AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the political headlines you might’ve missed this weekend and previews some of the big stories we’re watching for this week. We also discuss the most effective ways of dealing with hate speech; analyze the Dodgers loss to the Red Sox in the World Series; and more.
Los Angeles’ Jewish community responds to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
The massacre of eleven congregants at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s historically Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
A 46-year-old man who lived a few miles away was arrested following a shootout with police, four of whom were seriously injured. The suspect is scheduled to be taken to a federal courtroom in less than half an hour. He’d posted anti-Semitic comments on social media and allegedly made anti-Jewish remarks to police as he was being arrested. 76-year-old Barry Werber survived by hiding in a closet at the synagogue.
Afterward he said, “I don’t know why he thinks the Jews are responsible for all the ills in the world, but he’s not the first and he won’t be the last. Unfortunately, that’s our burden to bear. It breaks my heart.”
AirTalk talks to Los Angeles’ Jewish community about the tragedy.
Guests:
Rob Eshman, adjunct professor of media, food and culture at USC’S Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism; former editor-in-chief of the Jewish Journal, who has written an op-ed about the shooting on Saturday for the Los Angeles Times
David Lehrer, president of Community Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit organization that advocates innovative approaches to human relations and race relations in Los Angeles city and county; former Los Angeles regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for 27 years; he tweets
Week in politics: Is anti-Semitism that fueled Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect part of larger trend?
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the political headlines you might’ve missed this weekend and previews some of the big stories we’re watching for this week. Here are some of the headlines we’re watching:
Pittsburgh shooting latest – Is this incident is indicative of a larger wave of anti-Semitism in America or just a one-off?
President says he’s going to halt entry for asylum seekers, latest on migrant caravan, Mattis approves troops to border
Latest on suspicious package suspect – new package intercepted at CNN in Atlanta, president and other public officials’ use of rhetoric following an incident like this
Brazil elects new leader, Germany’s Merkel announces she’s stepping down
Guests:
Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and senior fellow at The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University; he tweets
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
Sunshine or quarantine? In light of Pittsburgh shooter’s posts on social network site Gab, we discuss the most effective ways of dealing with hate speech
The social networking website Gab is now facing an uncertain future because of the Pittsburgh shooter, who was was a user of the site.
The site, which markets itself as a free speech alternative to Facebook and Twitter, has faced criticism for creating a forum for white nationalism, anti-Semitism and other hate speech.
On Saturday morning, the shooter posted: "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in." (HIAS is a jewish nonprofit that advocates for refugees.) The CEO of Gab defended the site in an NPR interview, saying that it removes direct threats but that the shooter’s post didn’t violate any rules. On Monday, Gab was “no-platformed” by its hosting providers, pay sites like PayPal and App stores.
Gab touted itself as a platform for anyone, but should there truly be a platform for anyone? Would hate speech on a site like Twitter provide a platform or allow for engagement and discourse to break down such speech? Is that speech better off in a siloed space like Gab? Is a site like Gab the price to pay for freedom of speech?
Guests:
Jeffrey McCall, professor of communication at DePauw University in Indiana and former journalist; he is a columnist for The Hill; he tweets
Jody Armour, professor of law at USC; he tweets
Kelly McBride, senior vice president at The Poynter Institute and one of the nation's leading experts on media ethics; she tweets
AirTalk Midterm Elections Interview: Ricardo Lara for California Insurance Commissioner
The California state insurance commissioners race gets little attention, but it’s no small job.
Overseeing a $250 million budget and an office of 1,400 employees, the insurance commissioner of California is in charge of making sure companies play by the rules by enforcing insurance laws and investigating fraud.
The two final candidates running are former commissioner Steve Poizner and state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). Poizner held one four-year term previously as Republican and left the office for an unsuccessful run for governor in 2011. He is also no longer a member of the GOP but running as an independent. Lara is openly gay and won the endorsement of his party as the Democratic candidate for commissioner. He was elected to the Assembly in 2010, followed by the state Senate in 2012, and if elected he would be California’s first openly gay statewide official.
Today, we hear from Lara about his platform and plans for the state’s Department of Insurance. Call us at 866-893-5722 with your questions or comment below.
AirTalk has made repeated attempts to contact candidate Steve Poizner and invite him to join us on the air, but as of the airing of this segment we have not received any response from the Poizner campaign.
Ready for Election Day? Get up to speed on what you need to know with our Voter Game Plan at elections.laist.com. Read up on the candidates and ballot measures, find out about registration deadlines or ask us your questions.
Guest:
Ricardo Lara, candidate for California Insurance Commissioner; he is a California Democratic Senator (D-Bell Gardens), who represents the 33rd Senate District, which encompasses Long Beach and portions of the Gateway Cities region; he tweets
Triple Play: Always a bridesmaid… Dodgers fall to the Red Sox
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was no match for the Red Sox’s David Price in yesterday’s Game 5 of the World Series.
Down three games to one, it was a must-win game for the Dodgers to stay alive and to bring the series back to Boston, but Los Angeles had little left in the tank after the 18 inning marathon that was Game 3, as well as a disheartening Game 4, and fell to the Sox in a 5-1 loss in Game 5.
It’s the second time in a row the Dodgers lost the World Series. Last year, L.A. fell to the Houston Astros in a series that took 7 games to resolve.
This year’s loss raises questions about the future of the team. Clayton Kershaw has three days to decide whether he’ll opt out of his contract and seek free agency. And GM Dave Roberts, despite leading his team to back-to-back World Series appearances, faces a decision by the Dodgers on whether to extend his contract for another year.
KPCC’s resident Dodgers superfans A. Martinez and Nick Roman talk with Larry about the series and the team’s future.
Guests:
A Martínez, host of Take Two on KPCC; he tweets
Nick Roman, host of All Things Considered on KPCC; he tweets