Clinton's big day on Benghazi; new poll numbers lead some to ask if it's time to concede Trump could be the GOP nominee; Sanders makes his case for free college; and what is the deal with Uber tips?
Inside today’s rancorous Benghazi hearings
Hillary Clinton testified this morning before a House committee on the deadly 2012 attacks on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya.
The former Secretary of State and democratic presidential hopeful told committee members today there were no delays in decision making immediately after the attacks and added there were no denials of support from Washington or the military.
The committee chair is accusing the administration, including Clinton, of withholding information about what happened in Washington following the attacks.
Guests:
Amie Parnes, Chief White House Correspondent for The Hill and Co-author of New York Times best seller 'HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton'
Rosalind Helderman, Political investigations and enterprise reporter for The Washington Post
Comparing Trump’s early, steady lead to Romney’s numbers of yesteryear
GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump has held such a strong, consistent lead in the polls - for three-plus months - that some politicos are asking whether it’s time to concede he will secure the nomination.
Tracking and analysis in “The Washington Post” compare polling over the course of the Mitt Romney campaign in 2011 and 2012 with Trump’s popularity. While the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll suggests Trump could win the nomination, political reporter Philip Bump highlights how important it is for Trump’s popularity among Republicans to coincide with voters’ interest in the presidential campaign. Romney surged just as Americans started to pay closer attention during the actual election year of 2012.
How many American voters are tuned in to the current political campaign? What would Trump need to do to sustain his popularity?
Guest:
Philip Bump, Politics Reporter, “The Washington Post”
Do you tip Uber drivers? It could be affecting your rider score
Rideshare apps like Uber have changed the way we get around.
Even though every Uber ride is designed to be automatically charged to the credit card that you have registered with the app, many drivers feel that that is discouraging riders from tipping for the service.
Now it turns out that while tipping may not be required to use Uber, drivers may be more inclined to give those that don't share some extra cash a low passenger rating.
As Meghan McCarty explains in her recent piece, a low passenger rating may mean that other drivers are less inclined to pick you up. Do you think that Uber driver should expect tips? Is tipping defeating the purpose of "credit-only" model of business like ride-sharing?
Guest:
Megan McCarty, KPCC reporter covering commuting and mobility issues
Sanders and Biden say U.S. needs paradigm shift in approach to college access
Today Senator Bernie Sanders (I - VT) makes his case for free college in a commentary piece in "The Washington Post," plus his position enjoyed a high-profile endorsement from Vice President Joe Biden yesterday.
Speaking from the Rose Garden about why he won't seek a presidential nomination, Biden did discuss policy wishes including his thoughts on higher education: "We all know that 12 years of public education is not enough. As a nation, let's make the same commitment to a college education today that we made to a high school education 100 years ago."
Mark Huelsman, Senior Policy Analyst for Demos, agrees that this sort of paradigm shift is necessary to contend with the modern economy.
Others believe that free college education would not yield any major benefits. Neal McCluskey from the Cato Institute says that the plan will lead to huge increases in spending with no discernible increases in achievement for students.
Where do you stand with debt free college? Is the U.S. falling behind other countries by not considering post-secondary school a necessity for students today?
Guests:
Mark Huelsman, Senior Policy Analyst at Demos - a public policy organization focused on equity; former Research Analyst at the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Neal P. McCluskey, Ph.D., Director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute - The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization — a think tank – dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.
Broom closets, tents in the park, and backyard RVs: The best (and worst) of SoCal rentals
Apartment hunters who have used Craigslist to search for a place to stay know that when it comes to rental posts, it’s feast or famine. While there are plenty of legitimate, normal landlords and homeowners looking to rent out rooms and apartments, there are also plenty of people posting bizarre, strange, or just downright out there rentals.
You can see more from the Craigslist 'Best Of' list here and if you're planning to use Craigslist to find your next apartment, car, roommate, or whatever, check out AirTalk's 5 tips for staying safe on Craigslist.
Guest:
Parisa Pourhabib, social media and content manager for Renting in L.A., a real estate blog run by The Rental Girl