A Typhoon has devastated areas of the Philippine islands. What are local agencies here doing to help? Then, a third Tesla car caught on fire. Will these incidents turn off consumers from buying Tesla cars? Next, we talk with Colonel Chris Hadfield about his life as an astronaut. What questions do you have for him? Then, what does it mean now that the U.S. has lost voting rights with Unesco? Next, is the California employment office doing enough to help veterans? Lastly, we talk with NPR correspondent David Folkenflik who will give us an inside look at the world of Murdoch.
Amid gruesome typhoon scenes, aid trickles into Philippines
by Jim Gomez, Associated Press, TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP)
Typhoon-ravaged Philippine islands faced a daunting relief effort that had barely begun Monday, as bloated bodies lay uncollected and uncounted in the streets and survivors pleaded for food, water and medicine.
Police guarded stores to prevent people from hauling off food, water and such non-essentials as TVs and treadmills, but there was often no one to carry away the dead - not even those seen along the main road from the airport to Tacloban, the worst-hit city along the country's remote eastern seaboard.
At a small naval base, eight swollen corpses - including that of a baby - were submerged in sea water brought in by the storm. Officers there had yet to move them, saying they had no body bags or electricity to preserve them.
Two officials said Sunday that Friday's typhoon may have killed 10,000 or more people, but with the slow pace of recovery, the official death toll remained well below that. The Philippine military confirmed 942 dead, but shattered communications, transportation links and local governments suggest the final toll is days away. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said "we pray" that the death toll is less than 10,000.
Guests:
Tony Lagman, broadcaster for www.radiofilipinousa.com , an internet radio station based in Anaheim with with about 5000 listeners in Southern California
Joy Prim, missionary, serving with the Filipino Migrant Center in Long Beach, which is a member of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON)
Steve Angeles, video journalist based in Los Angeles, for ABS-CBN news, Filipino channel
What do the car fires mean for the future of Tesla?
Last week another Tesla Motors Model S sedan caught fire after a traffic accident. The vehicle was the the third in six weeks for Tesla. Federal vehicle safety regulators are looking into the incident and according to reports Tesla is in touch with the person injured in the most recent Tennessee incident.
In each case it is the battery pack is what has caught on fire. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has defended the safety of the Model S batter design. The company’s stock shares are dipping after the accident.
Will these accidents turn consumers off from buying Tesla cars? What does this mean for the future of the car and company?
Guests:
David Baker, Energy and Clean-tech reporter San Francisco Chronicle
Joseph B. White, Global Auto Editor, Wall Street Journal-Detroit
Ask an Astronaut: Col. Chris Hadfield shares life advice, NASA style
Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield launched into pop-culture consciousness earlier this year when his zero-gravity performance of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" from the International Space Station became a YouTube sensation.
After completing a five-month mission that included the command post aboard the ISS, he's written a memoir, "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth."
In the new book, Hadfield reveals his secret to success and stellar survival. The unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: Prepare for the worst and enjoy every moment of it. During his decades of training as an astronaut and nearly 4,000 hours logged in space, it hasn't all been stardust and space walks.
Among the challenges he faced were when he was temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. He once broke into a space station with a Swiss Army knife and disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane.
Among his advice for earthlings: Don't visualize success, care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff. Col. Hadfield joins AirTalk for a live, in-studio interview.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life excerpt
An Astronaut's Guide to Commuting
Guest:
Col. Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut - back on Earth after living aboard ISS as Commander of Expedition 35; Author, "An Astronaut's Guide to Life" (Little Brown, November 2013); His myriad accomplishments include his work as former chief of ISS Operations 2006-2008 and chief of Robotics at the Johnson Space Center, Houston 2003-2006
Chris Hadfield will be at the Barnes and Noble tonight at 7pm. You can find more information about the event here.
US loses Unesco voting rights after not paying dues over Palestinian membership
The U.S. has lost its voting rights at Unesco, two years after withholding financial dues to the organization after Palestine was admitted as member. US contribution accounts for some 22 percent of Unesco’s budget and the Paris-based organization felt the financial impact right away.
Some staff members were laid off and certain programs have been put on hold. But the US is also losing something valuable: a say in world matters and a chance to exercise its influence globally.
Should Unesco have admitted Palestine as a member in light of the financial hit? Should the U.S. protested the Palestinian membership through other means without jeopardizing its own voting power?
Guests:
Esther Brimmer, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs and Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University in DC
Jonathan Schanzer,Vice President of Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-profit policy institute in DC. Author of "State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)
California Auditor says veterans are being failed by employment agency
A report released by a California State Auditor found that the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD) has failed to help jobless veterans find jobs. Furthermore, the report found that personal data of veterans are vulnerable to being hacked.
“This report confirms that California’s veterans employment services are broken. The Employment Development Department’s inability to meet federal expectations and flagrant use of inaccurate and flawed data to monitor program outcomes, as well as safeguard veterans from identity theft, is appalling,” said Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, who requested the audit.
In response the audit, local lawmakers like Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles) have vowed to reintroduce a measure that would remove all veteran-related jobs initiatives from the auspices of the EDD.
Guests:
Elaine Howle,California State Auditor
Paul Freese, Vice President of Public Counsel, the public interest law office of the Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations and the nation’s largest provider of pro bono legal services
A look inside 'Murdoch’s World'
A trial happening right now in London dragged two former editors of the now defunct News of the World into the spotlight over a telephone-hacking scandal that rocked the media establishment. At its core is one of the most fascinating and influential media tycoons of the modern era - Rupert Murdoch.
In his new book, "Murdoch's World: The Last of the Old Media Empires", NPR journalist David Folkenflik tells the inside story of the Murdoch empire. From his beginnings in Australia to the founding of News Corp - one of the most powerful media institutions in the world - Folkenflik gives an intimate picture of the mogul and the man.
As the world watches the trial of his former editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, Folkenflik delves deep into Murdoch's character and the lengths he went to protect his vast fortune.. And his identity.
Guest:
David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent