AirTalk walks you through this week’s political news, including President Trump’s intention to declare North Korea a state sponsor of terror and Al Franken’s second accuser of sexual misconduct. We also speak with a Manson family member after the murderous cult leader died Sunday; what would you do if a close friend or longtime colleague is accused of sexual misconduct?; and more.
Week in Politics: North Korea, sexual harassment claims in DC and Sacramento, more
AirTalk’s political roundtable convenes every Monday. Today, Larry and our political analysts Matt Rodriguez and Jack Pitney tackle these topics:
President Trump’s intention to declare North Korea a state sponsor of terror
Sexual misconduct allegations levelled at Democratic Minnesota Senator Al Franken
Sexual harassment claims that have rocked the California Legislature
The difficult path ahead for the Senate to pass their version of the tax overhaul bill
Keystone XL pipeline clears a major hurdle, and the Trump admin’s decision on big-game hunting
How the Trump administration is reshaping federal courts
Guests:
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies; he is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets
What would you do if a close friend or longtime colleague is accused of sexual misconduct?
“Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham has been under fire for tweeting out a defense of writer Murray Miller, after he’s been accused of sexual assault by actress Aurora Perrineau.
Miller was a writer for “Girls.” The alleged incident took place when Perrineau was just 17. Miller, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations.
In light of the accusation, Dunham and “Girls” writer and producer Jennifer Konner tweeted this statement out:
Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner defend 'Girls' writer amid sexual assault claim: "We stand by Murray" https://t.co/46J9Aa7SOA pic.twitter.com/cLNMpPzIwV
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 18, 2017
The internet responded vehemently to the tweet, which prompted Dunham to issue another statement:
What would you do if a close friend is accused of sexual misconduct? How would you go about weighing your response? Call 866.893.5722 and let us know.
Former 'Manson Family' member: 'I hope it brings closure'
Charles Manson, leader of the notorious “Manson Family” cult, died of natural causes on Sunday after spending five decades in prison for his spate of murders in 1969.
The wild-eyed failed musician made international headlines after the gruesome killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others conducted by Manson and his followers, which later became known as the Tate-LaBianca murders. His manipulative control over members, sexual abuse of “the girls” and predatory recruitment tactics were triggered by an obsession to induce his Helter Skelter racial war.
Horrifying details emerging from the 1971 Los Angeles trial originally ended with a death penalty sentence for Manson, but was later reversed to life in prison after California’s brief abolishment of capital punishment.
Host Larry Mantle spoke with former member of the Manson family, Dianne Lake. She was the youngest member of the family to join at age 14. She did not participate in any of the murders but witnessed their aftermath, and wrote a memoir about her experience.
Interview Highlights:
ON FIRST HEARING ABOUT THE DEATH OF CHARLES MANSON
“It brings relief and I think it brings — it brings closure. I hope it brings closure. I hope that this will help deescalate his fame or his notoriety. There’s a lot of people out there I think that want to be, or wanted to be, members for some reason. It was really a very horrific end to the ‘60s. What started out as good ended badly.”
ON BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE “FAMILY”
“I already had been emancipated by my parents with this little note … and when I came back I found that my parents were living in a commune, and the leader of the commune [Hog Farm] Hugh Romney was not happy with having a sexually active 14-year-old in his midst, or in this commune, because he told me, ‘You’re jailbait and we’re uncomfortable having you here.’ And so they wanted me to sleep in the attic. So then when I met Charlie he totally made me feel loved and adored and accepted. He and the girls.”
ON TESTIFYING AGAINST MANSON AT THE MURDER TRIAL
“It was hard … I was afraid that when I stepped into Charles’ presence that I was gonna start hearing his voice, and that he was gonna have some mind control over me, or I would remember the good times and block out the bad times and wouldn’t be able to testify. But I was able to testify and it really was a very powerful moment.”
This post has been edited for clarity. To hear more about Dianne’s experience, along with comments from historian and Manson author Jeffrey Melnick, click the blue play button above.
Guests:
Dianne Lake, the youngest member of the Manson family who joined at age 14; she recently came out with the memoir, “Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness that Ended the Sixties” (HarperCollins, 2017)
Jeffrey Melnick, professor of American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston; author of “Creepy Crawling: Charles Manson and the Many Lives of America's Most Infamous Family” (Arcade Publishing, 2018)
Completists, why can’t you just leave something unfinished?
Are you someone who listens to podcast at super high speed so you can get through them?
Are you someone who must finish reading a book, regardless of whether you enjoy it or not?
Are you someone who goes to great lengths to hunt down that hard-to-find 7-inch vinyl to complete that record collection of your favorite band.
If you answer yes to all of the above, you are a completist.
What is the psychology behind the completist personality? And what is behind this unshakable urge to see something through to its bitter end?
If you are a completist, call us at 866.893.5722 and let us know.
Guest:
Barbara Van Noppen, associate professor of clinical psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at USC