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New York Times
Ken Belson Covers the National Football League for the New York Times.
PROFILE
Ken Belson
Guest
FROM Ken Belson
To the Point
Sports… politics and patriotism Colin Kaepernick took a knee instead of saluting the flag. Will he ever play again in the National Football League? Gregg Popovich has called President Trump a " soulless coward ." Will he still be coaching in NBA basketball? It's often claimed that "sports are separate from politics," but that's a far cry from reality — especially in this era of hyper-partisanship. Men and women athletes, fans and owners — from sold-out stadiums to high school fields and gymnasiums — are all getting in on the action. Today, team owners with players behind closed doors at NFL headquarters in New York City. Now, the owners are meeting separately by themselves.
To the Point
Politics were unavoidable in this year's Super Bowl Before the Super Bowl, President Trump predicted an eight-point win for the New England Patriots. He reportedly left a viewing party early when the Atlanta Falcons were leading 28 to three. When the Patriots pulled it out in the first overtime in Super Bowl history, Trump tweeted, "What an amazing comeback… Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Coach B." Ken Belson, who covers the NFL for the New York Times , has more on the game — and the politics.
To the Point
The Nuclear Danger Escalates in Japan As workers battle to cool spent fuel rods and damaged reactors, Japan's nuclear safety agency raised the assessment of danger to 5 on a scale of 7. That makes the crisis comparable to the partial meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island reactor in 1979, but not to the total meltdown at Chernobyl in 1986. In the only country ever struck by atomic bombs, is there residual fear of radiation — even for medicine? What must it be like for the workers trying to control one of history's worst nuclear calamities? We speak with former inspector who blew the whistle on the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, a Hiroshima survivor and others.
Recommended
KCRW Features
The Asian American voter in OC In Orange County the population is changing. While the numbers of most ethnic groups have grown slowly over the past 10 years, the number of Asian Americans is up 41 percent since 2010. And don't think the politicos haven't noticed. What kind of impact will Asian American voters have on Orange County's representation in Congress? Will they help keep the county Republican, or could they turn Orange County blue?
KCRW Features
Can LA County fix its voting issues before November? Election Day is less than five weeks away. Maybe voting will go off without a hitch. But over the past 10 years, elections in Los Angeles County have been marred by problems that have led to a lot of voter confusion at the polls. In the first of a two part series, KCRW’s Saul Gonzalez looks at recent breakdowns in L.A. County’s elections, and how election officials plan to solve them with a massive election modernization program.
To the Point
The Kavanaugh Factor and the Midterm Elections Republicans have secured their long-term goal: a right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. There are conflicting expectations for rulings on abortion, immigration, voting rights--and the powers of both the White House and Congress. In this divided nation, public trust in the rule of law is also at stake. How will the bitter battle over Brett Kavanaugh impact next month’s midterm elections?