hairs deemed unsightly or unnecessary.
In her latest book, “Plucked: a history of hair removal,” author and historian Rebecca Herzig explores the long history of hair removal around the world, examining both the social codes that mandated hairlessness and the rudimentary tools our forebearers used to achieve their desired results.
Guest:
Rebecca M. Herzig, author of “Plucked A History of Hair Removal” (New York University Press, 2015) and professor of interdisciplinary studies at Bates College in Maine