Larry discusses MTA's rail contract with an Italian firm. And as the Supreme Court begins its new term, Larry Mantle looks at the cases on the docket. Then, he talks with legal scholar Barry Friedman about his book "The Will of the People", and how public opinion has shaped the court. And sports network ESPN turns 30 this year. Larry looks at how the company became a sports empire.
MTA awards contract for rail car plant
Last week, the L.A. County Metropolitan Transit Authority awarded Italian firm AnsaldoBreda a $300 million contract to build 100 light-rail cars for the city. The company will build a manufacturing plant downtown that will employ over 600 people as well as pay 1,000 construction workers to build the facility. Larry Mantle discusses the decision to award the contract to an Italian firm as well as the economic prospects of the deal.
Guest:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC Reporter
Richard Katz, former California assemblyman, now on the Boards of MetroLink, MTA and High Speed Rail
Jack Kyser, Founding economist of the Kyser Center of Economic Research
Supreme Court preview
Cruelty against animals is illegal in the US, but what about copying a video of a dog fight? Videos of child pornography are illegal, because the Court has decided that the interest of preventing child pornography outweighs free speech. So should the same standard apply to depictions of animal cruelty? This is one of the many fascinating issues the Supreme Court of the United States will take up this year. Larry hears arguments about this and other fascinating cases.
Guests:
Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Correspondent for the New York Times
John Eastman, Dean and Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law at the Chapman University School of Law
Charles S. Doskow, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law at the University of La Verne College of Law
The Supreme Court and public opinion
For decades, America’s most intense social, legal and political conflicts have been playing out in the courts. Did the framers of the Constitution intend for federal judges to play such an important in determining the lives of Americans? In his new book “The Will of the People” author and legal scholar Barry Friedman argues that the Court has always been subject to the higher power of public opinion.
Guest:
Barry Friedman, author of The Will of the People: How Public Opinion Has Influenced the Supreme Court and Shaped the Meaning of the Constitution; Vice Dean and Jacob D. Fuchsberg Professor of Law at New York University School of Law
ESPN: the company
30 years ago, ESPN- the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network- premiered on cable television. With its charismatic anchors and programs like "SportsCenter", the network became a favorite source for sports fanatics. For twenty years, Anthony F. Smith worked for ESPN as a lead management consultant, guiding it to become a global brand worth over $25 billion. He joins Larry Mantle to discuss his book "ESPN: The Company", and the business insights he learned from ESPN's success.
Guest:
Anthony F. Smith, co-author with Keith Hollihan of "ESPN: The Company: The Story and Lessons Behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports"; Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Leadership Research Institute
Whip It with Alex Cohen
You may know Alex Cohen as KPCC's reporter and anchor of All Things Considered, but she's also a roller derby enthusiast who skates under the alter-ego "Axles of Evil". She talks with Larry about her role in the Drew Barrymore film "Whip It!", for which she also served as a derby consultant and skate trainer.
Guest:
Alex Cohen, Reporter and KPCC All Things Considered host