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March 19 - 23, 2007
Monday, March 19
Iraq and "the Surge"--is it working?
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21,000 additional American troops are occupying Baghdad, in the hopes of securing that city. This is part of the White House escalation of the war announced over a month ago. Nobody suggested that this move would cause a turnaround by now, but are there at least signs that it is working? And if there are, how much longer will it be before life can return to some semblance of normalcy? Patt talks to journalists and military officers to try and decipher what's happening on the ground as we enter the fifth year of the Iraq war.
Tuesday, March 20
The Affirmative Action Ban, Ten Years Later
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Patt Morrison travels to UCLA to discuss the impact of California's anti-affirmative action initiative, Proposition 209, ten years after its passage. Proposition 209 amended the state constitution to ban public institutions from using race or ethnicity in admissions or hiring. We focus in particular on how that has affected minority admissions in state universities with former UC Regent Ward Connerly, the lead proponent of Prop 209, and other guests.
Wednesday, March 21
CSU Faculty Supports Walkout
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The California Faculty Association announced today that a large majority of their members voted to authorize a strike against the California State University system if negotiations on a labor contract break down. At issue for the union are raising faculty pay and "millions of dollars wasted on pet projects and golden parachute deals for executives while our classrooms and student services are being cut."
Arnold Disses Rush
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Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the views of his conservative critics, including Rush Limbaugh, are irrelevant to his work in California.
Bill Richardson in Southern California
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Born in Pasadena, raised in Mexico City and educated in New England, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) has his future sights set on possibly becoming the first Mexican-American on a Presidential ticket. Richardson has created an exploratory committee to test the political waters and is widely expected to announce his full-fledged candidacy for president before the end of the month. He joins Patt to explain why others have called him the ordinary man with the extraordinary resume.
Thursday, March 22
A "Current" Affair
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LA Times Editorial Page Editor Andres Martinez left the newspaper this morning when publisher David Hiller decided not to proceed with this Sunday's Current section. Why? Apparently Martinez was having an affair with Hollywood film producer Brian Grazer's publicist. Grazer, meanwhile, was tapped as a "guest editor" of this week's Current. Martinez denies any conflict of interest, but Hiller said appearances required canning the segment.
Forget the Foie Gras
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Wolfgang Puck today announced that his restaurants will no longer serve inhumanely-treated animals. That means no more foie gras, made from the fatty liver of an overfed duck or goose, for Spago diners, but they can now choose between free-range chicken or veal. Puck joins Patt to discuss a move that he says will only make his food taste better.
This American Life Hits the Small Screen
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This American Life's host Ira Glass, who has been broadcasting over NPR's radio waves for more than a decade, will start broadcasting the show over television's microwaves tonight. We speak with him about making a television show that portrays the same type of characters and stories as the radio show, but is more than just transposing the radio show onto a television screen.
Friday, March 23
House Passes Iraq War Spending Bill
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This morning the House voted to pass the binding war spending bill requiring that combat operations cease before September 2008, or earlier if the Iraqi government does not meet certain requirements. Not all Democrats voted for it, however, and is it all a moot point since the president has promised to veto the measure as soon as it hits his desk?
STRIVE Act and Others
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The title of the Iraq bill voted in the house today - The US Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act - doesn't fit easily into an acronym, but earlier this week, lawmakers introduced the immigration reform - STRIVE Act of 2007. (Strive = Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy). Patt speaks with linguist Geoffrey Nunberg about the trend to create acronyms for legislation.
Monty Python's Spamalot
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In 1975 the cult-classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail was released, telling the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Over 30 years later, the hilarious story has been brought to the live stage complete with lusty maidens, a killer rabbit and the infamous legless knight. Spamalot is set to open this month at Wynn Las Vegas and one of the original members of the Monty Python team, Eric Idle, joins Patt to talk about the theatre adaptation.
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Eric Idle, Comedian and Spamalot Producer
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