AT&T agreed to purchase DirecTV for $48.5 billion on Sunday in the latest telecommunications merger. Also, Jonathan Gold shares his list of the 101 top restaurants in Los Angeles. Then, we discuss the legalization of street vendors, Karl Rove comments about how Hillary Clinton's 2012 injury will affect her campaign, and Americans' disdain at being addressed as elderly or as senior citizen.
What does the AT&T-DirecTV merger mean for telecommunications?
AT&T agreed to purchase DirecTV for $48.5 billion on Sunday in the latest telecommunications merger. The deal follows other prominent acquisitions -- Comcast bought Time Warner for a similar amount of money in February.
The AT&T-DirecTV deal is distinct from other cable mergers in that the two businesses have little overlap -- AT&Ts wireless internet and phone services don’t compete with DirecTV’s satellite operations. Instead, AT&T plans to bundle services with existing internet and phone packages.
Critics argue that more mergers stifle competition in telecommunications, while proponents of the deal say that it takes giant businesses to compete with other giant businesses.
How will AT&T capitalize on the deal? What is DirecTV’s role in the industry? How could the merger impact consumers and other businesses?
Guests:
Cynthia Littleton, television editor, Variety
Roger Entner, Founder and Lead Analyst of Recon Analytics, former Senior Vice President and Head of Research and Insights for the Telecom Practice of The Nielsen Company
LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold’s top 101 restaurants in LA
Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times unveiled popular critic Jonathan Gold's Top 101 restaurants in and around Los Angeles.
Coming in at No. 1 for a second year in a row is Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Providence. Surprisingly, there are a number of newcomers to the scene who made it onto Jonathan's revered list. Gold also tapped three taco trucks.
Tell us: What do you think of the top picks? Is there a restaurant you want to see featured in the 2015?
Guest:
Jonathan Gold, restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times
To hear Jonathan talk about his picks, click on "Listen Now" in the upper left.
New Legislative Analyst report calls for citywide policy on street vending--is legalization finally coming to L.A.?
The City of Los Angeles’ Legislative Analyst office last week released a report calling for the City Council to adopt a citywide street vending policy, and to provide ideas on how to encourage the establishment of special pre-designated districts in the city where street vendors can legally operate in.
In November, Councilmen Jose Huizar and Curren Price instructed the Legislative Analyst office to come up with the report, which looked at cities such as Portland, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago where street vending is permitted in certain designated areas.
The report states that for a citywide legalized street vending program in L.A. to work, there has to be cooperation among many city departments, including law enforcement, the County Health Department and the Bureau of Street Services.
The Economic Development Committee will decide whether to push these recommendations forward in the summer.
Guests:
Jose Huizar, City Council Member, 14th District, which includes Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Downtown Los Angeles and other communities. He was one of three council members who directed the City of Los Angeles’ Legislative Analyst office to conduct the street vending report.
Leron Gubler, President & CEO, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
What would the Justice Department’s cyberespionage charges against Chinese hackers accomplish?
by Eric Tucker
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a landmark case alleging international economic spying, the United States announced on Monday unprecedented cyber espionage charges against five Chinese military officials accused of hacking into U.S. companies to gain trade secrets.
The hackers targeted big-name makers of nuclear and solar technology, stealing confidential business information, sensitive trade secrets and internal communications for competitive advantage, according to a grand jury indictment.
"Success in the international marketplace should be based solely on a company's ability to innovate and compete, not on a sponsor government's ability to spy and steal business secrets," Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference.
The alleged targets are Alcoa World Alumina, Westinghouse Electric Co., Allegheny Technologies, U.S. Steel Corp., the United Steelworkers Union and SolarWorld. The indictment, which includes charges of trade-secret theft and economic espionage, was issued in Pittsburgh, where most of the companies are based.
The charges dramatize a longtime Obama administration goal to prosecute state-sponsored cyber threats, which U.S. officials say they have grappled with for years. A recent government report said that more than 40 Pentagon weapons programs and nearly 30 other defense technologies have been compromised by cyber intrusions from China.
Guest:
Franz-Stefan Gady, Senior Fellow, EastWest Institute, an international think tank focusing on international conflict resolution. He’s a also founding member of the Worldwide Cybersecurity Initiative at the institute.
Karl Rove says Hillary Clinton's 2012 injury would be a campaign issue
Karl Rove denies he said Hillary Clinton had brain damage recently, but continues to question her health based on her “health episode” in December 2012, when she had a stomach flu and fainted, suffering from a concussion, that led to the discovery of a brain clot.
Former Republican Vice-President, Dick Cheney’s heart condition forced him to answer many questions about his ability to hold office.
Many believe Hillary might run in 2016, are questions about her age and health politically motivated? Or, are these questions important to ask of a person who runs for the most powerful public office in our land?
Guest:
Chris Moody, Political Reporter, Yahoo! News
Aging Americans bristle at being described as elderly, senior, or, well, aging
America isn’t as young as it once was. By 2030 approximately one-fifth of the US population will be over the age of 65. As the population continues to age, descriptions such as “elderly” or “senior” can be found offensive.
People are living longer, but don’t want to be labeled as old. According to NPR’s Ina Jaffe, terms like “silver tsunami,” “senior citizen,” and “successful aging” have been increasingly used in news stories and have angered the growing community.
What descriptions are most offensive? What words or phrases should be used to describe the aging population in the United States? Have you ever been offended by an age-based description?