Today on AirTalk, guest host Libby Denkmann talks with Columbia Law white-collar crime expert John Coffee to help parse the legal issues behind Paul Manafort’s 47 month sentence. We also discuss a recent analysis conducted for The Atlantic by PredictWise on the most politically tolerant places in America; and more.
White-collar crime expert helps make sense of Paul Manafort’s 47 month sentence, which has sparked controversy among legal experts
Paul Manafort went from being a powerful political operative who spending thousands on suits and even an ostrich coat to sitting in a wheelchair in a green prison jumpsuit asking Alexandria, Virginia District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III for compassion in sentencing him after he was convicted on charges of financial fraud brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office.
Judge Ellis ultimately sentenced Manafort to 47 months in prison and was given credit for nine months already served, meaning he could be released in about three years. The sentence alarmed many former prosecutors and legal experts, who said the sentence was too lenient. Others felt the sentence was appropriate, noting that the 69-year-old Manafort was a first time offender said those who argue the sentence was too lenient should spend a day in a federal penitentiary before suggesting that four years in prison was too light a sentence.
From a legal perspective, what did you think of Paul Manafort’s sentence as it pertained to the circumstances of the case and the crimes of which he was convicted? Do you think it will factor into the judge’s decision when he’s sentenced in Washington, D.C.? Today on AirTalk, guest host Libby Denkmann talks with Columbia Law white-collar crime expert and former American Bar Association Federal Sentencing Reporter John Coffee to help parse the legal issues at play.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
John Coffee, professor of law at Columbia University where he specializes in corporate law, securities fraud and white collar crime
Where is the most politically tolerant place in America?
Where is the least politically prejudiced place in America? According to an analysis conducted for The Atlantic by PredictWise, it’s Watertown, New York: a nine-square-mile town with a population of 26,000.
Using information from a national poll and voter-registration files, the analysis found that residents of Jefferson County tend to be more tolerant of political differences. In Watertown, residents expressed being less upset if a family member decided to marry someone with opposing political views. This may be a rare sentiment in the U.S. According to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic, 35% of Republics and 45% of Democrats said they’d be upset if their child married a partner from the opposite party.
The analysis also found that the most politically prejudiced Americans tend to be white, highly educated, located in urban centers, and politically engaged. Watertown, a generally conservative and rural place, is politically diverse, making the likelihood of interacting with opposing political views more common.
We discuss the research and examine political tolerance across the country.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Amanda Ripley, journalist, author and senior fellow at Emerson Collective, an organization focused on social change; her recent piece for The Atlantic is “The Least Politically Prejudiced Place in America;” she tweets
Philadelphia is the first city in the US to ban cashless stores. Could LA be next?
It’s a tough reality to ignore: the world around us is slowly but surely shifting away from cash.
Forgot your wallet at home? Have your friend buy you a beer and send them money via Venmo later. Want a soda from the vending machine but don’t have a buck on you? Pull up Apple Pay or Google Pay on your phone and simply wave it at the reader. Today, many store checkouts, parking garages, and yes, even vending machines all accept not just plastic, but mobile payments too. Some businesses, like the L.A.-based salad chain “Sweetgreens,” has already gone completely cashless, a move met with mixed responses by customers.
Amazon has also opened “Amazon Go” convenience stores in Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco, where customers scan a barcode linked to their Amazon Prime account when they enter the store and their purchases are charged to the account instead of individually purchased at checkout. But for some people who either don’t have debit or credit cards, don’t want them, or can’t access a bank, the cashless craze could mean that certain people don’t have the kind of access to the market that they once did. And entire cities are starting to take notice.
Last week, Philadelphia’s mayor signed into law a bill that, when it goes into effect in July, would require most retailers to accept cash. New Jersey’s state legislature has also passed a bill that would ban cashless stores statewide, though it’s unclear whether it will be signed. Businesses that have gone cashless tout more efficient workers and improved safety since there’s no longer a need for big cash deposits to be on site. But others, in addition to concerns about market access, say businesses should be able to decide for themselves whether they want to be cashless.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Shwanika Narayan, business reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle; she tweets
Sucharita Kodali, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research, a technology research and advisory firm based in Cambridge, MA; she tweets
FilmWeek: ‘Captain Marvel,’ ‘Gloria Bell,’ ‘The Kid’ and more
Guest host John Horn and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s new movie releases.
- "Captain Marvel" in wide release
- "Gloria Bell" at The Landmark Theater & ArcLight Hollywood
- The Frame's John Horn interview director Sebastian Lelio earlier this week , You can listen to that interview here
- "The Kid" in select theaters (check local listings)
- "The Heiresses" in select theaters (check local listings)
- "Juanita" streaming on Netflix
- "Transit" at Laemmle's Royal Theater
- "Jospeh Pulitzer: Voice Of The People" at Laemmle's Playhouse, Laemmle's Music Hall & Laemmle's Town Center
- "The Gospel of Eureka" at Laemmle's Glendale
- "I'm Not Here" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Walk. Ride. Rodeo." streaming on Netflix
With guest host John Horn
CRITICS' HITS:
Claudia: 'Gloria Bell,' 'The Heiresses' & 'Transit,'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCwCdQK2Qss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fc-JGqkhao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R15ekRCq-eY
Tim: 'Captain Marvel,' 'Juanita' & 'Joseph Pulitzer: Voice Of The People,'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHxvxdRnYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg5uqDh00H4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oz9pgE7F4o
MIXED FEELINGS:
Claudia: 'The Gospel of Eureka'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3bMqOo0owc
Tim: 'The Kid' & 'Walk.Ride.Rodeo.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMZXrRo99g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK0rbzLk0YI
MISSES:
Claudia: 'I'm Not Here'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYDwdCdXCOM
Guests:
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA); she tweets
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
New book on Sam Peckinpah’s iconic film ‘The Wild Bunch’ digs deep into the bloody western in all its violent, slo-mo glory
Master of the old Western film Sam Peckinpah’s 1969 classic “The Wild Bunch” remains, to this day, one of the most memorable (and sometimes gory) movies of its type.
The film features powerhouse cast that included William Holden, Ernest Borgnine and Robert Ryan, and tells the story of an aging gang of outlaws along the southern U.S border with Mexico just after the turn of the 20th century as they try to adapt to the ever-changing times and pull off one last big score so they can finally retire. The film was Peckinpah’s breakout film and is featured on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 best American films (number 80) and the sixth-best Western in the AFI’s ranking of the 10 best films in 10 genres.
Journalist and author W.K. Stratton’s latest book “The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film” lifts the hood on this classic 1969 Western and takes a look at how the movie was made, how Mexican and Mexican-American actors and crew members contributed to the film’s production, and its and Peckinpah’s lasting impact on the Western genre.
Guest:
W.K. Stratton, author of “The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film” (Bloomsbury Publishing, February 2019)