Bill Clinton made his solo-debut on the Hillary Clinton campaign trail this morning; debating whether office life has become more isolated; updating the takeover a building on government land at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and SeaWorld sues the California Coastal Commission for its ban of orca breeding
Accounting for the 'Bill effect' on Hillary Clinton’s campaign
Bill Clinton made his solo-debut on the campaign trail this morning.
He was in New Hampshire stumping for his wife, while she was crossing Iowa at public appearances. It's potentially a big advantage in small states to have both of them able to go out and attract crowds.
However, he comes with an obvious history, a former president still hugely popular with Democrats and a history of extramarital activities that Donald Trump has been regularly bringing up. What will the "Bill effect" be on Hillary's campaign? Does his past at all affect how you view his political presence?
Guests:
Gabe Debennedetti, political reporter for Politico who is currently following Bill Clinton on his campaign trail
Amie Parnes, Senior White House Correspondent, The Hill; Co-author of the New York Times Bestseller “HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton”
Mideast domino effect spurred by Saudi execution of Shiite cleric
Allies of Saudi Arabia followed the kingdom's lead Monday and scaled back diplomatic ties to Iran after the ransacking of Saudi's embassy in Tehran -- violence sparked by the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
Some analysts say the Saudi government executed Sheik Nimr al-Nimr - along with 46 other people on terrorism-related charges - to show its crackdowns have not focused exclusively on Sunni clerics critical of the kingdom.
Bahrain, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates have all downgraded ties with Iran. White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the U.S. is concerned about the situation and wants Saudi Arabia and Iran to show restraint. He's urging them not to inflame tensions or further sectarian conflict. Earnest says it's in the interests of Iran and Saudi Arabia to continue working toward a political solution for Syria. Both countries have been participating in the talks in Vienna.
Who was Al-Nimr and why was he executed? What’s the risk and benefit of Saudi executing him? What does this illustrate about the new king?
How might the dispute continue to play out regionally? What are the economic and security consequences for both countries and the region as a whole?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Borzou Daragahi, Middle East Correspondent based in Istanbul for Buzzfeed News. He tweets from
Friends at work: A shift in how we socialize in and out of the office
The workplace is definitely changing.
People are working remotely from home, flextime is becoming more popular and many workers are choosing to communicate through email or text message instead of traditional in-person interactions.
While some say office life is becoming more isolated, others say that may not be the case. Advances in technology means more time is spent chatting over instant messenger, plans are being made over email, and co-workers are developing friendships outside the office.
How important are friendships in the workplace? Does too much socializing hurt productivity? And are work-sponsored parties still relevant or are co-workers planning their own parties?
Guest:
Rebecca Greenfield, Work culture reporter at Bloomberg and author of the recent article “Actually, work is more social than ever.” She tweets from
Armed Oregon activists speak
Armed activists have taken over a building on government land at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.
The activists split off from a peaceful protest regarding the imprisonment of two local men convicted of arson, Steven and Dwight Hammond.
At the core of this is the decades-old conflict about rancher’s grazing rights versus the federal ownership of land. The dozen or so armed people are saying they are standing their ground peacefully and have no intentions of leaving.
What the occupiers want is unclear.
Guests:
Nigel Duara, National Correspondent for the LA Times. He tweets from
Amy Joi O’Donoghue, Environmental and Energy Reporter for the Deseret News. She tweets from
SeaWorld files lawsuit over Orca breeding ban
In October the California Coastal Commission ruled to ban orca breeding at the SeaWorld San Diego theme park.
In an expected move last week SeaWorld sued California authorities in an effort to overturn the decision. Filed in San Diego Superior Court, the lawsuit argues that the California Coastal Commission exceeded its authority when it imposed the breeding restriction, arguing that it does not have jurisdiction over the marine mammals, currently regulated under federal law.
SeaWorld San Diego has been embroiled in a public relations nightmare since the release of the documentary, “Blackfish,” in 2013, which brought unprecedented public attention to what critics charge as the marine park’s inhumane treatment of orca whales in captivity.
Since the Orca breeding ban ruling came down in October, SeaWorld San Diego has announced that it’ll end its signature killer whales show by 2017. The theme park plans to introduce a new kind of orca show, one that is less dependent on Shamu whales performing tricks. Instead, the relaunched show will be more “informative” and will place these whales in a more natural setting.
But what will happen to the 11 Orca whales currently living in captivity? Some argue that the whales should be released into the wild, while others like Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute, disagree. Rose says that these whales have been in captivity for too long and should not be released because they are not fit to live their lives independent from their caretakers.
Guests:
, Ph.D., Director of Conservation at the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Phoenix, AZ. He is the incoming president of the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association, which represents some 2,000 animal trainers around the world
Naomi Rose, Ph.D. Marine Mammal Scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, an animal rights organization based in DC
How did Europe conquer the world?
Europeans colonized 84 percent of the world between 1492 and 1914.
In the book, “Why Did Europe Conquer the World,” Caltech economist and historian Philip T. Hoffman looks into the reasons that enabled Europe to achieve such a feat, what with competition from far more advanced countries – China and Japan, for instance.
The big difference, Hoffman says, is Europe’s military superiority, which started its rapid growth from the Middle Ages on.
Guest:
Philip T. Hoffman, a professor of business economics and history at the California Institute of Technology. He is the author of “Why Did Europe Conquer the World?” (Princeton University Press, 2015)