A former FISA judge says the secret court is flawed. Do you think the court needs fixing? Next, investigators have found there was little communication between the pilots before the Asiana Airlines crash. Did culture play some role in the crash? Then, low testosterone therapy is a growing option for men, but what are the risks involved? Later, we'll discuss whether or not sperm donors should have more parental rights. Then, Los Angeles is going on a slim down with a "road diet" by decreasing car lanes for pedestrians and bikers, and Senate historian Richard Baker talks about the strains in the Senate and the history of filibusters.
Does the secret work of the FISA court need fixing?
Yesterday, a former federal judge who served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court testified about flaws in how the “secret court” operates. “Anyone who has been a judge will tell you a judge needs to hear both sides of a case,” said James Robertson. He said only the government’s side is represented effectively. The FISA court deals with classified information to make rulings on national security, including surveillance by the National Security Agency.
FISA and the NSA have been under scrutiny since whistleblower Edward Snowden released information about immense amounts of US government surveillance of Americans and abroad. A Washington lawmaker is proposing a fix for FISA. Rep. Steve Cohen (D - TN) says it shouldn’t just be the Supreme Court chief justice that appoints federal judges to the secret court. He wants congressional leaders to have power of appointment to ensure a more diverse political make-up. Currently, 10 of the 11 judges on the FISA court are Republican - all of whom were appointed by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts.
Why hasn’t the FISA court operated with a “devil’s advocate?” Would congressional oversight of FISA judges lead to politicization? Is there too much “groupthink” on the current court? Why does the government win the vast amount of cases before the FISA court?
Guests:
Patrick Toomey, Fellow, ACLU National Security Project, American Civil Liberties Union
Richard Samp, Chief Counsel, Washington Legal Foundation
The Asiana crash: does culture play a role?
The Asiana plane crash in San Francisco this weekend has left everyone with more questions than answers. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that it would take months, if not years, to complete a full investigation. For some aviation experts, the accident brings to mind an earlier incident, when Korean Air Flight 801 crashed into a hill while flying into an airport in Guam in 1997, killing 223 people.
Writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the crash in his 2008 book, "Outliers," and his analysis pointed to Korea's hierarchical culture as the main reason behind the tragic event. In that culture, subordinates simply do not challenge someone more senior than they are. "What they were struggling with was a cultural legacy, that Korean culture is hierarchical," Gladwell said in a Fortune interview. "You are obliged to be deferential toward your elders and superiors in a way that would be unimaginable in the U.S.".
Could this same cultural dynamic have affected the pilot's behaviors on Asiana? Does culture play a role in the crash? Do different cultural norms affect decision making in emergency situations?
Guests:
Gary Katzenstein, a Professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley
Captain Ross Rusty Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting and a former United Airlines Pilot
Low testosterone therapy is on the rise, but is it safe?
Television ads for low testosterone therapy claim it can boost libido, increase sexual health, aid in weight loss and reverse fatigue in men over 40, who naturally have lower testosterone levels than they did in their 20s. It's part of a widespread marketing campaign that has been encouraging men to seek out their doctors for treatment. A recent study in the JAMA Internal Medicine found that prescriptions for testosterone for men 40 and older rose 40 percent from 2001 to 2011.
However, despite its popularity, medical professionals are divided about what exactly counts as a low testosterone level and what should be done to treat the symptoms. Many of the symptoms touted by the television ads are typical side effects of age, but could be improved with changes to diet and exercise.
What are the side effects of testosterone supplements? Is this just the latest direct-to-consumer marketing campaign by pharmaceutical companies or can testosterone therapy help give aging men a safe boost? Have you takes testosterone therapy?
Guests:
John Carmichael, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Karron Power, MD, MPH, hormone replacement and preventive medicine specialist and founder of Youth Renewal Center
Proposed law aims to increase parental rights of sperm donors
A new bill proposed by California State Senator Jerry Hill aims to increase parental rights to sperm donors. Under current state law, someone who donates sperm through a sperm bank and does not marry the woman who conceives is not considered the child’s natural father unless the couple agrees to it beforehand. But a case involving actor Jason Patric has gotten Senator Hill and supporters to consider some changes to the law.
In Patric’s case, the actor donated sperm to an ex-girlfriend in 2009 and now wishes to gain partial custody of the child. While Patric claims that the couple agreed to raise the child together and that he has a loving relationship with his 3-year-old son, his ex-girlfriend Danielle Schreiber claims that the couple agreed that Patric would not raise the child.
Under provisions written into the new bill, a person in Patric’s case would be eligible for more parental rights by proving to the court that he openly acknowledges the child as his own, and that he receives the child into his home.
Senator Hill argues that a father cultivating a parental relationship with a child deserves a fair crack at custody. But opponents of the bill worry that it will unfairly empower men and reduce the rights of the women, including women who wish to raise their children alone or lesbian couples who wish to create their own nuclear family.
What would the bill actually accomplish, and to what extent will it be able to affect a judge’s decision when contemplating custody? And who needs more help in the system? Should we be concerned to help fathers who build healthy relationships with their children gain some custody (despite what they and the mothers initially agreed) or to protect women who want to give fathers an entry into the child’s life without giving up control?
Guests:
Carol Chodroff, Juvenile and Family Law Attorney; she also helped draft the California bill.
Patricia Bellasalma, President of the California National Organization for Women
Downtown Broadway and Colorado Blvd go on a ‘Road Diet’
Cities across the US are putting their roads on a diet. Trying to meet increasing environmental and public health goals, city planners have adopted a “road diet” platform that aims to increase bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure while limiting car traffic.
In Los Angeles, City Councilman Jose Huizar has been a major political force behind such projects, including an upcoming project that will reduce a lane on a stretch of Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, and another upcoming project on Broadway Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. That project, part of the larger Bringing Back Broadway initiative, starts this summer with a temporary “dress rehearsal” that includes a reduction of six traffic lanes to three, expanding the sidewalks and adding public space amenities.
Road diets have been championed not only by researchers and city planners but often by local residents, businesses, and especially bicycle advocates. But not everyone in LA is thrilled about the changes. These projects tend to maximize car traffic thresholds and delay drive times, and some people feel like the city has taken on an advocacy role at the expense of practicality.
What are the factors that determine when a city street is ripe for a “road diet”? Is it exclusively to meet environmental and health goals, or are other factors like improving local business considered? And how does the city government go about informing the public of the changes and the costs? Have road diets in other cities been successful?
Guests:
Nathan Baird, Bicycle Coordinator with the LA Department of Transportation
Tom Topping, founder of the Eagle Rock-based newspaper, the Boulevard Sentinel, and an advocate for auto lanes
With filibusters, rules and polarization, is the American Senate a broken system?
Who holds the record for the longest filibuster? Which Senator won a seat with only $147 in expenditures? Which Senator almost beat a man to death with a cane on the Senate floor? Sometimes it seems like the Senate makes headlines for its antics than its legislation, but according to Senate historian Richard A. Baker, the Senate is so much more than fodder for trivia questions. Baker was appointed the Senate’s first official historian and served from 1975 to 2009.
In his new book co-authored with the late Neil MacNeil, “The American Senate: An Insider’s History;” Baker details how the Senate has changed over time. On one hand, Baker thinks it’s a very different Senate than what the framers of the Constitution had in mind. However, on the other hand, the Senate has maintained its purpose for being a place of “sober, second thought.”
Is the Senate too slow in passing legislation? Is it the consequence of a polarized electorate? What’s the history of the filibuster? What needs to change in the Senate? Richard Baker joins AirTalk to discuss the history of the Senate, his own frustrations with Senate rules and, of course, answer those trivia questions.
Guest:
Richard A. Baker, co-author of “The American Senate: An Insider’s History;” appointed official Senate historian from 1975-2009