This week mark's Pope Francis' one year anniversary in the Vatican. How has he changed the Catholic Church? We're discussing the good, bad and the ugly when it comes to American fraternities. What are some of the dangers created by fraternities? Do fraternities have too much power? Later, what are the effects of a parent's mobile usage on a child's development?
Senator Feinstein accuses CIA of spying on Senate computers
As far as inside-the-beltway conflicts transpire, it rarely gets more serious than this. Today, in a 40-minute speech on the Senate floor, Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) publicly accused the Central Intelligence Agency of spying on Senate staffer computers.
As reported by the LA Times, this dispute had been occurring behind the scenes. Then today, Feinstein escalated the complaint shortly before CIA Director John Brennan was scheduled to speak at a special event.
His response: "We are not in any way trying to thwart the (Senate Intelligence Committee) report's progress (or) release," Brennan said at a Council on Foreign Relations event. "As far as the allegations of the CIA hacking into computers, nothing could be further from the truth."
The clash stems from a Senate investigation into CIA interrogation techniques under the George W. Bush administration. Senate staffers were reviewing hundreds of CIA documents at the agency when they reportedly gained access to an internal CIA review critical of interrogation practices. In response, it's alleged the CIA covertly tried to track the Senate staffers’ work.
If true, does it break the law and interfere with the separation of powers? Will President Obama get involved? What could come of a Justice Department investigation? How will this harm relations between the top legislator on intelligence and the powerful spy agency?
Guest:
Ken Dilanian, Intelligence and National Security reporter, Los Angeles Times
President Obama sits 'Between Two Ferns' to pitch health care to millennials
President Obama made his comedy web series debut on Tuesday by sitting down with comedian Zach Galifianakis as his guest on "Between Two Ferns". The fake public access show airs on the comedy website Funny or Die and features Galifianakis asking awkward questions to high-profile guests.
Obama appeared with the comedian to encourage young people to enroll in a health care plan through Obamacare. But first he had to face Galifianakis asking him if "Ambassador Rodman" had gone to North Korea on his behalf and whether he would put his presidential library in Hawaii or his "home country of Kenya."
Obama seemed willing to face the deadpan jabs from Galifianakis if it meant reaching that coveted millennial age group that the Affordable Care Act needs to attract in order to keep costs down.
The comedian begrudgingly let Obama "plug" the healthcare law and the website, which Obama said "works great now."
The gambit appeared to pay off — according to a member of the White House communications staff, Funny Or Die was the top driver of traffic to HealthCare.gov Tuesday morning.
http://t.co/FrO24hdvcA is the #1 source of referrals to http://t.co/0r93BavlrV right now.
— T. McGuinness (NARA) (@Tara44) March 11, 2014
The President is no stranger to pop culture and has "slow-jammed" the news with Jimmy Fallon, faced off with Stephen Colbert and mocked himself in a sketch for the White House Correspondents dinner by playing Daniel Day Lewis (playing President Obama, of course).
Obama might be the most web savvy, digitally connected president in history but should the president of the United States be chatting with comedians on a low-budget web TV series?
What does it say about the millennial generation that the president needs to appear on a web series in order to reach them? Will the communication strategy actually work?
Guest:
Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian and Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of multiple books on U.S. political history, including “Jimmy Carter” (Times books, 2010) “Conservatives in Power: The Reagan Years, 1981-1989 (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010)
This story has been updated.
After one full year at the Vatican, how has Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church?
He's been called a 'rock star' and Superman, but how much impact has Pope Francis had on the Catholic Church during his first year in office?
This week marks the one year anniversary since Argentinian-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio replaced the retiring Pope Benedict XVI to become the first non-European to head the church in 1,300 years. Pope Francis didn't waste any time redirecting the church's focus away from the Vatican and towards issues of poverty and social inequality.
He's ruffled some feathers inside the establishment for calling on Vatican officials to live more simply. Francis himself chose to live in a boarding house rather than the Apostolic Palace and drive a Ford Focus instead of the papal limousine. He's called for a stronger role for women in the church and welcomed atheists into the fold.
A new study out from the Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project shows that Catholics overwhelmingly approve of the new pope's direction. More than eight-in-ten American Catholics say they have a favorable view of Pope Francis, including half who view him very favorably.
He may have high approval ratings, but is that translating to more church attendance or involvement? What have been the Pope's biggest achievements and what does he have planned for the years to come? Has there been much push back from the establishment to the pontiff's new direction for the church?
Guests:
Rocco Palmo, commentator on the Catholic Church and author of the influential Vatican blog Whispers in the Loggia.
Greg Smith, director of US religion surveys at the Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project
Sacramento lawmakers offer competing bills to regulate medical marijuana
Two California lawmakers have introduced bills aimed at regulating medical marijuana in the state. Senator Lou Correa’s SB 1262 and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s AB 604 take different approaches to medical marijuana regulation.
Correa’s proposed bill would create California’s first-ever licensing process for marijuana dispensaries and growers. Under this bill, the state Department of Health would set quality standards for medical marijuana but does not create uniform regulatory policy, which would continue current local regulation.
Ammiano’s bill would regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol and place fewer restrictions on doctors than Correa’s proposed bill.
How would these bills impact the marijuana industry? What are the benefits of implementing legislation?
Guest:
Peter Hecht, senior writer at the Sacramento Bee and author of “Weed Land: Inside America’s Marijuana Epicenter and How Pot Went Legit” (University of California Press, 2014)
Curtis Notsinneh, Policy Director for Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, who co-sponsored AB 604, a bill that would regulate medical cannabis in the state.
The good, bad and ugly of the American fraternity system
The American college fraternity system has been in the hot seat lately after a number of high profile incidents landed some new recruits in the hospital. A Bloomberg News investigation found that least ten deaths since 2006 have been linked to hazing, alcohol or drugs at at one of the country's biggest fraternities - Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
In response, the fraternity made the historic announcement on Friday that it would ban pledging for new members. Fraternity and sorority pledging has involved a high number of cases where prospective members were forced to drink large quantities of alcohol until they pass out, often ending up in the hospital with dangerously high blood alcohol levels.
The Atlantic magazine's March cover story, The Dark Power of Fraternities, features a yearlong investigation into lawsuits, accidents and deaths in Greek houses across the country. The article argues that the Greek system has become too powerful within university administrations to police itself and protect vulnerable new members.
So is Greek membership inherently bad for college students? New research published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics shows that fraternity and sorority membership actually has a positive impact on students grades and campus participation.
Is Greek membership beneficial for students despite the dangers? Does the Greek system have too much power? Do the positive impacts of fraternity membership outweigh the risks?
Guests:
Caitlin Flanagan, writer and author of a recent article in The Atlantic, The Dark Power of Fraternities
Jay Walker, assistant professor of economics at Niagara University
Brandon Weghorst, spokesman for Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity
Study finds smartphone use sparks distracted parenting
A new study published this week in the journal Pediatrics shows that parents are increasingly distracted by their mobile devices.
A group of researchers, led by Dr. Jenny Radesky at Boston Medical Center, observed 55 caregivers, mostly parents, at a fast-food restaurant as they dined with their children. Forty of them used their smartphones during the meal, and 16 of them checked their phones throughout the meal.
It's an issue most digitally-connected parents have to wrestle with. Many studies have found that mealtime is particularly sacred in fostering healthy parent-child relationships.
What are the effects of a parent's mobile usage on a child's development? How do you negotiate your smartphone use while your kids are around?
Guests:
Dr. Jenny Radesky, MD, a research fellow in developmental behavioral pediatrics at Boston Medical Center and lead author of the study
Rahil Briggs, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and Director of Pediatric Behavioral Health Services, Montefiore Medical Center