It's been two years since Aliso Canyon's devastating gas leak and concerns have recently come to the fore regarding the facility's ability to withstand seismic activity. KPCC reporter Sharon McNary joins AirTalk to discuss the details of these concerns and how Porter Ranch has been fairing these last couple of years. We also discuss the week in politics; dive into details of the JFK documents Trump is threatening to release; and more.
Week in politics: What to watch for in Washington as the president pitches tax reform
President Trump is off to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for lunch with Senate Republicans and a discussion about passing tax reform, a goal both parties share.
The optics of the meeting suggest it should be interesting. The president will be in the room with several senators with whom he has publicly clashed, among them John McCain, Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, so it should be worth watching how the discussion plays out, what questions the senators have for the president, and whether the two sides leave the table on the same page. President Trump tweeted Monday that his tax reform proposal would not change tax-deferred retirement plans,
Speaking of public clashes, the president continues to go back and forth with the widow of one of the four U.S. Marines who died earlier this month in Niger over a phone call the president made to her, and what and how the president said it. The woman, Myeshia Johnson, says the president couldn’t remember her husband’s name and that she was upset by his tone during the call. The president denied that he’d forgotten the Marine’s name in a tweet Monday morning and continues to push back on the idea that he was disrespectful during the call. The president’s chief-of-staff, General John Kelly, went to bat for the president on this issue last week during a White House press briefing. Kelly is, himself, a Gold Star parent.
We’ll also take a look at how much money Democrats are raising for 2018 and why it has some Republicans alarmed, what happened this weekend at the California GOP convention in Anaheim, where former chief strategist to the president Steve Bannon was keynote speaker, plus how the Virginia governor’s race is heating up and its national implications.
Guests:
Caroline Heldman, associate professor of politics at Occidental College and author of the forthcoming book, "Protest Politics in the Marketplace: Consumer Activism in the Corporate Age" (Cornell University Press, 2017); she tweets
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
What’s left of the JFK assassination documents might drop Thursday – why are some government agencies pushing back?
On Saturday, Trump tweeted plans to disclose what’s left of the National Archives and Record Administration’s documents on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017
In 1992, The Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act was passed as a reaction to Oliver Stone’s film “JFK,” with the goal of putting conspiracy theories to rest. It required that the JFK documents, many of which are from the CIA, be released in 25 years, a deadline which falls on this coming Thursday.
It’s still unclear whether Trump will release the documents in full or whether they will be redacted. According to the Washington Post, government agencies have asked the president not to release some of the documents.
What is the timeline of the document release? Who are the factions involved and why are some government agencies opposed to the full release of these documents?
Guest:
Phil Shenon, former Washington and foreign correspondent for the New York Times; author of “A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination”
How an earthquake could affect the Aliso Canyon gas storage field
It’s been two years since the leak at the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility was discovered, causing extensive pollution around Porter Ranch.
As KPCC’s Sharon McNary reported in 2016, about 5.4 billion cubic feet of methane sprung from the leak, along with trace amounts of other chemicals. The failed well was 63-years-old. Some of the other wells are even older and were in need of maintenance. It was months before the leak was plugged by the Southern California Gas Company, which is in charge of facility operations.
State utility and gas regulators were also warned in 2009 about seismic risks to the wells at Aliso Canyon’s gas storage field. James Mansdorfer, Aliso Canyon gas field’s former storage engineer manager at SoCal Gas, wrote a letter to company officials warning that more than 100 gas wells could be sheared off should an earthquake on the Santa Susana Fault occur.
McNary joins AirTalk today, to recap the events since the gas leak was found, and what precautions are being taken for the future.
Guests:
Sharon McNary, KPCC reporter who’s been following the story
Matthew d’Alessio, associate professor of geology at Cal State Northridge; he has studied the seismic risks to the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility
The FAA’s new flight path system has many LA residents complaining
Since 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration has been looking at changing flight paths in the United States to increase the efficiency at airports and reduce fuel costs and emissions.
The flight path modernization program is called NextGen and the next routes have spurred complaints all across the nation, including from many communities in Southern California.
Newport Beach and Culver City have filed court challenges over the new system and those cities are currently in mediation with the FAA.
LA Times reporter Emily Alpert Reyes has been following the story in South Los Angeles, where residents have been meeting over noise pollution as a result of the new changes.
Guests:
Emily Alpert Reyes, reporter at the Los Angeles Times who’s been following the story
Steven Taber, attorney with Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLP, who is representing Benedict Hills in North Beverly Hills and communities in Pacific Palisades over its NextGen program
Triple play: It’s the Dodgers versus the Astros
For the first time since 1988, we’ll be seeing Dodger blue at the World Series.
They’ll be playing the Houston Astros in the first game Tuesday, leading to speculation over which team has the advantage. Meanwhile, ticket prices for the World Series are reaching astronomical levels.
What are your hopes and speculations for the World Series? Will you break the bank and get a ticket for the historic view? Call us at 866.893.5722 to talk baseball with Larry, as well as KPCC’s All Things Considered Host Nick Roman and Take Two’s A Martinez.
Guests:
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s Take Two; he tweets
Nick Roman, host of KPCC’s All Things Considered; he tweets