AirTalk discusses the FBI's report on Kavanaugh and looks ahead to the cloture vote. We also analyze a new LA Times poll conducted by Berkeley IGS Poll; examine the ethics of selecting a baby’s eye color; and more.
The Kavanaugh confirmation: Why the next 36 hours are crucial
A high-stakes partisan row quickly broke out Thursday over a confidential FBI report about allegations that Brett Kavanaugh sexually abused women three decades ago, with Republicans claiming investigators found "no hint of misconduct" and Democrats accusing the White House of slapping crippling constraints on the probe.
We look at what comes next. Plus, we discuss a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday that shows more people believe Christine Blasey Ford than Kavanaugh. The results of the newly-released poll represent a cultural shift from 1991, where people at the time believed then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas over Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment in the workplace.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Greg Sullivan, Washington breaking news reporter for Bloomberg, who has been covering the Senate confirmation process for Kavanaugh; he tweets
Lee Miringoff , director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, a survey research center at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, which conducted the poll; 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
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
Triple Play: Another year, another Dodgers NL West title. Now it’s on to the playoffs.
The defending National League champion Dodgers became the first MLB team to win six straight division crowns since the New York Yankees captured nine American League East titles in a row from 1998-2006.
But after coming up just one game short of a World Series last season, can they finally win the whole darn thing this year?
First, the team has to face the NL East Champion Atlanta Braves. The first game of the series is tonight.
Larry and KPCC’s resident baseball experts A Martinez and Nick Roman sit down to talk about the Boys in Blue and the postseason.
Guests:
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s Take Two; he tweets
Nick Roman, host of KPCC All Things Considered; he tweets
New LA Times poll shows Republicans vulnerable in key state congressional races
All eyes are on the 6 key congressional races in Southern California. Democrats hope to take some or all of those seats -- previously held by Republicans -- which could help the party retake control of the House.
The new poll, conducted by Berkeley IGS Poll and the LA Times, shows that Democrats have the lead in these races now, just weeks before Nov. 6. But they are so tight that any hiccup could revert them to Republican control.
Guests:
Mark DiCamillo, director of IGS Poll at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies; he conducted the survey
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
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
DNA markers can now select a future baby’s eye color, but is it ethical?
Reproductive medicine has long been used to learn about a child’s health.
The science offers many advantages, from genetic testing of embryos for the prevention of medical disorders to assisted reproduction techniques. Some fertility clinics can give prospective parents the option to choose the gender of their baby during IVF treatments. And as technology advances so do our options.
Parents are now close to being able to select embryos based on aesthetic preferences like height, looks and even the color of your future child’s eye. Scientists explain how special traits are determined by a complex interaction of many genes.
But is this pushing science too far? Critics say yes. DNA manipulation is an option that raises ethical concerns. Do you think these kinds of testing create a society that values children with certain looks more than others? Call us at 866- 893-5722 and weigh in.
Guests:
Stephen Hsu, founder of Genomic Prediction, a New Jersey-based clinic that provides genomic tests to improve IVF health outcomes; professor of theoretical physics and vice president for research and graduate studies at Michigan State University; he tweets
Josephine Johnston, director of research at the Hastings Center, a Garrison, N.Y.-based bioethics research institute, her focus includes genetic testing in embryos
What makes a good president? Pulitzer Prize-winning author has the checklist
It’s a timely question for an uncertain time. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin focuses on the lives and political careers of four presidents—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson— for an answer.
Specifically, Goodwin looks at how the four presidents handled difficult political situations during their tenures: Lincoln and slavery, Theodore and the coal strike of 1902, FDR and the Great Depression, and Johnson and the dawn of the civil rights era – to track their growth as leaders.
Doris Kearns Goodwin will be discussing her new book, “Leadership: In Turbulent Times” at the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center tonight, Oct 4, at 8:00pm.
She’ll also be at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, Sunday, Oct 7, at 3:00pm
Guest:
Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian; Pulitzer Prize-winning author of many books, including her newest, “Leadership: In Turbulent Times” (Simon & Schuster, 2018)