The Pentagon will press pause on its training program for Syrian rebel groups fighting so-called Islamic State (IS) forces and the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. Then, LAUSD needs to find a new superintendent before Ramon Cortines retires by the end of the year. Also, of the 800-plus bills that landed on Gov. Brown’s desk, he vetoed 133 of them.
Debating hypothetical U.S., Russia joint operations in Syria
In a shift of US strategy in Syria, the Pentagon will press pause on its training program for Syrian rebel groups fighting so-called Islamic State (IS) forces and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The beleaguered program saw 200 fighters trained in total. The new strategy, approved by President Barack Obama, will provide direct aid and equipment to rebel units that are making strides against IS militants. The move comes as the Syrian rebel groups face a new foe: Russian airstrikes.
While President Vladimir Putin claims his country's missiles are targeting IS, myriad reports suggest otherwise. On Friday, Britain's UN ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, told reporters anyone looking at a map of their strikes can see that most "are against what we consider the moderate opposition to al-Assad, the very people that we need to be part of the future of Syria."
In a provocative piece in the journal "Foreign Affairs," dozens of experts were asked whether the United States should work with Russia in Syria (fighting IS militants). The responses were all over the map.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Mohsen Milani, Professor of Politics, and the Executive Director of the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies, University of South Florida
Mitchell Orenstein, Professor of Central and East European politics in the Slavic Department at University of Pennsylvania and Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia
What’s next for USC football after Sarkisian departure, plus the curious case of Chase Utley’s slide
If you missed this weekend in L.A. sports, well...it was a doozie.
USC athletic director Pat Haden announced that he asked head football coach Steve Sarkisian to take a leave of absence and seek treatment for an apparent drinking problem. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will take over as interim head coach.
Sarkisian had been under close watch since an incident at an annual team dinner over the summer at which Sarkisian appeared drunk while addressing the attendees, but said during a press conference the next day that his behavior was the result of mixing “not much” alcohol with medication. He said he would seek counseling to find out if he had a drinking problem.
Since the announcement of his departure, more reports have surfaced about Sarkisian’s past history with alcohol.
On the baseball diamond, game two of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Mets featured some late game fireworks, and it wasn’t just the Dodgers’ late rally that would lead them to victory.
A controversial sliding play at second involving a Dodgers’ pinch runner, Chase Utley, and Mets’ second baseman Ruben Tejada created a storm of controversy after Utley’s slide, intended to break up a double play, broke Tejada’s leg.
Mets fans have cried foul, suggesting the slide was dirty. The MLB
LAD INF Utley has been suspended for Games 3 & 4 of NLDS as a result of his illegal slide in the 7th inning on Sat. pic.twitter.com/ktAjmXWFaR
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) October 12, 2015
by suspending Utley for games three and four of the NLDS.
Guests:
Vincent Bonsignore, sports columnist for the L.A. Daily News
Pedro Moura, baseball writer covering the Dodgers for the Orange County Register
KPCC asks: What do you want to see in LAUSD’s next superintendent?
The second largest school district in the nation needs to find a new superintendent before Ramon Cortines retires by the end of the year.
From poverty and uneven resources, to major challenges in preparing LA’s students for the future with technology like iPads, the next sup’ will have big shoes to fill. And in response to criticism that the process wasn’t transparent enough, LAUSD has agreed to start holding meetings to get feedback from the public.
Having a bad school system hurts everyone in the city of LA, so we want to hear from you: what skill set do you think the next superintendent needs to bring to the job?
If you are an LAUSD student or parent, what are the things you want the next superintendent to know about your school? What are the strengths and successes you want to see continued and the improvements that most need to be made?
Guest:
Louis Freedberg, executive director of EdSource, an Oakland-based nonprofit journalism website reporting on key education issues in California and the nation. Freedberg has analyzed and reported on local, state, and national education policy for over two decades
Rounding up what bills Gov. Brown signed and vetoed
It’s Monday morning and the count is in. Of the 800-plus bills that landed on Gov. Brown’s desk he had to decide on by midnight Sunday, he vetoed 133 of them.
Bills he took a pass on include a series of tax credits, one of which would have subsidized seismic retrofitting in the state. He also vetoed an ethnic studies bill, which would require a statewide model on how to teach ethnic studies at California’s public schools.
The governor also signed a few bills over the weekend, including a ban on the use of the name, “redskins,” for school sports teams and mascots, and a big package of bills aiming at regulating the medical marijuana industry.
Guests:
Melanie Mason, covers state government and politics in Sacramento for the Los Angeles Times
, reporter at The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Bureau, covering the California Assembly and state politics
Remembering the Supreme Court’s first African American Justice
The life and career of Thurgood Marshall is examined by journalist and author Wil Haygood.
The book looks at the contentious rise of Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice after a lengthy Senate hearing that preceded his confirmation. Haygood also researches the major politicians and activists who played into the 20th century Civil Rights movement including President Lyndon B. Johnson, Justice J Waties Waring and North Carolina senator Sam Ervin.
Guest:
Wil Haygood, journalist and author of “Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America” (Knopf, 2015). His 2008 Washington Post article "A Butler Well Served By This Election", served as the basis for the 2013 movie, “The Butler.”
Tower Records founder Russ Solomon remembers the charm of the record store
The advent of digital and streaming music means that audiophiles now have access to hundreds of millions of songs and albums for a nominal monthly fee.
While this is great news for music consumers, it has spelled the death of the traditional record store. Once considered an agora where musical minds meet, meld, and share their favorite tunes, record stores are scarce today.
In many cases, the ones that are still open still thrive off of a dedicated clientele who have also retained the love of shopping for music at a brick-and-mortar store. Here in Los Angeles, residents are fortunate to have places like Amoeba Music, which have helped maintain the records shop culture that was once an iconic part of the city’s music scene.
What are your memories of looking for music in record shops? Was there a different type of connection made with the music you buy in a record store versus simply adding a song or album to a Spotify or Apple Music playlist? Do you still shop for music at record shops? What are the best record shops in L.A.?
Guest:
Russ Solomon, founder of Tower Records