AirTalk examines the federal government's decision to reopen a probe into an alleged anti-Semitic incident at New Jersey’s Rutgers University. We also check in on Kavanaugh; discuss how candy and snack food companies are targeting international audiences; and more.
With public hearing set for Monday, we check in on the latest with Kavanaugh
President Donald Trump says "we'll have to make a decision" if Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's sexual-assault accuser "makes a credible showing" before the Senate Judiciary.
The Judiciary Committee has scheduled a public hearing for Monday and has invited Kavanaugh and California college professor Christine Blasey Ford to testify regarding her allegation against him.Ford says a drunken Kavanaugh assaulted her decades ago when they were teenagers.
Kavanaugh has denied Ford's allegation and has said he's willing to appear before the committee. Ford's attorneys say she wants the FBI to investigate her allegation before she testifies. We check in on the latest.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Sarah Wire, congressional reporter for the Los Angeles Times; she tweets
How will Trump administration’s new definition of anti-Semitism affect students’ rights on college campuses?
The federal government is reopening a probe into an alleged anti-Semitic incident at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.
The incident dates back to 2011, where Jewish students said they -- and pro-Israel students -- were the only ones charged a fee to attend an on-campus event on Israeli-Palestinian relations. The Zionist Organization of America filed a complaint against the university, claiming the fee was discriminatory. In 2014, the Obama administration cleared Rutgers of any wrongdoing and closed the case. But the Zionist group filed an appeal.
Last week, the Department of Education announced that it would revive the investigation and look at whether a “hostile environment” exists at the university. The agency cited a definition of anti-Semitism that encompasses certain expressions of anti-Israel sentiment. Pro-Palestinian groups denounced the move. We examine what anti-Semitism encompasses and discuss how will this definition affect students on college campuses
Guests:
Miriam Elman, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University
Estee Chandler, founding member of the Los Angeles chapter for Jewish Voice for Peace, a national organization that seeks an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem; she was recently elected to their national board of directors
Omar Zahzah, member of the group “Students for Justice in Palestine” at UCLA, a pro-Palestinian college student activism organization; board member of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), a transnational network of young Palestinians worldwide
As LA Metro considers renaming rail lines, AirTalk asks: What are your ideas?
Metro rail lines are quickly expanding across Los Angeles.
With its growth, Metro leadership has began re-evaluating its current, 28-year old color-coded naming system.
By 2028, metro officials plan on completing eight additional bus and rail lines, including a Crenshaw/LAX line, among others. In an effort to make the rail system easier to navigate, metro staff are considering a new naming convention going forward.
The new proposal suggests adding letters or numbers to the system’s current color names, converting the Blue Line to the A Line, the Red Line to the B Line, and so on. Other options include simply naming every line after a number, a color, or keeping it as is.
This possible change addresses some issues the transit system has identified, such as inconsistent names and difficulty to decipher similar shades of color (especially for people who are colorblind). The board of directors are expected to discuss the suggestions later this week and hope to decide on a proposal by December.
Larry asks listeners to share their suggestions on improving Metro’s current naming system (LAist had some ideas of their own). So how would you rename the Metro lines? Call in at 866-893-5722 and tell us what you think.
Guests:
Pauletta Tonilas, chief communications officer at LA Metro
Laura J. Nelson, transportation reporter for the Los Angeles Times; she tweets
New law requires doctors to tell patients when put on probation
California doctors will have to tell patients if they are on probation for sexual misconduct or other wrongdoing under a new law.
Gov. Jerry Brown announced he signed the first-in-the-nation legislation Wednesday. Patients can already find information online about which doctors are on probation if they know where to look. The law authored by Democratic state Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo will force doctors to tell patients their probation status and basic details of the terms of their probation.
We discuss what the new law entails, what offenses do physicians have to disclose to their patients and how will the law be applied.
We reached out to the California Medical Association, which has not responded to our request for an interview.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Sophia Bollag, reporter for the Associated Press, who has written about the new law; she tweets
Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization advocating for taxpayers and consumers’ rights
Tikka masala chips, jalapeño M&Ms & wasabi-cream Oreos: how candy and snack food companies are targeting international audiences
M&M’s is rolling out three new offerings of its classic peanut candy in 2019 -- English Toffee Peanut, Mexican Jalapeño Peanut and Thai Coconut Peanut
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnm5Mgnl7Up/?taken-by=snackchatlive
The move is the latest in a larger trend by snack food and candy companies who are turning their focus towards marketing candy and snacks featuring international or cultural flavors -- think Tapatio Doritos Chile Limon Corn Nuts, or even the recently-announced hot wing and wasabi cream Oreos coming to China -- in the hopes of attracting a more ethnically-diverse customer base by introducing international flavors.
A popular move for many manufacturers is to add heat to their products, something that is already prevalent in many candies and snacks in Mexico, and that influence is becoming increasingly visible here in the U.S.
How has the candy and snack food industry shifted its marketing focus to more international flavors? What are some examples of companies that have been successful in doing so? Is this a recent trend?
Guests:
Jason Liebig, food historian, candy collector and author of “Collecting Candy,” a blog that documents candy packaging, marketing and history; he also hosted the Cooking Channel show “Food Flashback,” where he explored popular snacks and treats from the past that went away and came back
John Stanton, professor of food marketing at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia; he is also on the board The Frankford Candy Company, which is best known for making the original Chocolate Easter Bunny, as well as Herr’s Food Company, which makes a variety of snack foods like chips, pretzels and popcorn
Triple Play: The Dodgers, baby
It’s been a rollercoaster kind of year for the Boys in Blue.
The Dodgers seem to be playing their best baseball this September, getting a late surge just in the nick of time as the regular season comes to an end. But they haven’t always been at the top of their game.
Larry, Nick, and A — KPCC’s resident Dodgers expert — get together to talk about their favorite baseball team’s chances at finally winning it all this season.
Guests:
A Martínez, host of Take Two on KPCC
Nick Roman, host of All Things Considered on KPCC