"Weinergate" gets weirder - Rep. Anthony Weiner comes clean about his explicit Twitter pictures. GOP targets tanning tax Should Sexting be punishable by expulsion?
Weiner apologizes for tweeting lewd photos, but says he won’t resign
After days of lying, New York Rep. Anthony Weiner finally ‘fessed up to sending sexually-explicit photos of himself and engaging in inappropriate online conversations with at least six young women – over several years. Speaking of the now-infamous bulging-boxers shot that started the saga, Weiner confessed, “That picture was of me, and I sent it.” But despite the teary apology Wiener said he has no intention of stepping down. Now, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is calling for an ethics committee investigation into whether Weiner broke any House rules. Will Weiner lose his congressional seat over this scandal? Given the very public deception, should he? Can Weiner regain credibility after having admitted he lied? Would it have made any difference with voters, if he’d been more upfront about his personal indiscretions from the beginning?
Guest:
Gail Chaddock, Congressional Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor
GOP targets tanning tax
House Republicans have introduced a bill to repeal the 10-percent tax levied on tanning salons to help pay for provisions of President Obama’s health law. Supporters of the tax say tanning contributes to skin cancer and spiraling health costs. And the tax, which went into effect July 1, will raise a much needed $2.7-billion over ten years. But Republicans, lead by Reps. Michael Grimm of New York, Phil Roe of Tennessee and Pat Tiberi of Ohio, say it’s an onerous burden on thousands of small businesses and is costing jobs. Should fake tans be taxed? Or does this unfairly burn tanning salons?
Guest:
Rob Quinn, Board Member, Indoor Tanning Organization (ITA); Chairman of the ITA’s Regulatory Committee; owner of a chain of tanning salons
Sexting punishable by expulsion
No, we're not still talking about Congressman Anthony Weiner. This “sexting” story is about a bill that just passed the California State Senate unanimously (and now heads to the Assembly). It says that school kids caught sexting can be kicked out of school permanently. It defines sexting specifically as "the sending or receiving of sexually explicit pictures or video images by means of an electronic act." Senator Ted Lieu (D-28) introduced the legislation. He called sexting a growing problem in California schools, and cited a recent study showing 20 percent of teens have sent or posted nude or semi-nude photos of themselves. But does the punishment fit the crime? Is this generation's sexting the back-seat groping of yesteryear? Or is it a destructive behavior that should have zero tolerance?
Guest:
Ted Lieu, California State Senator (D-Torrance)
Yalda T. Uhls, Researcher at the Children’s Digital Media Center @ Los Angeles (CDMC@LA), at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)