Nuclear Iran, Opposites Attract, Hollywood Diversity

Guest: Eric Hyer, BYU political science professor Nuclear negotiations with Iran are TOP OF MIND today. The US and five other nations are extending their deadline by one more day, hoping to get the framework of a deal in place with Iran over its nuclear capabilities. Iran is looking to have the US and European nations lift trade sanctions that have crippled its economy for years. If they settle on a framework for the deal, it still won’t be final until this summer. The negotiations have already gone on for more than 18 months, missing several earlier deadlines, but supporters say abandoning the process is not an option. They raise the specter of a “nuclear Iran” that could threaten prospects for stability in the Middle East.

Guest: Melissa Curran, associate professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Arizona Everybody knows opposites attract. Half of the romantic comedies ever made prove it’s true. But research done at University of Arizona, finds you’re better off not looking too far in the opposite direction in choosing a mate.

Guest: Darnell Hunt, professor of sociology at director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American studies at UCLA The 2015 Oscars were widely criticized—and even lampooned by host Neil Patrick Harris—for their lack of diversity. All the nominated actors and actresses were white, and only one best picture nominee Selma, featured a director who was not white and male – she’s African American Ava Duvernay. People chalked up the homogeneity of the Oscars to the largely white, male and middle-aged make-up of the Academy’s voters. A new report out of UCLA finds Hollywood is increasingly out of sync with U.S. demographics where more than 40% of Americans are ethnic minorities and half are female.

Guest: Jeffrey Price, associate professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver in the Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science, and the owner of Leading Edge Strategies, a top aviation management training and consulting company

Guest: Kenichiro Sasae, Japanese Ambassador to the United States Japan appears to be shifting away from the pacifist approach to national defense imposed upon it by the United States after World War II. For decades, Japan has been bound by its constitution drafted in 1947 to mobilize troops solely for self-defense. But since two Japanese citizens were beheaded by the group calling itself The Islamic State, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stepped up efforts to overhaul the nation’s security strategy. In April, Japan’s governing “Diet” is expected to debate a package of bills from Abe’s government that would create a legal framework for a “Self-Defense Force” to protect Japan’s power overseas like a normal military.