More than 450 LAPD cadets graduated from the youth program over the weekend- AirTalk considers the future of the program amid recent scandal. We also review updates on the senate healthcare bill; debate Lyft’s new shuttle service; and more.
Week in Politics: Senate’s health care bill, travel ban case at the Supreme Court and more
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell wants a vote on the Senate version of the Affordable Care Act replacement bill this week, even though five GOP Senators have publicly come out against it.
Passage would need the support of at least 50 Republican Senators. All Democrats in the Senate are expected to vote the bill down. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told ABC’s “This Week” over the weekend that the bill has “at best, a 50-50 chance” of passage.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear President Trump’s travel ban challenge, and rumor is swirling that Justice Anthony Kennedy is seriously contemplating retirement – a move that would bring on seismic changes to the makeup of the country’s highest court.
Guest host Libby Denkmann and guests Caroline Heldman and Charles Kesler discuss these topics, and more, in AirTalk’s weekly political segment.
Guests:
Caroline Heldman, associate professor of politics at Occidental College and author of the forthcoming book, “Protest Politics in the Marketplace: Consumer Activism in the Corporate Age” (Cornell University Press, 2017)
Charles Kesler, Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College and editor of the Claremont Review of Books
Noted linguist Deborah Tannen on the language of women’s friendships
Jane Fonda once said, “It’s my women friends that keep starch in my spine and without them, I don’t know where I would be.”
Women’s friendships are the focus of linguist and New York Times Bestselling author Deborah Tannen’s new book, “You’re the Only One I Can Tell”. Rather than taking a psychological approach to women’s relationships, Tannen uses her experience as a linguist to analyze the way words build – and break – the bonds of friendship.
She interviewed 80 women ranging from ages nine to 97 for the book. It covers everything from the definition of closeness to how miscommunication can result in drama and the influence of social media on female friendships.
Guest host Libby Denkmann in for Larry Mantle
Guest:
Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and author of the book, “You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships” (Ballantine Books, 2017)
What’s next for the LAPD Cadets program?
Over the weekend more than 450 LAPD cadets graduated from the youth program.
The ceremony was uncharacteristically solemn after a rough couple of weeks in the news. It all started with reports of cadets joyriding in stolen police cruisers and escalated to LA Police Chief Charlie Beck personally arresting a 31-year-old officer for allegedly having sex with an underage cadet. Then law enforcement found more than a hundred firearms when searching the accused officer’s home.
There are now calls for an investigation of the LAPD cadets program and their other youth initiatives. What does all this mean for the program’s future and the at-risk kids it was designed for?
Guest host Libby Denkmann in for Larry Mantle
Guests:
Kate Mather, reporter covering the LAPD for the Los Angeles Times; she authored the article, “Police commissioner calls for inspector general to investigate LAPD’s troubled cadet program”
Mitchell Englander, LA City Councilmember for the 12th District; he’s calling for an investigation and audit of all LAPD youth programs; he tweets
In Loving Memory: Looking back at the ups and downs of Gchat
The Google messaging platform, Gchat, is being laid to rest on Monday.
As reported by Slate, it was a way to for an entire generation to instant message at work before the days of Slack. Gchat enabled colleagues to chat online in an offline short of way, where you could write what was on your mind with abandon.
But what happened to Gchat? It seemed to have all the elements of a great social media platform, enabling media transfers, group chats and searchable features. But it seems the app was never fully supported by Google. Even the title of Gchat was unofficial. Its 2005 release was referred to as Google Talk, in 2006, the Gmail integration was know as Google Chat or Chat. And there have been various reinventions of Gchat since. At least, that was the hope with Google+ Hangouts.
With social media growing at lightning speed, why couldn’t Gchat latch on to the movement? If you were a Gchat devotee in its early days, what were its highlights? What will you miss most?
Guest host Libby Denkmann in for Larry Mantle
Guest:
Josh Constine, editor-at-large for TechCrunch; he’s been following the story; he tweets
How will Lyft Shuttle change public transit?
The latest endeavor from ridesharing company, Lyft, has a familiar ring to it.
Lyft Shuttle, revealed last week, was met with mixed reviews, and not just because it’s been described as a bus with a cooler name. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, critics say the shuttle will compete with public transit, giving commuters with the most money more exclusive options. And that means less demand to improve city transportation, and another way to separate the haves from the have-nots.
But supporters of the shuttle argue just the opposite: that giving the public a much needed alternative is simply responding to market needs. It also means incentivization for public transit to step up its game. In any case, Lyft Shuttle has put a big challenge on the longstanding transit monopoly.
Would you use Lyft shuttle? Do you think this will help improve public transit or will it stifle any advancement in city bus developments?
Guest host Libby Denkmann in for Larry Mantle
Guests:
Ed Krayewski, associate editor at Reason.com; he wrote the article “Lyft Shuttle Doesn't Reinvent the City Bus, But It May Break the Mass Transit Monopoly;” he tweets @edkrayewski
Henry Grabar, staff writer for Slate; he writes about cities and transit; he tweets