Fans are reeling this morning after a handful of officials from soccer’s world governing body were arrested on corruption and conspiracy charges. Also, AirTalk revisits a highlighted study that has come under question after the researcher was recently accused of misrepresenting his methods. Then, California Senate Bill 358 would ensure that women are paid equally as their male colleagues.
Effect on world soccer as nine FIFA officials get sent off for corruption, bribery
Fans of the beautiful game are reeling this morning after a handful of officials from soccer’s world governing body were arrested on corruption and conspiracy charges for allegedly lining their pockets with $150 million in bribes. One FIFA official even reportedly demanded that he be knighted in exchange for his vote for England to host the 2018 World Cup.
The U.S. Department of Justice says 14 total defendants are named in the 47-count indictment, which includes charges of money laundering, wire fraud, and racketeering. Among them are high-ranking officials in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which is responsible for overseeing and promoting soccer worldwide.
Seven of the nine FIFA officials were arrested early Wednesday at the Baur au Lac, a luxury hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, as they gathered for Friday’s upcoming election of FIFA’s new president. FIFA’s current president, Sepp Blatter, was not named in the indictment, though he has been accused of corruption and financial mismanagement in the past. He is running for re-election against Jordanian Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein.
A spokesman for FIFA has said that the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will not be reconsidered, despite allegations that bribery was at least partially responsible for Russia and Qatar being chosen, respectively, to host the next two.
What changes will be necessary in FIFA’s organizational structure? How did the U.S. get involved in investigating an international sports federation? Might this motivate other countries to investigate FIFA? What effect could it have on other international sports federations, like the International Olympic Committee?
Guests:
Steve Crossman, global football reporter for the BBC; he tweets
Bump in the road: Who should be responsible for the city’s sidewalks?
The City of Los Angeles is looking to pass the bill for its sidewalk repairs over to its commercial and residential property owners.
The proposal for the $1.4-billion, 30-year sidewalk rebuilding program states that neighborhood walkways damaged by trees would be repaired by the city, after which responsibility for upkeep and liability for injuries would be transferred to the property owners of the adjoining sidewalks.
Los Angeles landowners have long fronted the bill for sidewalk repairs and the practice is common in other cities in the state. However, opponents of the plan say the plan is unfair, leaving landowners with high repair costs and liability for sidewalks the city should have repaired years ago.
What are the costs for property owners? Should the city be responsible for its sidewalks?
The plan will be discussed in public hearings beginning next week.
20150526 CAO New Policy for Repair of Sidewalks Adjacent to Private Property
Guests:
Richard Close, Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association President
Paul Krekorian, Councilman for District 2
Assessing the impact on social sciences community of fallout from gay canvassers study
Michael LaCour’s research showing the enduring effect political canvassers with a personal stake in an issue could potentially have on voters’ opinions was considered groundbreaking when it was published last year in the journal “Science.”
Now, the integrity of LaCour’s research is being questioned after he was recently accused of misrepresenting his methods and not having any evidence to back up his conclusions. LaCour has not spoken publicly yet and has stood by his research in previous statements.
What might the impact to the social sciences community be from the fallout surrounding this study?
you may find our prior coverage of this story here
Guest:
Ben Carey, science reporter for the New York Times writing about neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology, and everyday psychology. He co-authored a piece that was published Monday on the doubts beginning to arise around Mr. LaCour’s research.
Ivan Oransky, co-founder of Retractionwatch.com, which broke the story about LaCour’s research
Tax initiatives gain support, despite Gov. Brown’s objections
A series of tax-related proposals backed by unions and activist groups is moving ahead, despite objections made by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The efforts are looking to extend the higher taxes that were voted on in 2012. The proposals look to alter the state's restrictions on property taxes as well as raise more revenue from commercial interests.
With California’s budget healthy and revenue surging, the proposals are less about securing funding and more about funding specific causes and political agendas.
With taxes already high, would you vote for a tax increase?
Guest:
Chris Megerian, a reporter in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times
How the nation’s strongest equal pay bill got CA businesses’ backing
California Senate Bill 358, also known as the Fair Pay Act, would ensure that women are paid equally as their male colleagues.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously this week and will head to the Assembly. State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson authored the bill and said she was inspired in part by actress Patricia Arquette’s 2015 Academy Award acceptance speech.
The bill has the backing of the California Chamber of Commerce, and no stated opposition, yet.
How will the bill work, if passed into law. How will it be implemented?
California State Senate Bill 358
Guests:
Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, State Senator representing District 19, which incorporates Santa Barbara County and a portion of Ventura County, including the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard. She is the author of SB 358
Ken DeVore, Legislative Director, National Federation of Independent Business, California chapter
Christina Villegas, Political Science instructor at Cal State San Bernardino, and a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, a DC-based organization promoting free market policies
What Christianity can learn from SuperBowl ads
We recently talked on the show about new research from the Pew Research Center showing a significant drop in the number of Americans identifying themselves as Christians.
Many young people say they resent the way in which religion, and specifically Christianity, has been co-opted by political agendas in this country. Meanwhile, religious institutions are efforting to regroup and reach younger followers.
How does Christianity need to retool its public image? And how can it do that?
Guest:
Kutter Callaway, Affiliate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary
David Kinnaman, President of The Barna Group, a Ventura-based market research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture