January 28 - February 1, 2008
Monday, Jan. 28
South Carolina Primary Results
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Larry talks with Mara Liasson, National Political Correspondent for NPR, and Chris Lehane, democratic political consultant and partner in the strategic communications firm Fabiani & Lehane about the results of the South Carolina primary election.
Condoleeza Rice
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Larry Mantle talks with Elisabeth Bumiller, author of the new biography about Condoleeza Rice, "Condoleeza Rice: An American Life" that chronicles the life of the current Secretary of State. Bumiller's book is based on extensive interviews with The Secretary of State and many of her colleagues, and examines her vulnerabilities and ambitions.
Florida Primary Preview
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Larry provides a preview of the Florida primary election with Linda Feldman, White House correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, and Dan Schnur, Lecturer in Political Science at UC Berkeley and a Republican political strategist.
Michael Shermer
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In "The Mind of the Market," Skeptics Society founder and frequent "Airtalk" guest Michael Shermer studies the function of the human brain in markets. Why do we hold on to stocks long after it becomes clear we should sell them? Why do we pay more for shirts with popular brand names, even when the labels are only visible on the inside? Shermer looks at the neurology and emotional roots of our everyday buying decisions.
Tuesday, Jan. 29
Los Angeles Times/CNN/Politico Presidential Poll
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A new L.A. Times/CNN/Politico poll finds that Senators McCain and Clinton lead their rivals by double-digits for their parties' nominations in California. The poll was conducted largely before Senator Obama's victory Saturday in South Carolina and yesterday's endorsement of him by Senator Edward Kennedy and his niece, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg. The poll also indicates that many prospective California voters say they could still change their minds about who they'll support on Super Tuesday. Larry discusses the poll's results. Larry also talks with Patti Solis Doyle, Campaign Manager for Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign, about what Senator Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama means for the Clinton campaign.
Governor's Health Care Bill Fails In The State Senate
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Governor Schwarzenegger's effort to reform California's health care system has failed. The Senate Health Committee rejected the bill the governor negotiated with Democratic leaders. Only one of the seven Democrats on the committee supported the bill. All four Republicans opposed it, and it failed on a 7-1 vote. Many Democrats said they were afraid the 14.7 billion-dollar program was too expensive. Larry and guests Dan Walters, political reporter for The Sacramento Bee, and Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California discuss the bill's failure and possible next step for health care in California.
L.A. City Mandatory Neutering Ordinance
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City Councilman Richard Alarcon has proposed a law that would require pet owners living within the City of Los Angeles to spay or neuter their dogs and cats by four months of age. The proposed ordinance was approved by the Public Safety Committee yesterday and will be before the City Council on Friday. Larry talks with Richard Alarcon, Los Angeles City Councilman representing the 7th district, and Carol Hamilton, President of POWER ("Pet Owners Want Equal Rights") based in Huntington Beach.
State of the Union Commentary
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Larry talks with Jack Shaw, congressional reporter for Market News International, about the atmosphere in the House Chamber during President Bush's State of the Union speech last night.
The Life Of An Abortion Doctor
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Larry Mantle talks with Dr. Susan Wicklund, author of the new book, "This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor," that chronicles Wicklund's twenty years on the front lines as an abortion doctor, and as a women's reproductive health advocate.
Wednesday, Jan. 30
Results Of The Florida Primary
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Larry Mantle and his guests analyze the results of yesterday's primary election in Florida and the subsequent developments in both the Democratic and Republican Presidential races. He will also discuss John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani calling it quits. Guests include, Mark Barabak, Los Angeles Times staff writer, and Ron Elving, NPR Senior Washington Editor.
Baptist Schism?
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Larry Mantle discusses the New Baptist Covenant Celebration, a meeting beginning Wednesday in Atlanta that will bring together different factions of the Baptist faith to work together on social issues. Some see the meeting as a challenge to the well-established and more conservative Southern Baptist Convention. Larry Mantle talks with Bill Underwood, co-founder of the New Baptist Covenant Celebration, about his goals for the meeting. He later speaks with Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention about its upcoming annual meeting, and about whether or not he believes dissension is growing within the Baptist Church.
Leonard Nimoy
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Larry talks with Leonard Nimoy, actor-turned-photographer, whose latest photos of obese nudes are on exhibit at the Louis Stern Fine Arts gallery in West Hollywood.
Thursday, Jan. 31
Presidential Campaign Update
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Larry talks with Dan Schnur, Republican political strategist and lecturer in Political Science at UC Berkeley, and Bill Carrick, Democratic media consultant about last night's Republican debate, about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement of John McCain, and about tonight's Democratic debate.
Propostion S: Tax Increase Or Tax Reduction?
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Larry Mantle talks with guests in favor of and opposed to Proposition S which restores an illegal tax on cell phones but reduces the tax rate from the original 10 % to 9%. Proponents of the measure call it a tax reduction and claim the revenue from this tax is crucial for public safety, parks and libraries. Opponents call it an illegal tax and claim it opens the door to the possibility of a future tax on internet services.
Talking Politics At Work
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Larry takes listener calls about whether or not co-workers should discuss politics in the workplace.
Monrovia Gang Warfare
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Larry talks with Sam Quinones, staff writer for the LA Times, and author of "True Tales from Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, The Popsicle Kings, Chalino and the Bronx" about the gang warfare and murders that have recently taken place in Monrovia between rival Latino and African-American gangs.
Scent And Attraction
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Scientists are learning more and more about the significant role the nose plays in sexual attraction in human beings. A recent study, for example, found that women prefer the smell of men who are the most immunilogically different than they are. Larry Mantle talks about this finding and more with Rachel Herz, the author of the book "The Scent of Desire."
Friday, Feb. 1
The Democratic Debate
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Larry Mantle opens the phones to get listener reaction to Thursday night's debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He also talks with Terry McAuliffe, Chairman of the national Hillary Clinton for President Campaign.
Proposition 92 Debate
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Larry Mantle discusses Proposition 92 that would impact community college funding, fees and governance. A "yes" vote would mean that community college fees would be reduced from $20 per unit to $15 per unit, and changes would be made to the state community college governing board. A "No" vote would mean that current laws about community college funding, fees, and governance would be unchanged. Larry and guests on both sides of the Proposition debate the issues.
Screenwriter And Playwright Ronald Harwood
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Writer Ronald Harwood is a 2007 Academy Award nominee for Best Adapted screenplay for his script "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Larry talks with the Oscar winning and Tony nominated writer about his most recent film, his new book, and his long career.
Filmweek Reviews
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Larry and critics Jean Oppenheimer, of Village Voice Media, and Wade Major, of boxoffice.com and "CityBeat" discuss some of the past week's new films including "Over Her Dead Body," "Tre," "Liberty Kid," "Caramel," "Last Year at Marienbad" and "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days."
