We examine last night's presidential debate, from the topics covered, body language and how a woman moderated the debate for the first time in 20 years. Plus, the food fight between Prop 37 supporters and GMO companies heats up, a secret geo-engineering initiative has environmentalists nervous, a Pinterest account in Pennsylvania displays the town's alleged criminals and much more.
Debate No. 2: Obama and Romney spar over energy policies
During last night's debate, President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney had plenty of heated exchanges: tax policy, jobs, Libya.
But perhaps more than anything else, sabers rattled the loudest over energy: wind power, clean coal, oil drillng and — of course — gas prices.
A Martínez and Alex Cohen talk with Darren Samuelsohn--he covers the White House and energy for Politico.
Much ado about Candy Crowley, the first female debate moderator in 20 years
Much has been made of the selection of CNN's Candy Crowley as moderator for last night's town hall debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney. That's because it was the first time in 20 years that a woman has moderated a presidential debate.
The last time was in 1992, when ABC correspondent Carole Simpson conducted a Town Hall between candidates George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.
She joins us from Boston with some perspective on what's changed in the last 20 years.
Part I: Fight over Prop 37 and genetically modified food heats up
This is part I in a three-part series on Prop. 37. Click here for part II and here for part III.
Zuri Allen stalks the aisles of a Calabasas grocery store. She expertly scans the snacks and flips over a bag of Fritos..and wrinkles her nose. "It says the ingredients are whole corn. Corn oil. Salt. No preservatives. Now is that corn oil natural?" she says.
Allen grew up on a farm. She shops carefully now, to avoid food sweetened with corn or sugar beets, and to protect herself and her 7-year-old daughter from potential health risks.
"It’s that we don’t know," she says. "There have not been enough studies. We don’t know what it is doing to our bodies."
Up to 85 percent of the corn in the U.S. grows from seeds genetically altered to resist pests or chemicals. Allen is part of a grassroots network that wants to label corn, soybeans, and other genetically modified foods, and stop producers from calling them natural.
Dozens of countries require labeling of foods that are genetically modified, or contain genetically modified ingredients. That’s not the case in the United States, but that could change in California next month.
Proposition 37 on the November 6th ballot could make ours the first state to require labeling of genetically modified foods. That’s touched off a messy and expensive food fight among organic producers, big agriculture, consumer groups, and scientists.
Allen's an ardent supporter. "I believe in transparency," she says. "If I‘m paying money for it I would like to know how it’s been made. That’s my right as a consumer."
Health concerns are the theme behind some Yes on 37 ads — that sometimes it takes science a while to find out if a product is safe.
The opponents of Prop. 37 say the situation with GMOs is different. They say there’s no evidence that genetically modified foods pose a health threat, and they say Prop. 37 would mean higher costs for farmers, food processors, grocers, and ultimately, consumers.
A number of independent geneticists and molecular biologists agree with the no side on the science. They say commercialized crops in products targeted by Prop. 37 have been around for decades, and don’t present a known risk.
"This is an assault on a perfectly safe and important science," says Bob Goldberg, a molecular biologist at UCLA. Goldberg researches how genes make up a plant seed, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Like Zuri Allen, he wants to see better-informed consumers, but he says labeling wouldn’t give consumers better information. "Labeling something doesn’t tell them anything but it sends up a skull and crossbones, like this might be something I don’t want to eat," he says.
The Yes on 37 campaign points to a new French study as proof that genetically engineered food is not safe. Researchers fed rats corn modified to resist weedkiller, and some rats grew huge tumors. But a number of biologists and other scientists who reviewed the study have called it short on data, and biased.
One reason labeling advocates keep a close watch on studies from other countries is that the Food and Drug Administration does not require proof that genetically modified foods are safe before they hit the market.
Greg Jaffe with the Center for Science in the Public Interest says that’s a problem. "They currently have a voluntary consultation process where the developers of a genetically engineered crop come to them and provide data," he says, "Which FDA looks at. But they at no point say they think that crop is safe. It’s really up to the developer to ensure safe food."
The FDA’s policy on labeling has also fed the Yes on 37 campaign. For almost 20 years, the FDA has said without evidence of harm, labels for genetically modified foods are not necessary.
NYU food policy expert Marion Nestle had urged the FDA to support labeling. She backs Prop. 37 now, and she says the agency’s policy is a mistake.
"My concern in 1994 was that not labeling would cause people to distrust the FDA and distrust the biotech industry even more," Nestle says. "And of course that’s exactly what happened."
Organic food makers like Amy’s and Clif’s have supported prop 37, along with Mercola, an alternative health website; together, supporters have raised just over $7.5 million. The no side has raised more than $35 million from big agriculture like Monsanto and conglomerates like General Mills. Recent polls show strong support for the initiative; the no side hopes to cut into that support with an intense ad blitz in the final days of the campaign.
Rogue geoengineering experiment in the Pacific Ocean draws criticism
If the idea of genetically modifying foods is polarizing, what about the idea of modifying the earth's climate?
That controversial topic is on the agenda of a UN environmental summit in India this week, where they'll be taking up the curious case of Russ George.
He's a California businessman who, along with a private company, secretly dumped 100 tons of iron sulphate into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Canada last July.
The technique, known as ocean fertilization, uses iron sulphate to stimulate plankton growth. In turn, the plankton absorb carbon dioxide then sink to the bottom of the ocean.
It's considered to be the world's largest geoengineering experiment, but it violates a United Nations moratoria on such projects.
Here to talk about what exactly this all means is Michael Specter, staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of the book, "Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet and Threatens Our Lives."
Lockouts become a popular bargaining tool in the sports world
The National Hockey League lockout is over a month old. The regular season was set to begin last Thursday, but owners and players are still mired in negotiations.
Lately, it seems the lockout has become bargaining tool of choice in the sports world. The NHL has had three lockouts in its history, two in the last decade.
Last year, the National Basketball Association locked out players, and the National Football League, in the past year, locked out players and referees.
Beyond the use of lockouts, there's another thing these sports leagues have in common: team owners are all represented by the same team of lawyers.
They've come to be know as the "Lockout Lawyers."
To help us find out more about them is Dave Zirin, sports editor of the Nation and author of the forthcoming book, "Game Over: How Politics Are Turning The Sports World Upside Down."
Josh Kun presents the Art of the Crossfade
The term crossfade usually refers to the blending of one song into another... A technique DJs often use.
But USC professor Josh Kun is putting a whole new spin on the word. He is launching a new exhibit at the Santa Monica Museum of Art called CROSSFADER: The Art of the Crossfade. It's kicks off tonight.
Board of Supervisors vows to help oversee Baca's LA-jail reforms
The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors has voted to hire an independent monitor to oversee reforms in L.A. Jails.
The Supervisors say they've lost faith in Sheriff Lee Baca's ability to clean up the system. A citizen's commission recently rebuked Baca for his failure to prevent violence behind bars.
KPCC's Frank Stoltze was at yesterday's meeting and he joins us now.
Going door to door to get out the Latino vote
In many ways, this has been the year of the Latino in political campaigns.
The presidential candidates have each crafted messages to appeal to Latino voters, and that effort extends to lower-level races as well.
But a new Pew survey found Latinos are not as confident they'll actually vote this year as are other Americans. That's an issue particularly in California's Central Valley, where Latino turn out is especially low.
The California Report's Alice Daniel reports.
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Patt Morrison looks at the body language on display during the presidential debate
The Town Hall debate style allows for more free flowing conversation. It also allows for more free flowing movement, as candidates walk, meander or strut around a crowd.
Viewers may be subtly influenced by the body language of either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. KPCC's Patt Morrison joins the show with non-verbal communication experts Dr. G. Jack Brown, and Dr. Lillian Glass about what they saw in the debate.
Former policymaker criticizes mental health policies he helped create
Paul Gionfriddo has a unique perspective on our mental health care system. As a former state legislator in Conneticut, Gionfriddo was tasked with leading the state's mental health care policy.
At the time the it was a subject he knew little about, but all that would change in a few short years when this issue suddenly became personal.
His adopted son Tim started displaying disturbing behaviors. He was aggressive, erratic and once during kindergarten he even laid down in the middle of the road waiting for a car to run him over.
Tim was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. Today, he's 27 years old, lives in San Francisco and is homeless.
Gionfriddo writes about his son's journey in a recent story for the journal Health Affairs. In it he argues that his own generation of lawmakers have created a mental health system that has gravely failed.
Writer Gretchen Rubin is back with 'Happier at Home'
Writer Gretchen Rubin earned a number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list two years ago with her book "The Happiness Project." We'll talk to her about her new book, "Happier at Home."
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
Pennsylvania town uses Pinterest to increase arrests of alleged criminals
One Pennsylvania town is getting creative with how they catch criminals.
A local reporter posted "wanted" mugshots onto Pinterest and invited the community to offer tips. Pottstown police say tips that came from the social network boosted the number of arrests.