Attorney General Loretta Lynch faces bipartisan criticism of her private meeting with Bill Clinton; we look at the slew of gun bills passed by the California Legislature and outline the props that will be on the ballot in November; and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Justin Chang, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases. TGI-FilmWeek!
Lynch-Clinton meeting casts a shadow on Hillary’s email investigation
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has come under fire for her private meeting with former president Bill Clinton on Monday.
The meeting, which has been described by Lynch as a social encounter, occurred at a Phoenix airport after she and Clinton said they realized they were on the same tarmac.
Both Democrats and Republicans are criticizing Lynch for speaking privately with the former president, and called the ethical standards of the Justice Department’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server into question.
Lynch said today that she understood the public’s concerns about the meeting, and that she would accept whatever recommendations the FBI director and career prosecutors make about the email case. Members of the Republican party have asked Lynch to recuse herself, but she has not taken herself off the case.
What do you think of the meeting? Should Lynch recuse herself from the Clinton email case?
Guest:
Angela T. Rye, a democratic analyst and CEO of IMPACT Strategies, a DC-based political consulting and government relations firm
Ian Tuttle, a Buckley fellow in political journalism at the National Review Institute
Capitol roundup: Fates of gun bills decided, the 17 props on the Nov ballot
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed six stringent gun-control measures, including a requirement that people turn in high-capacity magazines and regulations requiring background checks for ammunition sales.
The Democratic governor vetoed other gun bills Friday, including a requirement to register homemade firearms and report lost or stolen weapons to authorities.
Brown's action is consistent with his mixed record on gun control in a state that already has some of the most stringent laws in the nation. Some of the bills enacted duplicate provisions of a ballot measure by Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom that will appear on the November ballot.
He vetoed at least one saying voters will be deciding.
Democratic legislative leaders tried unsuccessfully to persuade Newsom to withdraw his initiative, worried it might drive conservatives to the polls.
Meanwhile, Thursday marked the official deadline for propositions to qualify for the November ballot. Election officials said 17 measures have qualified--including legalizing recreational marijuana and repealing the death penalty—the biggest number of props on the CA ballot since 2000.
Check out KPCC’s special feature on tracking the state’s firearms bills
With AP files
Guests:
John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times. He tweets
Dan Walters, columnist at the Sacramento Bee. He tweets
As drought drags on, what should happen to the Silver Lake Reservoir
Officials with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have a big challenge on their hands.
They've promised to refill the iconic Silver Lake Reservoir once construction to reroute water distribution pipes is finished — a project that required draining the 400-million-gallon lake.
Originally, DWP planned to refill it with water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River — water that's normally used to supply tap water in the sprawling city.
The reservoir is no longer used as storage for drinking water, so that supply would essentially mean using potable water to refill what's become a giant, decorative water feature — of course, one that draws throngs of runners and walkers to its footpath and buoys local property values.
Given that California is mired in a prolonged drought, DWP officials are rethinking their initial plans. They're now considering refilling the lake with recycled wastewater and stormwater rather than scarce drinking water.
Read the full story here.
Guests:
Sharon McNary, KPCC reporter who’s been following the story. She was at the meeting Thursday night, where City Council members David Ryu and Mitch O’Farrell, as well as DWP water operations director Marty Adams addressed the community
Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, Councilmember of the 13th District, which includes Silver Lake
FilmWeek: ‘The Legend of Tarzan,’ ‘The BFG’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Justin Chang, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases including Steven Spielberg’s new family movie “The BFG,” also in wide release “The Legend of Tarzan” and “The Purge: Election Year” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Justin's Hits
Amy's Hits
Charles' Hits
Mixed Reviews
- Justin, Charles and Amy: "The BFG"
- Amy: "Microbe & Gasoline"
- Amy: "The Innocents"
- Justin: "Our Kind of Traitor"
- Amy: "Tikkun"
This Week's Misses
- Charles and Justin: "The Legend of Tarzan"
Guests:
Justin Chang, Film Critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets from
Amy Nicholson, Film Critic for KPCC and Chief Film Critic, MTV News; she tweets from
Charles Solomon, Film Critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Disney's special place in childhood
The new, heartwarming documentary "Life, Animated" is the inspirational story of a young man who was unable to speak as a child until his family discovered how classic Disney animated films tapped into a unique way of communicating with each other.
Many American children are immersed in Disney films that shape some of how they view themselves and the world around them. Whether it's the intelligence and independence of Belle in "Beauty and the Beast", the determination of Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," or an obsession with princes, these images and messages can be influential.
A recent study in the journal "Child Development" found Disney "princess culture" can be the driver of stereotypically female behaviors in girls and boys who consume more of the movies and toys.
How has Disney influenced you or your children? How has the company changed its stories to stay with the times? AirTalk will include our resident animation and Disney expert, Charles Solomon.
Guests:
Charles Solomon, Film Critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine