To the Point
Does America Need a New Model for Disaster Relief?
The Red Cross -- America’s primary disaster relief agency -- is on the defensive after reports that it’s more concerned about public relations than public assistance. Is it hiding the truth or is it the victim of sensational journalism? Is it prepared for future disasters, which could be bigger and harder to handle than those of the past?
By Warren Olney • • 58m ListenThe Red Cross -- America’s primary disaster relief agency -- is on the defensive after reports that it’s more concerned about public relations than public assistance. Is it hiding the truth or is it the victim of sensational journalism? Is it prepared for future disasters, which could be bigger and harder to handle than those of the past? Also, with midterms looming, Republicans are poised to take the Senate. On today’s Talking Point, bloodstained victims of auto crashes and shootings. It’s not a Halloween horror story, it’s local TV news. We talk to the writer-director of Nightcrawler, a new film debuting today.
Photo: Citizens of Long Beach wait in line to receive support from local volunteers in Long Beach, New York after Superstorm Sandy. (US Army photo by Spc. Jeremy Bennett)
In this episode
4 storiesVirgin Galactic Flight Crashes
One pilot has died and another is seriously injured after Virgin Galactic's space tourism rocket encountered a problem during a test flight and crashed in the Mojave Desert east of Los Angeles. Ian O'Neill is an astrophysicist and space science producer for Discovery News.
Read the story6 minWith Midterms Looming, Republicans Poised to Take Senate
Voting in the midterm elections is already underway, and a consensus is already building about what the results will be and what the next Congress will look like. Ian Swanson is managing editor at The Hill , a publication that monitors the House and the Senate.
Read the story6 minDoes America Need a New Model for Disaster Relief?
Hurricane Isaac struck Louisiana and Mississippi in August of 2012. Hurricane Sandy hit New York and New Jersey several weeks later. The Red Cross claimed its relief efforts had been “flawless.” But internal documents and insider interviews show more concern about appearing to provide assistance than actually doing the real thing.
Read the story35 minJake Gyllenhall and the After Dark Side of Television News
In Nightcrawler , Jake Gyllenhaal plays a freelance cameraman who races to the sound of police scanners, looking for shots of auto crashes and shootings — hopefully including victims with bloody wounds. It’s appropriate that the film is debuting tonight on Halloween.
Read the story8 min
