Today on AirTalk, guest host Libby Denkmann follows up on the big takeaways from the House Homeland Security Committee hearing and checks in with a reporter who has been on the ground at the border covering the latest in immigration; we also discuss the California Supreme Courts denial to review a police transparency law; and more.
California Supreme Court declines review of public access to police records law
The California Supreme Court yesterday denied to review a police transparency law that allows internal police records to be released to the public.
On January 1st of this year, California passed SB 1421, a law allowing the public to request access to police records including disciplinary reports and records on police shootings. But debate about whether the law can be applied retroactively has been brought up by police unions across the state.
Yesterday’s decision comes after the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs filed a petition arguing that the law violates privacy rights. The court decided not to take action on the request.
We check in on the latest.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Annie Gilbertson, investigative reporter at KPCC; host of the KPCC podcast, Repeat
Lolita Harper, director of government and media relations for the Sheriff’s Employees Benefits Association, the union that represents the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; she is a retired detective with San Bernardino County
Can all the King's horses and the King's men put the Lakers back together again?
With another loss to the Denver Nuggets last night and only 17 regular season games left, the latest projections put the Lakers having less than a 1 percent chance of making it to the playoffs.
This game, coupled with the disappointing 113-105 loss to the Clippers on Monday, have knocked the Lakers to a season low record of 30 wins and 35 losses putting them in the eleventh spot in the Western Conference. So while LeBron may have just taken Michael Jordan’s fourth place spot on the NBA's all-time points list, this season has been one of the more challenging ones in the Lakers nearly 72 year history.
There have been feelings among some fans that this may be due to poor management by the front Office and subpar coaching by Luke Walton. It also doesn't help that the Lakers have been fighting injuries all season. Whether it was LeBron’s groin injury back in December, Brandon Ingram’s sore shoulder, Kyle Kuzma’s sprained ankle from the Clippers game on Monday, Josh Hart playing through his knee tendinitis, or Lonzo Ball’s bone bruise on his ankle, the Lakers roster has struggled to stay healthy.
No matter what the actual problem may be, what is clear is that if LeBron and the Lakers don’t start winning, this could be the first time in over 14 years that LeBron has missed the playoffs and the sixth straight year that the Lakers haven’t been to the playoffs.
If you’re a Lakers fan, what do you think needs to happen for the Lakers to win? Are the playoffs even in the conversation anymore? What do you think has been the biggest challenge the team has faced this year? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Tania Ganguli, Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times; she tweets
House Democrats grapple with Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments on Israel
The House is expected to vote Thursday on a resolution "opposing hate" as Democrats try to move on from a controversy that has split the party and clouded their agenda.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the vote at a private morning meeting of House Democrats, according to a spokeswoman.
Democrats have been in knots after comments from newly elected Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that were seen as anti-Semitic. A Muslim-American, she has been critical of Israel.
Some Democratic lawmakers wanted a resolution that rebuked the comments, but others viewed the condemnation as unfairly singling out Omar at a time when President Donald Trump and others have made disparaging racial comments.
A draft resolution was panned by many Democrats, and a new text was being prepared ahead of voting.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Deborah Lipstadt, professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University; author of many books on Jewish history, including “Antisemitism: Here and Now” (Schocken, 2019) and “The Eichmann Trial and Denial: Holocaust History on Trial” (Ecco; 2016)
Takeaways from DHS Secretary’s Congressional hearing, plus how CBP is handling record numbers of migrant family crossings
February was a busy month for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials, according to data released by the agency earlier this week.
CBP reported more than 76,000 migrant families crossed the southern U.S. border last month, twice as many as during the same time period a year ago. CBP says it apprehended over 66,000 people last month, which is the most since March 2009, and that more than 8.700 of those apprehended for crossing illegally were trying to cross into California.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen went before the House Homeland Security Committee where she was pressed hard on a number of topics, including DHS’ former policy of separating children and families at the border. She urged members of the committee to confront the “humanitarian catastrophe” along the U.S.-Mexico border and backed President Trump’s national emergency declaration, citing the CBP data showing an increase in the number of immigrants crossing the border illegally.
Today on AirTalk, guest host Libby Denkmann follows up on the big takeaways from the hearing and checks in with a reporter who has been on the ground at the border covering the latest.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Kate Irby, California congressional reporter for the news organization McClatchy; she tweets
Nick Miroff, reporter for the Washington Post covering immigration enforcement, border security; he tweets
Interview with House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano
Guest host Libby Denkmann speaks with California Congressman and Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Mark Takano. Topics include:
Push from the Trump administration
Services for LGBTQ veterans
Redevelopment of the West LA Veterans Affairs campus
The so-called “gray-tsunami” facing the VA
And more
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Mark Takano, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and congressman representing California’s 41st district, which includes Riverside, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley and Perris; he tweets
It’s not your dad’s radio, but can podcast ever truly cross over into the mainstream?
Podcasts are becoming mainstream.
Just this year, the number of listeners shot up with more than 50% of Americans ages twelve and older having listened to at least one podcast, according to an annual survey by Edison Research and Triton Digital. The same report also found that one-third of people in the United States said they had listened to a podcast in the last month, totalling 90 million monthly listeners.
With the growth of listenership, streaming services like Spotify have started jumping on the bandwagon. Now, a podcast start-up by the name of Luminary is mobilizing on the podcast business, hoping to become the “Netflix of podcasts.” The company announced a lineup boasting some of the biggest names in podcasts, including Guy Raz, Leon Neyfakh, and Adam Davidson. And for $8 a month, listeners can access exclusive content.
Will podcast listeners pay for a monthly subscription? If you’re a fan of podcasts, is this something you might consider? Is this the new direction for podcasts?
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Tom Webster, senior vice president at Edison Research; he tweets
Melissa Locker, contributing writer at Fast Company; her recent piece is “Why podcast fans will always reject a “Netflix for podcasts;” she tweets