LA's first responders remember those lost on Sept. 11; How Obama's decision on Syria will impact his presidential legacy; Rep. Barbara Boxer defines her position on Syria; Colorado Sens. Angela Giron and John Morse ousted in recall elections; Can the zeppelin-like Aeroscraft change the shipping industry?; Border technology contracts take new approach, plus much more.
How Obama's decision on Syria will impact his presidential legacy
The Syria crisis has created an unusual situation for President Obama. Initially he was compared to past Presidents like Clinton or FDR, pushing for military intervention despite the public opinion being against it.
RELATED: KPCC live event: California House members seek diplomatic solution for Syria (video)
Comparisons that seem more favorable given the historical significance of WWII and the U.S. intervention in Kosovo.
Last night President Obama addressed the nation, again making the case that the American people should consider a military strike in Syria:
"Finally, many of you have asked: Why not leave this to other countries, or seek solutions short of force? As several people wrote to me, 'We should not be the world's policeman.' I agree, and I have a deeply held preference for peaceful solutions. Over the last two years, my administration has tried diplomacy and sanctions, warning and negotiations. But chemical weapons were still used by the Assad regime."
Many have painted the crisis as a turning or defining moment in President Obama's legacy,
Will it be like Ronald Reagan's call to destroy the Berlin Wall? Or maybe Bill Clinton's actions in Kosovo? Both have been viewed as impressive stances.
Or could it be compared to Jimmy Carter's ineffective handling of the Iran hostage crisis?
For more we're joined by Professor Gerhard Peter with the University of California, Santa Barbara and the American Presidency Project.
Rep. Barbara Boxer defines her position on Syria
When it comes to how California politicians feel about Syria, it's not what you might expect. Liberals are more inclined to support the military option -- or remain undecided -- while the majority of the state's conservatives oppose it.
Congressman John Campbell of Irvine summed it up in just six simple words: "We should stay out of it."
As for Democrats, some top lawmakers known for opposing wars in the past now support the President.
Senator Barbara Boxer, who sits on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, voted against the war in Iraq more than a decade ago. She also opposed Obama's military surge in Afghanistan in 2009.
She joins the show to define her position on Syria.
Rep. Judy Chu on the other issues Congress is facing
President Obama is pursuing diplomatic options in Syria, but stressed that the U.S. be prepared to strike, if necessary. The debate over whether or not to take action appears to have consumed Congress, but there are a lot pressing issues on its plate this fall.
Local congresswoman Judy Chu joins us now to talk about it all.
Colorado Senators Angela Giron and John Morse ousted in recall elections
Last night, Colorado state senator Angela Giron was voted out of office in a recall election. She and fellow democrat, Senate president John Morse, were ousted after taking a tough stance on gun control.
Angela Giron joins us now from Pueblo, Colorado.
Border technology contracts take new approach
In the coming months, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of contracts will be finalized for new surveillance technology along the Southwest border. Many feel that past mistakes are now dictating the way the federal government is awarding these new contracts.
From the Fronteras Desk in Phoenix, Jude Joffe-Block reports
Should college athletes be compensated for their work?
The 2013 college football season has kicked off with a controversy over how student athletes get paid. It all started when Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel got slapped with a suspension for signing autographs for brokers.
The NCAA and his school determined he didn't make any money off the deal, but it now now some question if it's fair that student athletes are cut out of revenue streams they create.
The debate over whether college athletes should be paid has reached the cover of Time Magazine. Reporter Sean Gregory joins the show with more.
Sports Roundup: NFL kicks off, USC football, plus much more
From possibly paying college athletes out in the open to paying them under the table and actually much worse, it's now time for a look at sports with Andy and Brian Kamentzky, who have covered sports for ESPN and the L.A. Times.
As we just heard, some are making the argument that college athletes, specifically ones for the big revenue generators football and basketball, should be paid. But a story out this week in Sports Illustrated reports that Oklahoma State University may have taken that to very seedy level.
If all this is winds up to be true, what does the NCAA do? Who do you punish? How do you punish for something that happened years ago?
Locally, USC football is having some issues from who their quarterback is to how head coach Lane Kiffin is handling himself. What's going on at Heritage Hall?
Since a Los Angeles football discussion always focuses on how the city is NFL free I'm going to squeeze in one more story. A local football team is looking to bring create an unholy alliance of sorts.
The Lakers are always the one of the drama-rich teams in all of sports. Now the drama may become scripted.
A little over three years ago, Lebron James had a nationally broadcast special where he announced his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and take his talents to Miami. It's worked out well — two titles — but soon he has another decision to make.
Barry Bonds holds the single season home run record with with 73 although some feel it's tainted. But in Japan, their home run record is sacred and in danger.
Sunday in Seattle is one of the juiciest NFL match-ups so far as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seahawks. These are two of the best teams in the league and there could be a lot more at stake than just the game.
A look at Syria from a local perspective
Last night, President Obama made the case once again the need to address the situation in Syria:
"Why should we get involved at all in a place that's so complicated and where, as one person wrote to me, those who come after Assad may be enemies of human rights? It's true that some of Assad's opponents are extremists. But al-Qaida will only draw strength in a more chaotic Syria if people there see the world doing nothing to prevent innocent civilians from being gassed to death."
A New York Times poll shows two-thirds of people are worried that U.S. military action could be a long and costly involvement. However, many Americans who came to this country have a somewhat different perspective.
Dr. Saleh Kholaki, chair of the Islamic Center of Southern California, joins the show to offer some insight on the local perspective of Syrian-Americans.
How LA's first responders are remembering those lost on Sept. 11
It's been 12 years since two jetliners flew into the World Trade Center Towers in New York. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon and one other into a Pennsylvania field.
Around 3,000 people died in the September 11th attacks, and more than a decade later, the country is remembering the victims and survivors of that day.
RELATED: 9/11 Anniversary: talking to the LAPD’s top terrorism cop
In California, Governor Jerry Brown has called for state buildings to fly their flags at half staff today.
The day also took a huge toll on the first responders 343 New York firefighters lost their lives. Firefighters in Sacramento are climbing the stairs at the Renaissance Tower today to remember honor the first responders who died walking into the burning buildings to rescue victims.
RELATED: Remembering 9/11: Events planned in and around LA
Participants will climb the stairs of the 28-story building four times to remember the 110 stories of the New York buildings.
Here in Los Angeles, the city is holding a memorial at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center, home to one of 9-11 memorial that consists the largest remnants of the World Trade Center on the West Coast.
For more on the remembrances happening here we turn to Scott Miller, an L.A. County Fire Department Inspector.
Events:
10:00 AM to Noon
City of Los Angeles 9/11 Memorial Service
World Trade Center Memorial
LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center
1700 North Stadium Way
Los Angeles, CA 90012
5:00 PM
9/11 Remembrance Night
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks
Dodger Stadium
1000 Elysian Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
6:00 PM
Ceremony at 9/11 Memorial Fountain
LAFD Station 88
5101 North Sepulveda Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Revisiting an Iraqi immigrant family adjusting to life in the US
Six months ago, Fronteras reporter Jill Replogle reported on an Iraqi refugee family and their struggle to get safely to the U.S. Their son, who was an interpreter for U.S. troops, was killed in combat. Since that time the family has resettled in San Diego County.
From the Fronteras Desk, Jill Replogle reports on how they're adjusting to life in the U.S. and how they're coping with the death of their son.
On a recent, muggy afternoon in the city of El Cajon, I hugged Maladh Mohammed Ali in the parking lot of her drab apartment building next to a school.
I hadn’t seen her since we first met, shortly after she stepped off the airplane for the first time in San Diego. She was exhausted then after a multi-day journey from her home in Baghdad.
The Mohammed Ali family arrived in San Diego as refugees five years after Maladh’s son, Mohammed, was killed along with six American soldiers in an explosion in 2008. He had been working as an interpreter for the U.S. military, and had endeared himself to the troops.
Now, six months after arriving in the U.S., Maladh smiled warmly. She looked well in a pale headscarf and stylish, thick-frame sunglasses. Her English was better, though still rough.
But as we walked through the parking lot of her apartment complex, it became clear that things were not going well.
“I hate everything here, really,” she said.
Her apartment has rats and cockroaches, she said. Her husband is too sick to work. And there have been delays in the insurance payments she’s supposed to get from the U.S. government for her son’s death.
“There’s no future,” she said.
We got into her niece Sama’s car, with Sama at the wheel. Maladh doesn’t drive, which, she’s discovering, is a serious handicap in sprawling Southern California.
Maladh had just gotten her first job ever — cleaning rooms at a resort on Mission Bay — but the commute on public transportation proved to be too much.
At best, it was an hour-and-a-half commute each way, the women told me as we drove west on Interstate 8. After four frustrating days, missed busses and tears shed, Maladh gave up.
Now, we were going to pick up her check.
“And I, I’m not young,” Maladh said. “I’m 50. So it’s hard, to me, maybe.”
Most refugees are all too familiar with such false starts.
“I think when refugees first arrive there’s a sense of euphoria,” said Bob Montgomery, executive director of the International Rescue Committee in San Diego. “They’re safe, their families are safe.”
The IRC helps refugees from all over the world resettle here.
“After the initial euphoria fades away, there’s a period of time where, I don’t want to say it’s depression, it’s not clinical depression, but clearly it’s people being confronted with the realities of how difficult life here in the United States can be,” Montgomery said.
Maladh and her husband share their two-bedroom apartment with their 12-year-old daughter Sukaina; Maladh’s sister, who came from Iraq about a month ago; and Maladh’s niece, Sama, and her two young children.
Back at the Mohammed Ali family’s apartment in El Cajon, Arabic pop music floated up the stairwell.
Maladh’s 22-year-old son has gone to live with his cousin in El Paso, Texas, where he has a temp job working for the U.S. military.
The kids seem to be adjusting better then their parents. Sukaina said she liked her new school and she’s getting good grades.
Maladh and I sat on her couch and talked about the things she misses in Iraq, like drinking coffee with neighbors at noon. Her sister brought out tiny cups of strong, sweet coffee spiked with cardamom.
Maladh’s mood seemed to lift as the afternoon went on. She joked and played with the young children of the household.
I asked her niece, Sama, about her experience arriving in the U.S. from Iraq three and a half years ago.
“Was it really hard for you at first?” I asked.
“Yes, but it’s more hard for her (Maladh) because she lost her son,” Sama said, referring to Mohammed, the one who was killed in Iraq.
“She didn’t want to come here,” Sama said.
Adding to the family’s trials, Maladh’s husband, Amer can hardly walk. His diabetes and blood pressure got worse after Mohammed’s death, the family said.
But Sama thinks Maladh and her family will be OK with time. She said she’s going to start teaching Maladh to drive and get her into English classes.
Sama told me in the family, Maladh has always been the one people confide in and trust. And Maladh’s strength and confidence are obvious even as she says she’s miserable.
But behind her — behind all refugees — is a backdrop of immense sadness. Her son is dead and she may never go back to her home country. At least the rest of her family is finally safe.
“I miss Iraq and I’m sad because I see the situation is bad,” Maladh said. “I see blood everywhere. No food, no jobs. So, and I say, 'I’m good. My children is good.' I say, ‘Thanks, God.’”
With the help of her family and the community, Maladh said tomorrow, she’ll make another go at this new life she never wanted.
Can the zeppelin-like Aeroscraft change the shipping industry?
In Orange County this morning, an innovative blimp-like airship is being prepared for its maiden test flight. It's call the Aeroscraft, and it blends old and new technology in an attempt to create a lighter-than-air cargo hauler that can deliver goods to rural Alaska, or downtown LA.
Joining us is the man behind the Aeroscraft, Igor Pasternak. He's a native of Ukraine who moved to Southern California 20 years ago, pursuing his dream of a lighter than air cargo ship.
App Chat: Digital tools to keep you on your fantasy football A-game
Now it's time for App Chat, our weekly app recommendation segment.
We're in week 2 of the NFL season, and if you're playing fantasy football with your buddies or coworkers, by now you are either the hater or the hated member of your group depending on how well or poorly your fantasy team is playing.
The good news for you is that today we're talking about a few apps that could help you conquer your fantasy football league.
David Gonos, contributor to Sports Illustrated and a partner at fantasysports.org, offers up his picks for the best apps to use this football season:
Favorite Football App: CBS
Depending on where you manage your league, that really determines which app you use, but I love CBSSports.com's mobile app. They recently revamped it and if you have your league through CBS, I think this is the best one. I've got four leagues with them. You can propose trades, you can set your lineups, you can pick up your free agents, then you can check the live scoring on Sundays. It has a little bit of everything for you and its easy to use. (For Android or iPhone)
Best App for News and Tips: RotoWorld from NBC
RotoWorld is the best-known player news update site, and it's got one of the best apps. It's very user-friendly, there's not a lot of different places you're going to go, you don't have to find the news. As soon as you log on the news is right there. You can even set your specific players to have their own tab on there so you can look at just your players. They'll give you the NFL headlines you need to know and the player news that's happening throughout the day.
Best App to Discreetly Check Scores: NFL
This reminds me of the movie "Best Of Times" when Robin Williams is trying to watch the football team during dinner. I like the NFL mobile app, to me I think it's the best. They revamped theirs this year, I love the drive charts and the in-game stats. I love ESPN's score center, too, just in general for all sports, but for football specifically I like the NFL app. (For Android or iPhone)
Best Overall:
If you want to beat RotoWorld to the news, you can get on Twitter. It's still the spot for instant news and still the place to go. A couple of my favorites are
and @Chet_G. Also following the beat writers for each team is worth following.
Where does Mexico's soccer team stand after losing to the US?
One thing that is no fantasy is the United States national soccer team's berth for the 2014 World Cup.
Eddie Johnson scored on a corner kick in the 49th minute, and Landon Donovan later added another goal as the U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio.
Winning that match qualified the U.S. for next year's World Cup in Brazil, but Mexico is now in danger of not getting in. With more on what this means for both nations is Dave Denholm, soccer commentator for Fox Sports.
'Good Ol' Freda' tells the story of Freda Kelly, secretary for The Beatles
Secretarial work is not often considered the most glamorous of jobs, but for more than a decade, Freda Kelly held a job that thousands of women would have done just about anything to have: secretary to the Beatles.
The new documentary "Good Ol' Freda" looks at how Kelly landed the gig and what life was liking working for the Fab Four. Freda Kelly and director Ryan White join the show to tell us how the film came about and what it was like to work for one of the most famous bands in rock.
Interview Highlights:
On how she landed such a coveted gig:
"Pure luck. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. No, I got it I think because I knew them very well, and Brian Epstein came on the scene, he'd seen me with them a lot and they needed a secretary, so he asked me to be his secretary."
On how she knew from the beginning that The Beatles were going to be huge:
"It wasn't just the music, it was everything. It was the way they dressed, it was the way they spoke to each other, the way they communicated with the audience, because other groups didn't do that. When you saw it you knew you wanted to be part of it."
On what she did as The Beatles's secretary:
"It entailed trying to get the news out very quickly. The only way I could do that is a magazine called Beatles Monthly, I wrote in that once a month and also I had secretaries all around the world, so I would give them a lot of news, they got negatives, they got demo discs, so they were getting the news and they would get it out to the people that lived in their area as quickly as possible."
On the craziest thing a fan sent to The Beatles
"The one thing that sticks in my mind is somebody sent them a spider. A really big black hairy spider. I opened this brown box, lifted the lid and saw it moving about, put the lid on very quickly and we have the tropical school of medicine in Liverpool, so I thought that's where that's going. Whatever type of spider it was I wasn't taking any chances."
On why she never told her story before this film:
"I didn't really want to. I ended working for them a long time ago to bring up my family. Over the years people did ask me to write a book, but my theory was there were too many books out there and I didn't want to put out another one. Until my grandson came along, and I wanted him to know what I had done in my youth, so I thought I'd be quite comfortable doing a little DVD just sitting in a chair talking to somebody. But also, you want to do something like that with somebody you trust, that will treat you right as well. "
On what is was like when it finally came to an end:
"We were teenagers together and then we matured and ended up as adults together. Something like that can't just keep on going on and on and on. The last two years of the fan club was heavy going for me because the fan club was called The Beatles fanclub, but there wasn't a Beatles group anymore. I kept it going for two years and it was quite difficult. I decided I wanted to leave anyway because I was expecting a baby and thought, this is the time to pull out."