The US and allies establish a no-fly zone over Libya. California's deep budget cuts. A firsthand update from Japan. Republicans sidestep primary. Holding elementary school kids back, in hope of a better future.
Coalition forces intensify strikes on Libya
The international campaign to create a no-fly zone over embattled Libya entered its second day with another aerial bombardment on Sunday. The primary target of the weekend attacks was Libya’s air defense network and was intended to protect civilians from Gadhafi’s forces, which are advancing on rebel controlled areas near Benghazi in the east. Although officials of the international coalition have stated that Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi is not a target, a building in his compound in Tripoli was struck. Response from the Arab League has been mixed, ranging from support of military intervention beforehand, to criticism after the operation began that the campaign has been excessive – although Arab League member state Qatar is preparing to deploy fighters to patrol Libyan airspace. While the U.S. military did carry out bombing and missile attacks, other nations have taken a more significant military role in establishing the no-fly zone. Last week’s U.N. resolution to use “all necessary measures” to protect the civilians of Libya casts an uncertain future for Gadhafi. What should the U.S. role be in the ongoing conflict? How should the international community coordinate this effort? Will these actions protect Libyans and enable rebels to keep up the fight?
Guests:
Steven A. Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Wayne White, scholar with the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C. and former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office (retired in March 2005)
Edward N.Luttwak, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
California’s deep budget cuts – how will stakeholders cope?
The California legislature agreed last week to $14-billion in cuts, as part of Governor Brown’s plan to close the state’s roughly $26-billion budget shortfall. The cuts enacted will only address about half of the state’s budget deficit, but chip away at a wide range of social services including the prison system, higher education and health care for the poor and elderly. We’ll talk with some of the stakeholders facing significant reductions about what the future will bring for their programs and the people they serve. Meanwhile, Governor Brown is still trying to get his measure to extend taxes onto the ballot, but the clock is ticking, and he still lacks the necessary GOP support. How will lawmakers deal with the tough decisions ahead?
Guests:
Dan Walters, political columnist, Sacramento Bee
H.D. Palmer, Deputy Director of External Affairs, California Department of Finance
Anthony Wright, Executive Director, Health Access California
Steve Whitmore, spokesman for Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca
Jon Fleischman, Southern California Vice Chairman of the State GOP, veteran political strategist and analyst, adjunct instructor at Pepperdine's School of Public Policy
A reporter returns to Japan
Jake Adelstein is the first and only American hired by Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomimuri Shimbun. He was in the US when he first heard about the 9.0 earthquake in Sendai, so he gathered four suitcases of blankets and potassium iodide and landed in Tokyo over the weekend. As an expert on the Japanese mafia he has been covering the Japanese mafia surprising role in bringing supplies to the dangerous areas around Fukushima. And he is experiencing a very different Tokyo than usual. Lights are dimmed, the subways are nearly empty. Why is Tokyo still a ghost town? What are the most urgent needs of thousands of displaced Japanese? How in the world can the mafia “yakuza” get supplies to areas that relief organizations can’t?
Guest:
Jake Adelstein, the first and only American hired by Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbum and the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club; his latest book is Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan
Republicans vote to side step the top-two primary system
California Republicans approved a plan Sunday that calls on the party to allow members to vote by mail to nominate candidates, starting in 2014. The move is an attempt to blunt Proposition 14, the voter-approved ballot measure that allowed candidates from all parties to compete in a primary. This compromise leaves in place the current nominating system for GOP candidates in 2012, but backers hope it will energize the party. How will the vote-by-mail process work? How much will it cost? What kind of effect might it have on campaigns?
Guest:
Mike Spence, Republican strategist who authored the proposal; former President of the Californian Republican Assembly
Holding elementary school kids back, in hope of a better future
Whether it makes sense to hold struggling students back a year, in hopes that they’ll do better the second time around, is a hotly debated and contentious education issue. No one likes the idea of being “held back.” But if extra tutoring or time in summer school isn’t enough to improve academic performance, retention might be an option worth serious consideration. Critics of retention cite the extra burden it puts on taxpayers who will have to pay for an extra year of public education for students that are kept back. They also question whether the benefits – if there are any – are long-term. Proponents argue that it’s unfair to push unprepared students forward and that allowing them more time to improve their skills can have a positive and lasting impact. Now, a new study from the Public Policy Institute of California indicates that kids who repeat first or second grade, can make significant improvements in their academic skills. The study of early elementary school retention was done in the Los Angeles Unified School District. LAUSD serves 11% of public school students in the state and is quite diverse, so the study’s results might have broader implications for other school districts, particularly those in urban areas. Who decides which students are retained? Does it help failing students reach proficiency? Do the costs outweigh the benefits or is it the other way around?
Guest:
Jill Cannon, Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC); lead author of PPIC study “Early Grade Retention and Student Success: Evidence from Los Angeles”