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Los Angeles Times
Senior international affairs writer, and former Moscow Bureau Chief, for the Los Angeles Times
PROFILE
Carol Williams
Guest
FROM Carol Williams
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Mass Exodus at the LA Times The latest buyout of news room veterans at the LA Times has a former editor saying, the "loss of knowledge and wisdom" makes you want to cry." That's according to Kevin Roderick, who has access to a closed Facebook group where the names are being discussed. Kevin himself once worked at the paper. He's creator of LA Observed online and a familiar voice on KCRW.
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Ukraine's Future and Russian Politics Despite last week's plan to "de-escalate" the crisis, Ukraine and Russia are now exchanging accusations over Saturday's deadly shootings near the Eastern city of Sloviansk. Russia says Ukraine has failed to crack down on "extremists" as promised last week in Geneva. Ukraine says people were killed in a "crude provocation" staged for Russian TV. Vice President Biden has arrived in Kiev for talks with Ukraine's interim government starting tomorrow, while the Obama White House decides whether to escalate economic sanctions. Would they make any difference in the short term? Does Vladimir Putin want to invade Ukraine, or will continued destabilization suit his purposes? His domestic approval rating is 80% based on nationalism and conservative values. Is that more important than the economy in the short term?
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All Eyes on the Crimean Referendum Russian troops are deployed along the border of Eastern Ukraine, but President Vladimir Putin says he won't decide what to do until after the Crimean referendum on Sunday. In London today, after six hours of talks with Russia's Foreign Minister, Secretary of State John Kerry said the US has already staked out its position . "We believe the referendum is contrary to the constitution of Ukraine, is contrary to international law, is in violation of that law, and we believe it is illegitimate." Carol Williams is Senior International Affairs Writer for the Los Angeles Times . She's just returned from Moscow.
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As the Olympics Wind Down, Is a New Cold War Heating Up? The Olympic flame is still burning brightly in Sochi. If all goes well over the weekend, Vladimir Putin will have staged the showcase he promised. But, a few hundred miles away in Ukraine, it's a different story. Despite Putin's support, President Yanukovych may be deposed by bloody violence. The big questions remaining: what will Putin do now? Has Ukraine set the stage for a new version of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union?
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Search for Suspected Terrorists Adds to Sochi Security Concerns A suspected suicide bomber is reportedly in Sochi, intensifying security concerns for the Winter Olympics. We'll hear about "jihadist widows" and other potential terrorist threats. International affairs writer Carol Williams is former Moscow Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times .
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Putin Signs Ban on American Adoptions In Moscow today, President Vladimir Putin signed a bill that bans the adoption of Russian children by American citizens. The bill has opened a rare split at the highest levels of Russian government and has further exacerbated strained relations between the US and Russia. Carol J. Williams is senior international affairs writer for the Los Angeles Times , and former chief of their Moscow bureau.
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Supreme Court Orders California to Relieve Prison Overcrowding A majority of the US Supreme Court has ruled that California must reduce its prison population to relieve overcrowding that violates the Constitution. Dissenters claim that will mean 33,000 criminals loose on the street--while state officials are looking for ways not to release any prisoners at all. With the US incarcerating more people than any other nation, will other states face similar orders? Even many conservatives say we can’t afford more prisons. We’ll hear how Texas and other states found cheaper alternatives for punishing criminals while reducing crime and maintaining standards of common decency.
To the Point
Supreme Court Orders California to Relieve Prison Overcrowding A majority of the US Supreme Court has ruled that California must reduce its prison population to relieve overcrowding that violates the Constitution. Dissenters claim that will mean 33,000 criminals loose on the street--while state officials are looking for ways not to release any prisoners at all. With the US incarcerating more people than any other nation, will other states face similar orders? Even many conservatives say we can’t afford more prisons. We’ll hear how Texas and other states found cheaper alternatives for punishing criminals while reducing crime and maintaining standards of common decency.
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Can California Still Afford the Capital Punishment? Since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, thirteen condemned inmates have been executed in California. At least 56 have died from illness, suicide or natural causes. No less than 713 now live on Death Row, and last week, Governor Brown cancelled a $356 million plan to build a new facility. Now his Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has put off any further attempt at an execution at least until next year.
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Appeals Court Strikes Down 'Stolen Valor Act' According to a federal appeals court, the first amendment gives Americans the right to lie. "Saints may always tell the truth, but for mortals, living means lying." Those words are part of the court's ruling in the case of a man who falsely claimed he'd been awarded the Medal of Honor. Judge Alex Kozinski said the law against lying about military honors meant patients could sue "the dentist who assures you it won't hurt a bit." Carol Williams reports on legal affairs for the Los Angeles Times .
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The Oil Industry and the Government The Gulf oil spill is producing hundreds of lawsuits in several states, but federal judges are bowing out because of investments in the oil industry. Judge Martin Feldman, who threw out the President's six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling on Tuesday, recently held stock in Transocean and Halliburton. Meanwhile, two whistle-blowing scientists from the Mineral Management Service have talked to the New York Times about BP's plan to drill for oil off the shores of Alaska. The plan skirts the President's moratorium because its drill will be based on an artificial island three miles off the coast. So it's technically “on-shore.” We look at how the oil industry continues to wield influence even after the worst environmental disaster in US history.
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The LA Archdiocese and Pedophile Priests The court-ordered release of hours of videotaped depositions has brought new attention to pedophilia by priests in LA's Catholic Archdiocese . Cardinal Roger Mahony was asked why he never informed police about Michael Baker, a former priest who's now serving a ten-year sentence for child molestation. After Baker told Mahony he was an abuser, Mahony sent him to counseling and then reassigned him to parishes where he committed further crimes. Although the Archdiocese declined to participate in today's discussion, it did offer these remarks: Statement of Tod Tamberg , spokesman for the Los Angeles Archdiocese Statement of Cardinal Roger Mahony
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Uptick in 'Financial Hardship' Excuse to Avoid Jury Service Thomas Jefferson called the jury system "the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution." While Americans like jury service in principle, more and more are trying to avoid this cornerstone of American democracy, claiming "financial hardship." Now money woes inflicted by the recession have spurred even more hardship claims, especially by those who face a long trial. Carol Williams writes on legal affairs for the Los Angeles Times .
To the Point
Uptick in 'Financial Hardship' Excuse to Avoid Jury Service Thomas Jefferson called the jury system "the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution." While Americans like jury service in principle, more and more are trying to avoid this cornerstone of American democracy, claiming "financial hardship." Now money woes inflicted by the recession have spurred even more hardship claims, especially by those who face a long trial. Carol Williams writes on legal affairs for the Los Angeles Times .
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Author of Torture Memo on the Ninth Circuit Court Two former Justice Department lawyers who wrote the controversial “ torture memos ” are now in the west. John Yoo is a tenured professor of law at UC Berkeley, currently visiting Chapman University in Orange County. Jay Bybee is now a justice on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals with a courtroom in Las Vegas. The two are handling their own cases very differently.
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The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
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Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
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The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
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Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.