March 17 - 21, 2008
Monday, March 17
Bear-Stearns Collapse
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JP Morgan Chase announced last night it will acquire Bear Stearns for $236.2 million. The all-stock deal was fast-tracked by the federal government to avoid a bankruptcy and so it would be completed before world markets opened today. Larry talks with Neil Irwin, of the Washington Post about the deal and what it means to the U.S. economy.
Tibet Update
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Protests spread from Tibet into three neighboring provinces Sunday as Tibetans defied a Chinese government crackdown. Chinese authorities are now mobilizing security forces across a broad expanse of western China. In the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, a deadline approaches today for people who took part in a violent anti-Chinese uprising last week. The Chinese government has told them to surrender or face severe punishment. Tibet's governor says that 16 people have died and dozens have been wounded in the violence so far, which broke out in Lhasa on Friday. The Dalai Lama decried what he called the "cultural genocide" taking place in his homeland. Larry talks with Lhadon Pethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, and Tseten Panucharas, past president of LA Friends of Tibet.
Just How "Green" Are Your Natural Products?
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Larry discusses the recent study of "natural" and "organic" consumer products including soaps and shampoos, that showed that almost half of them, while claiming to be "green," tested positive for a cancer causing chemical. Larry talks with Marla Cone, Environmental reporter for the L.A. Times, David Steinman, consumer advocate and director of the study, and David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps.
Washington D.C. Gun Ban Argued In The Supreme Court
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In 1976, one of the toughest gun laws in the nation took effect in the District of Columbia, essentially outlawing the private ownership of new handguns in a city struggling with violence. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a challenge to the city's handgun ban. The case is likely to produce the most important firearms ruling in generations and could undermine other gun control laws nationwide if the court takes an expansive view of the right to bear arms. The Justice Department shocked the pro-gun lobby by writing amicus brief arguing that gun ownership was not a "fundamental" right but rather deserves only an "intermediate" level of protection. Larry Mantle and guests Eugene Volokh, the Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law, and Erwin Chemerinsky, Professor of Constitutional Law at Duke University School of Law argue the constitutionality of the DC gun ban and discuss the ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision in this case.
A Scientific Exploration Into The World Of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, And Time Travel
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In his new book "Physics of the Impossible," the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future. From teleportation to telekinesis, Dr. Kaku uses the world of science fiction to examine the fundamentals and the limits of the laws of physics as we know them today. He joins Larry Mantle to discuss the science of the impossible-from death rays and force fields to invisibility cloaks-revealing to what extent such technologies might be achievable decades or millennia into the future.
Tuesday, March 18
Obama's Minister
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Senator Barack Obama delivered a major speech Tuesday on the issue of race in the Presidential campaign. The speech addressed the controversy surrounding remarks made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., the former pastor of his Chicago church. Larry talks with Democratic Congressman Steven Rothman, social critic Joe Hicks, and Obama advisor Tony West about Senator Obama's relationship with the pastor, his speech, and how his campaign has been affected by the controversy.
Fleeting Expletives: The Supreme Court To Review FCC Ban on Profanity
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For the first time in 30 years the Supreme Court will consider broadcast decency standards. A 2004 FCC decision that even a one-time use of an obscenity on broadcast television and radio violates decency standards resulted in a reprimand of Fox Broadcasting. The networks subsequently sued, and the 2nd Court of Appeals said the FCC's policy sanctioning "fleeting expletives" infringed on the 1st amendment. Now the Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments in the case this fall. Larry talks about the case with Stanford Constitutional Law Center Director Derek Shaffer and Parents Television Council public policy Director Dan Isett.
John Rechy
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Novelist John Rechy has been hailed by Gore Vidal as "one of the few original American writers of the last century." Now Rechy turns to non-fiction in "About My Life and the Kept Woman: A Memoir." In it, Rechy shares his experience as a Mexican-American in El Paso, Texas at a time when Latino children were routinely discriminated against. As he grew older - and as his fascination with a notorious kept woman from his childhood deepened - Rechy became aware that his differences lay not just in his heritage but in his sexuality.
Wednesday, March 19
Ports To Require Cleaner Burning Fuel
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The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have proposed a $19-million plan to persuade shippers to burn cleaner fuel when vessels are near the California coast. The change, which could go into effect by July, is expected to slash local air pollution by 11%. Larry and his guest, S. David Freeman discuss the pros and cons of the plan and how it would be financed.
Tibet Update
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The Dalai Lama threatened Tuesday to resign as the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile if the violence that has erupted in his homeland over the last week spirals out of control. The spiritual leader of the Himalayan people made the statement on the day China's top leadership lashed out at him, charging that he had orchestrated Tibet's worst anti-China riots in two decades to sabotage this summer's Beijing Olympics. Larry talks with Tseten Panucharas, past president of LA Friends of Tibet.
Sergio Vieira De Mello And The Fight To Save The World
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Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Brazilian United Nations official, wanted to save the world; but his life abruptly came to an end when he, along with 14 other UN staff members on a mission in Iraq, was killed in a suicide-bombing in Baghdad in August 2003. Larry talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor, Samantha Power, one of de Mello's close friends, about her illuminating biography "Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World" in which she not only honors the legacy of de Mello, but raises questions about the U.N.'s role in world affairs.
Fifth Anniversary Of The War In Iraq: Should the U.S. Stay or Go?
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Larry Mantle talks with experts Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Max Boot, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Michael Intriligator, Ph.D, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Barbara Lee, Democratic Congresswoman representing California's Ninth District about whether or not we should keep our troops in Iraq for the long haul or pull them out quickly. Larry discusses these issues as well as where the Presidential candidates stand on this question of whether to stay or go with regard to the war in Iraq.
Thursday, March 20
Las Lomas Development
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The L.A. City Council voted to halt its review of the Las Lomas project near the intersection of the 5 and the 14 freeways. The decision reflected the anxiety over growth and traffic felt by some of the city's elected officials, who rarely issue an outright rejection of a development proposal. Larry and his guests Ed Reyes, L.A City Councilman representing the 1st District, Greig Smith, L.A City Councilman representing the 12th District, and Ali Modarres, Associate Director at the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute for Public Affairs discuss the history of the project and why it isn't going forward.
Orange County Journalists Roundtable
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Larry Mantle talks with Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register senior editorial writer and columnist, and Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly staff writer about the latest news events and developments in Orange County.
Daily Life In Iraq
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Larry Mantle talks with reporters in Iraq about how daily life has changed for Iraqi citizens in the five years since the war began and what it's like now. Guests include Sam Dagher, correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, Larry Kaplow, a Newsweek correspondent in Baghdad, Anna Mulrine, a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report, and Juliana Dawood, Professor of Translation at Basra University.
Friday, March 21
Presidential Campaign Update
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There's no such thing as no news in the Presidential campaign. Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Gov. Bill Richardson, endorses Senator Barack Obama this morning. A new poll finds that 1 in 5 Democrats would rather vote for John McCain than either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. And according to the Rasmussen Reports, McCain currently leads in a match-up against either Democratic candidate. Larry opens the phones and asks AirTalk listeners to weigh in with their thoughts on where the race stands now.
National Counter-Terrorism Academy
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On March 10 the Manhattan Institute Vice President for Policy Research Howard Husock, along with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton launched the pilot program of the National Counter-Terrorism Academy for state and local law enforcement. It's the first of its kind in the country. The academy is a partnership between the LAPD and the Center for Policing Terrorism at the Manhattan Institute, and will give state and local police officers training in counter-terrorism. The pilot class will run through July 30, and will bring counterterrorism training to nearly 70 students from more than 27 public agencies throughout the states of California and Nevada. The LAPD plans to expand the academy to include students from across the country and around the world. Larry Mantle talks to LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing, and Tim Connors of the Manhattan Institute.
Paparazzi Culture
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Troubled pop star Britney Spears seems to be getting her life together, but does that mean the paparazzi will keep their distance? Not likely. Her downward spiral has made millions of dollars for the tabloids, websites, and photographers who follow her 24/7. Larry talks with paparazzo Nick Stern and with Atlantic Monthly writer David Samuels who wrote about the "snappers" who follow Spears. Both will explain how today's paparazzi work, their history, and how they plan to keep cashing in on our fascination with celebrity scandals.
FilmWeek Reviews
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Larry and critics Andy Klein, of CityBeat, and Claudia Puig, of USA Today, review some of the week's new feature films including
"Drillbit Taylor," "The Grand," "The Hammer," and "Under the Same Moon," as well as the documentaries "Fighting for Life" and "'Tis Autumn."
