As a preemptive move for preventing wildfires, PG&E shut off power over the weekend for various areas in Northern California. As the Santa Ana winds pick up, we may see similar shutdowns here in SoCal. But is the new policy in good faith or is it simply eliminating liability? We also discuss a recent sommelier scandal; Susan Orlean's latest book; and more.
Week in politics: Diplomatic implications for US as search for missing Saudi journalist continues, checking on CA congressional races and more
AirTalk’s political experts round up the headlines you might’ve missed over the weekend and look ahead to what’s to come from Washington D.C. and Sacramento in the week of political news ahead. Here are some of the headlines we’re following:
- Latest on missing Saudi journalist & diplomatic implications for U.S.-Saudi relationship (The President's call with king of Saudi Arabia, what we do and don’t know)
- Tumultuous end to the week for the stock market, the President blames the Fed -- can we glean anything concrete about the economy from this or is it just a one-off that folks probably shouldn’t read too much into?
- Nikki Haley resigns from U.N. post -- what will her future in the GOP be?
- Kavanaugh’s confirmation -- Washington Post/ABC poll on how Americans feel about his confirmation what’s next for him on Supreme Court
- Check-in on some of the important CA Congressional races -- (read Prof. Pitney’s op-ed)
- CNN poll on 2020 Democratic presidential candidates -- Biden, Sanders, Kamala Harris & Liz Warren top list of candidates Dem voters most want to see, according to poll
Guests:
Matt Barreto, professor of political science and Chicano/a Studies at UCLA and co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions; he tweets
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
When Asian women marry outside of their culture, the harshest criticism they face sometimes comes from Asian men
Last week, novelist Celeste Ng wrote an essay that made waves online detailing her personal experience being harassed for being a Chinese-American woman who married a non-Asian man.
In “When Asian Women Are Harassed for Marrying Non-Asian Men,” Ng illustrates the hate that she’s received, often from Asian American men who felt that she was betraying her race for out-marrying and have an interracial child. She also delves into the stereotypes that surround Asian men in America, which undermine their desirability and masculinity, and feed into the backlash that she has been experiencing.
If you’re an Asian woman who has married or been in a relationship with a non-Asian man, we want to hear from you. Have you experienced backlash from within your family or race? How have you navigated people’s perceptions of your romantic choices?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Karen Umemoto, professor of urban planning and Asian American studies, as well as director of the Asian American Studies Center at UCLA
Is PG&E move to turn off power to reduce the risk of wildfire justified?
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that it will begin proactively turning off power for safety as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff in portions of several Northern California communities.
To help reduce the risk of wildfire during extreme winds and keep PG&E customers and their homes safe, the company will first turn off power in extreme fire-risk areas. The move will affect a total of about 70,000 customers in Sierra Foothills communities. When the extreme weather has passed and conditions are safe, PG&E crews will visually inspect the lines for any necessary repairs and safely restore power to customers.
Most customers are expected to be restored by Monday night, with some outages potentially lasting into Tuesday. In addition to notifying customers directly, PG&E will provide outage updates and information through social media, local news, radio, and the pge.com website. We discuss what are the criteria natural gas and electric energy companies consider in making a decision to turn off power. Is a utility company justified in turning off power to its customers? We debate.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Melissa Subbotin, spokesperson for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
Sharon McNary, KPCC's infrastructure correspondent; she tweets
Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a California-based nonprofit organization; he tweets
Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal leaves bad taste in wine world’s mouth
In the world of wine, the title of Master Sommelier (MS) is a highly-coveted designation only bestowed upon those with the most discerning of palates who have completed countless hours of training and passed an exam that has been compared in its level of difficulty to the legal bar or medical boards.
The people who do pass become the rock stars of the wine world, commanding the respect of the hospitality industry as well as lucrative positions at high-end restaurants and wineries across the country. So why would a Master Sommelier risk a prestigious designation that took years to achieve by leaking insider information about the blind tasting portion of the MS exam?
This is the question at the center of a scandal that has shaken the wine world. Last week, the Court of Master Sommeliers, the governing body that administers the Master Sommelier Diploma Examination, announced that it would be taking away the MS designation from 23 of the 24 individuals who passed this year after its Board of Directors “found sufficient evidence that the tasting portion of the 2018 Master Sommelier Diploma Examination was compromised by the release of detailed information concerning wines in the tasting flight.” The Court has said since it announced the scandal that it will refund all fees collected for the tasting portion of the 2018 exam and offer retesting opportunities to those affected.
Just how difficult is it to pass the MS exam? And what might motivate someone who has spent so much time and money to obtain the MS designation to leak confidential information about the tasting portion of the exam?
For more on this story from LAist, click here.
Guests:
Jason Wise, writer and director of the “SOMM” series, an ongoing documentary series about the wine experience; the series' third film, “SOMM 3” premieres this week in New York City; he tweets
Diving into the mystery and significance of the LA Public Library fire 30 years later
The morning of April 26, 1986, the Los Angeles Public Library caught fire, destroying or damaging more than a million books and causing the LAPL to close its doors for seven years.
Though there were no injuries, it was the largest library fire in American history — a significance that was greatly diminished by its proximity in time to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The source of the fire was never conclusively determined, but it’s presumed to be arson with an unlikely main suspect: Harry Peak, a handsome drifter and aspiring actor.
In “The Library Book,” journalist and author Susan Orlean dives into the history of the Los Angeles Public Library, the details of the fire and the remaining mystery surrounding its cause and the primary suspect. She joins Larry to discuss her book and the fire’s place in L.A.’s history.
Susan Orlean will be talking about “The Library Book” tomorrow, Tuesday, October 16, at the Los Angeles Public Library. The event starts at 7:30pm.
She’ll be at the Buena Vista Branch Library, part of the Burbank Public Library system, on Thursday, November 1. That event starts at 7:00pm.
Guest:
Susan Orlean, author of many books, including her newest, “The Library Book” (Simon & Schuster, 2018); staff writer at “The New Yorker” since 1992