AirTalk sits down with the mayor pro tempore of West Hollywood and the mayor of Pasadena as both cities move forward in regulating recreational marijuana. We also parse through a new Pew Research Center report on the vast divides between and inside the major U.S. political parties; is there a correct way to correct others?; and more.
West Hollywood, Pasadena approve divergent new regs on marijuana
On Monday, West Hollywood City Council took a big step forward with its city’s pot laws.
The new ordinance would grant up to eight first time licenses for each type of marijuana business operation, comprising recreational stores, medical dispensaries, edible lounges, smoking and vaping lounges and local delivery services.
Meanwhile, Pasadena further tightened its codes against recreational marijuana use on Monday night as well.
AirTalk rounds up the latest on California pot regulations. California cities have less than two months to meet the Jan. 1, 2018 deadline for approving laws to govern recreational marijuana businesses.
Help inform our #SoCalSoCurious initiative!
Guests:
John Duran, mayor pro tempore of West Hollywood; Civil Rights Attorney
Terry Tornek, mayor of Pasadena
The Democrats won more races across the country than expected – was it a referendum on Trump?
In the Virginia gubernatorial race, Ralph Northam (D) defeated Ed Gillespie (R) by an unexpectedly wide margin: 9 points.
White women with college degrees lent a hand in the Democrats’ win — they favored Northam over Gillespie by 16 points. By contrast, they favored Hillary Clinton over Trump by just 6 points last year (she did win Virginia — it was the only Southern state she won). Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) is termed out, and some say he may ride this victory to a presidential run in 2020.
Democrats also may have won control of Virginia’s House of Delegates. All 100 seats in the chamber were up for reelection yesterday, and Democrats unseated at least 12 Republicans — all of whom were men — and flipped three districts (Republican incumbents who did not seek reelection). Women won 11 of those seats, including the first openly transgender woman (Danica Roem) to win elected office. Four races are too close to call.
If Democrats win two of those four undecided races, bringing their total wins to 17 seats, they will control the House of Delegates — a development no one expected. Yet even without winning control of the chamber, yesterday’s win for Democrats represents the biggest shift in party power in Virginia’s House of Delegates in decades.
Other victories for Democrats:
In New Jersey, Phil Murphy (D) beat Chris Christie’s lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno (R) by 13 points. Democrats now control New Jersey’s state legislature and governor’s office.
Maine voted overwhelmingly to expand Medicaid (by 20 point margin), despite opposition from the state’s Republican governor and a big advertising campaign financed by out-of-state dollars.
Guests:
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
Caroline Heldman, associate professor of politics at Occidental College and author of “Protest Politics in the Marketplace: Consumer Activism in the Corporate Age” (Cornell University Press, 2017); she tweets
Annual Pew political typology report details ever-growing divide between parties and among partisans
On the basic spectrum of political ideology, people might identify themselves as liberal or conservative or libertarian, Republican or Democrat or Independent.
But as this year’s report from the Pew Research Center on political typology shows, the divisions between people within those categories are wide enough to identify eight separate categories of political ideology.
The survey, comprised of responses from more than 5,000 adults over the summer, categorizes respondents as follows, from most conservative to most liberal: Core Conservatives, Country First Conservatives, Market Skeptic Republicans, New Era Enterprisers, Devout and Diverse, Disaffected Democrats, Opportunity Democrats, and Solid Liberals.
So, where do you fall on Pew’s spectrum of political typology? Take the official quiz here and share your results in the comments below. Do you agree with them? Why or why not?
Guests:
Domenico Montanaro, politics editor at NPR; he tweets
Mindy Romero, political sociologist at UC Davis and founder and director of the California Civic Engagement Project; she tweets
Following Texas church shooting, examining links between mental illness and mass murder
In the wake of the mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas this past Sunday, President Donald Trump referred to the act as a “mental health problem.”
Experts say that while some mass murderers do exhibit psychopathic or sociopathic behaviors, it’s a much different psychological manifestation than mental illness. So, what are the psychological links between mental illness and mass murderers, if one exists? And if there isn’t, what accounts for their behavior?
Guests:
Judy Ho, associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University; she is also a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist in Manhattan Beach, Calif.; she tweets
Dr. Michael Stone, professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, specializing in personality disorders; he was the host of the Discovery Channel series “Most Evil” and is the author of “The Anatomy of Evil” (Prometheus Books, 2009)
After criticism from Texas officials, a look at the Red Cross response to Hurricane Harvey
The Red Cross is under fire for its response to Hurricane Harvey last month.
As reported by USA Today, Texas officials including Gov. Greg Abbott are accusing the organization of a disorganized and slow response following last month’s hurricane in Houston and its surrounding areas.
But this is not the first time the Red Cross has been questioned because of how it directs its resources. ProPublica and NPR teamed up for an investigation of how the organization spends its funds.
The Red Cross is trying to manage its money and manpower to help with multiple natural disasters this year, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the California wildfires. So what can the organization do to curb the criticism and offer the best possible aid? Larry speaks to ProPublica’s Decca Muldowney to find out more.
The Red Cross' response to USA Today's report can be found here.
Guest:
Decca Muldowney, journalist who contributed to ProPublica’s report “Texas Official After Harvey: The ‘Red Cross Was Not There’;” ProPublica has investigated numerous instances problems at the Red Cross
The correct way to correct others, as told by a manners expert
If you can’t resist the opportunity to tell someone that “irregardless” isn’t a word, or that gyro is actually pronounced “YEE-roh” – we should talk.
Corrections are an essential part of life, but no one likes to be put on blast. Other times, people just don’t care. Like one family’s 90-year-old Florida relative who keeps referring to Miami as "Miama," despite all the times she’s been told otherwise.
Whether it’s the awkwardness of a mispronounced word, or hitting reply all to that company email that misspelled “calender,” how do you rectify a situation with grace and class? Host Larry Mantle sits down with an etiquette expert to parse through when an error is actually worth addressing, and tips on how to confront (or ignore) the grievances of loved ones, coworkers, children and more.
Guest:
Maralee McKee, a manners mentor and author of “Manners that Matter for Moms: The Essential Book of Life Skills for Your Kids” (Harvest House Publishers, 2012)