The Department of Justice Inspector General released a 500 pages long report on Thursday on the handling of the Clinton email investigation. We also examine the lawsuit against Harvard claims; speak with composer Michael Giacchino; and more.
DC Round Up: inspector general’s report, US-China tariffs and more
The Department of Justice Inspector General released a 500 pages long report on Thursday on the handling of the Clinton email investigation.
The review of the FBI’s conduct during the 2016 election campaign has found that Comey acted “improperly” in his investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, though not from a place of political bias. The report supports the decision to not prosecute Clinton.
We look into how the release of the report is playing out behind the scenes in Washington and what comes next. Meanwhile, President Trump announced he will put 25 percent tariff on Chinese goods. A move that prompted a retaliation from China announcing equal tariffs on US imports.
We examine what effect will this have on US economy. We also look at the president’s statements Friday on opposing a GOP immigration bill that was crafted by House Speaker Paul Ryan -- a move that reportedly House GOP leaders did not expect as they said they had the president’s support in writing the legislation. Here is your political roundup.
Guests:
Kyle Cheney, congressional reporter for POLITICO, who has been reporting on the Justice Department’s report; he tweets
Joe Sobczyk, congressional editor and reporter for Bloomberg News who has been following the story
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
Marj Halperin, democratic analyst and executive vice president and partner at Hawthorne Strategy Group, a communications and PR firm
Lawsuit against Harvard claims that Asian American applicants are consistently dinged on ‘personality’ scores
Information and document pertaining to Harvard admissions process were unsealed this morning as part of a lawsuit alleging the Ivy League school for discriminating against Asian American applicants.
The lawsuit was filed a few years ago by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, which claims that Asian American students, despite their strong academic performance, are routinely kept from being admitted to Harvard.
Earlier this year, the group sought to have some of the school’s admissions records introduced as evidence in the lawsuit. Harvard had fought the release.
The documents unsealed today, according to STudents for Fair Admissions, show that Harvard uses a “character” or “personality”-based system in its overall admissions process that discriminates against Asian Americans.
Guest:
Anemona Hartocollis, higher education reporter for the New York Times, who’s following this story; she tweets
Apple to close security loophole that lets law enforcement crack into locked iPhones
Apple is closing a security gap that allowed outsiders to pry personal information from locked iPhones without a password, a change that will thwart law enforcement agencies that have been exploiting the vulnerability to collect evidence in criminal investigations. The loophole will be shut down in a forthcoming update to Apple's iOS software, which powers iPhones.
Once fixed, iPhones will no longer be vulnerable to intrusion via the Lightning port used both to transfer data and to charge iPhones. The port will still function after the update, but will shut off data an hour after a phone is locked if the correct password isn't entered. The current flaw has provided a point of entry for authorities across the U.S. since the FBI paid an unidentified third party in 2016 to unlock an iPhone used by a mass killer in the San Bernardino shooting a few months earlier. The FBI sought outside help after Apple rebuffed the agency's efforts to make the company create a security backdoor into iPhone technology. Apple's refusal to cooperate with the FBI at the time became a political hot potato pitting the rights of its customers against the broader interests of public safety.
Privacy advocates praised the company’s recent decision, while many law enforcement agencies condemned it. What do you think, do you support Apple’s decision to close the technological loophole that enables law enforcement agencies to hack into iPhones? Call us at 866-893-5722 and let us know.
With files from the Associated Press
We reached out to Apple for comment and they responded with this statement:
“At Apple, we put the customer at the center of everything we design. We’re constantly strengthening the security protections in every Apple product to help customers defend against hackers, identity thieves and intrusions into their personal data. We have the greatest respect for law enforcement, and we don’t design our security improvements to frustrate their efforts to do their jobs.”
Guests:
Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), an independent privacy rights group based in Washington, D.C.; adjunct professor of information privacy and open government at Georgetown Law; he tweets
Cedric Leighton, founder and president of Cedric Leighton Associates, a risk and leadership management consultancy; he is also a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force and the former Director for Training of the National Security Agency; he tweets
FilmWeek: ‘Incredibles 2,’ ‘TAG,’ ‘Superfly’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Wade Major and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
- "Incredibles 2" in wide release
- "Tag" in wide release
- "Superfly" at AMC Burbank, AMC Century City, ArcLight Hollywood & more (check local listings)
- "Gotti" at AMC Burbank Town Center, AMC Universal Citywalk Stadium & more (check local listings)
- "The Yellow Birds" at Laemmle's Royal Theatre
- "Set It Up" streaming on Netflix
- "A Skin So Soft" at Laemmle's Music Hall
- "The Year of Spectacular Men" at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center
- "Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist" at Nuart Theatre
- "China Salesman" at Arena Cinelounge Hollywood
CRITICS' HITS
Amy: "Tag"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjC1zmZo30U
Wade: "Set It Up"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-eRc9PF3TU
Charles: "Incredibles 2"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qOzqD9Rms
MIXED FEELINGS
Amy: "Gotti"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmYXoXL3Wc
Wade: "Superfly"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQIvV800Atk
Charles: "A Skin So Soft"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkqhglDksVM
MISSES
Amy: "China Salesman"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUXHYYMkcT0
Wade: "The Year of Spectacular Men"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug_4uS0GWmU
Charles: "Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYmFcAegH4
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts The Canon and Unspooled, where Amy and comedian Paul Scheer check off the AFI Top 100 movies of all time; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Keeping sequels suave: How Michael Giacchino makes superhero music cool in ‘Incredibles 2’
2004’s “Incredibles” was the catalyst for Michael Giacchino’s work with Pixar, and it’s clear that the composer slipped right back into the 1960’s-style groove while scoring “Incredibles 2.”
The sequel makes a comeback with Giacchino’s characteristic score of trombones, percussive beats, and blaring trumpets. With the help of writer-director Brad Bird, Giacchino wrote the lyrics to the jingles that dramatize the superhero film, including an elegant new theme for Elastigirl. The Oscar-winning composer has also worked on acclaimed films including “Ratatouille,” “Zootopia,” and “Up.”
Michael Giacchino and timpanist Don Williams join Larry to discuss the making of the “Incredibles 2” soundtrack.
Larry also attended a scoring session and captured the live experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hogqcQoOlNE&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX4bwdZYFYM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcpyMeiwz0o&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Zus4vC-y8&t=1s
Guests:
Michael Giacchino, Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy-winning composer for many films and television series, including the new Pixar film, “Incredibles 2”
Don Williams, percussionist, composer, orchestrator and conductor; he is the timpanist for the “Incredibles 2” soundtrack