Weighing the public's appetite for a Trump vs. Sanders debate; we hear from a man whose family was within a half-mile of the epicenter of the Hiroshima nuclear blast; and it's TGI-FilmWeek, plus an interview with the director of "Holy Hell," a doc about a 1980s-era cult in LA
What a Sanders vs. Trump debate would mean for California...and ratings
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump say they want to debate. Trump was asked about it by Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night's show.
Sanders is looking for a high-rated platform in advance of the June 7th CA Primary. Hillary Clinton says she's done debating until the general election runup. Networks would undoubtedly love to carry a Sanders-Trump matchup. Insiders say it was all a joke. The sticking point could be Trump's insistence on that $10-million donation to charity. Might it come off? Might Clinton want in?
Guest:
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School
Cashless system on The Toll Roads frustrates some drivers to the point of litigation
Since The Toll Roads of Orange County did away with cash collection completely two years ago, they have seen an increase in traffic without the congestion and an increase in fare collection without costs to labor.
While toll roads have been commonplace for decades around the country, they are fairly new to Southern California, and learning how to use them has been hard for drivers.
On Wednesday Ebrahim Mahda sued The Toll Roads in federal court, claiming the payment system and its accompanying signage is confusing, perhaps on purpose. His attorney is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit and $5 million restitution of penalties.
Guests:
Sarah King, spokeswoman for The Toll Roads
Jamie Court, President and Chairman of the Board, Consumer Watchdog
Japanese-American Hiroshima survivor: 'Every day I'm thrilled that I'm still here'
President Obama visited Hiroshima on Friday. It was the first visit by a sitting American president to the city in the 71 years since the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city, killing over 140,000 civilians.
Amongst a delegation of survivors is Toshiharu Kano, an American citizen who had not been to Hiroshima since 1961, which is when his family returned to the U.S.
Kano, who goes by Tosh, had actually yet to enter the world on August 6, 1945. His mother was only 12 weeks pregnant and was one of the very few who escaped from the one-mile radius of the blast’s epicenter with his sister Yorie, who was three and a half.
Surviving the bombing has been a lifelong struggle for his family. His mother and sister were burned, witnessing extreme horror as they fled. His older brother died two months after the explosion. His father was involved in the clean-up — moving thousands of burned bodies out of the flattened city — and he told Kano that the work was so overwhelming, he didn’t fully understand what had happened until three weeks later.
His parents, born in Hawaii Territory, had their citizenship revoked for 15 years. His grandfather lost his land in Hawaii to be interned in Wyoming for three years. Kano and his sister have dealt with lifelong illnesses from radiation exposure.
As there were for past American presidents, there have been calls for Obama to apologize on behalf of the country for the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Kano does not see that as a constructive part of healing. To cope with the trauma, he focuses on forgiveness, peace, and ending the use of nuclear weapons.
“I don’t expect him to apologize because it was a war,” he said. “Physical and emotional scars remain forever and ever. So we cannot afford to use this type of weapon against each other. That is my message to the world: That for survivors, it’s going to be so difficult to survive day to day.”
Hear his full story at the link above.
Content note: This is an emotional personal testimony that includes graphic descriptions of injuries and human remains.
Guest:
Tosh Kano, his mother was 12 weeks pregnant with him at the time of the bombing; he and his sister are the only living survivors who were within a half mile radius of the blast’s epicenter. Tosh has not been back to Hiroshima since 1961 but travelled there with his sister for the President’s visit.
FilmWeek: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse,’ ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Andy Klein review this weekend’s new movie releases including “X-Men: Apocalypse” starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence; “Alice Through the Looking Glass” with Mia Wasikowska as our fabled protagonist, plus Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter co-starring, and much more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Andy's Hits
Claudia's Hits
Mixed Reviews
- Andy: "X-Men: Apocalypse"
- Claudia: "Princess"
- Andy: "Holy Hell"
This Week's Misses
- Claudia: "X-Men: Apocalypse"
- Andy and Claudia: "Alice Through the Looking Glass"
- Claudia and Andy: "Australia's Lost Gold: The Legend of Lasseter"
Guests:
Andy Klein, Film Critic for KPCC
Claudia Puig, Film Critic for KPCC; she tweets from
'Holy Hell' documents how LA's Buddhafield community turned cult
In 1985, Will Allen became a member of The Buddhafield, a Los Angeles area spiritual community.
A recent film school graduate, Allen began to chronicle the group’s activities that centered on their leader, a mysterious individual they called The Teacher, or Michel. Over time, the group’s dark side began to surface, until finally, a shocking allegation against The Teacher tore the group apart – all in front of Allen’s camera.
Packed with archival video of 1980s Los Angeles, "Holy Hell" is an intimate, insider look at what transformed a spiritual group into something sordid.
The movie is opening this weekend at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center, Laemmle’s Playhouse in Pasadena, and Laemmle’s Claremont.
Guest:
Will Allen, Filmmaker of “Holy Hell” documentary; former member of The Buddhafield