A new study found that the Justice Department underestimates the number of sexual assaults that occur in the US. We'll talk about the ways in which we count rapes and sexual assaults may change. Then, LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck is here to talk about the LAX shooting, the Gatto murder and more. And nuclear talks in Geneva have resumed between Iran and six countries. How close are we to making a deal? Later, we'll talk about the Senate's work on the National Defense Authorization Act and find out from author Sam Harris why you should always tell the truth.
Does the most prominent national survey of rape dramatically undercount?
How reliable are the Justice Department’s stats on rape and sexual assault? According to a new report from the National Research Council (NRC), not very. The survey, released Tuesday, reveals that rape is vastly undercounted in America and suggests ways to improve the measurement tools.
The Justice Department uses the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which indicates that the rate of completed and attempted rape in the U.S. has gone down from a high of 5 percent of girls and women victimized in 1995 to a low of 2 percent from 2005 to now. That would be good news, if true. But the NRC found that a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 1.2 million victims of rape and attempted rape in 2010, which is significantly higher than the 188,000 counted by the NCVS.
What’s behind the large disparity? Slate’s Emily Bazelon writes that one cause might be that the NRC survey asks better, more targeted questions. The NCVS also doesn’t include questions about whether a person was unable to consent to sex because he or she was “drunk, high, drugged or passed out.” Having accurate numbers is critical to establishing effective approaches to rape prevention.
So what should be done to ensure more accuracy? Another complicating issue is that rape is one of the most underreported crimes in the world. So what more can be done to get victims to report crimes of sexual violence more consistently?
Guests:
Emily Bazelon, is a Senior Editor for Slate and the Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School; Author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy (Random House 2013). She tweets @emilybazelon
Christopher Krebs, senior researcher at RTI International, an institute that provides research and technical services to governments and businesses
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck on the LAX shooting, the Gatto murder and more
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has voiced support for an increase in surveillance at LAX following the shooting early this month that killed a TSA agent and injured several others. “We could have better surveillance,” he said. “There are ways to make where [TSA agents] work safer.”
This week’s murder of Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s father, Joseph Gatto, in his Silver Lake home has police looking into more assaults in the area. They’re trying to figure out whether an attempted carjacking the night before was related to the murder.
RELATED: LAPD releases sketch of possible Joseph Gatto killing suspect
We’ll also talk to Chief Beck about what looks like a decrease in LA homicides, safety at the Venice Beach boardwalk after a fatal hit and run earlier this year, and more.
That includes this Zombie-themed public service announcement from the LAPD's Northeast Division that serves as a warning about car burglaries in LA and urges people to hide their valuables:
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief of LAPD
Iran nuclear talks and embassy bombings in Beirut
Nuclear negotiations between Iran and six countries have resumed in Geneva. It’s the third time they’ve come together in a month to try to hammer out a deal that would curtail Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for reduced economic sanctions. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad sounded upbeat about the renewed talks and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s postponement of a scheduled visit to Israel this week is fueling speculation again that an accord is indeed near.
The issue, however, is driving a wedge between the U.S. and Israel in what some observers are calling one of the biggest dispute between the two allies in 30 years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that any nuclear deal with Iran short of banning its nuclear program outright would be a threat to Israel’s safety.
Adding to all the moving pieces are two bombings against the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, which killed 23 people including a diplomat. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for the attacks in retaliation for Hezbollah’s support of the Assad regime in the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Guests:
Patrick McDonnell, Beirut Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times
John Hudson, National security staff writer for Foreign Policy magazine
Defense bill debate loaded with hot-button issues
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes the Senate will finish work on the National Defense Authorization Act—a sweeping annual bill that sets Pentagon policy—before the Thanksgiving holiday.
But it may not be that easy. Floor debate for the yearly bill typically involves hundreds of proposed amendments and dozens of votes. This time around, Senators are likely to offer amendments dealing with a host of controversial issues—including how to deal with military sexual assault and whether to introduce further sanctions on Iran.
The multi-day spending bill debate is also expected to serve as a forum for lawmakers to debate the National Security Agency’s spying programs and related privacy concerns.
There’s also likely to be debate about what to do with Guantanamo Bay detainees, as Senators again weigh President Obama’s request for the ability to transfer terror suspects from the complex.
What issues do you think should get the most attention as Senators debate this year’s defense bill?
Guest:
Philip Ewing, Defense Editor for POLITICO
'Lying' argues honesty is always the best policy
“Do these jeans make me look fat?” Has anyone ever answered that question honestly?
Would an honest answer, even if painful, be good for us?
Yes, according to neuroscientist and noted “new atheist” Sam Harris. In his new book, "Lying," Harris explores the “white” lies most of us tell. We tell them ostensibly for good reasons – to spare the feelings of others. But it’s not possible to grow from the truth, Harris contends. More than that, lies are at the heart of so much of what ails us in this society.
Politicians make promises they don’t keep, drug companies mislead the public, doctors try to “protect” us from the truth and spouses let us down “easy.”
Lying is so widespread, it’s nearly impossible to know who or what to believe anymore. Taken to the extreme, our public discourse becomes dominated by conspiracy theories. To Harris, lies are the social equivalent of toxic waste: everyone is potentially harmed by their spread. Being brutally but pragmatically honest, on the other hand, has more benefits than costs.
Would telling the truth where others lie, make all our lives better, as Harris argues? Can you handle giving or getting the truth -- all the time?
Guest:
Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of “Lying”