What does the recently announced support from the Mormon Church for its gay members mean for California? Also, do Angelenos really want an NFL stadium back in LA? Then, Dr. Eric Topol envisions the future of a democratized healthcare system with tech innovations in his latest book.
The real significance of the Mormon Church’s shifts on gay rights here in California
Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a rare news confference yesterday to announce their support for some specific legal protections for gay men and Lesbians.
The church is promising to support some housing and job protections for gays and lesbians in exchange for legal protections for believers who object to the behavior of others. At the same time, the church argued that religious people should be exempted from having to follow those laws if they conflict with their beliefs. The move comes six years after the church provided big financial support for passage of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
The church is still anti-same sex marriage, but what does this move mean to Mormons here in California, where the church counts its second-largest membership, with nearly 800,000 members? How much clout do Southland Mormons have with the leadership in Salt Lake? And what do California LDS members think of this move?
Guests:
Patrick Q. Mason, Chair of Mormon Studies and Associate Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University
Mitch Mayne, openly gay Mormon living in San Francisco, California
Pentagon mulling criminal charges of desertion against Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary, says Army General Mark Milley will make the final call on whether to criminally charge Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Kirby said there are a range of charges that could face the soldier who left his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years before being released in a prisoner exchange. NBC and Fox News, citing unnamed sources, reported yesterday that Bergdahl will face the most severe charge of desertion which is punishable by death - though only one service member has been executed for desertion since the Civil War. Bergdahl's lawyer could also argue the soldier intended to return to base but was captured.
How tough would it be to prove a desertion case in a court-martial? Even with a lesser charge, Bergdahl could lose his health benefits, including mental health care. Would that be just? What political dynamics are at play?
Guests:
Rachel VanLandingham, Lt. Colonel (Ret’d., U.S. Air Force); Former U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate (2000-2012); From 2006-2010, legal advisor for international law at Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq; Associate Professor, Southwestern Law School in LA
Geoffrey Corn, Lt. Colonel (Ret'd., U.S. Army); Former Army Judge Advocate (1992-2004); 2004-2005, Special Assistant to The Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters and Chief of the Law of War Branch, Office of The Judge Advocate General; Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law
Greek Drama: Live Nation speaks out against City Council decision
Controversy continues to follow a vote by a City Council committee this week to re-up the Nederlander Organization as the operator of the historic and city-owned Greek Theatre.
While Nederlander (now Nederlander-AEG) had managed the theatre for four decades, an independent commission of experts had determined in October that Live Nation would be the better choice for the venue as it would spend more money on renovations. Yet both companies have undertaken extensive lobbying, and the City Council committee’s vote reverses the independent commission’s decision.
Whereas the initial controversy came from Live Nation’s ability to upend Nederlander-AEG as the managing organization after four decades at the helm, the new contention comes from what is seen as an opaque and unaccountable decision from the City Council. Critics of the decision have accused the Council of not providing adequate explanation for why this alternative decision would be better for the theatre. On the other side, vocal residents and neighbors of The Greek are celebrating yesterday’s move, after weeks of rallying for Nederlander
Today, the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board published an article in which they hired an outside firm to analyze the options facing the City Council. The firm brought in industry experts, who concluded that Live Nation would be the better choice.
While the Times Editorial Board has put its hat into the ring, there is still a chance that another vote could come in front of the entire City Council.
Did the City Council act without transparency and accountability for this vote? Would Nederlander-AEG be a better manager for the Greek Theatre than Live Nation? Will this vote change your experience of and at the venue?
Guest:
Joe Berchtold, Chief Operating Officer, Live Nation
GoDaddy Super Bowl ad pull begs question: Is outrage becoming a bigger factor in ads?
The countdown to Super Bowl Sunday is on and while some are gearing up for the football game itself, others are just excited for the commercials. This year, several companies released teasers or even full versions of ads they plan to air during the game.
One of these was from GoDaddy.com, a company that sells domain names and sparks yearly discussion over their often controversial Super Bowl commercials. After releasing a preview of one ad slated to run during the big game, GoDaddy announced yesterday that it would not air the commercial because of backlash from animal rights activists. Titled, “Journey Home,” the commercial shows a lost puppy’s journey to reunite with its family, only to find out upon returning that the family sold the puppy on a website they created with GoDaddy.
How does viewer outrage factor in to the campaign for attention? Do people really get offended by content in TV ads?
Guests:
Rama Yelkur, Ph.D., Dean and Professor at the College of Business and Management at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan.
Anita Newton, Vice President of Corporate Marketing at Adknowledge, a digital advertising technology company that focuses on video advertising.
The health care revolution will be digitized
Cheap, fast, thorough, easy are not words one typically associates with the U.S. health care system.
But Dr. Eric Topol, cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif., says that medicine can be all of those things in the near future.
Mobile technology, Topol argues, will democratize medicine, giving consumers unprecedented control over their care. He details in his new book, “The Patient Will See You now,” a world where you could use your smartphone to get a blood test and better and more accurate diagnosis is made possible by crowd-source medicine and new technology.
Guest:
Dr. Eric J. Topol, M.D., a cardiologist, professor of genomics and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, California. He is the author of “The Patient Will See You Now: The Future of Medicine is in Your Hands” (Basic Books, 2015)