Now that Boston is out of the picture, could L.A. beat out the likes of Rome, Paris and Hamburg for the 2024 Olympics? Also, tech giants are pushing back against a federal funding bill that would require the companies to report suspicious activity on their networks that could be terrorist-related. Then, an incident at an Atlanta Braves game has sparked a conversation on whether it is ethical to out unfaithful men and women.
Second time the charm? What’s next for L.A. in its bid for the 2024 Olympics
Now that Boston is out of the picture, the US Olympic Committee is looking at other US cities to bid for the 2024 Games.
And Los Angeles, which Boston beat out, is considered by many the natural second choice. Particularly Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has been a major force behind the city’s 2024 bid. He said he has not spoken with the committee, but is game for the second chance.
Los Angeles hosted a highly successful Olympics in 1984. The Games drew millions of visitors to the city and provided an undisputed economic boon.
What’s next for L.A. and the bid process? Even if it wins the USOC bid, the ultimate decision rests with the International Olympics Committee. Could L.A. beat out the likes of Rome, Paris and Hamburg, which have expressed interest to put in a bid? Were you in Los Angeles for the 1984 Games? If so, call us and share your memories.
Guests:
David Wharton, sports writer for the Los Angeles Times who’s been covering L.A.’s renewed hope to host the 2024 games.
Andrew Zimbalist, Professor of Economics at Smith College and author of the new book, “Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup” (Brookings Institution Press, 2015)
Nick Roman, KPCC anchor of All Things Considered
Female sprinter wins right to compete in biological body, but larger questions loom over sex in sports
Dutee Chand, the Indian female runner who challenged a ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations, has won the right to compete without altering her body.
For decades, the I.A.A.F. has segregated men’s and women’s competition and competitors by testing testosterone levels. But with this decision, Chand, who lives with a condition termed “hyperandrogenism” that exhibits naturally high levels of testosterone, can again compete with other women. Prior female athletes with hyperandrogenism have had to surgically or chemically alter their bodies to compete.
Sport’s highest court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, came down with the decision in a way that reflects the evolution of thought towards a spectrum that exists for all athletes. Since testosterone is now seen as inconclusive as to determining whether or not athletes with higher levels of natural testosterone receive a competitive advantage, the I.A.A.F. has two years to come up with a different line of reasoning if it wishes to stop female athletes with hyperandrogenism from competing against other females.
Should there be a line for separating male and female competition? If so, where is the line? If not, how should the sports world integrate? And to what extent will the current divisions have to adapt as issues surrounding athletes whose anatomy and/or neurochemistry don’t fit neatly into the categories of man or woman?
Guests:
Katrina Karkazis, a cultural and medical anthropologist and bioethicist at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University; she helped argue Chand’s case
David Epstein, Author of "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance"
Debating whether social media companies should be responsible for reporting terrorism
Tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter are pushing back against the federal government because of language in a funding bill that would require the companies to report suspicious activity on their networks that could be terrorist-related.
The Senate Intelligence Committee included the provision in its annual intelligence-funding re-authoritzation bill, and it’s part of a federal effort to decrease the efficacy with which terrorist groups use social media and the Internet to recruit new members. The provision is designed to be similar to the federal requirements for policing child pornography.
Companies like Yahoo, Facebook, Google, and Twitter are pushing back, saying that the requirement would turn them into law-enforcement watchdogs, and that policing for terrorist activity is complex and requires a lot of context, unlike policing for child pornography, which can be identified using software.
The bill awaits debate on the Senate floor, but it likely won’t be taken up until after the Senate gets back from its summer break.
Do you think tech companies should be responsible for monitoring for suspicious activity/terrorism threats? What kind of a precedent would this set? If it’s not the responsibility of sites like Twitter and Facebook to police the content on their networks, whose is it?
Guests:
Emma Llansó, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology
Amos Guiora, professor of law and co-director of the Center for Global Justice at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah
Round-up: Sexual assault on college and university campuses
California lawmakers are considering proposals to create a more uniform approach for dealing with sexual assault on college and university campuses.
Earlier this month, a former UC San Diego student accused of sexual assault fought back in court and won — marking what is believed to be the first judicial ruling in recent years that a university failed to provide a fair trial in a sexual misconduct case.
Do colleges have the capacity to investigate and handle sexual assault cases properly?
Guests:
Mark Hathaway, private defense attorney in Los Angeles who has represented students and others accused of sexual misconduct
Savannah Badalich, UC President’s task force member on preventing and responding to sexual violence and sexual assault and founder of advocacy group 7,000 in Solidarity, and sexual assault survivor
Kurt Chirbas, LA Times reporter covering higher education
When to mind your own business? Confronting your lying, cheating friend...or a total stranger
An incident where a woman was caught sexting her lover while sitting next to her husband at an Atlanta Braves baseball game has gone viral.
The woman was caught by two sisters sitting behind her at the game, who not only took pictures and videos of the text message exchange, but posted them online.
At one point, one of the sisters alerted the unsuspected husband by handing him this message: “Your wife is cheating on you. Look at the messages under Nancy.” Nancy was the name the woman used to text her lover.
The incident has sparked a conversation on whether it is ethical for the two sisters to out the unfaithful woman. Would you have done the same thing? Would you act differently if the person in question was not a stranger, but a friend?
Call us at 1-866-893-5722 to weigh in!