AirTalk for May 20, 2010

Mercer 7265

Whitman drops to single digit lead for California GOP nomination

Meg Whitman has dropped to a nine point lead over Steve Poizner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, according to a new poll released by the Public Policy Institute of California. While Whitman was ahead by 50 points in March, she now leads Poizner 38 percent to 29 percent. At the same time, about one-third of likely Republican primary voters remain undecided before the June 8 election. What's behind Whitman's drop and Poizner's gain, and what is your stance on the candidates?
Mercer 7895

North Korea sank South Korean battle ship: now what?

The North Korean government today accused South Korea of fabricating evidence that the North sank a South Korean navy ship in March. North Korea has repeatedly denied involvement and warned that any attempt at retaliation would provoke “all-out war.” Investigators from the United States, Australia, Britain and Sweden concluded that the torpedo responsible for sinking the ship had markings consistent with other North Korean missiles. How has the international community responded to their report? Are further sanctions likely? And, can the North’s relationships with the South and with the United States get any worse?
Mercer 7896

Our futile fight against deadly bacteria

Every year, drug-resistant bacteria infect more than 2-million people in the United States – and kills over 100,000 of them. But just as these drug-resistant infections are spreading rapidly in hospitals, high schools and college locker rooms, research and development into new antibiotics has come to a screeching halt. In his new book The Rising Plague, infectious disease specialist Dr. Brad Spellberg tells the story of this potentially devastating public health crisis. How dire is this scenario? What should be done to bolster the production of new and effective antibiotics?
Mercer 7897

Stormclouds over Desert Protection Act of 2010: conservation pitted against renewable energy

A Senate committee this morning took up legislation authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that attempts to balance alternative energy development and protection of natural resources in the Mojave. At issue: would the bill hinder the development of solar projects in the desert?
Mercer 5663

California educators sue state over education funding

A broad coalition of California school districts and educators has filed suit against the state over its education funding. The lawsuit, whose plaintiffs include the California School Boards Association and the California State PTA, alleges that the state has violated the California constitution's guarantee to make education a priority and asks that a new, more stable financing system is created. Larry gets the latest on the announcement.
Mercer 7899

Mark Moffett’s Adventures Among Ants

Think you know everything there is to know about ants? Think again. Biologist Mark Moffett, “the Indiana Jones of Entomology,” has traveled the globe on a strange and wonderful journey into the hidden world of ants. In tales from Nigeria, Indonesia, the Amazon, Australia and California, Moffett uncovers a parallel ant universe rife with warfare, terrorism, traffic jams and highway infrastructure. For example, the largest battles recorded for any living thing are going on right now in Southern California, where a million Argentine ants die each month in territorial disputes raging underfoot in the suburbs of San Diego; this invasive ant species, with unified colonies ranging up to a trillion individuals, is causing massive environmental damage across the state. What else are these coordinated, creative creatures up to? What can we learn from their behaviors, which are strikingly similar to our own?