Matt Lauer, host of NBC's "The Today Show," and Garrison Keillor, creator of NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion" have both been fired amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. We discuss the latest details along with the business and cultural effects of the firings. We also get a transportation update from LA Metro's CEO, Phil Washington; look into today's SCOTUS hearings; and more.
Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor fired for sexual misconduct
Just a few hours after his “Today” co-hosts announced that Matt Lauer was fired from NBC for allegations of sexual misconduct, Minnesota Public Radio announced that it had fired former host of “A Prairie Home Companion” Garrison Keillor for “allegations of his inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.”
Keillor told the Associated Press that the story is “more complicated than the version MPR heard.”
We follow the latest in the misconduct allegations.
As Lauer’s co-host Savannah Guthrie said this morning, “how do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?” In light of this news, what do you think? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
David Folkenflik, media correspondent at NPR (National Public Radio); he tweets
What’s new with LA Metro? AirTalk checks in with its CEO, Phil Washington
Metro CEO Phil Washington returns for his recurring update with Larry Mantle. Topics include:
Dwindling Metro ridership and possible solutions
The new opening date for the Regional Connector
A brief recap of Metro manners
Information on the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor project and its effect on local businesses
Outline and information on the Metro Bike Hub
How to curb the aging Metro train cars
Status of the Purple Line’s upgrades and the Arts District dilemma
How Metro plans on navigate city zoning and development issues that impact transit in light of the Expo plan
Whether funding for the last phase of the Purple Line subway will be included in the reconciled federal spending bill
28 projects by the 2028 Olympics
Guest:
Phil Washington, CEO of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)
DC Roundup: Senate tax plan, expiring CHIP funding, the North Korea threat, and more
There’s a lot going on in Washington as a December deadline creeps up on Congress.
As KPCC’s Michelle Faust reports, Congress has already missed a deadline to renew funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and California is on its last leg of funding for the program. It’s expected to lose $2.7 billion if a renewal doesn’t go through.
In other news, President Trump tweeted videos today which many have interpreted as holding anti-Muslim sentiments, Senate Republicans are getting closer to passing a tax plan, and North Korea executed another controversial missile test.
Guests:
Tamara Keith, NPR White House Correspondent and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast; she’s been following the story
Jim Walsh, Ph.D., international security expert and a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program
To preserve the creative vibrancy of a neighborhood, should LA subsidize housing for artists?
To stem the further loss of artists from Los Angeles, two councilmen have proposed creating an affordable housing program for those in creative arts.
Jose Huizar, who represents the downtown Arts District, and Mike Bonin, whose district includes artsy Venice, want to categorize artists as a group eligible for subsidized housing.
How would the program work? What are the challenges ahead? Do you think the city should provide affordable housing for artists?
Call us at 866.893.5722 and let us know.
Guest:
Josie Huang, housing correspondent for KPCC who’s been following the story
SCOTUS tackles digital privacy in landmark case involving armed robberies and cell phone tracking
What began as a string of armed robberies at Radio Shack and T-Mobile stores in Michigan and Ohio has evolved into what many legal scholars are saying will be a landmark case involving digital privacy and the ability of government agencies to access data tracked by mobile phones.
Oral arguments in Carpenter v. United States were heard this morning at the High Court. The case involves Timothy Ivory Carpenter, said to be the brains behind the string of robberies and a lookout during the commission of the crimes. Prosecutors used months of location tracking data from cell phone records that put Carpenter nearby during the time of the robberies. He was convicted and got 116 years in prison.
Mr. Carpenter’s lawyers and privacy advocates say that police violated the Fourth Amendment when they collected the data law enforcement should need a warrant if they want more than 24 hours of location data from cell phone companies.
Guests:
Michael Price, senior counsel for the Liberty and National Security Program with the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law; he was at the oral arguments for Carpenter v. United States of America Wednesday morning in Washington D.C.
Larry Rosenthal, professor of law at Chapman University and a former federal prosecutor