A massive manhunt and a day of mourning grip Paris today following yesterday's massacre of 12 people at a satirical newspaper. Also, Foie gras is back on the menu at high end restaurants and chefs are celebrating. Then, researchers concluded that many whites will react differently to the same person, depending solely on whether they are referred to as “black” or “African American.”
Attack in Paris: Threat assessment, manhunt and mourning
A massive manhunt and a day of mourning grip Paris today following yesterday's massacre of 12 people at a satirical newspaper. French police are hunting two heavily armed brothers suspected in the murders, with many worried the suspects' desperation could spur another attack. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the two suspects still at large in the slayings - Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Said Kouachi, 34 - were known to France's intelligence services.
A third suspect, Mourad Hamyd, 18, surrendered at a police station after hearing his name linked to the attacks, a Paris prosecutor's spokeswoman said. Security experts have contrary views on the level of sophistication of the attack. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden told NBC it was a "high level attack."
However, terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins with the RAND Corporation think thank downplayed the level of training necessary to pull off such an operation. France remains on high alert, but what does yesterday's attack indicate for alert levels going forward?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
, reporter for Bloomberg News
Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Advisor to the President of the Rand Corporation and one of the nation's leading experts on terrorism and homeland security
Foie Gras ban overturned in California
Foie gras is back on the menu at high end restaurants and chefs are celebrating, comparing their joy to the end of Prohibition. A 2004 law banned the sale of fatty duck or goose liver that used force-feeding to plump up animals, and was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. That changed, Wednesday. Foie producers from New York and Canada, and a Manhattan Beach restaurant group argued that a federal law regulating poultry production prevents California from specifying what can go into a duck or goose. Federal judge Stephen V. Wilson agreed. The ban was immediately overturned and foie gras started popping up in ice cream, cotton candy, terrines and more as early as Wednesday night.
California can defend its law. Attorney General Kamala Harris is “reviewing the ruling.” according to spokesman David Beltran. Animal rights activists are pushing the attorney general to continue the litigation. The state has 30 days to begin an appeal, or let the ruling stand.
In the meantime, the return of foie gras is delighting gourmands and disappointing activists who pushed to get the ban enacted over 10 years ago. If the Attorney General doesn’t appeal, is there a legal path forward for animal rights activists?
Guest:
Drew Alexis, general counsel for Farm Sanctuary, an organization that advocated for the original ban, as well asadjunct professor of law at Southwestern Law School
Japan’s shrinking population highlights greater global citizenry concerns
Japan’s health ministry just released some startling statistics on the country’s population: Babies there are being born at the lowest rate since the ministry began keeping track in 1947.
About 1 million newborns entered the world in 2014; that’s down 9,000 from 2013. By contrast, the ministry tallied 1.27 million deaths. The decline in births is so significant that one estimate predicts the population could shrink by 30 million by the year 2050, greatly reducing the country’s GDP and putting a strain on pension and social welfare systems. The government warns that if things don’t change soon, more than 40% of the population will be over the age of 65 by 2060. These numbers raise one important question: why aren’t more people starting families? Analysts point to a few possible reasons:
- The increased costs of raising a child
- More women working full-time
- Couples getting married later in life
- A rapidly rising number of young people who aren’t interested in conventional relationships
A 2013 survey by the Japan Family Planning Association found that 45% of women between the ages of 16 and 24 have no interest in physically intimate contact. Meanwhile, a recent poll by Japan Today reveals that 26.5% of men aged 25-39 are virgins.
Though social factors unique to Japan will continue to shrink its population, many other nations face similar economic and social uncertainty as people get married later in life and have fewer children.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll explore the social challenges contributing to Japan’s population decline. We’ll also look at the impact that a shrinking population could have on the world economy.
Guest:
John Weeks, author of “ Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues“ and distinguished professor emeritus of geography, San Diego State University
Passing the polygraph: Former cop indicted for teaching others how to beat lie detector test
Doug Williams has made a career out of teaching people how to beat the polygraph test, also called the lie-detector test. Recently, Williams was indicted on charges of witness tampering and mail fraud after undercover agents posed as clients and asked Williams to help them beat the polygraph test. Williams has repeatedly refuted the charges and posted the following statement on his website: “The U.S. government has indicted me on numerous charges! I will make no public comments other than this: This is simply an attack on my First Amendment right to free speech. This indictment was brought to punish and silence me because I have the audacity to protest the use of the polygraph.”
The polygraph test has been used for some time for things like interrogating suspects and screening government employees and police officers, but the exact science behind the polygraph is not so well-known. How exactly does it work and what bodily functions are measured? Is it really possible to actually teach someone to ‘beat’ the polygraph?
Guest:
Raymond Nelson, president of the American Polygraph Association. He has conducted thousands of polygraph tests, designed algorithms that are used in polygraph testing across the country, and written extensively about the polygraph and the science of lie detection.
USOC to choose 2024 Olympic bid city Thursday, L.A. and S.F. among finalists
Members of the U.S. Olympic Committee converge on Denver International Airport today to continue their discussion about what city will be chosen as its bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington D.C. are the four finalists competing for the bid. A decision is expected by this afternoon with the announcement coming on Friday in the chosen city. The USOC will then have until early 2016 to submit an application for the chosen city to host the Games, and the IOC would make its decision in the summer of 2017. Many are speculating that the U.S. will be the frontrunner country for the Olympics It has been nearly 20 years since the last Summer Olympics were held in the States (Atlanta in 1996). Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Games in 2002.
California, then, stands a 50-50 chance of being chosen to possibly host another Olympic games. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games and already has most of the infrastructure and facilities that would be needed to host the Games. The Coliseum would likely be refurbished to host track and field events, soccer would be played at the Rose Bowl, and Dodger Stadium would host baseball if the sports returns to the Olympics as expected. San Francisco is also seen as a frontrunner because of the city’s appeal across the globe and because it has never hosted the Olympics before. San Francisco’s 2024 bid committee has said that the venues would be spread through the Bay Area and a temporary stadium would be built on the waterfront.
L.A.’s biggest challenge in securing the bid is not being seen as old hat because it has already hosted the Games twice. So, how likely do you think it is that the USOC chooses a California city? What are the economic and cultural impacts that hosting the Olympics would have on Los Angeles? What specific advantages does L.A. bring to the table as a host city? What about San Francisco?
Guest:
Barry A. Sanders, chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games
The hazards of being 'black'
What’s in a name? A recent joint study from Columbia and Emory Universities says quite a bit. Using four separate experiments, researchers concluded that many whites will react differently to the same person, depending solely on whether they are referred to as “black” or “African American.” The report theorizes that Americans of African descent (AADs) referred to as “blacks” are often perceived as less competent than “African Americans.” Moreover, the report revealed that even within the African American community itself, a similar bias exists against those who identify themselves as “black.”
In one of the most compelling experiments, 110 Caucasians were shown profiles of various AAD males--each of whom was identified as either “Black” or “African American.” The white participants were then instructed to guess the social status, salary and education level of each of the men. In all three categories, “blacks” were ranked lower than “African Americans.” Furthermore, participants estimated the salary of “blacks” to be as much as seven-thousand dollars less than that of “African Americans.”
Researchers hypothesize the bias can be traced back to the American civil rights movement of the 1960s, when the militant “Black Power” movement first became popular. But by the late ‘80s, community leaders began promoting the use of a new term: African American. Over 25 years later, it appears that the racial rebranding worked, and for many the word has come to represent a law-abiding, competent and better assimilated AAD.
Further muddling the conversation is the not-often-discussed topic of subgrouping within the AAD community discussed at length in the book "Black Ethnics" by Christina Greer. In it, Greer observes that Africans who recently migrated to the United States are widely believed to be hard workers, whereas those born in America are often perceived to be less motivated and carrying a sense of entitlement. Greer tells KPCC that “more African immigrants are opting to keep their foreign names, in an attempt to stand out from American blacks.“ She contends that even though hiring managers will still opt to hire an Indian or Chinese immigrant over an African one, there is no racial group that will struggle more with a negative public perception than American-born men and women of color.
Are you an American of African descent? Do these results surprise you? How do you navigate the complicated world of racial grouping and subgrouping? Do you feel your race has hindered your career advancement?
Guests:
Katherine Phillips, senior vice dean with the Columbia Business School
Christina Greer, assistant professor of political science at Fordham University
Getting to know the new president of The Huntington
In early December, Laura Skandera Trombley was named as the eighth president of The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. She will begin her term on July 1, 2015, replacing long-time president Steven Koblik. Trombey comes to Huntington from Pitzer College in Claremont, where she was president for 13 years and was lauded for her work in fundraising, increasing financial aid, and decreasing student debt. Pitzer’s endowment also increased 200 percent under Trombley’s leadership.
She is an expert on Mark Twain, and has written two books about how women influenced the famous American writer’s life. She is an active leader in the Los Angeles area and has been appointed by President Obama as a member of the William J. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Trombley entered college as a freshman at 16 years old and earned her bachelor’s and master’s in English and Humanities from Pepperdine University. She then got her Ph.D. in English from USC.
Guest:
Laura Skandera Trombley, incoming president of The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. She will assume the office on July 1, 2015. Formerly the president of Pitzer College in Claremont, CA.