Economic woes being felt throughout the nation – and around the world. Jump in Sherriff’s Department shootings in L.A. County. Palestinian case for statehood at the United Nations. FilmWeek: Abduction, Dolphin Tale, Moneyball and more. Verdict in the Irvine 11 case.
Economic woes being felt throughout the nation – and around the world
Today we take a closer look at the financial mess brought on by a crumbling economy -- across the world and in the U.S – and what governments are doing to prevent a market meltdown.
Asian and European stocks spiraled downward this week, pulling the Dow Jones industrial average down almost 400 points. This may be the worst week since Wall Street’s meltdown a couple years ago, in 2008.
Officials everywhere are scrambling to breathe life back into dying economies. The Federal Reserve recently moved to lower interest rates – but it’s not enough to calm investors’ fears about a double-dip recession.
In a last-ditch effort to prevent a potential government shutdown, the House narrowly approved a GOP-authored short-term budget fix – which Democrats have vowed to reject. Meanwhile, interest rates on US Treasury bonds have hit lows not seen in decades. And did we mention the unemployment numbers? All of this has the nation asking, is there any end in sight?
WEIGH IN:
How should the situation be handled? Do you have a solution? How do you feel about the government's actions?
Guests:
Heidi Moore, Marketplace Radio New York Bureau Chief
Christopher Thornberg, Principal, Beacon Economics
Jump in Sheriff’s Department shootings in L.A. County
A recent study commissioned by The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors measured the number of of shootings of unarmed suspects by the Sheriff’s Department. The study found that these shootings jumped from nine in 2009 to fifteen last year.
Over the past 15 years, sheriff’s deputies shot and killed 178 people, and wounded 204 more. These armed encounters are referred to as “waistband shootings,” because the suspect is thought to have been reaching toward their waistband for a weapon.
In many cases, it turns out, the suspect was holding a cell phone or a pair of sunglasses. The percentage of unarmed suspects increased from one-fifth to one-third last year, and the report points out that many of the deputies involved lacked the proper training. Not only that – serious problems with the sheriff’s record-keeping were also uncovered.
WEIGH IN:
What do these numbers say about our Sheriff’s Department? Would you feel safe in an encounter with a deputy? What's the best way to prevent these situations?
Guests:
Merrick J. Bobb, Special Counsel to the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County and author of the report on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Richard Lichten, Police and Jail Procedures Consultant
Palestinian case for statehood at the United Nations
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian National Authority made an historic plea to world leaders at the United Nations early Friday. His official request for Palestinian statehood had been anticipated for months.
Diplomatic wrangling by the United States and Israel was not persuasive enough to steer Abbas off track. He argues that admission at the UN "pave[s] the way for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not only a political one."
On the other side, Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert wrote in a New York Times op-ed this week: "An unnecessary diplomatic clash between Israel and the Palestinians is taking shape in New York, and it will be harmful to Israel and to the future of the Middle East."
WEIGH IN:
What's your reaction to the speech by Abbas? Do you want to the U.S. to veto or support the Palestinian bid? What do you think of the current state of the peace process?
Guest:
Joshua Keating, Associate Editor, Foreign Policy magazine
FilmWeek: Moneyball, Abduction, Dolphin Tale and more
Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Claudia Puig to discuss this week’s films including Moneyball, Abduction, Dolphin Tale and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today
Guilty verdict in the "Irvine 11" case
The jury spent days deliberating in the case of 10 students (11 were originally charged, but one of those cases was dropped) accused of disrupting a speech at UC Irvine by the Israeli ambassador to the United States. The case has stoked a spirited debate about free speech not just in the courtroom, but on campuses and in communities. Jurors were asked to decide whether students broke the law or were exercising a right to demonstrate freely. The students were facing misdemeanor charges of conspiring to disrupt a meeting and disrupting a meeting. If convicted, they could face sentences ranging from probation with community service and fines to a year in jail. What’s your reaction to the decision? What will the implications be for college campuses?
Guests:
David A. Lehrer, President of Community Advocates Inc, a non-profit that advocates innovative approaches to human relations and race relations in the Los Angeles area; former head of the Anti-Defamation League
Salam Al-Marayati, President, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
Shirley Jahad, KPCC Reporter