The bipartisan budget agreement signed by President Obama last month included a small, across the board cut to military pensions. Should military pensions be protected from cuts? Justin Bieber was arrested this morning. Are child-stars destined for disaster? Later, Larry talks with Scott Stossell, editor of The Atlantic, about his new book "My Age of Anxiety."
From L.A. to Sochi Olympics: Interview with Anita DeFrantz
Anita DeFrantz knows a thing or two about the Olympics. She won the bronze medal for rowing in 1976, and fought against the Olympic Games boycott, although unsuccessfully, in 1980. For almost 30 years, she has headed the nonprofit organization LA84 Foundation, which helps create sports opportunities for young people and was created with surplus funds from the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. DeFrantz is also a senior U.S. member of the International Olympic Committee.
With the Sochi Olympics just around the corner, Larry talks to DeFrantz about many of the big-picture issues facing the Olympic movement, as well as security concerns in Sochi, and Los Angeles’ chances at hosting the Games again in 2024.
Guest:
Anita DeFrantz, senior U.S. member of the International Olympics Committee and President of LA84 Foundation, created after the 1984 Summer Olympic Games to support local youth sports opportunities
Tense negotiations with Iran and Syria take center stage at Davos
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday his country is ready to do business and honor a deal to curb its nuclear program, in a speech aimed at persuading world leaders of Tehran's willingness to engage the global community. Rouhani claimed the spotlight at the annual World Economic Forum as the event coincided with the lifting of some international sanctions on Iran and the country's exclusion from Syrian peace talks being held just a few hours' drive away.
Just a day ago, those peace talks got off to a bitter start when the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem blamed the conflict on rebels and scolded outsiders from interfering in the conflict. A clash between the US and Syria over President Bashar Assad's future threatened to collapse the negotiations even before they had begun.
The U.S. and the Syrian opposition opened the conference by saying that Assad lost his legitimacy when he crushed the once-peaceful protest movement against his regime. US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Assad should not be part of discussions over Syria's future.Can the US make progress in nuclear negotiations with Iran? Will early disruptions between the US and the Syrian government derail negotiations?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Suzanne Maloney, Senior Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution
Supreme Court weighs 'fair share' union dues
Should non-union members still have to pay dues? The Supreme Court heard arguments this week over whether labor unions should have the power to collect dues from teachers and other public sector workers who choose not to join the union. If the court goes against decades-old precedent and rules against these mandatory fees, known as "fair share" dues, it would be a major upheaval in national labor laws.
The issue is whether these mandatory dues are violating a person's free speech rights by forcing them to pay money if they object to the union on fundamental political grounds. Justice Elena Kagan called that argument "radical" and said it would "radically restructure the way workplaces are run".
The alternative argument is that workers who choose not to join still benefit from the protections and collective bargaining power of the union, and therefore are still required to pay their "fair share" of the costs of negotiating and administering contracts.
Is it fair to require people who purposefully opt out of unions to pay dues? Will they be getting a “free ride” by benefiting from the union anyway? Do “fair share” dues violate free speech?
Guest:
Catherine Fisk, Chancellor's Professor of Law, UC Irvine; Fisk was a signatory on a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the respondents (Quinn)
Deborah J. La Fetra, Principal Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation; Authored a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Harris
Should military pensions be protected from cuts?
The bipartisan budget agreement signed by President Obama last month included a small, across the board cut to military pensions that is proving to be pretty unpopular. Next Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee is set to consider proposals that would repeal all or part of the controversial pension cut.
As they stand now, the cuts would reduce the cost-of-living adjustment for working-age military retirees by 1 percent per year until the veterans reach age 62, and total $6 billion in government savings. No change has been made to a 2007 law which allows top ranking officers -- three and four-star generals -- to earn a larger salary from their pension than they do on active duty. That law, intended to incentivize active service for longer periods of time, is also under scrutiny.
Critics, like California Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier, think rolling back pensions for top brass is the best place to start trimming the Pentagon’s budget. Do cuts to military pension funds break faith with the troops? What are the best ways to support those who devote themselves to military service? Should the cost-of-living cuts made in December be eliminated?
Guests:
Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Colonel Mike Barron (Ret'd), Deputy Director of Government Relations at the Military Officers Association of America [he is involved in the hearing next week preparing materials for MOAA Chairman of the Board Gen. John H. Tilelli]
Are child stars such as Justin Bieber destined for disaster?
Justin Bieber is making headlines for another run in with the police. Bieber was arrested early Thursday morning in Miami Beach. According to police he was charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license after the police saw him street racing.
This isn’t Bieber’s first issue with the law. Earlier this month Bieber was under investigation on allegations of egging his neighbor’s home in Calabasas, CA.
Justin Bieber is not the first young celebrity to face a series of troubling incidents after skyrocketing to success. Stars such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amanda Bynes have all faced public scrutiny for a variety of incidents.
Is rising to fame at such a young age detrimental to future success? Are child stars such as Justin Bieber destined for disaster? What can be done to protect child stars from burning out?
Guest:
Dr. Carole Lieberman, M.D., Psychiatrist who practices in Beverly Hills
Living in the age of anxiety
Scott Stossel, editor of The Atlantic magazine, is anxious. He has a long list of phobias, has been in therapy since age 10, and has attempted to treat his fears and anxieties with psychotropic medication, yoga, acupuncture, philosophy and booze.
In his book, “My Age of Anxiety,” Stossel explores his affliction deeply and intimately, chronicling the fears he deals with daily and the ways he’s attempted to ease them. The result is striking and, for many, familiar. What causes anxiety? To what degree do most people experience anxieties? What are the best ways to cope?
Tonight, Scott Stossel will be at a Writers Bloc Event at the Goethe Institute on Wilshire Blvd. It’s at 7:30 and hosted by David Kipen. Tickets available here.
Guest:
Scott Stossel, Author, “My Age of Anxiety;” Editor of The Atlantic