Today on AirTalk, we analyze the latest impeachment polls and discuss what the next steps for Congress may be. Also on the show, we talk to author Stephen Kinzer about his new book 'Poisoner-in-Chief'; and more.
Impeachment Inquiry: Should The Whistleblower Testify?
The White House and the Justice Department learned about a CIA officer’s concerns about President Donald Trump around the same time the individual filed a whistleblower complaint that is now at the center of an impeachment inquiry, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter.
The new details help flesh out the timeline of how alarm bells about Trump’s call with the Ukraine leader, in which he pressed for an investigation of a political rival, reverberated across the U.S. government and inside the upper ranks of its intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
The controversy centers on a summertime phone call in which Trump asked the president of Ukraine to help investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden, according to a rough transcript the White House provided on Wednesday. A whistleblower’s complaint released on Thursday alleged a concerted White House effort to suppress the transcript of the call and described a shadow campaign of diplomacy by Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
A new poll by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist, which was taken before yesterday’s hearing, found that Americans are split, 49%-46%, on the House impeachment inquiry. The same poll found that half of independents, 50%, disapprove of inquiry and 52% said they don’t think it’s worth it if the Senate doesn’t convict. All in all, 71% of the 864 Americans surveyed said they’ve been following the news, and pollsters say new developments could change public opinion.
We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the impeachment inquiry? Given what you’ve learned this week, does this rise to the level of impeachment? If so, should Dems pursue the inquiry? And should the whistleblower testify? Call us and weigh in at 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Kevin Whitelaw, deputy managing editor for U.S. government at Bloomberg; he tweets
The Life And Times Of CIA’s Notorious ‘Poisoner-in-Chief’
Pusher, assassin, and pimp. That’s how one obituary described CIA scientist and so-called "official US poisoner," Sidney Gottlieb.
In his new book, Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control, bestselling author Stephen Kinzer delves into these labels, revealing details on Gottlieb’s deep cover experiments, including mind control tests with LSD and electro-shock torture. The book chronicles the dual life of Gottlieb, from his humble beginnings at Caltech, raising goats at a remote cabin, to his extensive, often insidious, career in the federal government.
Kinzer joins host Larry Mantle to talk about Gottlieb's macabre career and the continuing influence of the chemist's work.
Guest:
Stephen Kinzer, journalist and Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University; author of many books, including his latest, "Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control" (Henry Holt; 2019)
FilmWeek: ‘Judy,’ ‘Abominable,’ ‘The Laundromat’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"Judy" in wide release
Earlier this week, The Frame host John Horn spoke with Renée Zellweger while at the Telluride Film Festival, where the movie had its premiere. You can listen to that interview here
"Abominable" in wide release
"The Laundromat" at the Landmark Theater
"The Day Shall Come" at ArcLight Hollywood, ArcLight Sherman Oaks & Alamo Drafthouse Downtown LA
"Loro" at Laemmle's Royal and Video on Demand
"The Death of Dick Long" at ArcLight Pasadena, ArcLight Hollywood, ArcLight Sherman Oaks & Alamo Drafthouse Downtown LA
"Ága" at Laemmle's Royal & Laemmle's Playhouse
"Always in Season" at Laemmle's Music Hall
"Don't Be Nice" at Laemmle's Glendale
"The Game Changers" at Vintage Los Feliz Theater
"Jim Allison:Breakthrough" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center & Laemmle's Playhouse
"Antrhopocene: The Human Epoch" at the Aero Theater (Friday 09/27 only)
"Sister Aimee" at Laemmle's Glendale
CRITICS HITS:
Tim: "The Day Shall Come," "Loro" & "Don't Be Nice"
Amy: "Judy," "The Death of Dick Long" & "Ága"
Charles: "Always In Season"
MIXED FEELINGS:
Tim: "Jim Allison: Breakthrough"
Amy: "Sister Aimee"
Charles: "Athropocene: The Human Epoch"
MISSES:
Charles: "Abominable" & "Game Changers"
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
From The TV Screen To The Silver Screen
“Downton Abbey,” Focus Features’ adaptation of the popular PBS `period drama, topped the weekend box office with an estimated $31 million.
It became the largest opening in Focus Features’ history and pulled ahead of “Ad Astra,” Fox’s sci-fi feature starring Brad Pitt, which opened with $19.2 million. The success of “Downton Abbey" is in large part due to its cult-like TV following—the series finale, which aired in 2015, drew an audience of nearly 10 million viewers. Reviving a fanbase’s affection for the television characters they love has proven to be an effective strategy for filmmakers. Sex and The City and The Simpsons commanded huge opening weekends for their film adaptations, as did franchises like Star Trek, Transformers and Mission: Impossible, all based on television classics.
Other highly anticipated television adaptations are still to come this fall. In October, viewers will follow the bleak trials of Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, a revival of AMC’s popular drama. That same month, The Addams Family will bring the ghoulish family back in animated form. Charlie’s Angels, which was previously adapted from the television show in 2000, will be released in theaters this November.
What makes a good TV-to-film adaptation? What are some examples of the good and bad of TV series adapted to film? What’s your personal favorite?
Call us and weigh in at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine