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Investigative Reporter, Los Angeles Times
Investigative reporter for the Sacramento Bee; former investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times
PROFILE
Charles Piller
Guest
FROM Charles Piller
Which Way, L.A.?
Local Bridge Safety Southern California has 91 of the 100 most heavily traveled bridges in the United States. Of the top ten, almost all are on Interstate 10 in Los Angeles. Investigative reporting by the Sacramento Bee has raised questions about the safety of bridges in California. In the aftermath, one safety inspector has been fired for falsifying records, including those for an underpass on the 405 freeway in Culver City. The story begins with the new, eastern span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, which is still under construction. There are three structures in Southern California where data were falsified: a retaining wall at the Braddock Drive underpass of the 405 Freeway in Culver City; a carpool connector lane between the 57 and the Pomona Freeway near Diamond Bar; and a ramp on the Riverside Freeway at La Sierra Avenue in Riverside.
Which Way, L.A.?
What Happens to Our Charitable Contributions? T'is the season of charitable giving, but how well do charities use the money we give them? Americans will donate about $300 billion to charities this year. Will the money be used the way the donors think it will? How effective is our charitable giving? How much is wasted? How difficult is it to give away the huge sums that billionaires are pumping into their favored causes? And what unintended consequences result from our best intentions?
To the Point
What Happens to Our Charitable Contributions? T'is the season of charitable giving, but how well do charities use the money we give them? Americans will donate about $300 billion to charities this year. Will the money be used the way the donors think it will? How effective is our charitable giving? How much is wasted? How difficult is it to give away the huge sums that billionaires are pumping into their favored causes? And what unintended consequences result from our best intentions?
Recommended
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.