Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on the ‘worthy fights’ he undertook. Also, President Obama on Monday weighed in on the net neutrality debate with the strongest words yet his administration has issued on the topic. Then, five-term Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is leaving office because of term limits.
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on the ‘worthy fights’ he undertook
Leon Panetta started his career as a legislative aid in 1966. Four decades later, he would hold two of the most important posts in protecting the country, first as Director of the Central intelligence Agency (2009 to 2011), and then as Secretary of Defense (2011 to 2013). As Secretary of Defense, Panetta, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, certified that the military was prepared to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and that the overturn won't limit its ability to recruit and fight. As the director of the CIA, Panetta oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Guest:
Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense, 2011-2013; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, 2009-2011; author of "Worthy Fights" with Jim Newton (Penguin Press, 2014)
President Obama announces additional 1,500 troops heading to Iraq
President Barack Obama has given the green light for 1,500 U.S. troops to be deployed to Iraq in a supportive role, training Iraqi and Kurdish forces to fight the so-called Islamic State. The infusion of U.S. forces will nearly double the amount of American soldiers currently in Iraq.
In a statement made Friday, the White House said it would also be asking Congress for an additional $5.6 billion in funding for the fight against the so-called Islamic State. This includes $1.6 billion for a program that would help train and equip Iraqi troops.
The request for funding from Congress will be an early test of the level of cooperation we might expect to see between the White House and Congress following the shift of power to the Republicans after their victories in last week’s midterm elections.
President Obama has remained firm on the fact that U.S. troops will not be operating in a combat role.
Guest:
Michael O’Hanlon, Senior fellow at Brookings Institution; co-author with Former Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg of "Strategic Reassurance and Resolve: US-China Relations in the 21st Century"
Obama issues strong words on net neutrality as FCC considers hybrid approach
President Obama on Monday weighed in on the net neutrality debate with the strongest words yet his administration has issued on the topic. In a statement he released, Obama called for internet service providers like Verizon and Comcast to be treated like a public utility, something as essential as phone service and electric companies.
"I believe the FCC should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online," Obama said, while noting that the Federal Communication Commission is an independent agency and that the decision is “theirs alone.”
Meanwhile, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is on the Hill today, apparently meeting with members of Congress to brief them on progress of new net neutrality rules, reports POLITICO. One proposal the Wall Street Journal says he is entertaining is a hybrid approach, which would split up internet providers into two regulatory parts—one between internet service providers and consumers, the other between internet service providers and net companies such as Google. Under that framework, the latter would be heavily regulated by the FCC.
Guest:
Gautham Nagesh, reporter for the Wall Street Journal that covers the FCC and tech policy who’s been following the story
How celebrity women going 'au naturel' impacts female body image
In an interview with "The Times" of London, Keira Knightley revealed why she posed topless for the September issue of Interview magazine. "I think women's bodies are a battleground and photography is partly to blame," she said. In the past, photos of the waifish actor were retouched to enhance her chest, such as the 2004 movie poster for "King Arthur." “I’ve had my body manipulated so many different times for so many different reasons, whether it’s paparazzi photographers or for film posters,” Knightley continued with The Times, “That [shoot] was one of the ones where I said: ‘OK, I’m fine doing the topless shot so long as you don’t make them any bigger or retouch.’ Because it does feel important to say it really doesn’t matter what shape you are.”
In Hollywood, celebrity Jennifer Aniston goes makeup free for her new dramatic role in "Cake." As well, Marion Cotillard playing a working class Parisian in the independent film "Two Days, One Night" agreed to having no makeup, no costuming, and the directors said they did not fuss over her lighting.
When celebrity women ditch makeup and Photoshop, is it helpful for "the conversation" around female body image? What message does it send to young girls? Is an actor's topless photoshoot the right way to protest distortions of the female form? Are the bodies and faces of the pampered famous anything close to realistic depictions?
Guest:
Shira Tarrant, Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at California State University, Long Beach. She is the author of several books including “Men and Feminism” and “Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex and Power.”
Should unions be allowed to use work email for organizing? Key NLRB ruling will decide
Should employees be able to use their employers’ email accounts and networks to fight for union rights? That is the question posed to the National Labor Relations Board, a group of five federal regulators who oversee union elections and workplace disputes.
Despite a 2007 ruling in favor of employers’ right to limit email use by employees, the board is looking at the issue in a new light. Part of this is attributable to the change in the board’s makeup, all of whom have been picked by President Obama. Another part stems from the 2012 failure to organize a union at a Rocklin, California company that provides interpreting services for the deaf and hard of hearing, and the subsequent case filing with the NLRB.
Employers state that changing the ruling would infringe upon their rights, including a company’s First Amendment rights to not send unwanted messages from other people. The union states that employees have the right to use communication hosted by the company if it is related to worker conditions and employee rights. The NLRB could open the door for workers’ use of email for personal reasons during work, although general counsel has recommended certain regulations such as allowing employees to use email for personal purposes during “nonwork time” unless there is a specific need to uphold discipline and production can be shown.
To what extent should employers be able to regulate their email networks? Do workers have a right to use their companies’ emails to unionize?
Guest:
Joel Barras, partner in Reed Smith’s Labor & Employment Group, where he represents regional and national employers in collective bargaining, labor arbitration, and employment-related litigation
NPR's Joe Palca simplifies science for the layperson
Science correspondent Joe Palca has won numerous awards, co-authored a book and worked at NPR for over 20 years. His ongoing series “Joe’s Big Idea” shies away from the latest science news headlines and focuses on people making new discoveries or inventions. Palca’s project is his way of showing the scientific process where results aren’t always immediate, and at time, there are none at all.
Joe's Big Idea counters what he refers to as the “news treadmill” that constantly spews out the latest scientific study or breakthrough. His series features a chemist who developed an iPhone app that scans for eye cancer to a Southern Californian rocker turned aerospace engineer who who led a team to the surface of Mars. Palca is changing the breaking news equation and telling scientists’ stories differently.
Having worked as a scientist before writing about it, Palca works to make science digestible for all audiences. Where is science headed? What can we glean about new advances in science? What are we gaining, or losing, by the media’s current approach to science reporting?
Guest:
Joe Palca, Science Correspondent, NPR
LA County Sup. Zev Yaroslavsky: The exit interview
Five-term Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is leaving office because of term limits. Yaroslavsky has been representing District 3 and was first elected to the board two decades ago. His tenure on the Board of Supervisors might be what the 65-year-old is most known for, but Yaroslavsky has had an eventual political career, starting with activism work he engaged in as a student activist at UCLA. A trip to Russia inspired the young Yaroslavsky to form the California Students for Soviet Jews in the 1960s, which picked Soviet athletes that came to the city for a track and field competition.
His political career started in earnest in 1975, when Yaroslavsky was elected to the City Council’s 5th District, upsetting Frances M. Savitch, a former aide to then-Mayor Tom Bradley. In 1994, he was elected to the LA County Board of Supervisors, focusing his energy on land use, environmental and other issues. As a champion of the arts, Yaroslavsky was instrumental in helping to secure funding to renovate the Hollywood Bowl’s signature shell. He also played an important role in bringing the Disney Hall project to fruition.
Guest:
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, representing District 3, which includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside of Los Angeles and coastal areas between Venice and the Ventura Countyline. He was first elected to the board in 1994