An exciting discovery from NASA this morning - liquid water is seasonally flowing on Mars. Then, Obama and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will meet today for the first time in more than a year. Also, as AirTalk continues its 30th anniversary tour, Santa Barbara addresses the drought by reopening its long-closed desalination plant.
NASA scientist on what Mars’ salty water in summer time could mean for future discoveries
An exciting discovery from NASA this morning - liquid water is seasonally flowing on Mars.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has found markings from highly salty water that flows from some mountain peaks in the summer months. The high salt content might keep life from forming, but the possibility of life on Mars is always exciting.
Guest:
Rich Zurek, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory based in Pasadena, Calif.
What to watch for when President Obama, Putin meet to tackle Syrian crisis
Obama and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will meet today for the first time in more than a year.
The one-on-one meeting is expected to focus on efforts to resolve the growing conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. But it will likely be a chance for the two to discuss what Russia is willing to do to combat Islamist extremism and establish a plan for the conflict in Syria.
The meeting was requested by Putin on Thursday, however it is still unclear what its focus will be.
The White House has said the meeting will focus on eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are fighting the Kiev government. However, Putin’s officials have said the focus will be on Syria where Russia has built up its military forces in recent weeks in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Guests:
, senior Washington correspondent for Al Jazeera America
Nina Tumarkin, Professor of History and Director of Russian Area Studies, Wellesley College; author of “The Living and the Dead: The Rise and Fall of the Cult of World War II in Russia”
U.S. military members grapple with authority, morality in dealing with child sex abuse among Afghan allies
Imagine you’re a soldier in the U.S. Army and you witness an Afghan police commander sexually abusing a teenage boy. Do you intervene, as your conscience and values suggest you should, or do you stay out of it like your superiors have told you to?
For many current and former military members who served in Afghanistan, this situation isn’t a hypothetical. A New York Times article published last weekend on the paper’s website details the issue of rampant child sex abuse in Afghanistan, particularly in rural areas where local militia commanders have been put in power to help keep the Taliban at bay.
‘Bacha bazi,’ which translates literally to ‘playing with boys’ is a practice that has long been part of Afghan culture.
The U.S. military, in the hopes of maintaining good relations with the Afghan people with whom it is working, has instructed service members to look the other way when they witness of child sex abuse because it’s part of Afghan culture and that any allegations of sex abuse would have to be dealt with by Afghan law enforcement, not the U.S. military.
When two Army soldiers beat up an Afghan police commander who was abusing an 11-year-old boy, they were disciplined by the military. One has since left the service, and the Army is trying to forcibly retire the other.
Where do we draw the line between cultural respect and maintaining relations, and standing up for our values? Where do we draw the line between cultural respect and maintaining relations, and standing up for our values?
Guests:
Colonel Cedric Leighton, former deputy director of training for the NSA, chairman of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership management consultancy, and a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations and author of “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana” (HarperCollins, 2011) and "Ashley's War: The Untold Story of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield" (Harper, 2015)
The future of desalination in Santa Barbara and California
California is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history.
In the midst of this drought, communities are trying to address their current water needs as well as develop long-term strategies. Santa Barbara’s approach is to reopen its long-closed desalination plant.
Is that the city’s best option? Will the water produced be affordable? Will Ocean life be harmed?
AirTalk Overtime:
The conversation continued after the broadcast with Q&A from the audience:
Guests:
Sara Aminzadeh, executive director California Coastkeeper Alliance
Yoram Cohen, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCLA
Joe Geever, environmental consultant for Surfrider
Bob Harding, resources and system analysis manager at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Helene Schneider, mayor of Santa Barbara and candidate for Congress
Robert H. Sulnick, executive director of Orange County Water Independence Sustainability & Efficiency (OC WISE)