Senior VP for Programs, National Parks Conservation Association
Senior Vice President for Programs at the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group in Washington, DC
PROFILE
Ron Tipton
Guest
FROM Ron Tipton
Which Way, L.A.?
Are California Prisons in for a Fix? California prisons now house 172,000 inmates--twice as many as they were designed to house. The healthcare system is so bad it's in federal receivership. Two federal judges have given the state until June to get a handle on overcrowding and improve conditions or face a cap on the prison population. The Sacramento Bee reports that Governor Schwarzenegger met yesterday with Democratic and Republican legislative leaders, the second such meeting in less than three weeks and one that brought them close to agreement. The Governor wants to build more prisons , but that can't be done soon enough to meet the June deadline. We speak with a prisoner advocate and the head of the state prison system about possible alternatives.
To the Point
America's National Parks under Pressure From Maine to California, America's most popular government program is in trouble, just as vacation season gets under way. Some 300 million people visit national parks, monuments and other federally protected places every year. Despite increased appropriations, almost 400 of these may cut services to meet increasing costs, and managers at 12 of the most highly visited facilities say they can't meet their budgets. Meantime, Congress has told the Department of Energy and Bureau of Land Management Congress to speed approval of "energy corridors" to bring gas and electricity to the booming Southwest. On this archived edition of To the Point, will Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Shenandoah, and Acadia offer travelers what they expect? Do energy corridors threaten protection of parks and other public lands for future generations?
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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
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
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?
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.