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December 4 - 8, 2006
Monday, Dec. 4
Former U.S. Senator John Edwards
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After being thrust onto the national spotlight as candidate for Vice President during the 2004 elections, former U.S. Senator John Edwards has taken time out to focus on life outside of the political spectrum.
His new book Home: The Blueprint of Our Lives (Harper Collins), attempts to show the powerful connection between family and home to both famous and everyday Americans. Today, former Senator. Edwards is the Director of the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but now that the 2008 elections are on the horizon, will he announce his return to politics?
- John Edwards, Former U.S. Senator and author, Home: The Blueprints of our lives
John Edwards will sign copies of his book Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives tonight at 7 p.m. at All Saints Church in Pasadena, 132 N. Euclid Ave.
What Would You Ask?
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Confirmation hearings begin tomorrow for Robert Gates, the president's choice for Secretary of Defense. This high profile event is sure to attract the usual contingent of bombastic speeches and softball questions from the Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee. But what do you want to know from the man hoping to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President? We'll take calls and preview the hearing with NPR's Pentagon correspondent, Tom Bowman.
- Tom Bowman, NPR Pentagon correspondent
On Tuesday, KPCC will air NPR's live coverage of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on the nomination of Robert Gates as the next Secretary of Defense.
Tuesday, Dec. 5
Replacement for Rumsfeld?
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Today Robert Gates goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his hearing to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Defense Secretary. Though this is not the first time Gates has testified in front of the Senate - his 1991 confirmation to the CIA is regarded as one of the most contentious hearings in recent times. Before he steps in to fill the position, the former CIA Director will be probed on issues such as the war in Iraq and his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal, but is expected to receive confirmation after the one-day hearing.
Iraq Study Group Report: A Preview
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A report detailing the effects of U.S. involvement in Iraq will be released tomorrow morning, complete with policy suggestions and advice for the current administration. According to the facilitators of the group, the United States Institute for Peace, the report will focus on topics such as security and strategic environment in Iraq and the region, political developments following the elections and formation of the new government, as well as the Iraqi economy and reconstruction. The report will be made available to the public on December 6, at 8:00 AM PST, but Patt Morrison takes an early look.
- Doyle McManus, Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
- Wayne White, a former Deputy Director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office. He is also adjunct scholar with the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C.
Senators Looking Presidential?
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Today's confirmation hearings are not only a chance for Robert Gates to prove his capacity for leadership - the Senate Armed Services Committee includes three panel members who are rumored to have their sights set on the 2008 elections. Senators Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Evan Bayh will each have their moment in the spotlight as they grill the candidate for Defense Secretary. And tomorrow the same panel will also question members of the Iraq Study Group on their findings on the war. While none of them have officially announced their bid for presidency, the Gates hearings and the session on Iraq may provide an opportunity for them to show their potential as commander-in-chief.
George Gallup in Hollywood
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After accurately predicting Franklin D. Roosevelt's re-election victory in 1936, George Gallup's unique opinion polling techniques were sought after by Hollywood executives eager to discover what movie audiences wanted. Soon after he was measuring public opinion on famous actors such as Orson Welles, couples such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and films like Gone with the Wind and Fantasia. A new book on Gallup's method examines how he not only showed what movie-goers wanted to see, but that his polling also provided a fascinating look at the class and gender differences of the time.
Wednesday, Dec. 6
New Acting Fire Chief Douglas Barry
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The Los Angeles Fire Department's new acting chief is expressing confidence that hazing and horseplay can be stopped. Douglas Barry will begin his new duties after the new year, succeeding William Bamattre who resigned amid mounting political pressure and criticism over allegations of discrimination and harassment in the department. Before Douglas Barry starts his job, he joins Patt in studio to talk about his priorities as acting Chief and about stopping the firehouse hazing.
- Douglas Barry: Acting Fire Chief for the Los Angeles Fire department
Restoring the River
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Nearly 90 years after Los Angeles diverted water from the Owens River Valley to quench its growing population, the city will make amends today by restoring a stretch of the Owens River it dried up. The move restores an ecosystem, provides new recreational opportunities and drops the amount of dust that has choked local residents for decades.
- Ilsa Setziol: KPCC environmental reporter, from the Owens Valley
- Catherine Mulholland: Granddaughter of William Mulholland and author, William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles (University of California Press)
Hollywood Station
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Often known as the father of the modern cop novel, former LAPD detective Joseph Wambaugh has written several bestselling novels about crime and life on the job including his seminal 1971 debut, The New Centurions. Since then Wambaugh has worked on film and television shows such as Police Story and has returned to detailing the gritty occupation of LAPD officers in his new book, Hollywood Station (Little, Brown and Company). He joins Patt to discuss his decision to write about life in the LAPD once again, and the changes that have taken place in the department decades after his first novel.
- Joseph Wambaugh, author Hollywood Station (Little, Brown)
Writer's Bloc presents Joseph Wambaugh in conversation with James Ellroy tomorrow night, Thursday Dec 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Westwood Crest Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. For reservations and more information, call 310-335-0917.
Thursday, Dec. 7
Another E. Coli Outbreak?
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Dozens of E. coli cases have been reported in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, and are suspected to have come from scallions that were consumed at several Taco Bell locations in the area. The green onions were reportedly grown in Oxnard and Taco Bell has since removed scallions from all of its restaurants across the country, but how will this affect Southern California residents?
Read the statements released today by Taco Bell (listed under Press Releases), Ready Pac, and Boskovich Farms.
Construction Pollution Costs Billions
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A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Digging Up Trouble: The Health Risks of Construction Pollution in California, is the first to quantify the consequences of construction pollution on California's health and economy. Guest host Jon Beaupre looks at the details of the report and explores reasons for the high figures with the author and a representative of the construction industry.
Air Quality Management Plan
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Southern California's air quality is improving, thanks to some of the strictest pollution control requirements in the world. But we still have the worst overall air pollution in the nation. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is polishing its plan to hopefully improve on this next year. We'll ask about the programs and incentives available to curb emissions from construction sites, power plants, tail pipes and other sources of pollution. We'll also look into the choices that must be made each year between the dangers to our air.
- Peter Greenwald, Senior Policy Advisor, South Coast Air Quality Management District
Marlene Dietrich Remembered
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During a time of great circumstances, Marlene Dietrich made the personal journey from Berliner to American citizen and went on to inspire U.S. troops through drama and song. In A Woman at War: Marlene Dietrich Remembered (Wayne State University Press), her life and work during World War II is recounted through photographs and stories from those whose lives she touched including American GIs, studio heads, Nazi hunters, and other entertainers. Her grandson, David Riva, edited the collection of remembrances.
- J. David Riva, Grandson of Marlene Dietrich and Editor, A Woman at War: Marlene Dietrich Remembered (Wayne State University Press)
J. David Riva will be signing copies of his book on Tuesday, December 19th at 7:30PM at A Different Light Bookstore, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd.,
West Hollywood
Friday, Dec. 8
To Each, Their Own
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Following years of debate, Conservative Jewish leaders agreed to disagree this week on training gay rabbis and blessing same-sex unions. The lack of an accord, at a meeting of national leaders, means that individual Conservative congregations and seminaries will decide on whether they will embrace an issue that has divided other religious leaders, as well as state and federal governments. We'll talk with leaders of Southern California's Conservative Jewish community about their plans and discuss how this impacts divisions already inside the religion.
The Black Panther Party - 40 Years Later
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This past October marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party in Oakland. The Party would later go on to create chapters around the U.S. and in February 1967, the Southern California chapter began in Los Angeles and quickly became known as one of the most brazen in the nation. This was proved on December 8, 1969 when they would engage in a 5 hour long shoot-out with the LAPD's newly formed SWAT team. Two former members of the Party join Patt to discuss the historical legacy and impact of the party decades later.
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