Today on AirTalk, we discuss the legacy of Cokie Roberts, one of the "Founding Mothers of NPR" who died Tuesday at age 75. We also take a look at how this recent state legislative session might be the most revolutionary yet; the ballot proposal trying to reform California's alimony laws; and more.
Cokie Roberts: The Legacy Of One Of The ‘Founding Mothers of NPR’
Cokie Roberts, the daughter of politicians who grew up to cover the family business in Washington for ABC News and NPR over several decades, died Tuesday in Washington of complications from breast cancer. She was 75.
ABC broke into network programming to announce her death and pay tribute.
Roberts was the daughter of Hale Boggs, a former House majority leader from Louisiana, and Lindy Boggs, who succeeded her husband in the job. Roberts worked in radio and at CBS News and PBS before joining ABC News in 1988.
She was a congressional reporter and analyst who co-anchored the Sunday political show “This Week” with Sam Donaldson from 1996 to 2002.
Roberts paved the way for women journalists at a time when there were few in the profession and was known as one of the “founding mothers of NPR.” We remember her work and talk to her colleagues, as well as journalists who were inspired and shaped by her legacy.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio; one of the founding mothers of NPR
Bill Davis, President Emeritus of Southern California Public Radio
David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent; he tweets
Scott Simon, NPR host of Weekend Edition Saturday, he tweets
Judy Muller, an Emmy, duPont-Columbia and Peabody Award-winning television correspondent and National Public Radio commentator; professor emeritus at USC’s School of Journalism
Tamara Keith, NPR White House Correspondent; she tweets
Could This Year’s Legislative Session Leave A Historical Mark?
Some extremely noteworthy measures have made it through the California legislature this year, including AB 5, which could change the game for gig-economy workers, and a measure that would enact significant statewide rental caps.
There’s also a bill that would allow college athletes to be paid for the use of their likeness. These bills could have significant repercussions and leave a lasting impact maybe even beyond the state’s borders...and they’re all happening at once. Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t held back in sharing
CA is about to enact the strongest renter protections in the NATION.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 12, 2019
Because there should be a cap on how much you pay for rent.
Because your landlord shouldn’t be able to evict you for no reason.
It’s about time.
and support toward some of the measures. Democrats are also currently enjoying a super majority, which hasn’t been the case since 2012, according to the Los Angeles Times. Do these bills mark a “revolutionary” legislative session?
Guests:
Dan Walters, long-time CA politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication
Joel Fox, editor-in-chief of political commentary website Fox and Hounds Daily
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, former professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy; political analyst for NBC4
3 Million US Women’s First Sexual Experience Was Involuntary, Tied To Negative Health Outcomes, According To JAMA Study
The first sexual experience for 1 in 16 U.S. women was forced or coerced intercourse in their early teens, encounters that for some may have had lasting health repercussions, according to a new study in JAMA.
“Association Between Forced Sexual Initiation and Health Outcomes Among US Women” found that almost 7 percent of women surveyed said their first sexual intercourse experience was involuntary; it happened at age 15 on average and the man was often several years older.
The experiences amount to rape, the authors say, although they relied on a national survey that didn't use the word in asking women about forced sex.
Almost half of those women who said intercourse was involuntary said they were held down and slightly more than half of them said they were verbally pressured to have sex against their will.
In the years after coerced or forced sex, affected women had more sex partners, unwanted pregnancies and abortions, and more reproductive health problems including pelvic pain and menstrual irregularities than women whose first sexual experience wasn't forced. Almost 16 percent reported fair or poor health, double the rate of other women. The study couldn't establish whether forced sex caused or contributed to any of the health or other problems.
We dive into the investigation with the lead author. Plus, how do you talk to teenagers about having consensual sex? How do you help teens navigate advocating for themselves, respecting their partner and creating a safe and healthy space in which to have sexual experiences?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Laura Hawks M.D., lead author of the study; she is an internist and researcher with Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance; she tweets
Emmalinda Maclean, program director and co-founder of More Than Sex Ed, a sexual education non-profit based in Los Angeles
Family Law Experts Answer Your Questions On California Alimony Law
A Huntington Beach man is aiming to reform California’s alimony laws by restricting the length of time that former spouses are required to pay their exes after a divorce or legal separation.
Steve Clark tells the Los Angeles Times that he would never have gotten married 25 years ago had he known that he’d one day have to be paying his ex-wife $1,000 a month for the rest of his life. His ballot proposal would restrict the period of time that former spouses receive support to five years. Under current law, spouses may receive support for “a reasonable period of time,” and judges are given a lot of latitude when it comes to considering the long list of criteria for determining spousal support and making a decision on what level, if any, of spousal support is necessary.
In light of this proposal, AirTalk sits down with a trio of family law experts to talk about the current state of alimony law in California, also known as spousal support. Join the conversation at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Atousa Saei, Santa Monica-based family law specialist and attorney at Law Offices of Atousa Saei
Zephyr Hill, managing attorney at Goldberg Jones, a San Diego-based family law firm that focuses its representation of husbands’ and fathers’ rights
Scott Altman, professor of law at USC where his expertise includes family law