Trump tapped Mike Pompeo, Jeff Sessions and Mike Flynn as his latest top post picks, veering his administration to the hard right on national security; the latest on today’s Trump University hearing; how scientists manipulated photosynthesis to increase the productive yield of plants and what that means for food production; plus, KPCC film critics review “Fantastic Beasts,” “Red Turtle” and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
With CIA, DOJ appointments, Trump administration goes hard right on national security
In the first cabinet appointments, President-elect Donald Trump has signaled the direction he wants national security to take under his administration.
Trump appointed Representative Mike Pompeo as C.I.A director, Lt. Gen. Michael T Flynn as national security adviser, and Senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general. All three are considered controversial figures and represent a line of thinking outside of traditional Republican views.
Sessions, who holds staunch anti-immigration views, is tapped for a post with the authority to make sweeping changes to immigration policy in the country. Flynn is a retired three-star general with experience in intelligence has been vocal about his anti-Islamic views. And for the top post at the C.I.A., Trump has chosen Pompeo, who was behind the congressional investigation into the attack of the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya.
Guests:
Nick Wadhams, reporter covering the State Department and national security at Bloomberg News
Lisa Mascaro, reporter covering Congress for the L.A. Times who’s been following the story
What to watch for in today’s Trump University hearing in San Diego
A U.S. District Judge in San Diego will hear arguments today from lawyers representing Donald Trump about postponing the federal civil case against Trump University, the President-elect’s now-belly-up real estate school, until after his January 20th inauguration.
Currently, the trial is scheduled to begin November 28th, but Trump’s lawyers are expected to argue that, given the all-consuming nature of the transition to the White House, the trial should wait until after he takes office. This week, they also requested that more information on how the pool of about 100 jurors being considered for the trial were summoned and chosen. Trump will not be present in San Diego for the hearing and will likely give any testimony via video. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the class action suit want the trial to go on as planned, even if it means losing any further testimony from Mr. Trump.
The case, a class-action suit brought by former Trump University enrollees, alleges that Trump University not only falsely claimed to be run by instructors that Mr. Trump hand-picked, but also falsely purported to be an accredited university and was really just an infomercial claiming it would teach students inside secrets to real estate success but in reality just shook students down for even more money.
Guest:
Greg Moran, investigative reporter for the San Diego Union Tribune; he tweets
How to increase food production? Improve photosynthesis
Ever get a sunburn sitting outside because you are getting some of essential vitamin D? It turns out plants also get sun-damage despite needing to photosynthesize.
Most plants develop a shield that prevent overexposure to bright lights, but that process make photosynthesis much less efficient. A group of biologists at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has developed a way to improve natural shading. Through bioengineering, the researchers were able to increase production by almost 20 percent in Tobacco plants. The proof-of-concept study, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, could have much wider applications. If it survives regulatory scrutiny, similar manipulation in food crops could translate to significantly better yield for farmers worldwide.
Host Larry Mantle speaks with Johannes Kromdijk, one of the main researchers on the project, about how improving photosynthesis could potentially tackle world hunger.
Guest:
Johannes Kromdijk, postdoctoral researcher at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and one of the authors on the project
FilmWeek: ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea,’ ‘Red Turtle’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Andy Klein and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
It’s a big one for notable releases including the “Harry Potter” spinoff from J.K. Rowling, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them;” a critically acclaimed drama with Oscar buzz, “Manchester by the Sea;” a significant animated feature from Studio Ghibli, “The Red Turtle;” plus what Rotten Tomatoes calls more than just another coming-of-age dramedy, “The Edge of Seventeen;” a very promising documentary about an eccentric farmer, “Peter and the Farm” and more!
TGI-FilmWeek!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw7BggqBpTk&t=75s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s13Fnj8LzD8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iQXpdcX33A
Tim's hits
- "Manchester by the Sea"
- "The Edge of Seventeen"
- "The Red Turtle"
- "Bleed for This"
- "Peter and the Farm"
- "I Am Not Madame Bovary"
Andy's hits
Charles' hits
Mixed Reviews
- Tim: "A Street Cat Named Bob"
- Andy: "Elle"
This week's misses
- Tim, Andy, Charles: "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
- Tim & Andy: "Nocturnal Animals"
- Tim: "The Take"
- Andy: "Manchester by the Sea" & "National Bird"
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; Tim tweets from
Andy Klein, Film Critic for KPCC
Charles Solomon, Film Critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine