Bernanke's Testimony On The Economy; Mortgage Relief On The Way; State Steps In To Regulate Emergency Care Billing; Biofuels And Global Warming; New U.C. President
Bernanke's Testimony On The Economy
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben S. Bernanke warned against a recession and a stagnant U.S. economy in a presentation to a Congressional committee Wednesday morning. Larry Mantle talks with experts Jack Shaw, Capitol Hill Reporter for Market News International, and Chris Thornberg, Principal of Beacon Economics about Bernanke's assessment of the country's financial situation and the impact it will have on global economic growth.
Mortgage Relief On The Way
With pressure to curb mounting foreclosures, U.S. Senators drafted a bipartisan mortgage relief bill on Tuesday. For weeks Democrats and Republicans were deadlocked over the bill, but finally drafted legislation that promises to help struggling homeowners. Larry Mantle talks with experts J. Taylor Rushing, Staff Writer on the U.S. Senate for The Hill, and Chris Thornberg, Principal at Beacon Economics about the details of the bill and its benefit to homeowners.
State Steps In To Regulate Emergency Care Billing
Governor Schwarzenegger's administration has moved to ban physicians and hospitals from billing patients for the cost of services that exceed what their HMOs are willing to pay. Larry talks with Jordan Rau, Sacramento Reporter for the L.A. Times, Francisco Silva, General Counsel for the California Medical Association, and Rick Martin, Deputy Director of the Department of Managed Health Care about "balance billing," the ongoing feud between doctors and insurance providers, and the patients caught in the middle.
Biofuels And Global Warming
As biofuel use increases exponentially around the world, more and more research is addressing the impact biofuel production is having on the global warming problem. The news, so far, is not good. Some studies show that the increase in the production of biofuels like ethanol is actually speeding up global warming - not reducing it. Larry Mantle talks with Michael Grunwald, senior correspondent for Time Magazine, and author of the magazine's current cover story, "The Clean Energy Scam," Bruce Dale, a Professor at Michigan State University's Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, and Tim Searchinger, visiting scholar at Princeton University about the complex issue of alternative fuels and the environment.
New U.C. President
Larry Mantle chats with the University of California system's newly appointed President, University of Texas Chancellor Mark Yudof. They will discuss his leadership at the University of Texas, his plans for the UC System, and more.