We roundup the latest election news, including where the congressional races are currently at, what Clinton's surging poll numbers mean and more WikiLeaks attacks; should journalists have the right to donate to political campaigns as private citizens, or are they obligated to neutrally refrain?; and what AT&T's $85.4 billion buyout for Time Warner means for everyday consumers.
AirTalk election 2016: Rounding up key national congressional races, plus what to make of Clinton’s surging poll numbers
Following a quiet (at least relatively) weekend on the presidential campaign trail, AirTalk dives back into election 2016 taking a look at some of the Senate and House races that should be on voters’ radars as we close in on election day.
Elsewhere, Hillary Clinton continues to move ahead of Donald Trump in the polls, at least according to a new poll out from ABC News showing Clinton ahead of Trump by 12 points. RealClearPolitics’ poll average has the former Secretary of State holding a steady six point lead over her Republican rival with 15 days until the election.
In last week’s document dump from Wikileaks, many of which came from the account of Clinton’s former campaign manager John Podesta, we learned a bit more about the inner workings of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, specifically as they pertain to her longtime aide Huma Abedin. FBI documents released also show that Mrs. Clinton’s security detail while she was Secretary of State was “contemptuous” toward Clinton because of the way they say she treated them.
Guests:
Mike DeBonis, reporter for The Washington Post covering Congress; he tweets
Pilar Marrero, senior political reporter at La Opinion and other ImpreMedia Newspapers; she tweets
Lanhee Chen, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and former policy director for the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign; he tweets
Should journalists contribute to political campaigns?
The Center for Public Integrity released an analysis last week showing that more than 96 percent of contributions made by journalists in campaign filings went to Hillary Clinton.
The analysis made by the investigative journalism organization looked at people identified as news editors, journalists or television news anchors in federal campaign filings through August. Out of $396,000 total campaign contributions to both Clinton and Trump, $382,000 went to Clinton.
According to the report, many of these donors are not political reporters, and news organizations including The New York Times and Associated Press, whose codes of conduct prohibit journalists from donating to political campaigns.
In an NPR interview, former executive editor of the Washington Post, Len Downie, said that he didn’t vote at all to avoid bias as a journalist.
With Trump making accusations against the “crooked media,” what do these donations say about bias in journalism? Should journalists be able to donate to campaign as private citizens, or should they refrain from giving money to candidates?
Guest:
Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
What would an AT&T-Time Warner merger mean for everyday consumers?
Telecom giant AT&T Inc. wants to buy content behemoth Time Warner Inc., a deal that would form a goliath in the telecommunication industry.
The merger would combine AT&T's wireless, broadband, and satellite services with Time Warner's production studios and cable networks -- think names like CNN, TBS, and HBO. With a bill of $85.4 billion, a merger of such magnitude naturally invites regulatory scrutiny. Similar to Comcast's purchase of NBCUniversal back in 2011, the Time Warner acquisition will likely go through a lengthy and rigorous review process by the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission.
What's the impact on everyday consumers now that AT&T might gain control over what their audience see on screen? What will happen to jobs in Southern California if Time Warner goes through corporate restructuring?
Host Larry Mantle checks in with Steve Effros, analyst and lawyer in the cable industry based in Virginia and Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, on the changing landscape in telecommunication.
Guests:
Steve Effros, analyst and lawyer in the cable industry based in Virginia. He's the former president of Cable Telecommunications Association, a precursor of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the main cable trade association
Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit organization advocates for taxpayer and consumer interests
Activist legend Tom Hayden remembered by fellow Vietnam War agitator
Famed '60s anti-war activist and longtime California politician Tom Hayden, whose name became forever linked with the celebrated Chicago 7 trial, Vietnam War protests and his ex-wife actress Jane Fonda, has died. He was 76.
He died on Sunday after a long illness, said his wife, Barbara Williams, noting that he suffered a stroke in 2015.
Hayden, once denounced as a traitor by his detractors, overcame his past and won election to the California Assembly and Senate where he served for almost two decades as a progressive force on such issues as the environment and education. He was the only one of the radical Chicago 7 defendants to win such distinction in the mainstream political world.
He remained an enduring voice against war and spent his later years as a prolific writer and lecturer advocating for reform of America's political institutions.
On AirTalk, Larry speaks with his long-time friend and fellow activist Vivien Rothstein about their time in Vietnam and highlights how Hayden's incisive mind kept him driven and inspirational.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Vivien Rothstein, Long-time friend of Tom Hayden and fellow activist
Native Angeleno looks at the city’s legendary restaurants
The City of Angels is known for so many things, not least of which is all the famous places Hollywood’s movie stars and elites ate, drank and partied.
In the new book, “L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants,” award-winning chef and writer George Geary name-checks these famous restaurants and hangout spots. From Musso & Frank Grill in the 1920s, to Ciro’s in the mid-twentieth century, to Spago in the 1980s, Geary gives readers an insider look by providing little-known facts and anecdotes of these legendary restaurants, many of them no longer exist.
For AirTalk’s ongoing series, “Native Angeleno,” Larry speaks with George about his new book.
What is your famous LA restaurant? What do you remember about it?
Guest:
George Geary, author of “L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants” (Santa Monica Press, 2016) and the author of nine cookbooks.