Edward Snowden has come forward as the source of leaks regarding secret government surveillance programs. We'll talk about his search for asylum in Hong Kong and also discuss a growing debate in the world of high tech intellectual property: "patent trolls." Then, with growing tensions between Washington and the media, should we be worried about the fate of freedom of the press? Later, what are some of the challenges of having a boss who's younger than you? And we'll take a look at some of Southern California's up-and-coming neighborhoods.
Seeking asylum: Edward Snowden’s search for a new home
Edward Snowden has come forward as the source of leaked information about U.S. electronic surveillance programs. In an interview with the Guardian, he said he has been hiding out in Hong Kong because of the city’s “spirited commitment to free speech.” But Hong Kong has had an extradition treaty in place with the U.S. since 1998 and experts say it may not have been the best place for Snowden to seek asylum, especially at a time when China seems committed to establishing stronger relations with the U.S.
What does Hong Kong’s extradition treaty with the U.S. mean for Snowden? Was it a mistake for him to go to Hong Kong or is there a chance he will get the protection he expected? Where else could he go?
Guests:
Martin S. Flaherty, teaches International Law at Fordham Law School. He is also a visiting professor at Princeton University.
Mark Gibney, teaches political science at the University of North Carolina Asheville
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s former employers, Booz Allen Hamilton, are part of a growing intelligence-industrial complex (POLL)
After holding a series of technical jobs with the CIA, Edward Snowden began working with Booz Allen Hamilton, a private consulting firm in Virginia. According to a 2010 investigation by The Washington Post, Booz Allen is among the most prominent intelligence contractors for the government. They were contracted to do top-secret work with 26 of the 45 government agencies engaged in intelligence activities, and the AP reports that last year the company earned $1.3 billion dollars from intelligence work. And they are not alone.
While the government has spent heavily on intelligence since September 2011, cutbacks in government funding have paved the way for thousands of private contracting firms. Tens of thousands of workers have moved from government jobs to private jobs, and many of these workers, including at Booz Allen Hamilton, continue to work side by side with government employees and often still hold access to classified information.
Of Booz Allen Hamilton’s 25,000 employees, almost half hold security clearances that provide “access to information that would cause ‘exceptionally grave damage’ to national security if disclosed to the public,” according to a company securities filing. And while the government has saved money by outsourcing huge chunks of the intelligence industry, it has also acknowledged that there is insufficient oversight of these private firms.
What’s the true cost of outsourcing the intelligence industry? How many more people are out there like Edward Snowden?
Guest:
James Bamford, investigative journalist who’s written extensively on the NSA; his most recent book is “The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America.”
The White House takes aim at “patent trolls"
The Obama administration has issued legislative recommendations in a growing debate in the world of high tech intellectual property. At the heart of the debate are “patent assertion entities” (PAE’s), more commonly known as "patent trolls." These companies do not develop or manufacture products, but rather engage in buying and asserting patents against companies that often have developed the patented technologies long before on their own.
Critics of patent trolls point to the fact that patents can be filed in very broad language, which has allowed some patent trolls to claim ownership of such ubiquitous technologies as wireless e-mail and podcasting. They also point to the recent upswing in patent lawsuits, which, according to one Boston University report, cost defendants $29 billion in legal fees in 2011, a 400 percent increase from 2005.
The White House has come down pretty strongly against patent trolls, saying that the companies exist to “essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea and see if they can extort some money out of them.” But not everyone is so unanimously on board. Proponents of PAE’s argue that they promote liquidity in patent markets, which can enhance investment in start-ups and promote innovation, and that they serve to protect smaller businesses from larger ones that may steal their ideas without consequence.
Guests:
James Bessen, Lecturer at Boston University School of Law, Fellow at Berkman Center on Internet and Society at Harvard, he studies economics of innovation and patents.
Michael Risch, Associate Professor of Law at Villanova University
The chilly relationship between the media and the Obama administration
The recent exposure of national security documents relating to the NSA and PRISM spying scandals is putting even more pressure on the relationship between Washington and the media.That relationship has already been strained after it emerged last month that the Department of Justice subpoenaed Associated Press reporters' phone records and tracked the comings and goings of Fox News reporter James Rosen at the State Department.
National security reporters have indicated that trusted sources are now keeping quiet over concerns they'll be targeted by the Justice Department as the source of any leaks. That kind of chill could undermine the kind of investigative journalism that keeps Washington accountable.
Will the new revelations about Edward Snowden make the government even more careful about targeting leakers? Doesn't the release of the NSA documents show that the free press is still working as intended? The Obama administration is still kicking around the idea of a press shield law to protect journalists. Would that type of law work?
Guest:
Andrew Beaujon, covers the media for Poynter Online
The challenges of working for a younger boss
Gone are the days of management being a bunch of silver-haired men in pinstripes marching steadily toward retirement. The evolution of the modern workplace is picking up pace at an exponential rate, and among the new trends in the post-Great Recession economy is the increasing likelihood that your next boss will be younger than you.
In an economic climate in which quitting a job is an unrealistic career option, older workers will need to adapt to a new generation of bosses who they may feel superior to in age despite their rank reflecting the opposite. Some of the biggest challenges can be in communicating with your new leader. Younger people by their very nature are more tech savvy, and for tech-phobic older employees, this could present an obstacle at work.
How should an older employee handle the transition to a younger boss? Do younger bosses want to be nurtured and taught, or is it better to adapt to their personalities and ideas, even if they aren’t the way we’re used to things being done? Do you work for someone younger than you? What hurdles have you had to clear in building a good working relationship? Does this new twist in management have benefits?
Guest:
Robin Throckmorton, President of Strategic HR, inc., a human resources management consulting firm located in Cincinnati, OH; co-author of “Bridging the Generation Gap: How to Get Radio Babies, Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Yers to Work Together and Achieve More”
Real estate co. says Highland Park is nation's hottest up-and-coming neighborhood
With talk of the Fed considering allowing interest rates to finally rise again as early as this summer, potential home buyers will likely be flocking to open houses around Southern California in hopes of buying before the rate ticks up.
But if you live in Los Angeles, you’ve already seen the insanity of bidding wars over teardowns and homes selling for $100,000 over their listed price. So much for a slumping housing market.
In fact, real estate web site Redfin published a list of the 10 Hottest Neighborhoods in 2013 (in the entire country), and four of those areas were in L.A. They included Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Faircrest Heights and Highland Park, which was ranked No. 1.
Neighborhoods like Echo Park and Venice Beach, which a decade ago were neighborhoods on the ascendancy, are now priced beyond the checkbooks of most potential buyers, so where should we be looking for the next great buy?
Guest:
John Venti, licensed Redfin realtor