Senator Arlen Specter to Switch Parties; Swine Flu Update; Former OC Sheriff Mike Carona Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years; The Supreme Court's 2008-2009 Term Comes to a Close; Mark Arax
Senator Arlen Specter to Switch Parties
Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is switching parties, pushing Democrats one step closer to a 60-vote filibuster-resistant majority. In a statement, Specter said that "the Republican Party has moved far to the right." He announced, "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans." Larry Mantle finds out more about the decision from NPR political editor Ken Rudin.
Swine Flu Update
The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic threat level to 4, two levels below full-scale pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control reports that eleven cases of swine flu have so far been documented in California. No cases have yet been confirmed in LA County, but health officials say "it's only a matter of time." Larry gets the latest from LA Times medical writer Thomas Maugh.
Former OC Sheriff Mike Carona Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years
A U.S. District Judge sentenced former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona to 5 1/2 years in prison and ordered him to pay a $125,000 fine for witness tampering. Carona was convicted of the charge January 16 but was acquitted of five other corruption counts, including conspiracy and withholding honest services from the residents of Orange County. Carona says he will appeal the decision. Larry talks with OC Register reporter Rachanee Srisavasdi who attended the sentencing hearing.
The Supreme Court's 2008-2009 Term Comes to a Close
Wednesday is the last day for oral arguments in the Supreme Court's 2008 - 2009 term. What were the Court's major decisions, and what cases has the Court agreed to hear next term? Larry Mantle talks with Chapman University School of Law Dean John Eastman and UC Davis Law School Professor of Law Vikram Amar.
Mark Arax
It is a story of California unlike any other, told through the eyes of an acclaimed journalist and author. Mark Arax, author of "West of the West," navigates readers through several remarkable true stories that include a murderous chicken magnate, a botched Al Qaeda investigation and a town that receives 80-percent of its revenue from marijuana. Arax ends his book with the resolution of his father's murder that had been left unsolved for more than 30 years, including his confrontation with the woman who planned the slaying. Larry talks to Arax about his book.