|
February 12 - 16, 2007
Monday, Feb. 12
North Korea Disarmament
(Listen)
In October, it was the boom felt around the world: North Korea's first nuclear test
explosion, alarming the world and triggering U.N. sanctions. Today, International negotiators announced that they have reached a tentative agreement on the first steps toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament. We'll look at what has come out of more than three years of talks.
- Gordon Chang, Asia scholar and author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World
The House Debates Iraq
(Listen)
A non-binding resolution that says Congress "disapproves" of President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq is being circulated by House Democratic leaders. Debate on the resolution is expected to begin tomorrow, and the measure is expected to come to a vote by Friday.
The Changing Young Face of Privacy
(Listen)
The internet has created an unparalleled place to connect with other people, but it's also brought new, radically different ideas about privacy. A new poll shows young Americans don't mind if someone sees a picture of them in a bathing suit or reads a dating profile they've posted. The same survey shows older Americans would be shocked by the same things. What will we think in the future and how might our laws change to reflect this?
Abe Is Honestly Old
(Listen)
Today is Abraham Lincoln's 198th birthday, and a statewide holiday in California. Lincoln never came to visit the Golden State, but we looked at his legacy today with presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Tuesday, Feb. 13
The Corruption Charges Continue
(Listen)
Two more people - the CIA's former executive director and a San Diego defense contractor - have been indicted today in an investigation stemming from former Rep. Duke Cunningham's corruption trial. Former director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and contractor Brent Wilkes both face 11 counts of fraud, which could yield a punishment of up to 20 years in prison, for illegal vacations and money transfers into Wilkes's contracting company. In a separate trial, Wilkes also faces an additional 20 years for corruption charges directly related to Cunningham's indictment. We trace the intricate path of these new charges.
House Debate on Iraq Begins
(Listen)
As the House of Representatives begins debate on its resolution opposing Bush's plans to send more troops to Iraq, speaker Pelosi says there will be "no more blank checks for President Bush on Iraq." NPR senior Washington editor Ron Elving has been following the events.
- Ron Elving, Senior Washington Editor, NPR
News War
(Listen)
Some consider the news media the ultimate check in the check and balance system of American government. So, what is the state of news media in the United States? Are journalists doing their job? The PBS program Frontline tackles these questions in a new four-part series called News War: Secrets, Spin and the future of the News. Patt speaks with one of the show's producers.
- Arun Rath, Co-Producer, Frontline News War, Parts 1 and 2
How We See Red
(Listen)
It's the color of roses, lipstick, stop signs and heart-shaped chocolate boxes. One of the most primary of the primary colors, red is a symbol for love, anger and pride but still has many meanings to different cultures and species. And while it may set off a wide variety of emotions and thoughts, our vision has formed to see red more clearly, brightly and in many more shades than most other colors. Patt takes a scientific look at the color of Valentine's Day.
Caption Contest
(Listen)
What were Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Paris Hilton discussing as a picture of them was snapped at the Grammys Awards Show? The war in Iraq? The state of the LAUSD board? Their personal tanning secrets? The LAObserved.com has started a contest to find the perfect caption for this picture, and the entries have been flying in. As Hilton would say, that's hot!
Wednesday, Feb. 14
California Not Losing Businesses
(Listen)
Is a climate of bad business growing within California? Even though evidence points to more businesses leaving California, the co-author of a new study says no. We speak with him about the shifts of employment and economic activity inside and outside California.
Wi-Fi for Los Angeles
(Listen)
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has introduced plans to provide the entire city of Los Angeles with wireless Internet access by 2009. This Wi-Fi initiative, which follows the example of 300 other cities across the United States, will cover 498 square miles and may cost more than $62 million. We look at the practicality and political obstacles.
Can Napping Help Your Heart?
(Listen)
Researchers may have found a new formula for fighting heart disease... naps! Doctors have found that people who napped at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week, were more than 30% less likely to die of heart disease. We ask, what else can a nap do for our well-being, and will corporate America take notice and make some changes in the work place?
"Two Hands"
(Listen)
San Francisco-born pianist Leon Fleisher was perhaps born to play. He began learning piano at age 4, and was playing with the New York Philharmonic by age 16. His recordings were critically acclaimed and his future looked bright. But in 1965, he was struck with a rare neurological disorder, which caused his right hand to curl up and become useless to play with. Fleisher forged on, playing music written specially for one hand and reshaping his career to accommodate his loss. Medical developments finally restored his right hand, and he recorded the album "Two Hands" in 2004. The documentary traces the restoration of his abilities and his efforts to record this album, which the New York Times named one of the best classical recordings of the year. The film has been nominated for an Academy Award.
- Nathaniel Kahn, filmmaker
Thursday, Feb. 15
They Hit the Campaign Trail
(Listen)
Although the 2008 presidential race is still a year and a half away, candidates have already started their campaigns for the White House, and many of them are stopping in California - a heavyweight among fundraising states. With predictions that this election will be the most expensive presidential race ever, we take a look at where candidates' fundraising trails will lead them.
Bonds Signs Deal
(Listen)
After two months of protracted negotiations, the San Francisco Giants and Barry Bonds have finally come to an agreement - a $15.8 million agreement - for one more year of playing time. Although the contract was initially drawn up in January, disagreements over the wording and possibility of a federal grand jury indictment Bond faces if it finds he perjured himself during the Bay Area's steroid-distribution case stalled negotiations. Bonds is now expected to report to the team's spring training on Tuesday.
- Ron Rapaport, sports commentator, NPR
Calvin Trillin, On His Own
(Listen)
In 2001, journalist, humorist and novelist Calvin Trillin lost one of his most cherished characters - his wife. He has written an elegy to Alice, fond recollections and reflections that prompted one young woman to write and say that she sometimes looked at her boyfriend and thought, but will he love me like Calvin loves Alice? He joins us to share About Alice (Random House), his book celebrating their time together.
Friday, Feb. 16
House Votes on Iraq Resolution
(Listen)
After a week-long debate, the House of Representatives voted 246-182 to pass a non-binding measure in a symbolic gesture criticizing the President's decision to deploy more troops to Iraq. Since the beginning of the war, the resolution represents the first time Congress has reproached President Bush's policy in Iraq.
Tom Vilsack
(Listen)
He was the governor of Iowa for two terms and the first Democratic candidate to announce his 2008 presidential bid online. Tom Vilsack, who is running against a number of star-powered candidates for the Democratic nomination, is trying to separate his campaign by launching it on a platform to cap carbon emissions and fund alternative sources of fuel. He joins Patt while campaigning through California.
- Tom Vilsack, Candidate for the Democratic nomination for President. He is the former Governor of Iowa.
Courtroom Bloggers
(Listen)
Closing arguments begin next week in the perjury trial of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby. While the jury is deciding Libby's fate, a host of bloggers have been spinning the daily events of the trial minute by minute, from left, right and center. This is the first federal case for which independent bloggers have been given media credentials. We'll talk with a few of them about their views and their audience.
Director Billy Ray on Breach
(Listen)
In a new movie about one of the most damaging traitors in American history, Breach focuses on the career of an FBI agent who was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for providing top-secret information to the Russians over a 22-year period. Throughout the Cold War, Robert Hanssen sold classified information to the Soviets such as the hidden locations of the president and other top officials in the event of a national emergency and the identities of American spies within the communist bloc. Director Billy Ray joins Patt to discuss why he chose this story to film and how it passed under the radar of so many Americans.
|
