Debbie Wasserman-Schultz agreed to step down as head of the Democratic National Committee after an email leak showed possible bias against Bernie Sanders: we look at the biggest stories in advance of this week's Democratic convention; a new study shows that playing specialized brain training games can help prevent the onset of dementia; and a relationship coach outlines the questions you should ask your partner before saying “I do.”
Sanders delegate: ‘I’m a millennial, I’m here to change the party from the inside’
From the WikiLeaks release of charged Democratic National Committee emails about Bernie Sanders, to the delayed resignation of Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and angry Sanders supporters booing Wasserman-Schultz at a delegates' breakfast this morning — it’s been a far more dramatic start to the DNC than anticipated.
After the emails showed possible bias against the Sanders campaign from DNC leadership, many are unsure whether Sanders supporters will ultimately fall in line behind Hillary Clinton. This has created a renewed sense of disunity at the beginning of a week many Democrats hoped would bring the party together.
This discord is present in the California delegation as well, with both longtime Clinton loyalists and “Bernie or Bust” delegates representing the state.
AirTalk spoke with two delegates from the Southland — one supporting Clinton and the other supporting Sanders — to gauge the environment as the convention begins tonight.
Jon Vein is a pledged delegate for Hillary Clinton, representing the 33rd Congressional District, which includes Santa Monica, Malibu, and Beverly Hills. Attending his fifth convention, he is also on the National Finance Committee for the Clinton campaign.
Vein acknowledged the contributions Sanders supporters made to the Democratic platform, and he remained hopeful that most Democrats would be able to come together when Hillary accepts the nomination Thursday night.
"We’re sitting in a point in time in our country where there are some pretty substantial divisions," Vein said. "I think that across all of the elections and conventions I’ve attended, this is certainly the most consequential, and I think that we’re working hard on bridging the gaps over some of those divisions."
Vein: The people who were never gonna vote for Hillary and never come together and never really look at the importance of this election to the nation -- certainly [the email leak] is fuel for the fire. But there was a fire burning before, and that fire was not going to be extinguished...At the end of the day, we on the HIllary side are reaching out across the aisle. I think if you take a look at the platform, Bernie did some tremendous things for this country and for the platform in terms of raising important issues. I know a lot of people say that and it's sort of a throwaway line, but there are substantive things that came out of his movement, and hopefully those things will persist.
Martha Medrano is a first-time delegate, representing Bernie Sanders for the 29th Congressional district, which includes much of the eastern San Fernando Valley.
She said it is not a given that Sanders supporters will ultimately back Clinton, and she spoke about her personal struggle in deciding who to vote for in November.
What do Sanders delegates do now?
Medrano: Bernie has said it from the beginning. It’s not about him, it’s about this movement. That's definitely what were taking from this whole experience. He might have endorsed [Clinton], but I think it sent a very clear message: ‘Look, I can endorse you and I can back you as the nominee, but that does not mean that the movement will. That does not mean that the political revolution will.’ And that’s really where we’re coming from. Being here, we’ve gotten a lot of condescending vibes. There’s a lot of, ‘You guys need to grow up and unite the party,’ It’s not acknowledging what we bring to the table. I’m a millennial. I’m here to change the party from the inside. I’m here to make sure our progressive values are represented. As of right now -- including the VP pick -- do not give us the acknowledgement that we need of the facts that we’re bringing up and the platform positions that are important to us and our constituents that we represent.
I really think that’s a media spin saying that ‘Oh, yeah, Bernie supporters are eventually going to fall in line.’ I think the Democratic Party is in for a rude awakening, and if they do not understand that there is no unity without reform...there’s a lot of people that are already jumping ship from the Democratic Party, not having anything to do with us delegates, because we’re still part of the party and are there to cast our vote for Bernie Sanders. But this Democratic exodus is a real thing. There are a lot of people who are making a stand and fighting this any way possible, and that’s one of them.
This is bigger than Bernie. We love Bernie to death and he started this political revolution, but this is not going to end here. There is a lot of dissatisfaction and there’s a lot of turbulence within the party, and for them to think that we’re just going to all be okay and push past this and look the other way like this didn’t happen - I think they’re in for a rude awakening.
Are you going to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in November?
Medrano: Right now I'm trying to get through the convention, and my vote goes to Bernie Sanders and we will cross that bridge when we get there. But I’ll tell you one thing -- I’m not voting for a candidate that’s pro-TPP, that’s pro-fracking, that does not understand the detrimental effects of Citizens United, that’s anti-abortion. I’m not pro any of that. So, if that’s the case, neither of those candidates will be having my vote.
Sanders will address the convention in prime-time tonight.
Guests:
Sean Sullivan, Politics Reporter, The Washington Post; Sullivan is at the DNC in Philadelphia; he tweets
Lisa Garcia Bedolla, Chancellor’s Professor of education and political science at UC Berkeley
Zachary Courser, Research Director of the Dreier Roundtable and visiting Assistant Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
Stephen Farnsworth, Ph.D., professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington, where he also is director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies; he tweets from
Jon Vein, Pledged delegate for Hillary Clinton; Los Angeles business and civic leader; Vein is also on the National Finance Committee of the Clinton Campaign
Martha Medrano, Bernie Sanders delegate representing District 29, which includes Van Nuys, San Fernando, parts of Sun Valley and North Hollywood
'Milestone' research from Alzheimer’s Conference suggests new ways to detect, treat disease
Leading Alzheimer’s researchers from around the world are meeting this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto, where several news studies are changing the way we think about and treat the disease.
Among the highlights from the conference is a new “milestone” study showing for the first time that cognitive training intervention may prevent dementia. In that Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study, researchers compared the effects of three forms of “brain training” on a group of 2,802 cognitively healthy seniors.
Another study describes a new condition known as Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI), basically small changes in personality, that may be a precursor of dementia. That idea, that memory loss may not always be the first warning sign of dementia, is new. Researchers at the conference proposed a checklist of symptoms to alert doctors and families.
Losing interest in favorite activities? Getting unusually anxious, aggressive or suspicious? Suddenly making crude comments in public? "Historically those symptoms have been written off as a psychiatric issue, or as just part of aging," said Dr. Zahinoor Ismail of the University of Calgary, who presented the checklist.
*with AP files
Guests:
Heather Snyder, Senior Director of Medical and Scientific Operations, Alzheimers Association; she joins us from the conference in Toronto
Dr. Lon Schneider MD, director of the USC State of California Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Center and the clinical core of the USC NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; he also joins us from the conference in Toronto
In sickness and in health: 5 questions you should ask your partner before tying the knot
Asking your partner difficult--and sometimes intimate-- questions can be challenging for couples.
Dialogues can be uncomfortable and it can be tempting to delay important conversations, but the sooner you have them, the better. Which topics are most important to you, and which questions have you wanted to ask your partner, but haven’t?
Sam Owen, psychologist and relationship expert, said there are many fundamental questions your should ask your partner, here are five:
1. Children
Do you want children? If so, how do you plan on raising them?
2. Religion
What's your perception about your religion? How will we raise our children around it?
3. Lifestyle
If lifestyles are not compatible, can you both get on the same page?
4. Integrating Families
How will this be achieved?
5. Intimacy
What do you expect from each other?
Interview Highlights
Sam Owen: In the modern day, it’s important for us remember that it’s so easy to get divorced and for us to also be constantly looking at the rest of the world via social media and the internet and as a result, there’s such a lure towards infidelity these days.
We’re very much a society of instant gratification in so many other ways, it almost seems that we’re starting to apply this to our relationships.
In this day and age, if you’re going to be married for the long haul, you want to know that you’re going to be that best friend, that you’re going to bring all the fun in the bedroom, that you’re going to be on the same page in terms of your values and your ethics. But also, that you’re going to spend a lifetime together, where you really have a friendship underlying it all. It’s important to remember that you must have a long-term vision when it comes to marrying somebody, rather than, “Well, you know, we’ve been dating for seven years, so it’s just the natural next progression.” Well maybe it’s not the natural next progression if everything isn’t just as you want it to be and this isn’t the person that you really want to grow old together with.
Sam Owen: As the very traditional wedding vows say in the U.K. and in America, "In sickness and in health, through the good times and the bad," thereby acknowledging that there will be tough times. We need to know that our partner is going to stick it out through those tough times because after the calm comes the storm, and after the storm again comes the calm.
It’s just about being able to ride those waves with each other in a really compassionate, loving way. And of course it’s going to be tough sometimes, but as long as you’re willing to do that and that’s what your intention is from the outset, it makes everything else a lot easier to deal with.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
This story has been updated.
Guest:
Sam Owen, Relationships coach, psychologist and author of, “500 Relationships and Life Quotes: Bite-Sized Advice for Busy People” (Saima Owen, 2016); she tweets from
Rounding up the good, bad and ugly impact of Pokemon Go
For millennials who played the original video game, Pokemon Go has sparked a nostalgic fascination, and re-awakened the obsession to “catch ‘em all.”
But whether you’re new to the game or see it as an old favorite brought back to life, one thing is unmistakable--Pokemon Go’s popularity doesn’t seem to be fading. In fact, it keeps cropping up daily as the topic of controversy.
Concerns surrounding the game include player safety, shedding light on racism and even it’s effect on local businesses.
To round-up these concerns, and what you should know about Pokemon Go, Larry speaks to L.A. Times reporter Jessica Roy, who’s been following the popularity of the game.
What do you think of the Pokemon Go? Is it your new favorite past-time or are you aching for the phenomenon to fizzle out?
Guest:
Jessica Roy, reporter for the Los Angeles Times whose coverage includes pop culture; she has been following the popularity of Pokemon Go; Jessica tweets