Real estate mogul and subject of HBO’s documentary series ‘The Jinx,’ Robert Durst, was arrested in New Orleans on Sunday after law enforcement officials discovered new evidence that they say links him to the 2000 killing of his friend and former spokeswoman, Susan Berman. Also, how does your name mirror that background? Then, the State Water Board will meet tomorrow to discuss putting in more restrictive water conservation law.
Analyzing the case against real estate mogul/documentary subject/murder suspect Robert Durst
Real estate mogul and subject of HBO’s documentary series ‘The Jinx,’ Robert Durst, was arrested in New Orleans on Sunday after law enforcement officials discovered new evidence that they say links him to the 2000 killing of his friend and former spokeswoman, Susan Berman.
Durst will be extradited back here to Los Angeles.
As luck would have it, his arrest came on the same day as HBO aired the final episode of the six-part series, which included what some are calling a confession at the very end of the episode. In the scene, Durst gets up to use the restroom after an interview with the filmmakers. Unaware that his microphone hasn’t been turned off, Durst can be heard muttering some very incriminating things to himself, though he never directly references a specific person or event.
Durst has also been previously implicated in the disappearance of his wife in 1982 and the murder of his neighbor, shortly after Susan Berman’s body was found. He was never tried for his wife’s appearance but was charged with and eventually acquitted of murder in his neighbor’s death.
What does the evidence show about Robert Durst’s guilt? What do you think the final scene of the documentary says about him and his guilt? How does one go about defending Durst in this case?
Guest:
Nina Seavey, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker for “A Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America” in 1998. She also directs The Documentary Center at The George Washington University in DC
Tom Roston, Blogs about documentaries for PBS POV
Harland Braun, a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles. He successfully defended filmmakers John Landis and George Folsey in the Twilight Zone manslaughter trial in the 1980s.
Will Venice High students be charged as minors or adults?
10 students have been arrested in connection with sex crimes against two female classmates at Venice High School, and investigators are searching for four more students who are believed to have participated in the criminal activities.
Authorities believe the crimes started in 2013, some consensual and others coerced. While the investigation is still underway, both of the female victims have been interviewed by LAPD investigators “at length.” The district attorney’s office has not yet reviewed the evidence, but charges are most likely to be brought against the students if they spread video or photographic evidence on the internet.
What can be done to deter or prevent students from engaging in illicit sexual activity? How will these arrests shape the discussion around teenage sexuality and sex crimes?
Guests:
Dmitry Gorin, partner at the Van Nuys-based criminal defense firm Eisner Gorin, LLP, he formerly prosecuted juvenile sex cases and is an adjunct law professor at Pepperdine University School of Law and UCLA
Ginger Clark, associate professor of Clinical Education at USC’s Rossier School of Education; she’s worked with university officials on strengthening sexual assault policies on campus.
Choosing a baby name to reflect one’s culture and heritage
Our names say a lot about us. They’re more than what we are known to the world, and more often than not, they are reflections of family, cultural and ethnic histories and traditions inscrutable to the outside world.
Los Angeles is as diverse a place as they come. If you are a parent, how did your culture or heritage inform the name you gave to your child? If you are from a biracial, bicultural family, how does your name mirror that background? What do you know about your name? Call in and let us know!
Guest:
Pamela Redmond Satran, co-operator of the baby name website Nameberry. She is the author of the novel, “Younger,” the inspiration behind an upcoming TV series that debuts on TV Land in March.
Legal fight over American flag at California school Cinco de Mayo party
Later this month, the Supreme Court will consider taking up the case of three California students suing their school district for stopping them from wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.
Dariano vs. Morgan Hill School District stems from celebrations of the Mexican-American holiday in 2010 at Live Oak High School. A group of students chose to don American flag t-shirts, then was told by the assistant principal to cover up the flag for fear it would spark school fights. The students sued claiming violation of their free speech rights under the First Amendment. So far, all the lower courts including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have sided with school officials' interest in preventing disruption.
Can safety concerns reasonably limit the First Amendment? Or is it up to school officials to ensure a school is safe enough to accommodate all types of speech? Should the Supreme Court grant a hearing of this case? What types of speech limits would you support a teacher or principal imposing? How much leeway do schools have in preventing gang colors being worn, for instance?
Guests:
John Eastman, Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service, Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University; Founding Director, The Claremont Institute's, Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence; Eastman authored an amicus brief in this case
Lawrence Rosenthal, Professor of Law, Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Chapman University
CA water wasters go unchecked, as NASA scientist sounds dire warning
All the rainfall California has been getting still hasn’t put a dent in the ongoing drought.
Tomorrow, the State Water Board will meet to discuss putting in more restrictive water conservation law. Meanwhile, an AP enterprise piece has found that state officials have been lax in issuing fines on water wasters.
To make matters worse, a top JPL scientist has warned in an op-ed in the LA Times that the state has just about one year of water supply left.
What should regulators do to conserve water? What should we do?
Guest:
Peter Gleick, who heads the Pacific Institute in Oakland, a nonprofit that focuses on water use and environmental justice
Measuring our carbon footprint: How consumers respond to sustainable product packaging
For companies selling products in today’s world, it’s not just about quality and price point anymore.
Packaging is also starting to become a key factor in the way companies sell products, and specifically, how (if at all) companies are focusing on making their product packaging more sustainable.
For some companies, it is a true focus on leaving a smaller carbon footprint, but for others, the benefits of creating greener packaging for products are just a perk. For them, the real focus is on reducing packaging to help their bottom line. Either way, it’s consumers who are affected by these products at the end of the day, but do they really think that much about sustainable packaging when they buy things?
Do consumers take their carbon footprint into account when buying products? How do they respond when companies make an effort to create more sustainable packaging for their products?
Guests:
Candace Hodder, freelance sustainability consultant and an expert in sustainable product packaging. She’s also former director of Clean Agency, a local sustainability consulting firm that works with large companies and organizations to develop sustainability strategies.
Kevin Dooley, Professor of Supply Chain Management at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He also is research director of The Sustainability Consortium at ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.