Larry Mantle and political guests Pilar Marrero, Bill Whalen & Mary Plummer unpack this week in the election; How Georgetown tracked the descendants of 272 slaves sold by the university - and how their preferential admission offer is being received; Plus, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar argues we shouldn’t encourage uninformed voters to head to the polls - others disagree
AirTalk politics 2016: Previewing the presidential debates, post-Labor Day polls and Hillary Clinton’s new plane
Donald Trump seems to have weathered a tough couple of weeks to reassert himself in new polls. CNN's latest has him in a statistical tie nationally against Hillary Clinton.
But where Trump is struggling is in the electoral college race. He's trailing in several swing states, and hasn't broken through with women or college educated voters. Donald Trump is no longer the only presidential candidate with a jumbo jet bearing his name.
Hillary Clinton debuted her new Boeing 737 on Monday and taking questions from reporters, who will now be able to travel with Secretary Clinton as she campaigns.
Meanwhile, California's candidates and ballot measures are struggling for attention.
Guests:
Pilar Marrero, senior political reporter at La Opinion and other ImpreMedia Newspapers
Bill Whalen, research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University
Mary Plummer, KPCC’s senior political reporter and “Human Voter Guide”
What Gretchen Carlson settlement means for future sexual harassment lawsuits, 21st Century
Former Fox News Channel anchor Gretchen Carlson has settled her sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, the case that led to the downfall of Fox’s chief executive with stunning swiftness this summer.
In a statement Tuesday, Fox parent company 21st Century said that “we regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve.”
Carlson was paid $20 million, according to someone familiar with the confidential settlement who spoke under condition of anonymity. Carlson alleged that she was demoted and let go from Fox after she refused Ailes’ sexual advances and complained about workplace harassment. Ailes denied the charges, but 21st Century launched an investigation and Ailes resigned after other women made allegations.
In a statement, Carlson said she was ready to move on to the next chapter in her life, and plans to help empower women in the workplace. “I want to thank all the brave women who came forward to tell their own stories and the many people across the country who embraced and supported me,” she said.
Why is Fox paying for a lawsuit Carlson filed against Roger Ailes? And does this settlement make the company more vulnerable in other pending lawsuits?
With files from AP
Guest:
Camille Hebert, professor of law at the Ohio State Moritz College of Law
Slavery descendants' admissions preference at Georgetown U sets precedent
More than 175 years after profiting from the sale of 272 slaves, Georgetown University's leadership will give preference in admissions to descendants of the enslaved.
Additionally, the school's president said Georgetown will offer a formal apology, create an institute for the study of slavery, along with other memorials to slaves whose work benefited the school.
Recently, Georgetown researchers contacted descendants of the 272, including 34-year-old Jessica Tilson, to inform them of their ancestors’ enslavement and sale, which saw them penned and shipped from Maryland to Louisiana plantations. Tilson told "The Washington Post" that, previously, her family's history could be traced back only a few generations. When she received the news about Georgetown's new plans for atonement, she burst into tears. “I know some of the descendants wanted something to happen for us. I didn’t want anything for me. I wanted them to do something for my ancestors. That was the part that made me cry," Tilson said. She added, “Some of the descendants wanted money — reparations.... Georgetown hand me money for raping beating and selling my ancestors? I refuse to take money that way.”
In recent years, Princeton, Brown, Emory, Harvard, and other storied colleges have had to reconcile with histories of profiting and transacting in the slave trade.
Read more at the Georgetown Slavery Archive (LINK).
Guests:
Adam Rothman, Member of Georgetown University's Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation; Professor of History at GU.
Leslie Harris, Professor of History, Northwestern University; while at Emory University; Harris co-organized the first academic conference on slavery at universities, "Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies," in February 2011.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to uninformed voters: Don’t vote
Last week, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suggested that uninformed voters should not head to the polls.
The comment revived debates around whether votes from less informed population produce a better outcome on our elections.
Election watchers have argued that uninformed voters could pose serious risks to our political system, adding guesses and blanks to the ballots. On the other hand, vote rights advocates have championed wisdom of the crowd.
Larry Mantle sits down with Jason Brennan, professor of political philosophy, to discuss the wisdom and ignorance of an uninformed voter.
Guest:
Lonna Atkeson, Political Science Professor at University of New Mexico; director for center of voting elections and democracy
Jason Brennan, Professor of political philosophy at Georgetown University. He’s the author of The Ethics of Voting