Today’s Newsmakers at Noon covered a lot of ground, but much of the conversation came back to a common theme: trust in our institutions – and the responsibility of individuals to think for themselves.
We recapped the weekend and the 25th anniversary of 9/11, including how we each observed the day and some of what came out of the Republican midterm convention. We also talked about The Path to 9/11, ABC/Touchstone’s controversial 2006 miniseries about the events leading up to 9/11. It aired over two nights on the fifth anniversary of the attacks—and ABC never aired it again or gave it an official U.S. DVD release.
That idea of independent judgment carried into our continuing discussion of the Lindsay Clancy jury. Whatever someone thinks of the case itself, an 11–1 jury isn’t automatically evidence that the lone juror failed. Unanimity requires every juror to reach an individual judgment based on the evidence and the judge’s instructions. We discussed the post-trial comments and advocacy of several jurors, the role of voir dire, and a bigger question: Do we still believe a lone juror has the right – and sometimes the duty – to stand alone?
Privacy and security took us from the courtroom to local government. We discussed reports that Keizer Police Chief Andrew Copeland’s computer was compromised and used to send malicious emails seeking credentials. Rather than making it about one individual, we asked what the incident says about cybersecurity vulnerabilities throughout city and county government. And the larger privacy question remains: having “nothing to hide” isn’t the same thing as having nothing worth protecting. Salem Reporter
Meanwhile, Salem’s data-center debate is moving into its next phase. The city’s nine-member Data Center Task Force is gathering public input on issues including water and electricity use, noise and job creation, with recommendations due to the City Council by the end of the year. City of Salem We discussed what Salem should expect in return when considering these enormous projects: permanent jobs, tax revenue, infrastructure costs, power demand and water use all belong in the equation.
And we kicked around President Trump’s newly proposed $5,000 “dividend” for adult American citizens if Republicans retain both chambers of Congress in November. The proposal would require congressional approval and could cost more than $1.2 trillion, so there are plenty of questions about funding and implementation. Reuters Where do you stand—good idea, bad idea, or show us the numbers first?
Links from Today’s Show
Twitchy — Clancy Jury and Holdout Juror Discussion
Oregon Roundup — Kotek Reverses Course on Data Centers Days After Drazan Attack Ad
