If Trump was elected President he'd hardly be the first in the office to be combative with the press, but what might that look like in coverage of his administration? LAPD Chief Charlie Beck talks UCLA shooting & Orlando; Gov. Brown is dusting off an old and controversial expansion of CA's power grid, but what does that mean to clean energy goals? Plus, the Young Adult genre's largest demographic isn't young adults, but actual adults. We gush about our favorites.
Could a Trump presidency mean restricted White House media access?
Earlier this week, Donald Trump announced via Facebook message that he was revoking the press credentials of the Washington Post to cover his campaign events.
He stated that the news organization has been inaccurately representing his campaign and that the company lacked “journalistic integrity.” Trump has also barred reporters from The National Review, BuzzFeed, Politico and a few other outlets from attending his events.
If the presumptive GOP nominee were to become the president, would he be able to withdraw White House press credentials from reporters and news organizations based on their content? Is there a precedent of presidents denying media access? And what is the Obama administration’s record on freedom of information?
Guests:
Erik Wemple, Media Critic, The Washington Post
Gregg Leslie, Legal Defense Director for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press based in Washington DC
LAPD Chief Beck on Orlando attack: 'We make available high capacity weapons designed to kill and then we wonder why they do'
In the aftermath of the UCLA shooting lockdown, the Orlando massacre, and a possible threat to West Hollywood's Gay Pride Parade, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck joined AirTalk to talk about the ongoing debates around security, public safety and gun control.
"The continuing theme," the chief said, "is that we continue to [make available] high capacity weapons that fire rapidly and easily and are designed to kill people — solely to kill people — and then we wonder why they do."
Chief Beck pointed at several areas where Second Amendment supporters and gun control advocates could probably find common ground.
"Everybody agrees that we need to keep guns out of the hands of those that shouldn’t have them. So we need to start with that," Beck said. "And then we gotta go backwards and say, ‘What are the steps we can take to make that happen?’"
Highlights
On the law enforcement response to the Orlando shooting
Beck: [Orlando law enforcement officers] were faced with a horrific, no-win situation. By the time they were able to deploy inside, many people had already been killed, and then they had to mitigate the further carnage. So, at this point, I don’t have any criticism, but my sympathy is certainly with them. They were put in a difficult place. They performed courageously.
The continuing theme is that we continue to [make available] high capacity weapons that fire rapidly and easily and are designed to kill people — solely to kill people — and then we wonder why they do."
On whether a ban on larger capacity magazines or semi-automatic rifles would make a difference
Beck: Well, maybe not right away because there are so many in circulation already but maybe our children's children would see a difference. I think we have to take some affirmative steps as a society to make things better. You know, we are the only fully developed, first-world country that sees this level of carnage.
On finding common ground on the gun debate
Beck: I think we can certainly agree that folks on a terrorism watch list and people who are subject to an ongoing investigation because of terrorist activities should be denied access to firearms. I think even the most staunch gun supporters would agree to at least part of that.
So I think we could start there and I know that discussion is ongoing. I think that background checks and waiting periods are something we could get to in a reasonable way if we structure it correctly. There’s no reason why people should have immediate access to guns.
In Florida, private person’s transfer requires no background and no documentation, at least that’s my understanding. So I think we can get some common ground on that.
Everybody agrees that we need to keep guns out of the hands of those that shouldn’t have them. So we need to start with that. And then we gotta go backwards and say, ‘What are the steps we can take to make that happen?’
On the LAPD's new iWatch app for reporting suspicious activity
Beck: It’s an application for your mobile device, you can go to lapdonline.org or your app store and it’ll give you a tutorial on what to look for. And then it’ll give you an application on which to report things. And then we will screen what we get and decide what’s actionable and what’s not. This is a great way for the public to be involved in their own safety.
One of the tragedies with every single one of these incidents, Orlando included, is that there are gonna be a number of people that say, ‘You know, I saw things and I should have said something.’
Don’t be that person. Say something. We’ll vet it. . . . We understand the limits of what we can do and what we should do, but we can’t act on information we don’t have.
Please note: This article has been updated and edited for clarity.
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief, Los Angeles Police Department; he tweets from
Legal, energy experts debate Governor Brown’s proposal to expand state electric grid
Governor Jerry Brown is dusting off a nearly 20 year old proposal that would expand the California electricity grid and link it with grids in other states like Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah.
The plan is raising questions in the energy and renewables sector about how much the expansion would actually contribute to clean energy and what the state’s continuing role would be in controlling the electricity grid.
Another part of the plan would combine the California Independent System Operator (CalISO), which oversees the state’s long-distance transmission of electricity, with Oregon-based electricity producer PacifiCorp.
Legislators and environmentalists are concerned that the partnership would make it hard to meet the state mandate that 50 percent of electricity Californians get comes from clean sources like wind or solar, because PacifiCorp has a lot of coal-fired power plants. They’re also concerned that combining PacifiCorp, an investor-owned company, with CalISO, for which the Governor appoints the board and the Senate approves it, would dilute the state’s control over how energy is distributed.
Guests:
Carl Zichella, director of Western Transmission for the Natural Resources Defense Council
Michael Aguirre, partner at the San Diego-based law firm Aguirre & Severson, LLP
The joys of reading children’s books…as an adult
Have you revisited a book you loved as a child?
Did the stories hold new meaning once you were grown? Once upon a time, it was somewhat embarrassing for an adult to be caught reading a book written for kids. But that time is long gone. The popularity of the Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games, and titles like the Faults in Our Stars have shown that books meant for kids and teenagers are also successful in attracting grown-ups for a second read.
In fact, a 2012 study found that 55 percent of readers of the young adult (YA) genre are actually adults.
What are your favorite children's books? Which books do you enjoy reading or re-reading as an adult, or to your children? Call 866-893-5722 and let us know.
Guest:
Phillip Nel, a professor of English and a director of the graduate program in children’s literature at Kansas State University