Rome is withdrawing for the 2024 Olympic bid after mayor Raggi called the bid financially irresponsible – what does that mean for L.A.?; according to the Washington Post, Trump used his foundation’s funds for a personal legal settlement – we take a closer look; plus, we host an economic roundtable to analyze the presidential candidates’ economic plans and their implications for SoCal.
What Rome’s withdrawal from Olympic bid means for LA
Rome is withdrawing from the 2024 Olympic bid. Virginia Raggi, mayor of the Italian capital, called the bid financially irresponsible at a news conference this this morning.
The move still needs to be approved by Rome’s city assembly, which will consider Raggi’s motion Wednesday.
If approved, the withdrawal would leave Los Angeles, Paris, and Budapest in the running to host the 2024 Games.
The International Olympic Committee will announce its decision in September 2017.
Guests:
Ed Hula, Editor in Chief, Around the Rings, a publication based in Atlanta, Georgia devoted to covering the Olympics
Mary Hums, Professor of Sports Administration, University of Louisville; Hums has a special interest in women Olympians and the Paralympics; She has worked at a half dozen Games
Reporter uncovers evidence Trump charity money diverted to litigation costs
The Washington Post says Republican candidate for President, Donald Trump, used $258,000 from his charitable foundation for legal settlements involving his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida and a New York golf course.
The Post reports that in 2007, Trump used his foundation's money when his Palm Beach, Florida, club was fined $120,000 by the town for having a flagpole that was almost twice the height allowed under local rules.
As part of a settlement, Trump donated $125,000 to veterans' charities from the Trump Foundation. The foundation's money comes mainly from other donors, not Trump himself.
The Post reports that in 2010, a golfer sued when he was denied a $1 million prize for a hole-in-one in a charity tournament at Trump's course outside New York City. A $158,000 settlement also came from Trump's foundation. Speaking on CNN, Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway says she does not think he broke the law: "I've been talking to the people who are responsible for the Trump Foundation to get some facts and some figures," she said. "It's very important for people to understand what happened in these cases. Donations went to veterans groups ... How did the Mar-a-Lago benefit from him giving $100,000 to veterans? The veterans benefited and I think that's great and I applaud him for doing that."
Could Trump face charges over these allegations?
Guest:
David Farenthold, reporter covering Congress for the Washington Post; his latest piece is titled "Trump used $258,000 from his charity to settle legal problems:" he tweets from
LAPD chief defends officers in fatal shootings: 'nothing else they could do'
A day after the city's police commission ruled two officers were out of policy in a police shooting near downtown, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said there was nothing else the officers could have done.
“I think that the commission recognizes that at the point where they discharged their weapons, there was really nothing else they could do,” Beck said, speaking to AirTalk on Wednesday. “The commission was critical because of what they saw as a lack of planning prior to their arrival at the call.”
Last September, officers fatally shot a mentally ill homeless woman carrying an 8-inch knife on a sidewalk south of downtown.
The woman was 37-year-old Norma Guzman, and the officers alleged they feared for their safety when she continued moving toward them with the knife, according to a report from the L.A. Board of Police Commissioners.
That was apparently not enough to sway LAPD's civilian oversight board Tuesday. It ruled the shooting — and another involving a homeless man in Van Nuys — were out of policy.
Beck had previously found the officers' actions in both incidents to be within policy.
It was not the first time the police commission has gone against the chief's recommendation, but it was still a relatively rare move.
Beck stood by the officers, saying Guzman was within 4 to 5 feet when officers fired.
“In that kind of circumstance, the Taser, which is only effective about two-thirds of the time, would not be an appropriate weapon,” Beck said.
Additionally, a Taser is not an effective defense against an edged weapon and has a poor range, and other less-lethal options were not available to the officers, Beck said.
Officers had also alleged that Guzman was saying “Shoot me,” which Beck said might have been an indication of her determination but was not something officers would generally factor into their decision to shoot.
“You consider everything, but you need much more than that. You have to have a direct action that would have a consequence that could be either fatal or cause great bodily injury, and the officers certainly had that in this case,” Beck said.
You can read the full commission report below:
Another fatal police shooting
The commission on Tuesday disagreed with Beck on another fatal police shooting, this one taking place in October 2015.
In that incident, 45-year-old James Byrd allegedly threw a bottle at the rear windshield of a police cruiser. The officers, believing they were being ambushed, stepped out of their vehicle, opening fire within 10 seconds and fatally shooting Byrd.
The commission disagreed with Beck on at least one point, finding one officer’s use of lethal force unjustified, but the chief said he agreed that the second volley of gunfire was out of policy.
“This was a difficult circumstance for these officers, and it highlights the difficulty of the job once again,” Beck said. “You know, it’s almost midnight, stopped at a red light, and suddenly the rear window explodes in their police car, and you know, when that happens, it’s difficult to tell what happened.”
Beck pointed out that the officers had been briefed the day before about an online video that depicted a man holding a gun in a car parked immediately behind a black-and-white patrol car.
Though the video reportedly turned out to be part of a rap promotion, Beck said it could have been perceived as a potential threat and was on officers’ minds when they were on patrol that night.
Beck defended the decision to alert officers to the video, because “police officers do get ambushed, and that does happen. And when we get something that may be an indicator that somebody’s planning that, then I would be derelict in my duty not to warn them.”
But he also said it was important to ensure officers “react appropriately to circumstance, and that’s why I was critical also of this particular shooting.”
Beck said he was legally not allowed to discuss whether or how he might discipline the officers in either case, citing the police officers’ bill of rights.
Beck’s monthly conversation with AirTalk covered a number of other topics, including fights in the stands and over the financing of policing at L.A. Rams games, the drug abuse and toxicity on Skid Row, the Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement — or HOPE — initiative, and a new LAPD commissioner asking for a closer look at racial profiling.
To listen to the full interview, click the blue player button above.
A Nation Engaged: Economists dissect Clinton, Trump economic policy proposals
Only eight years removed from The Great Recession, the United States economy has gotten back on track, at least comparatively.
Job production is up and despite trailing other countries in wage growth, people are making more money than they were eight years ago. In fact, the middle class just got its first raise in eight years, according to new Census data. With the election in full swing and the economy one of the biggest issues for voters in the election, how are each of the candidates planning to spur economic growth?
Hillary Clinton’s plan will raise the minimum wage, raise capital gains tax, and cut taxes for small businesses and the middle class. Donald Trump says he wants to simplify the income tax system and turn seven brackets into 3, roll back regulations on American businesses, and repeal Obamacare.
How will the candidates’ plans impact the U.S. economy positively or negatively? What will the effects be on Southern California? Larry will chat with expert economists to get the lowdown on the two presidential frontrunners’ economic policy plans.
Series: A Nation Engaged
Much of the anger and anxiety in the 2016 election are fueled by the sense that economic opportunity is slipping away for many Americans. As part of our collaborative project with NPR called "A Nation Engaged," this week we're asking: What can be done to create economic opportunity for more Americans?
Read more in this series and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on Facebook.
Guests:
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank; he is former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (2003-2005), chief economist of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (2001-2002), and as director of domestic and economic policy for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign; he tweets
Tamara Draut, Vice President of Policy at Demos - a public policy organization focused on equity; Author of the brand new book, “Sleeping Giant: How the New Working Class Will Transform America” (Doubleday; April 2016); she tweets from
A Nation Engaged: Economic opportunity in Southern California
Tensions are rising this election season over economic opportunity in the U.S. As part of this ongoing conversation, AirTalk joins NPR’s collaborative series, A Nation Engaged, to ask a panel of experts about the impact of Trump and Clinton’s plans on L.A.’s middle class.
Upon release of his expanded economic plan last Thursday, Trump touted a “Pro-Growth Tax Plan.” As reported by NPR, the plan would have only three individual tax brackets of 12, 25 and 33 percent, and lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent. Clinton is calling for programs such as subsidized college tuition and a “Fair Share Surcharge” which would impose a 4 percent tax on those making more than $5 million a year.
But what does this mean for workers, small business owners and industry leaders in Southern California? And what areas are in the most need of a plan to help economic growth? Larry Mantle speaks to a roundtable of local and national economists to give voters the inside track to make their decision this November.
Series: A Nation Engaged
Much of the anger and anxiety in the 2016 election are fueled by the sense that economic opportunity is slipping away for many Americans. As part of our collaborative project with NPR called "A Nation Engaged," this week we're asking: What can be done to create economic opportunity for more Americans?
Read more in this series and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on Facebook.
Guests:
Kevin Klowden, managing economist at the Milken Institute, where he also directs the California Center
Raphael Bostic, Judith and John Bedrosian chair in governance and the public enterprise at USC’s Price School of Public Policy
Maria Elena Durazo, general vice president for immigration, diversity and civil rights for the nonprofit organization, UNITE HERE
Lou Baglietto, Los Angeles County Business Federation Advocacy Committee Chair