The United Kingdom's decision to withdraw from the European Union has been halted by Parliament - what that means for Prime Minister Theresa May's plans to invoke Article 50; Pope Francis says that St. Pope John Paul II had the final word on shutting down the notion of ordaining women priests; and if you've procrastinated on studying this year's election ballot, fear not - there's still time to get your #VoterGamePlan ready.
Brexit? Not so fast. Court says British Parliament must OK move
A British court has ruled that England cannot leave the European Union without first getting Parliament's approval.
The decision has derailed plans by Prime Minister Theresa May to invoke Article 50, the formal mechanism for England to leave the EU, by the end of March.
The UK government said it would challenge Thursday's court decision.
In a June referendum, 52 percent of British voters voted to exit the EU. The result shocked both the UK and the world.
Guest:
Iain Watson, political correspondent at the BBC in London, and the author of the book, “Five Million Conversations: How Labour lost an election and rediscovered its roots” (Luath Press Ltd., 2015). He tweets
Pope says no to women priests for good - we look at women’s leadership elsewhere in the Catholic Church
As progressive as Pope Francis’ views are on issues like same-sex marriage and climate change, the pontiff’s recent comments about women in the priesthood show he’s still going to stick with tradition on some matters.
During a news conference on Pope Francis’ plane this past Tuesday, a reporter asked him whether there might be female priests in the next few decades, especially given that the head of the Lutheran Church in Sweden who welcomed him is a woman. “St. Pope John Paul II had the last clear word on this, and it stands,” Pope Francis said, referring to a 1994 letter then-Pope John Paul II wrote which shut down the notion of women being ordained as priests.
This is not the first time Pope Francis has weighed in on the idea. Earlier this year he created a commission to study whether women could serve as deacons, like they did during early Christianity. Since deacons must be ordained, this was an indicator to some that Pope Francis might consider allowing women into the priesthood. But Pope Francis also subscribes to the Catholic Church’s traditional view that priests must be men because Jesus chose men as his disciples. Therefore, according to the Church, because priest’s role is to act as the person of Christ, a priest must be a man.
What roles do women play in the Catholic Church today? What roles have the played in the past and how have their roles evolved over time? What can we make of Pope Francis’ seemingly un-modern stance, especially after having much more modern views on other issues central to the Catholic Church?
Guests:
Kathleen Buckley Domingo, Associate Director at Office of Life, Justice, and Peace; Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Gail DeGeorge, Editor of the Global Sisters Report which is part of the National Catholic Reporter
Why political mailers seem to know you so well
What are slate mailers? And how do they know so much about you?
In these final days before the election, registered voters in Southern California are being inundated with slate mailers - those publications created by a campaign or for-profit consulting service that are mailed to voters telling them which candidates or ballot measures to vote for.
For many, the snail mail feels like a throwback to the days of yore, but even in this digital age, slate mailers still have significant sway on election outcomes and modern technology has made them increasingly sophisticated. Larry Mantle talks with an expert on slate mailers and KPCC's Aaron Mendelson, who's been tracking the mail that voters here in Southern California are getting this year.
Have you received a slate mailer? KPCC is still collecting them this election season, in a project we're calling #WhoMailedIt - send us what you're seeing at whomailedit@scpr.org or tweet us a picture under #WhoMailedIt.
Guests:
Aaron Mendelson, KPCC’s Associate Digital Producer for data and interactive projects
Paul Mitchell, Vice President of Political Data Inc, a bipartisan data provider based in California. It provides political data for a variety of causes and outfits, including slate mailers