Wisconsin Dems walk out over controversial budget bill. The sexual assault of CBS reporter Lara Logan – will it hurt women journalists’ ability to do their jobs? FilmWeek: Unknown, Immigration Tango, I Am Number Four, The Last Lions and others. TGI-FilmWeek! Foreign-language contenders in the race for Oscar gold.
Wisconsin Dems walk out over controversial budget bill
Newly elected Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is, like so many governors across the county, faced with a massive budget shortfall. So, Walker proposed a “budget-repair” bill that he says is all about the “math.” Walker’s bill would eliminate state employee’s collective bargaining power and require public workers to pay more for their health insurance and pensions. But Walker’s calculations have not added up with state employees. The outrage over the proposal brought crowds ranging from 25,000- 30,000 into the streets surrounding the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. Schools were forced to close because so many teachers called in sick to join the protests. Then, Democratic State Senators opted to skip out of work Thursday, forcing Republicans to delay a vote on the bill for lack of a quorum. Police are on orders to round up the absentee lawmakers, but a number are rumored to have left the state. The dramatic action by lawmakers prompted the governor to call for their return “out of respect for the institution of the Legislature and the democratic process. Their actions by leaving the state and hiding from voting are disrespectful to the hundreds of thousands of public employees who showed up to work today and the millions of taxpayers they represent.” Will lawmakers return and cast their ballots? Or will the governor revise the proposal that has the entire nation watching? Is Walker doing what he has to do? Or is this dangerous union-busting?
Guests:
Fred Risser Democratic State Senator from Wisconsin, Representing the 26th District, which includes most of the city of Madison
Jon Erpenbach, Democratic State Senator from Wisconsin, Representing the 27th District
Spencer Coggs, Democratic State Senator from Wisconsin, Representing the 6th District
Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies, editor of downsizing government dot org. for the Cato Institute
Stephanie Bloomingdale, secretary treasurer, Wisconsin state AFL-CIO
The sexual assault of CBS reporter Lara Logan – will it hurt women journalists’ ability to do their jobs?
CBS News Chief Foreign correspondent Lara Logan was beaten and sexually assaulted last Friday, amid the Tahrir Square celebration of Egypt’s revolution. Logan went public with her attack, earning praise for her openness and courage. However, the emotional public response hasn’t all been supportive of women reporters being sent to dangerous locations. Some commentators were critical of CBS for assigning Logan to this story, or for not providing her with additional security. However, Logan has reported from many hotspots, just like hundreds of other women journalists. Despite this being a rare event, will it have a chilling effect on the ability of women reporters to get dangerous and important assignments? Are there any different precautions that news organizations could or should take to safeguard women reporters than they would for men?
FilmWeek: Unknown, Immigration Tango, I Am Number Four, The Last Lions and more
FilmWeek: KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Tim Cogshell join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Unknown, Immigration Tango, I Am Number Four, The Last Lions and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and the henrysheehan.com Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Box Office Magazine
Live tweeting this week's reviews:
Foreign-language contenders in the race for Oscar gold
FilmWeek takes a look at this year's best foreign language contenders: Biutiful (Mexico), Dogtooth (Greece), In A Better World (Denmark), Outside the Law (Algeria) and Incendies (Canada). Critics Henry Sheehan and Tim Cogshell weigh in and take your calls. Have you seen any of these films? Which one do you think should take home the gold?
Guest:
Henry Sheehan film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Box Office Magazine