The angry comments of a quarantined nurse have brought Ebola policies into direct debate. Also, everything you need to know about elections in Orange County. Then, Walter Isaacson helps us look at the intersection of science and creativity through the figure of the innovator.
Ebola quiz: How much do you really know?
Can you answer these simple questions about the Ebola virus? (And take the quiz embedded below to find out.)
- Are quarantines necessary for those without symptoms of the Ebola virus?
- Is home confinement necessary for people who've been exposed to Ebola patients?
- Will it discourage medical workers from going to West Africa to help?
- In the case of the New York doctor who self-monitored and checked himself into the hospital, did he pose any risk to Manhattan residents?
Such questions are at the heart of the case of quarantined nurse Kaci Hickox, whose angry comments have brought Ebola policies into the spotlight.
Hickox returned to the U.S. Friday after working with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone
She had an elevated temperature when she arrived at Newark Airport and was escorted to a local hospital. She's been kept under quarantine in a tent at the facility, where she's been busy writing a critical op-ed piece and giving interviews.
Her complaints over her quarantine have pitted the governors of New Jersey, New York and Illinois against the federal government. The three states now have mandatory 21-day quarantines for all medical workers returning from West Africa, but federal officials say the quarantines are not necessary and may even discourage aid workers from going to regions with Ebola.
Read our Ebola FAQ and take our quiz to see how much you know about the Ebola virus. Don't forget to share your results with us in the comment section below.
Guests:
Dr. Pascal Imperato, MD, Dean of the School of Public Health, at the State University of New York’s Downstate Medical Center. Former Commissioner of Health of New York City (1977 to 1978). He spent 6 years in West Africa where he combatted a variety of infectious diseases and epidemics. He was involved in a Cholera quarantine in Africa in 1969.
Everything you need to know about elections in Orange County
This election season, Orange County is home to two of the most important races to the state of California: the 65th Assembly district race between incumbent Democrat Sharon Quirk Silva and Republican challenger Young Kim and the 34th State Senate district race between Janet Nguyen and Jose Solorio. Millions of dollars are being poured into these races, which could decide the balance of power in California’s state house. There are also some ballot measures that are being closely watched, including Measure L, which if passed would end at-large elections for city council seats in Anaheim. We’ll speak with reporters in Orange County who have been covering the races and issues from the start and find out what’s important to OC voters.
Guests:
Martin Wisckol, Politics Editor, Orange County Register
Norberto Santana, Editor in Chief, Voice of OC
Mormon church discloses founder Joseph Smith’s polygamy
In a continuing trend toward transparency, a new Mormon church essay reveals its founder Joseph Smith had an underage bride and was married to other men's wives during the early days of the faith when polygamy was practiced. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says most of Smith's wives were adults, but one was a 14-year-old girl who was the daughter of Smith's close friends. Research shows the marriage might not have involved sex. The essay posted this week is part of a recent push by the Salt Lake City-based religion to explain or expand on sensitive issues within the faith, many of which are unflattering or uncomfortable to discuss.
Why is the church becoming more transparent about its history? What other disclosures might remain?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Patrick Q. Mason, Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University; practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
John Dehlin, founder of “Mormon Stories,” a podcast of interviews with scholars and church members, many critical toward the church; member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
US Marines and UK troops mark final withdrawal from Afghanistan
After a military ceremony on Sunday, US troops officially transferred control of two bases in Helmand, Afghanistan, Camps Leatherneck and Bastion, to Afghans security forces. The vast majority of the bases were evacuated by air, driven by car, or burned on site in order to protect sensitive materials, with the rest given to the Afghans. Just in Camp Leatherneck, the US transferred approximately $230 million in buildings and real estate, “including a new 64,000 square foot state-of-the-art headquarters, built over three years at a cost of $34 million and never used by the Americans.”
Since 2011, a slow draw-down crept over US bases in Helmand as Marines moved towards a training and advisory role from one that was primarily focused on military engagement. Of 143 operating bases that the Marines controlled, 52 were closed and 91 were transferred to Afghan control. The hope of the troops, the broader coalition, and Afghans in general is that Afghan troops will be able to effectively combat the Taliban, particularly in an area where they maintain significant control over large parcels of land and have a vested interest in growing poppy seeds to maintain global heroin production. 940 coalition troops died in Helmand, 360 of them Marines.
What is the legacy left behind by coalition troops in Afghanistan? Could it leave a power vacuum in the country’s most restive province? Does the current violence with self-described Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria cause worry for Afghan leaders?
Guest:
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations and author of “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana”
Looking at the intersection of science and creativity through the figure of the innovator
In his new book, “The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution," Walter Isaacson explores the past 150 years of technological advancements. Previously, Isaacson documented the lives of individuals who have shaped history, from Benjamin Franklin to Albert Einstein to Steve Jobs. But this work explores a broad range of characters, starting with Ada, Countess of Lovelace and ending with Watson, the IBM computer.
The average user of a personal computer may not realize how many years, ideas, and innovators it took for that device to be sitting in front of them. From light bulbs to punch cards, transistors to microchips, codebreakers to gamewinners, and AOL to Wikipedia, dozens of technological breakthroughs emerged to shape how people interact with technology. Isaacson’s focus is not only on the technology itself, but, the inventors who saw a new, innovative path ahead of them.
How do new ideas emerge? And can innovation be taught?
Guest:
Walter Isaacson, author of numerous books, including “Steve Jobs” (Simon & Schuster, 2011) and his latest, “The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution” (Simon & Schuster, 2014)