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March 12 - 16, 2007
Monday, March 12
More Woes at Walter Reed
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Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen Kevin Kiley is the latest casualty at Walter Reed...not of gunfire, but of the political hailstorm over conditions at the hospital. Patt talks to Newsweek's National Security Correspondent, Dan Ephron, who wrote the magazine's cover story on Walter Reed Medical Center.
- Dan Ephron, National Security Correspondent, Newsweek
Balancing on the Edge of Disaster
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Stephen Flynn is a senior fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a retired Coast Guard officer. In his book, The Edge of Disaster, Flynn asks: why does America remain so unprepared for a terrorist attack or natural disaster? He says that California's hundred year old levees are a bigger risk to life and property than terrorism, that our aging power grid and vanishing emergency rooms pose a greater danger than Al Qaeda. He talks about America's poor priorities and California's vulnerabilities and what we can and should do about them.
Two Threats to California - Are We Prepared?
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According to Stephen Flynn, two of the most dangerous threats to the United States are right here in California - the vulnerabilities at our ports that could bring the West Coast economy to its knees, and a San Francisco earthquake that could destroy our hundred year old levees, contaminating the fresh water supply that most of California relies on for survival. What's the state of preparation for those two scenarios?
Tuesday, March 13
Bush South of the Border
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President Bush continues his Latin American tour, with a summit meeting today with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Immigration reform is a big topic for both of them. While Congress considers immigration reform, Calderon will also look at improving conditions for foreign immigrants to Mexico. Patt talks to reporters in Mexico covering today's meeting.
- Franc Contreras: Mexico Correspondent for The World, Latino USA and AlJazeera English
- Manuel Roig-Franzia, Mexico bureau chief for The Washington Post
Immigration: Developments in Washington
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Bush's visit to Mexico and South America has put fresh focus on immigration. Lawmakers in DC are close to unveiling a plan for comprehensive reform which, they hope, will be less contentious than last year's attempt.
- Gail Chaddock, Congressional Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor
- Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra
- Republican John Campbell, Immigration Reform Caucus
Paul Mazursky Returns to the Theatre
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In his fourth decade as a successful filmmaker and actor, Paul Mazursky has returned to directing the theatre for the first time in 40 years, with the world premiere of The Catskill Sonata. Written by Michael Elias, whose credits include Steve Martin's The Jerk, the play tells the story of left-leaning writers, musicians, and artists of the 1950s who find companionship and love in the midst of McCarthyism.
- Paul Mazursky, film writer, director, and producer
Tickets still available!
The Catskill Sonata is playing at:
The Hayworth Theatre
2509 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles
Thursdays through Saturdays through April 14th.
Wednesday, March 14
California's education reform
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A compilation of more than 20 studies investigating the flaws in California's education system was released today. This report supplied a number of suggestions, all of which may add up to a $20 - $30 billion increase in state spending on its education system. Can California, which already spends about half of its annual budget on education, afford to make these changes?
Another Healthcare Plan in the Mix
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Today Republicans in the Assembly, led by GOP leader Michael Villines, announced proposals for health care that differ from the plans of the Governor, the Democrats and other Republicans. We hear details of this new plan and how it compares to what is already on the table.
- Jordan Rau, Sacramento reporter for the Los Angeles Times
HPV vaccine on hold
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A California Assembly Committee yesterday voted to hold off on voting on a controversial bill that would require girls entering the 6th grade to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Complaints about the bill include mandating girls to get a vaccine that has been on the market for less than a year and questioning whether this will push more girls to become sexually active. Lawmakers from California's Assembly join us to discuss the vote.
Oil on the Brain
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In her new book, Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline
(Doubleday), Lisa Margonelli explores the culture and economy of the oil industry, connecting the person at the pump with the politicians, the drillers, the third-world workers and the oil billionaires who are all part of the oil-producing process.
Tonight at 7 pm, The WIRED Speaker Series and ALOUD present
Ms. Margonelli in conversation with Joanna Pearlstein, WIRED research editor, at the Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. 5th St.
Thursday, March 15
Burn Treatment - The Latest Advances
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Most medical conditions requiring surgery can be taken care of with one procedure. Burns, however, can require a series of procedures spanning several months or years. They cause serious and permanent trauma to the person who lives with them, but burn treatment and technology are having a profound impact on how doctors can treat these patients. We discuss different methods of treatment and emerging technologies with doctors and two burn victims at the Grossman Burn Center in the Sherman Oaks Hospital.
For more information about burn treatment and prevention, please go to:
American Burn Association
Burn Recovery Center
Children's Burn Foundation
Friday, March 16
The Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis
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As the demand for loans continues to fall and the number of defaults is on the rise, companies like Ameriquest Mortgage Co. are beginning to lay off hundreds of workers in Southern California and across the nation. And amid such concerns, pressure is mounting on the federal government to step in and help the troubled marketplace while state officials such as California Attorney General Jerry Brown have launched an "open investigation" into the sub-prime mortgage industry which lends to borrowers that have shaky credit records. What does this mean for the nation's economy and how can those that are most at risk find help?
For more information on foreclosure prevention call:
1-888-995-HOPE
The Long Road Home
(Listen)
Martha Raddatz, Chief White House correspondent for ABC News, has spent the last four years covering the war in Iraq. In her first book, The Long Road Home (Putnam Adult), Raddatz traces the intertwining stories of soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas and their families through the first battle of the Iraqi insurgency in Sadr City. She covers the fighting on the ground while painting an intimate portrait of the families at home waiting for word about their soldiers.
- Martha Raddatz, Author, The Long Road Home (Putnam Adult). She is also the Chief White House correspondent for ABC News and has been covering the Iraq War for the last four years. She has gone back and forth to Iraq 12 times
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