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New York Times
Higher education reporter for the New York Times
PROFILE
Richard Perez-Pena
Guest
FROM Richard Perez-Pena
The Mixer
A Tale of Two Cities and Their Email Threats LAUSD closed all of its campuses and facilities this week because of an emailed terror threat which claimed bombs, nerve gas and automatic weapons were stashed at several schools, and an attack – the threat said – was imminent. Public school officials in New York City received a similar threat, but quickly deemed it a hoax.
To the Point
Where Are the Poor Students at Elite Universities? For 30 years or more, America’s elite colleges and universities have promised to open their doors to more high-school seniors from low-income families. There are large numbers of poor kids with grades and test scores high enough for admission, but those elite institutions are still bastions of privilege. That’s according to a recent story in the New York Times by Richard Perez-Pena.
Which Way, L.A.?
Black and Outnumbered at UCLA A spoken word video made at UCLA has gone viral. With 12 black students behind him on the steps of a university building, third year student Sy Stokes provides facts and figures and recounts what it's like to be one of so few African Americans on a campus supposedly pledged to diversity. There are 25,000 undergraduates at UCLA. This year's freshman class includes just 75 African Americans. University officials declined to appear on our program, but a written statement says the video "eloquently and powerfully expresse[s] their frustration and disappointment."
To the Point
Is the Newspaper Industry Stumbling? Crumbling? Newspapers are shedding staff and reducing services, just like other industries, but even if the economy picks up, they may not bounce back. Tumbling ad revenues and stockholders hungry for profit are creating a familiar scenario, but the Internet is what's making things different. Major papers in New York, Washington and Los Angeles give readers national and international perspective. Local papers keep watch on business interests and City Hall. Will technology lead to the erosion of institutional memory and professional standards?
Recommended
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
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
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
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.