Yesterday, President Obama said intelligence officials failed to connect the dots to prevent the Christmas Day almost-bomber from boarding his plane. We look at the outcome of the president's meeting with intelligence agencies and how the agencies can better communicate to prevent terrorism plots in the future.
President Obama said intelligence officials failed to connect the dots to prevent the Christmas Day almost-bomber from boarding a Northwest flight in Amsterdam bound for Detroit. We talk with our Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich about yesterday's meeting between the president and intelligence agencies, and with Michael Hurley, the senior counsel on the 9/11 Commission, about what went wrong and how intelligence officials can better communicate to prevent terrorism plots in the future.
Despite their best attempts, the military services are finding it difficult to enroll and keep experienced officers working the mission in Afghanistan. New York Times terrorism correspondent Eric Schmitt joins the show with details from his article in today’s paper that explains how a program designed to attract and retain the best of the miltary’s best is falling to meet expectations. How hard is it to find (and keep!) a few good soldiers, sailors, airmen/airwomen, and Marines?
An article published in yesterday’s Denver Post asserts that in the Colorado public school system, disciplinary action frequently varies depending on the race of the student involved. What might earn a slap on the wrist in some schools could mean an automatic 5-day suspension in another. The article goes on to say that out of 100 black students in Denver public schools, 18 will face “serious discipline.” Of 100 Latinos, 11. And out of 100 white students, only 6.5 would likely face suspension.
Joining us this morning is Marco Nuñez, organizing director at "Padres Unidos, Jovenes Unidos," an advocacy group in Colorado that studied discipline disparity in the state’s educational system.
When Cablevision subscribers turned on their televisions on New Year's Day, they found that they had no Food Network or HGTV. Viewers are not happy about this, and one called us to find out what she could do. Brian Stelter, media reporter for The New York Times, tells us what's happening and where upset viewers jonesing for gardening tips and 30-minute-meals can direct their ire.
In this week's food segment, we celebrate Elvis Presley's 75th birthday with a conversation about his favorite foods, southern cooking traditions, and personal memories of the King himself from Judy Peiser, executive director of the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis. (click through for recipes for Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches and Banana Pudding)
The botched Christmas Day terror attack was only the latest blow for an already-hurting airline industry. Before that, there was the recession, which brought smaller travel budgets for companies and American travelers. That was on top of the soaring price of fuel, which led some airline companies to charge extra to cover the gas bill… Add to the picture the swine flu outbreaks, pension costs and new airport safety measures and you can really wonder: is the airline industry reaching a breaking point?
With us today to answer this question is Robert Crandall, former CEO of American Airlines. He led the company for 18 years in the '80s and '90s.
Under a new program being enforced by ICE, some Mexican immigrants caught in Nogales, Ariz., with relatively small amounts of marijuana will be turned over to the Mexican authorities for prosecution. Previously, these small-time smugglers were deemed too much trouble to prosecute, and were usually set free. We talk with Matt Allen, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Arizona, and Isabel Garcia, a public defender in Pima County, who opposes the policy.
Iceland's president, Olafur R. Grimsson, says Iceland will not pay back a $5 billion dollar loan from the governments of Britain and the Netherlands. Iceland accepted the funds last year, after one of the nation's largest banks collapsed. The people of Iceland will now vote in a referendum on whether or not to pay back the money. Meanwhile, an angry Britain says Iceland had better stick to its committments to repay the loan. For more on what this means for Iceland and its creditors, we talk to Ingo Sigfusson, a reporter with RUV, Iceland's national broadcasting service.
Back in August of 2008, during the Democratic National Convention, we sent Takeaway contributor Patrik Henry Bass out to report from Denver. He visited a hair salon called Hairworks in Denver's Five Points neighborhood to talk with locals on the evening Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination. This morning we check in with the owner of that salon, Tracy Moore, about how she and her customers are doing.
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Senate, will announce today that he won't seek re-election for a sixth term. Colin McEnroe joined us from WNPR to talk about the decision.
We talk this morning with Hilda Solis, the United States Secretary of Labor. Solis will announce later today that some states will be given federal grant money to help create more training for green jobs.
Iceland’s president, Olafur Grimsson, is refusing to sign a bill committing Iceland to pay back $5 billion dollars in loans owed to the governments of the U.K. and the Netherlands. We spoke with Gylfi Magnusson, Minister of Economic Affairs for Iceland, about the country's next steps and its relationship with the IMF.
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The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The BBC World Service, New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
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