Hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians are thought eligible for President Obama's deferred deportation program. But yesterday, a federal judge in Texas stopped the order from being carried out. Also, we'll debate whether adult bicyclists should be required to wear helmets. Then, the man who crafted the image of Barack Obama the candidate - David Axelrod joins us to talk about his new memoir.
Experts debate injunction on federal immigration action
Hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians are thought eligible for President Obama's deferred deportation program.
They're either parents of kids born here or residents who came here when young. However, those residents here illegally are now blocked from signing up for the program on its planned first day - tomorrow. Yesterday, a federal judge in Texas stopped the order from being carried out. A federal appeals court is the next stop for the lawsuit, which includes 26 states.
Did the judge get it right that President Obama overstepped his authority, or is case law well enough established on the President's side that he'll get his way on appeal?
Guests:
Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, an non-profit, independent research organization focused on providing information on immigration issues to policymakers and the public.
Karen Tumlin, managing attorney at the National Immigration Law Center
CA biking community divided over bill to make helmets mandatory
Senate Bill 192 introduced by State Senator Carol Liu (D-Pasadena) would require all California cyclists to wear a bike helmet.
Failure to do so would lead to a $25 fine. The new bill would make the Golden State the first in the nation to have such a requirement. Helmets have shown to save lives, but opponents to the bill worry that making it a law would deter people from biking.
Do you support making bike helmets mandatory for all cyclists?
Guests:
Dave Snyder, Executive Director, California Bicycle Coalition, an organization that promotes the use of bicycles for transportation and recreation
Randy Swart, Director, Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, a national nonprofit that promotes the use of bicycle helmets based in Virginia
LAT food columnist Russ Parsons on fate of farmers markets in LA
Los Angeles saw a dramatic decrease in the number of new farmers market in the last five years, according to a new study from the Department of Agriculture.
Angelenos also spend significantly less money at farmers markets in the same period of time than they did between 2007 and 2012. What are some of the reasons behind the drop?
Guest:
Russ Parsons, Food columnist and former Food editor at the Los Angeles Times. His recent piece in the paper looks at some of the reasons behind the decline
David Axelrod stops by to reflect on his political career
David Axelrod has seen a side of President Barack Obama about which most of us can only speculate.
He’s flown with Obama on Air Force One, crafted crucial components of campaign strategy, and even kept secrets that could have led to political disaster if they were leaked. As Obama’s chief campaign adviser in 2008, Axelrod directed the campaign that put the first black president in office, and then went on to become Obama’s senior adviser during his first administration. Now, he’s pulling the tarp off of it all in his new memoir, “Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.”
As President Obama defies criticism of a lame-duck presidency through a slew of executive actions and an assertive State of the Union speech, Axelrod sheds new light on how the President got to this point. From meeting Obama in Chicago to working on his reelection campaign in 2012, Axelrod shaped Obama’s trajectory through messaging, coordination, debate prep, and more.
Does David Axelrod’s memoir give a more complex understanding of President Obama? Can the politics be separated from the man? And how will this book shape the narrative for Obama’s legacy and 2016?
Guest:
David Axelrod, Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama; Former Senior Strategist to President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and then-Senator Obama's 2008 presidential campaign; author of the new book, “Believer: My Forty Years in Politics” (Penguin Press, 2015); and Director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago
The modern measure of adulthood
Watching the young women of HBO's "Girls" trying to grow up is a painfully confusing process - their mid-twenties don't provide the clear-cut milestones of their parents' generation: home mortgages, military drafts, child birth.
In the 21st century, the definition of adulthood is nebulous. The voting booth and Pentagon consider you a grown-up at 18. The liquor store says not until 21. Rental car companies won't validate your mature reliability until age 25. Health insurance companies can keep you in the familial nest until 26. And, if you are lucky, your parents’ basement can accommodate you, without too much societal shame, until age 30 easily.
Combined with the unpredictable economy, it has amounted to a chicken-and-egg scenario of fewer marriages, fewer childbirths, and fewer homeowners.
In your view, what milestones amount to real maturity? How has it changed in recent decades and centuries? Is it a good idea to have a clearer distinction between adolescence and the rest of your life? When did you know you were all grown up?