January 14 - 18, 2008
Monday, Jan. 14
Sheriff Mike Carona Retires
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Orange County Sheriff Mike
Carona, the target of a federal corruption case, announced today that he is retiring to focus on defending himself. Larry Mantle talks with Orange County Register reporter, Peggy Lowe, and UCI Political Science professor, Mark Petracca, for the latest.
Arnold Schwarzenegger And The Rise Of The Independent Voter
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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has built a reputation for "post-partisan" politics, but his budget plan, revealed Thursday, has something to anger all sides, including cuts to education and most other state programs as well as early release from the prison system of nonviolent criminal offenders. Can Schwarzenegger ride out a potentially intense partisan battle in the legislature? Dan Weintraub, veteran journalist and public affairs columnist for the Sacramento Bee, joins Larry Mantle to discuss Schwarzenegger's unique approach to governing as described in his new book Party of One: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of the Independent Voter.
Michigan Primary Preview
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John McCain is enjoying a bounce in the national polls, just in time for Michigan's primary. McCain leapt to the front of the pack, following his victory in New Hampshire. Last month, he was clinging to fifth place in a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Now, he's ahead with 28 percent. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are lagging behind with about a fifth of the vote each in that poll. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is still out in front in the polls, but rival Barack Obama is gaining ground with a boost from his Iowa caucus win. Larry Mantle talks with Jack Lessenberry, Senior Political Analyst for Michigan Public Radio , LA Times staff writer Scott Martelle, and political strategist Arnold Steinberg about tomorrow's Michigan primary, and more.
"Invisible Illnesses"
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Larry talks with Dr. Benjamin Natelson about his new book, Your Symptoms Are Real: What to Do When Your Doctor Says Nothing Is Wrong, that draws on his eighteen years of dedicated research into "invisible illnesses" that defy medical explanation. Dr. Natelson will address illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), among others.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
Race and the Presidential Campaign
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Larry Mantle takes listener calls about race and the presidential campaign.
Debate On Propositions 94, 95, 96, and 97 - Indian Gaming
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Larry talks to pundits both for and against the propositions, which would allow expansion to existing Indian casinos.
The Return of Sunnis to the Iraqi Government
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A bill passed the Iraqi Parliament on Saturday that would allow some former officials of Saddam Hussein's Baathist Party to regain jobs they held before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Larry Mantle and guests talk about the significance of this law and its prospect for mending the deep rifts between Sunni Arabs who once controlled the government under Saddam Hussein and Shiites who currently dominate politics in Iraq.
How Four Capitalists Created California
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One hundred forty years ago, Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins, four men known as "The Big Four" or "The Associates," rose from their position as middle-class merchants in Sacramento, California, to become the force behind the transcontinental railroad. Through this endeavor, they became wealthy beyond any measure but in order to sustain their power, they had to lie, bribe, wheedle, and, when necessary, arrange for obstacles, both human and legal, to disappear. Their legacy is a university, public gardens, museums, mansions, banks, and libraries -- and to a large degree California itself, a state that even today owes its aura of "can-do" and limitless possibilities to The Associates. Author Richard Rayner joins Larry Mantle to examine the lives of The Big Four whose stories Rayner chronicles in his new book The Associates.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Michigan Results in; Candidates Move on to Nevada, South Carolina
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Larry talks with Christian Science Monitor White House Correspondent Linda Feldmann about the January 15th Michigan primary results, and about how the outcome may affect the Republican race. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, political analyst for KNBC, and James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times join in and offer a preview of the upcoming Nevada and South Carolina primaries.
Bush Exempts Navy from Sonar Injunction
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President Bush has exempted the Navy from a recent ruling prohibiting the use of sonar in training exercises off the California Coast. A federal judge in Los Angeles had issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month requiring the Navy to create a
12-nautical-mile, no-sonar zone along Southern California to protect marine mammals. Bush said in a memorandum that sonar use in the exercises is essential for national security. Larry Mantle talks with former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Wade Sanders and National Resources Defense Council Senior Attorney Joel Reynolds about the President's decision, the Navy's need for sonar, sonar's effect on whales, and what legal action may be taken next.
Latino Voting Attitudes and the Presidential Election
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The Latino voting bloc is growing larger and larger. How will Latinos vote in the upcoming presidential election? Larry talks about Latino attitudes on race, gender, and major political issues with the Pew Hispanic Center's Paul Taylor, Jaime Regalado at Cal State L.A.'s Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, and Gregory Rodriguez of the New America Foundation.
Why We Need Nerds
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Why are our children so terrified to be called "nerds"? And why are "nerds" almost impossible to find outside America? Larry Mantle talks with psychotherapist and psychology professor David Anderegg
about his new book Nerds. The book examines the cultural history of nerdiness, the origins of anti-nerd prejudice, and why Anderegg thinks anti-intellectualism is damaging to our culture.
Thursday, Jan. 17
Is a Recession Looming?
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A slowdown in business and consumer activity, combined with the ongoing housing slump, has led to a sharp downturn in financial markets and concerns that a recession might be on the horizon. President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are embracing calls for an economic stimulus package to avert the possibility. Larry talks with Tom Petruno, Staff Writer for the Los Angeles Times, about the risk of recession, and with Brian Naylor, Congressional Correspondent for National Public Radio, about the political solutions being considered.
Inland Empire Journalists Roundtable
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Larry Mantle talks with Steven Cuevas, KPCC's Inland Empire Reporter, Cassie MacDuff, Columnist with The Press Enterprise, about the latest news, events, and developments in the Inland Empire.
The Secret History Of The American Left From Mussolini To The Politics Of Meaning
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In his new book Liberal Fascism, columnist and author Jonah Goldberg offers his perspective on the theories and practices that define fascist politics. Goldberg argues that the original fascists were really on the left, and that liberals from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to Hillary Clinton have advocated policies and principles remarkably similar to those of Hitler's National Socialism and Mussolini's Fascism. The author joins Larry Mantle to discuss his controversial views about the American Left and its ideological relationship to Fascism.
Jews And Power
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Ruth Wisse, professor of comparative literature at Harvard joins Larry Mantle to discuss her theory that the Jewish people have been corrupted, not by power but by powerlessness. In her new book Jews and Power, Wisse examines how from the Kingdom of David to the Oslo Accords to more recent confrontations between Israel and the Arab world, Jews have often tried to make a virtue out of powerlessness, while their enemies have exaggerated and demonized Jewish power. Wisse offers a radical new way to think about the Jewish relationship to power that is sure to be controversial both inside and outside the Jewish world.
Friday, Jan. 18
Live Broadcast from the Sundance Film Festival (Part 1)
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FilmWeek on AirTalk goes on the road for a special two-hour live broadcast from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The premier showcase for U.S. and international independent film is a core program of the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit cultural organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Larry is joined in the first hour by Peter Rainer, film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, and a variety of directors, writers and actors including: William Hurt, Sean McGinly, Colin Hanks, Christopher Bell, Randall Miller, Jody Savin, and Bill Pullman.
Live Broadcast from the Sundance Film Festival (Part 2)
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FilmWeek on AirTalk continues its special two-hour live broadcast from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. First, a conversation with Elizabeth Guider, Editor of the Hollywood Reporter about the tentative deal struck between the Directors Guild of America and Hollywood studios. Then Larry is joined by Scott Foundas, film editor for the LA Weekly, and a variety of guests including: Katrina Browne, Tanaz Eshagian, Ellen Kuras, Patrick Creadon, Addison Wiggin, and Marina Zenovich.
