Olympics Reporter, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times
Olympics Reporter for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times
PROFILE
Philip Hersh
Guest
FROM Philip Hersh
To the Point
Going for the Gold: Winter Olympics Kick Off Tonight Canadians might be welcoming spring weather in British Columbia in the middle of winter, except that the 2010 Olympic Games open in Vancouver tonight -- and you need snow for that. Officials say that rain may postpone outdoor events for a few days, but otherwise the XXI Winter Games will go ahead as planned. Who's expected to shine? Will Canada finally win a gold medal while hosting the games? Are the new figure skating rules working out? How is Vancouver coping with the mammoth logistics of staging the event? What about danger in winter sports? Are the games becoming too extreme? We speak with sports writers and photographers in Vancouver. On a tragic note, as we were discussing the dangers of more extreme Olympic sports, the IOC announced that 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili has been killed while training.
To the Point
Olympic Torch Politics: San Francisco Today, Buenos Aires on Deck San Francisco police, sheriff's deputies, agents from the Department of State and the FBI are all gearing up for today's Olympic Torch Relay on San Francisco's Embarcadero. Meantime, the International Olympic Committee may curtail visits to other cities and it's backed away from a statement urging China to settle its conflicts with Tibet. When the torch was carried through crowds of protesters in London and Paris, guards included a Chinese paramilitary force. Philip Hersh is covering the Olympics for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times .
Which Way, L.A.?
The Torch Goes over the Mountain China's worst fears were realized today when the Olympic flame couldn't be lit without disruption caused by the recent unrest in Tibet. At the lighting ceremony in Ancient Olympia, protesters evaded massive security to unfurl a banner showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs. A Tibetan woman covered in fake blood briefly blocked the path of the torchbearer.
To the Point
The Torch Goes over the Mountain China's worst fears were realized today when the Olympic flame couldn't be lit without disruption caused by the recent unrest in Tibet. At the lighting ceremony in Ancient Olympia, protesters evaded massive security to unfurl a banner showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs. A Tibetan woman covered in fake blood briefly blocked the path of the torchbearer. Phillip Hersh is Olympics sports reporter for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
To the Point
The Beijing Olympics: Human Rights, Smog and Peking Duck When the world's greatest athletes arrive in Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games , the focus will shift to international competition. In the meantime, it's on smog, human rights and international politics. Recently, Stephen Spielberg resigned as the Games' artistic advisor, claiming that China is not doing enough to make peace in Darfur. Human rights groups say political dissidents are being rounded up by a government that promised to allow greater freedom of speech. Coaches worry about the health of their athletes, not to mention the Chinese people, despite the pledge to clean up the air. Looking forward to the greatest sports event in the world, we'll hear about smog, human rights and international politics.
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
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
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.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.