PROFILE
FROM Genevieve Giuliano
Metro Expo Line Doesn't Alleviate Traffic, but Is That the Point? LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Councilman Mike Bonin and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas have all said at some point this year that the Expo light-rail line from downtown to the Westside would "decrease traffic" and "reduce congestion." They're elected officials promoting a $930 million project. Now some data is coming in, and although it turns out that gridlock remains on streets and freeways, ridership is a pleasant surprise: it's already what was expected for 2025. Professor Genevieve Giuliano is director of the METRANS Transportation Center at USC.
Transportation Projects: Big and Small The LA Metropolitan region faces " Bumpy Roads Ahead ," according to a think tank based in Washington, DC. No less than 73% of our roads and freeways are in "poor" condition — and every year, that costs the average driver more than a thousand dollars in extra fuel, repairs and maintenance.
The Expo Line Draws A Gold Rush Metro’s Expo Line is on its way from Culver City to Santa Monica and other parts of the West Side—with the goal of reducing regional traffic congestion. But new train stations are creating gold mines for developers of mixed-use, retail-and-residential complexes—bringing more congestion to places that are already developed. Is “enlightened planning” leading to real-estate profiteering? Should elected officials put on the brakes?
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Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
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?
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.