Today on AirTalk we look at a new bill approved by Governor Brown, outline the expectations the candidates are setting for themselves before the upcoming debates, listen in to Patt Morrison as she talks to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, preview the potential Supreme Court cases which could be decided this term, evaluate the state of online privacy laws for children, and celebrate the life and music of Herb Alpert.
Governor Brown OKs driver licenses for illegal immigrants
Governor Jerry Brown has been working hard to clear his desk of the bills waiting for an approval or veto before a midnight deadline tonight. One such act of legislation that many Californians had their eyes on was Assemblyman Gil Cedillo’s (D-Los Angeles) AB 2189, which would grant driver licenses to some illegal immigrants.
Brown signed the measure into law with a statement that “the federal government should pursue comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.” The California law only applies to the illegal immigrants who are accepted into the Obama administration’s new federal work program. This pool is limited to those who were brought to the U.S. under the age of 16 and who are currently 30 or younger, not to mention other specific qualifications.
How many new drivers can Californians expect to see on the road now that this bill has been signed into law? What are the practical implications of such a change in policy? Will the roads become safer? Will this expedite a path to citizenship, as Brown hopes? Is there a substantial backlash to this development?
Guest:
Jessica Vaughn, Director of Policy Studies, Center for Immigration Studies
Joseph Villela , director of policy and advocacy at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
Going against the grain, Governor Chris Christie raises expectations for Romney’s debate performance
Lower expectations. That’s the mantra typically chanted by campaign strategists as they prepare their candidates for political debates and do their best to control public expectations for debate performance. The strategy being that setting the bar low increases a candidate’s chances of winning praise on debate night. For this Wednesday’s presidential debate, the first of three, the Obama campaign is certainly toeing the line as Senior Advisor to the President, David Plouffe, remarked in an NBC interview, “We have expected all along that Gov. Romney will have a good night. He has prepared more than any candidate in history. And he has shown himself to be a very, very good debater through the years.”
On the Republican side, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan too, has touted the opposition’s sharp debate skills. However, New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie appears to have missed the memo. On yesterday’s Meet the Press, he flaunted the upcoming debate as a “restart” of the Romney campaign.
How much do expectations influence public perception of a candidate’s debate performance? Why would Governor Christie say anything that might raise expectations for Mitt Romney’s presentation?
Guest:
Doyle McManus, Washington Columnist, covering national and international politics, Los Angeles Times
Patt Morrison asks the Chief, LAPD’s Charlie Beck
It’s time for Ask the Chief, your monthly opportunity to put your law and order questions to top cop Chief Charlie Beck.
Patt gets the latest on the pot shop crackdown in L.A., why the Chief ordered the investigation of a man released from jail after 19 years, how his recovery from a motorcycle accident is going and what the highly-critical jails commission report means for inmates.
Chief Beck will also discuss the effects of prison and jail realignment, the impact of changes on juvenile sentencing and whether the collection of DNA from suspects invades privacy. Plus, your questions.
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
US Supreme Court kicks off new, possibly historic term
At least four controversial issues, affirmative action, same-sex marriage, voting rights, and abortion, may be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this term. A case about affirmative action has escalated in light of the fact that universities consider race as a major factor in student admissions in order to maintain diverse campuses. The constitutionality of same-sex marriage and “equal protection” rights of gay and lesbian couples to wed has also become a widely debated issue that the court may hear.
Challenges to meticulous federal oversight of state and local elections and to voter identification laws are also expected to be argued in front of the high court. Perhaps the most contested topic of all, the legality of abortion, may be put under the SCOTUS-scope due to contentious state “personhood” laws that say life begins at conception.
Which cases will you be watching for? Which of these controversial issues are most important to you?
Guest:
Lisa McElroy, Professor of Law, Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law and writes the Plain English column on SCOTUSblog.com
Is it time for online child privacy protection to grow up?
In 1998, Apple interim-CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iMac, Google first filed for incorporation and Internet Explorer surpassed Netscape in the browser market. The Federal Trade Commission, recognizing that the internet could pose a danger to children, enacted the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998.
COPPA is now well into its tweens, and a lot has changed, including the introduction of iPads, apps and social networking. Technological advances now allow children’s websites like Nick.com, CartoonNetwork.com and McDonalds’ HappyMeal.com to gather e-mails, photographs and other data without parental permission. With more and more tech-savvy kids commanding their own e-mail accounts, advocacy groups caution, stronger protections are long overdue. Last week a coalition of privacy and childrens’ rights organizations filed complaints with the FTC against six child-targeted websites that, they say, are violating COPPA with a number of marketing methods.
These include encouraging youngsters to upload photographs and videos of themselves, which are then publicly available on their websites, and using “tell-a-friend” strategies aimed at collecting a wider net of e-mail addresses – and customers. The groups are also asking for an update of COPPA to reflect a changing online world, with ever-more, ever-younger child involvement.
Do you trust the “child-friendly” websites your child visits? Do you know which ones are tracking his or her online activities? Are more government protections needed, or do you feel that COPPA can do the job as is?
Guests:
Cara Wilking, senior staff attorney with the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston
Emma Llanso, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a non-profit public policy organization advocating for internet freedom.
Legendary artist Herb Alpert is celebrated for a lifetime in the music business
Herb Alpert is that rare breed of musician who was both a wildly successful performer and an adroit music executive.
The genesis of his namesake act, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, was sparked when the young trumpeter noticed the crowd response to musical cues from a mariachi band during a bullfight in Tijuana, Mexico. Alpert then adapted his primary instrument to this new influence and built an unparalleled musical resume that includes five number one hits, eight Grammy Awards, 14 platinum albums, 15 gold albums and 28 releases that hit the Billboard charts with worldwide sales of 72 million albums to date.
Alpert and music executive Jerry Moss founded A&M Records in 1962, using their initials to name the new imprint ; the label would become home to artists like The Carpenters, Quincy Jones, The Police, Bryan Adams, Cat Stevens and Peter Frampton through the early 1990s. In celebration of his longevity and level of success, Alpert is receiving some big time accolades this week.
First, “The Anniversary Collection” – a compilation triple album comprised of 60 tracks spanning A&M’s musical legacy – will be released today to mark the label’s 50th birthday. And this weekend, Alpert and his wife, vocalist Lani Hall, will perform a concert this Saturday to support Fairfax High School as part of the school’s 2012 Hall of Fame ceremony. Alpert is a well known philanthropist and will participate in the benefit show in order to give future music and art students similar opportunities to the ones he had.
Will the music business ever see an artist as diverse and successful as Herb Alpert again? How has he balanced such a prolific career with behind-the-scenes success? How has the music business changed since Alpert started his career?
Guest:
Herb Alpert, musician and music executive; founder and leader of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass; co-founder of A&M Records