Boris Johnson backed out of running for prime minister today, we look at the reasons why and who could be the next leader; the Academy responds to #OscarsSoWhite by bumping the percentage of members of color from 8 percent to 11 percent; and a psychologist shares the pros and cons of being your child's friend
What to watch for after Pentagon lifts ban on transgender troops openly serving
(AP) - The Pentagon announced Thursday that transgender people will be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military, ending one of the last bans on service in the armed forces.
Saying it's the right thing to do, Defense Secretary Ash Carter laid out a yearlong implementation plan declaring that "Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so." Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Carter said, "Our mission is to defend this country, and we don't want barriers unrelated to a person's qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine who can best accomplish the mission."
Under the new policy, by Oct. 1, transgender troops should be able to receive medical care and begin formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system.
Guest:
Phil Ewing, National Security Editor, NPR; he tweets from
Reaction after former London mayor drops out of UK Prime Minister consideration
Boris Johnson says he’s no longer going to be in consideration for the role of Britain’s prime minister, announcing in a press conference this morning that he was withdrawing his own name and would support whoever the next leader of the Conservative Party will be.
This comes exactly one week after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union in a country-wide referendum.
Johnson was a vocal supporter of the ‘leave’ campaign and was one of the favorites to be prime minister.
Many are lashing out at the former London mayor, decrying him for spending so much time propping up the ‘leave’ side only to abandon it a week after it won.
It also leaves questions about who will be the next prime minister and how that person will unify a country that is facing political and economic uncertainty following the Brexit vote.
Guest:
Rob Watson, BBC World Service UK Political correspondent; he tweets
After #OscarSoWhite, Academy seeks new class of women and diverse members
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences which is responsible for the Oscars, has invited a record 683 new members into its voting ranks.
And the Academy says this year’s class is its most diverse ever — 46% female, and 41% people of color.
After two straight years when the 20 acting nominees at the Academy Awards were white performers, and the talk surrounding the event was dominated by the hashtag #oscarssowhite, the Academy pledged to diversify its membership. The goal is to double the number of women and minorities by the year 2020. And the nearly 700 people invited to join this year will take the institution a long way towards that goal.
But, unlike in past years, some of those asked to join the Academy have only a handful of film credits.
Read the full story here.
Guests:
John Horn, host of The Frame, who talked yesterday to Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; he tweets from
Darnell Hunt, director of the UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies, which puts out the annual “Hollywood Diversity Report," and chair of the Sociology Department at UCLA; he tweets from
Scientists pressure Greenpeace over GMOs
In an open letter to Greenpeace, more than 100 Nobel laureates are pressuring the environmental group to change its position on genetically modified crops — in particular, a strain of rice modified to include vitamin A.
Vitamin A deficiency in many parts of the developing world contributes to the deaths of 1.15 million children every year, according to UNICEF.
Greenpeace is spearheading opposition to the "Golden Rice" strain in the face of a huge lobbying push for the grain. The advocacy group argues that Golden Rice has not achieved its promise of high vitamin A content, other aid programs are delivering vitamin A supplements to populations in need, the long-term safety consequences are unknown and prices for such genetically modified crops are prohibitive for local farmers.
However, the laureates' letters states:
Scientific and regulatory agencies around the world have repeatedly and consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer than those derived from any other method of production. There has never been a single confirmed case of a negative health outcome for humans or animals from their consumption.
They also highlight that food production will have to double by 2050 to meet global population needs.
Randy Schekman, a Nobel Prize-winning cell biologist who is among those who signed the letter, says that the broader scientific community supports the laureates’ claims.
“The vast majority of professional life scientists ... recognize that the application [of genetic modification in agriculture] has tremendous value, and it has already shown its efficacy in the majority of plant crops that are grown in the United States,” Schekman told KPCC.
The letter took some in the Greenpeace community by surprise.
"It’s very unfair for Greenpeace to be pilloried in this way, and I’m very astounded that researchers of this stature should take it upon themselves to launch an attack,” said Paul Johnston, principal scientist with Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter.
Johnston said that he believes that a regulatory framework must be put in place to prevent indiscriminate usage of genetically modified crops, and he argued that Golden Rice is the wrong battleground for the fight over such regulations.
“It’s a bit of a red herring, because [Golden Rice] is not something that is there and available for use at the moment” Johnston said.
The United States doesn't currently have any federal legislation regarding genetically modified organisms, though the European Union does have an established legal framework that requires labeling such products.
Guests:
Randy Schekman, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate; Cell biologist; University of California, Berkeley; Signatory of an open letter to Greenpeace regarding its position on GMOs
Paul Johnston, Ph.D., Principal Scientist of Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter
CA bill attempts to overhaul how Californians vote
The way Californians vote could change very soon. SB 450, authored by Senators Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) and Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) will head to the State Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Under the bill:
1. Every registered voter would be delivered a vote-by-mail ballot 28 days before Election Day.
2. Voters would be able to mail their ballot in, drop it off at a vote center, or ballot drop-off location or vote in-person at a vote center.
3. Polling places would be replaced by vote centers. Voters would have the freedom to cast a ballot at any vote center in their county instead of being tied to a single polling location. Vote centers look and feel like polling places, but provide additional benefits and options for voters.
This new election model would give Californians more flexibility in terms of where and when they vote -- so long as their county opts in.
Guests:
Ben Allen, California State Senator for district 26, representing areas including Hollywood, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach, and author of SB 450.
Bob Stern, former president of the LA-based Center for Governmental Studies and elections counsel to the secretary of state under Governor Jerry Brown
Can parents be pals with their adult kids?
Parents everywhere have probably come across the saying, “Be a parent, not a friend.”
While maintaining authority with young kids may be difficult if you’re trying to be their pal, many parents and adult children today are forming much friendlier relationships than previous generations.
But should every parent-child relationship look like an episode of the “Gilmore Girls?”
It’s possible, but there are some caveats. Parents who divulge too much to their adult children aren’t helping the bonding process. And time spent with adult kids may be more limited than parents would like, due to children’s spouses and work commitments.
While reciprocity may look different in a parent-child friendship, that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be done.
Do you think parent-adult child friendships work? What is your experience being friends with your parent/child like?
Guest:
Joshua Coleman, Ph.D., psychologist and Senior Fellow, Council on Contemporary Families and author of the book “When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along” (Harper Collins, 2008)
Napping at work: Why more companies are on board
Forget about the 32-hour work week.
A think tank in France is calling for companies in the country to let workers take a 15-minute nap after lunch.
Stateside, the work nap has been espoused by big companies like Google and Huffington Post, which have put in nap rooms and nap pods for their workers. Arianna Huffington is so behind the idea she has written an entire book about it.
Proponents of the sanctioned work nap say daily shuteye actually makes workers more productive.
Guests:
Ron Friedman, social psychologist and author of the book, “The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace” (TarcherPerigee, 2014)
John Rabe, host of KPCC’s Off-Ramp, who is working on a story on nap pods