The Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates at record lows. How will this affect the economy? Also, the city of San Jose is suing the MLB over the Oakland Athletics and Time Warner Cable is being sued for making customers pay for Dodgers and Lakers games. Then, LA Police Chief Charlie Beck answers some hard questions about recent scandals, we discuss if the U.S. should engage in talks with the Taliban on Thursday, and we also look at how much voice-activated technology distracts drivers. Later, Lauren Sandler's new book claims "only child syndrome" is a myth.
Fed holds interest rates steady
The Federal Reserve made a statement today to keep interest rates at record lows. The Fed has been buying $85 billion of Treasury and mortgage-backed bonds each month to support the U.S.’s struggling economy. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and the central bank have hinted that the stimulus plan will be scaled back when the effects of the sequester cuts wane. The stimulus has helped to keep interest rates low and economists and investors say they expect the rates for Americans to increase after 30 years of declination that had eased consumer debt burdens.
What effect would a scaled back stimulus program have on the U.S. economy? Do rising interest rates signal that the economy is improving?
Guests:
Gail Marks Jarvis, national finance columnist and author of “Saving for Retirement Without Living Like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery” (FT Press, 2012)
Nela Richardson, Senior Finance analyst at "Bloomberg government"
Major League Baseball and Time Warner Cable are in some legal hot water
The city of San Jose has filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball accusing them of improperly keeping the Oakland Athletics from moving to the city to shield the nearby San Francisco Giants from competition. The city of San Jose filed a complaint yesterday in federal court arguing that the city has lost millions of dollars in new sales tax revenue as a result of the "blatant conspiracy" to keep the A's from moving.
Meanwhile, Time Warner Cable is facing their own class-action lawsuit that alleges the cable provider's $11 billion deal to air Dodgers and Lakers games unfairly passes on the cost to customers without allowing them to opt out of subscribing to the games. The lawsuit claims TWC customers are required to pay an extra $4 to $5 a month - $40 - $50 a year - even if they're not interested in watching sports.
Do either of these cases have merit? Will the MLB be forced to let the A's to move to San Jose? Will TWC be forced to create an 'opt out' option for customers who aren't sports fans?
Guest:
Daniel Lazaroff, teaches law and economics at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and is director of the Loyola Sports Law Institute
Chief Charlie Beck discusses the big issues facing the LAPD
In the month since we last checked in with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, a federal judge lifted oversight of the department, which had been in place since 2001 following the Rampart corruption scandal, a symbolic gesture that tipped its hat to the LAPD’s strides in cleaning up its conduct. With a new mayor taking office on July 1, the Dorner report due to be discussed by the Police Commission on June 25th, and the Michelle Kane murder a hot topic in the media at the moment, there’s never a shortage of topics to chew over with the top dog at the LAPD.
Have a question for the Chief? Leave a comment or give us a call.
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Los Angeles Police Department Chief of Police
Should the US be engaging with the Taliban?
Peace talks between the US and the Taliban are set to resume Thursday after being suspended for more than a year. The talks will take place in Qatar and aim to avert civil war once combat troops from the U.S.-led coalition withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014.
President Obama described the talks as "an important first step toward reconciliation, although it is a very early step." Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to follow up with his own talks with the Taliban a few days later.
The top US commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the only way to end the lengthy war was through a political solution but should the US be negotiating with the Taliban? Will there be any political repercussions? Will peace talks give more power and legitimacy to the Taliban? If the US doesn’t engage the Taliban, is there any chance of a peaceful withdrawal in 2014?
Guests:
Michael Semple, Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School
Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
Distracted Driving: Voice-activated technology more risky than cellphones, study says
The most desirable upgrade packages for new cars may be the most dangerous, according to auto safety experts. Voice-command programs in cars allow you to make calls, listen and respond to texts and emails, ask for directions and more. It was thought to be safer than using your hands to fumble through menus and buttons. However, safety experts for the American Automobile Association compared listening to the radio, talking on the phone and using voice-command technology. They found stunning results.
On a scale out of five, music or phone calls were rated a category "1" and "2" - minimal risk and moderate risk, respectively. Voice-activated technology used so much of your mental workload, researchers ranked it at a "3" - extensively risky. This is in sharp contrast to recent legislation passed in California.
Last year, AB 1536 (Miller) specifically okayed “hands-free, voice-operated texting while driving.” This year, a bill seeking to repeal 1536 died in committee (AB 313 - Frazier). Advances in the technology could nullify studies and legislation. WIRED transportation editor, Damon Lavrinc, expects voice-command in cars to improve significantly in the coming years.
What's your experience using voice-command technology?
Guests:
Justin McNaull, Director of State Relations, American Automobile Association
Damon Lavrinc, Transportation Editor, WIRED magazine
Only children and ‘having it all’
Can you tell if someone is an only child? Are you a parent who had a second child for the sake of your firstborn? In Lauren Sandler’s new book, “One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One,” Sandler set out to prove that “only child syndrome” is a myth and such stereotypes don’t exist. As an only child and mother of one child herself, she wondered why society frowned upon having only one child.
Her new book cites international studies showing only children are not lonely and going to school provides sufficient companionship and social skills. Sandler argues that societal views need to shift. With a struggling economy, less financial stability, and more women with established careers, the American ideal of two children and a dog is not the happiness formula. Rather, with just one child and therefore fewer costs, Sandler believes parents really can “have it all.”
Is she right? What’s your experience as an only child? Are you a parent with only one child? What are your considerations about having more children?
Guest:
Lauren Sandler, author of “One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One;” reported and offered commentary for Time, The New York Times, and Slate.