Trump & Peña Nieto's difference of opinion on his Mexico visit & immigration speech; immigrants share views on today's American Dream and how it's changing; Plus Delta Airlines is taking heat for cutting lesbian kissing scenes from "Carol" - censoring in-flight entertainment is routine, but is it changing now that everyone's on a tablet?
Analyzing the strategy behind Donald Trump’s change in tone on immigration, Mexico
Donald Trump's whirlwind day yesterday took him from Mexico City to Phoenix. In Mexico, he met with President Enrique Pena Nieto.
After that joint news conference, Pena Nieto announced he'd told Trump at the meeting's outset Mexico wouldn't pay for a wall.
Maybe Trump didn't consider that a discussion. Last night, Trump spoke at length in Phoenix about his plan to combat illegal immigration. Early on, he argued that those with a vested interest in illegal immigration willfully misrepresent the issue.
Trump's plan offered a series of proposals, including large increases in Border Patrol officers and ICE deportation officers. Additionally, he sees local law enforcement as willing partners in aiding deportations. Of course, what's missing there is how he'd get cooperation from cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, that don't want to cooperate with ICE.
There's no political incentive to do so. Trump says he'd cut off federal funds to sanctuary cities, but that would be a very tough lift in Congress.
How do you read Trump’s visit and speech last night?
Guests:
Sam Quinones, journalist and author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic” (Bloomsbury Press, 2015)
Paris Dennard, Republican political analyst and former staffer for President George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee: he tweets from
Bill Burton, Democratic political strategist, Hillary supporter, former deputy White House press secretary for Barack Obama; he tweets from
New study on dwindling exchange options raises questions over ACA sustainability
A new analysis from Kaiser Family Foundation found that starting in 2017, about a third of U.S. counties will only have one insurance carrier in operation, raising questions over consumer choice, and how a lack of competition will impact how much consumers will pay for health insurance.
The analysis also found that in another 31 percent of U.S. counties, only two insurance carrier options would be available.
California counties are not impacted by this trend. The study found that 47 percent of counties in the state would have 2 insurers in 2017, and the remaining 53 percent would have 3 or more insurers.
How does shrinking carrier options impact the Affordable Care Act? What could be done to fix the problem? Despite the plethora of insurance carrier options California enjoy, will the state still be impacted by ACA-related instability in other parts of the nation?
Guests:
Shana Charles, assistant professor in the department of health sciences at Cal State Fullerton
Avik Roy, opinion editor at Forbes, and former policy advisor to Marco Rubio, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney
Can Audi’s new traffic light feature alleviate LA traffic?
In a step toward creating a more connected city and helping drivers achieve a more relaxed and efficient commute, Audi will begin equipping select 2017 vehicles with a new traffic light information feature.
Vehicles in select cities will collaborate with city infrastructure, such as traffic light systems, to predict the time remaining until the signal changes to green. Angelenos will have to wait about two more years for the feature to work in Los Angeles because there are so many different light management providers, according to Pom Malhotra, Audi’s director of connected vehicles.
The German automaker sees this new technology as a stepping stone toward connecting vehicles to infrastructure in the future to create a safer, more efficient commute.
Are you looking forward to this new technology?
Guests:
Pom Malhotra, Director of Connected Vehicles, Audi
Juan Matute, Associate Director, Research and Administration, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies
A Nation Engaged: Immigration and the ‘American Dream’
The American Dream has many faces. To some, it could look like a Norman Rockwell painting. To others, it could be an escape from gang warfare.
No matter how you picture it, the American Dream has been a proud advertisement to other nations.
But does the rest of the world see us as a place to give “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”?
According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study on "America’s Global Image,” 69 percent of the nations surveyed had a favorable opinion of the U.S., while 24 percent had an unfavorable view. And despite Donald Trump’s stance on “building a wall” along the southern U.S. border, Mexican President Peña Nieto agreed to meet with the presidential nominee on Wednesday. Nieto said in a press conference after the meeting that “our countries are very important to each other.”
But beyond the surveys and rhetoric of political leaders, the outlook on the “American Dream” is individual and ever-changing. Previous generations may have a different meaning for the dream than their children do. And in a place as diverse as Los Angeles, what does the “American Dream” look like?
How has the American Dream changed in L.A. over the past decade? If you have family outside the country, how do they view the U.S.? If you immigrated from another country, what did you have to give up to become American and has the U.S. lived up to your expectations? Do you see L.A. as a city that welcomes people from other countries?
Larry Mantle asked listeners about their take on the American dream. Here are some highlights from the conversation.
What makes you feel American?
Oyin from Santa Barbara came from Nigeria when she was 3. She said she eventually learned to embrace both her cultures.
Oyin: My parents never wanted to live here so they constantly told us, 'you're not an American.' They kept us in a little Nigerian bubble. And then, slowly, I started to see how to balance both cultures ... I remember feeling very American for the first time when I graduated high school.
Kirk in Calabasas immigrated to the U.S. from Iran with his family in the 1980s. He said every day since has been the American Dream fulfilled, particularly by his experience as a student at UCLA.
Kirk: I was accepted to UCLA on a full scholarship purely based on my academics. And now, I'm 44 years old and I've given a ton of money back [to UCLA]. I'm a surgeon and I've given back to fulfill that scholarship. . . Going to UCLA as an undergraduate, living in the dorms and being fully accepted by my "native American" friends and friends of other ethnicities, I think I've always felt [American] because of that. . . I'm Muslim American and I still go back to Iran, but there is no place on earth that I want to contribute, or want my children to contribute to, more than the United States.
What gives you and appreciation for American rights?
Alfredo in Compton said he was grateful for the second amendment.
Alfredo: What I love is the right to have a firearm.. My family comes from Mexico [where] firearms are illegal… You can go to prison for having ammunition… Over here, you have the right to defend yourself.”How you doing?
Who represents the American Dream?
Yoi in Laurel Canyon was born in Japan. She said she was inspired by Barack Obama when she heard him speak about his heritage in 2004. Not yet a citizen in 2008, she was disappointed to not be able to vote for him in the presidential election.
Yoi: I was so frustrated because I really wanted to cast my vote for this man who I thought was the epitome of American dream fulfilled…At the time I was somewhat disillusioned by the disparity between American ideal and the reality on the ground. I have been a subject of prejudice and biased treatment... When he [Obama] got elected, that’s when I realized America as a whole was a place where that [the American Dream] was still alive.”
What opportunities have helped you achieve the American Dream?
Mauricio in Hollywood Heights immigrated to the U.S. to work in the film industry. While he traveled for work, he was based in Hollywood for four years before he truly considered the U.S. his home. When that feeling finally sank in, he thought about the doors that being in America had opened for him.
Mauricio: [America] is the one place on earth that allows you to push yourself as far as you want and essentially reach your limit. But that limit is set by [you], it's not a place that limits you in any way to get the most out of yourself, but it doesn't chastise you if you don't want to do that as well.
Rica in Montrose is originally from the Philippines and came to the United States in 2008. Her husband was born in Panama. When they were first married here in the U.S., she said things weren't easy, but taking advantage of 'American' opportunity changed that.
Rica: When we were poor, we asked each other, 'Why are we still here in the U.S. when we're having a hard time?' And then he told me, 'because here in the U.S., when if you're poor, you still have opportunities to work, to study, to have children and enjoy the benefits of free public school. . .' So when I got my green card, I went to USC. I earned my master's in education. I'm now a teacher and my husband and I have improved our lives. And despite the economic downfall in 2008, we live a good life. We both have jobs and we are on the positive side of the American Dream.
*These quotes have been edited for clarity. You can listen to the full segment by clicking the blue play button above.
Series: A Nation Engaged
NPR and KPCC's coverage of critical issues facing the nation before November's presidential election. The stories seek to build a nationwide conversation around focusing on a specific question each time.
Read more in this series and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on Facebook.
Delta under fire for censoring kissing scenes from in-flight movie 'Carol'
Have you ever watched a film airborne on the tiny screen attached to the passenger seats? Chances are the film you saw was edited for content.
But in-flight entertainment is not subject to the same federal broadcasting regulations as movies that are currently in theaters. More often than not, airlines provide certain guidelines to editing studios on what is appropriate in-flight content.
Recently, Delta came under fire for cutting kissing scenes between a lesbian couple from the film “Carol.” The backlash from the LGBTQ community highlighted the arbitrary nature of in-flight entertainment censorship. While R-rated violence is often displayed in the semi-public cabins, same-sex affection, plane crash scenes, and even certain food products could be eliminated due to regional and cultural norms. For frequent flyers wishing for more control over their in-flight experience, bringing their own tablets or computers might be a solution.
Does this trend make built-in screens completely obsolete, thus rendering airline censorship irrelevant? What’s your experience with in-flight systems?
Host Larry Mantle sits down with Brian Sumers, airline reporter for SKIFT, and Charisse L’Pree, professor in media communications, to talk about the politics and economics of in-flight entertainment.
Guests:
Brian Sumers, airline business reporter for SKIFT, a website that covers global travel; he tweets
Charisse L’Pree, an assistant professor at Syracuse University specializing in representation and diversity in media; she tweets