Conflicting reports: prisoner hunger strike at Pelican Bay over? The ever widening Republican field comes to southern California. Sentenced to jury duty – indefinitely. Comic-Con 2011: Hollywood's annual geek-out kicks off.
Conflicting reports: Pelican Bay hunger strike over?
KPCC has received word that the largest prison strike in California in a decade may be over. However, there has been no confirmation from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The hunger strike was in response to poor conditions in California prisons and began three weeks ago at Pelican Bay State Prison, a maximum security facility. The strike originated in the Special Housing Unit of the prison, which houses 1,100 inmates who are completely isolated from one another in soundproof cells and are let out for only one hour each day. The strike had spread to thirteen other state prisons with 6,500 inmates participating over the past few days. Recently, several of the inmates have reached critical condition and could die if they don’t resume eating. To avoid self-inflicted inmate deaths, the head of corrections at Pelican Bay even considered implementing force-feeding through a court order. However, many of the prisoners have signed advanced directives dictating their end-of-life care, which force-feeding would come into direct contradiction with. So, is the strike over? How big of a role did the media play in this? And if it's over, what was the deal that was struck?
Guests:
Nancy Kincaid, Director of Communications, California Prison Health Care Services
Jack Dolan, reporter for the Los Angeles Times
Molly Porzig, member of the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity coalition and a spokesperson for Critical Resistance
Terry Thornton, Deputy Press Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Public and Employee Communications
The ever widening Republican field comes to Southern California
Yesterday two of the biggest names in Republican politics were in the southland. No it wasn’t Bachman and Cain. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and all-but-declared Governor Rick Perry of Texas were in town meeting with donors and attending fundraisers. The truth is California will have little to do with selecting the next republican candidate for president, the California primary has been moved to June, a date by which the candidate will probably already be chosen. However, California money plays a very big role. Last time Romney ran for president his largest haul of campaign cash came from California Republicans - more than $8 million dollars! Perry’s no slouch at fundraising either. An independent group of Perry supporters in San Diego raised $400,000 dollars in just a couple of weeks. Money aside, the two potential candidates are also competing for political support from California’s grand ol’ party. Some who supported Romney in the past are switching their allegiance Governor Perry. Just how bad is that for Mitt Romney? Does Perry’s entry into the race strengthen what some are calling a weak field? And are either of these top republicans destined to be the next GOP pick for president?
Guest:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC Reporter
Sentenced to jury duty – indefinitely
The Michael Jackson manslaughter trial is coming to a courtroom and television near you this September. Yesterday, the lawyer for the accused Dr. Conrad Murray asked the case judge about sequestering the jury for the entire trial. Attorney J. Michael Flanagan added, "or at least [sequestering them] during the hours Nancy Grace is on TV." Referring to the prime-time cable host who famously prosecutes cases for viewers across the land, Flanagan is concerned biased media commentary would effect the verdict. Sequestering a jury is expensive and unpopular. Jurors don't want to be removed from their lives for days and weeks on end. AirTalk will speak with experts on jury psychology. What types of cases demand sequestration, if any? Would you be willing to serve on a case that squirreled you away for any length of time? What about the cost? Can the system afford to sequester jurors? Can the justice system afford not to?
Guests:
J. Michael Flanagan, Lawyer representing Dr. Conrad Murray, accused of manslaughter in Michael Jackson’s death; Partner in the law firm Flanagan, Unger, Grover & McCool based in Glendale, California
Doug Keene, Founder, Keene Trial Consulting; Past President of the American Society of Trial Consultants.
Richard Gabriel, Trial Consultant, President, Decision Analysis; Assisted counsel on numerous high-profile cases, most recently, the Casey Anthony trial
Hollywood's annual geek-out kicks off
San Diego's Comic-Con International starts today. Thousands of costumed fans are swarming the city. Certainly, many are excited to see one of the god fathers of genre movies there, Steven Spielberg. It will be the filmmaker's first trip to Comic-Con to talk about his upcoming feature, "The Adventures of Tintin." That flick won't be the biggest draw at this year's convention. "Cowboys & Aliens" and "Captain America" billboards across the city are hailing those blockbuster premiers. The new "Spider-Man" will be introduced to fans, too. Still, many Hollywood studios will be absent this weekend. Instead, television networks are filling the void. Why the change? How does Comic-Con help or hurt movie marketing? What are the early reviews of the blockbusters?
Guests:
Geoff Boucher, Pop Culture Writer, Los Angeles Times & helms its Hero Complex, which reports on the intersection between Hollywood and comic books, sci-fi and fantasy.
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC; animation critic, author and historian for amazon.com