Split Verdict In The Hamdan Case; The State Of The State Budget Crisis; The State Of Our Emergency Rooms; How The War On Terror Turned Into A War On American Ideals; Rand Talks Back To Alex Abella
Split Verdict In The Hamdan Case
In the first U.S. war crimes trial in a half-century, a Military Tribunal found Osama Bin Laden's former driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, guilty of supporting Al-Qaeda by providing services such as driving and guarding bin Laden and moving weapons. Hamdan was found not guilty of conspiring with bin Laden in terrorist attacks. Larry talks with Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UCI School of Law, and John Eastman, Dean of Chapman University School of Law about the verdict.
The State Of The State Budget Crisis
Late yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger's administration asked State Controller, John Chiang, to temporarily cut the pay of approximately 180,000 state employees. The Governor says the cuts are necessary because of the legislature's failure to reach agreement on how to close the $15.2 billion budget shortfall. Chung's office says he will defy the Governor's order and continue to pay the employees their full salaries. If that happens, the Governor has said he will sue Chiang's office. Larry gets the latest from Julie Small, KPCC's State Capitol reporter.
The State Of Our Emergency Rooms
As the cost of healthcare rises and emergency rooms close, more and more pressure is being put on a smaller number of emergency rooms to provide a wide-range of critical care. A new study released Wednesday sheds light on the extent of the crisis across the nation. Larry Mantle talks with Stephen Pitts, the lead author of the study, Jim Lott, Executive Vice President of the Hospital Association of Southern California, and Dr. John Bibb, emergency room physician at Cedars-Sinai about the new data, and about what it means for you.
How The War On Terror Turned Into A War On American Ideals
In the days immediately following September 11th, people were panic-stricken. Key political leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney and his powerful, secretive adviser David Addington made radical decisions about how to combat terrorists and strengthen national security. In her new book, "The Dark Side," acclaimed New Yorker writer and bestselling author, Jane Mayer contends that these officials used the crisis to advance a long held agenda to increase Presidential powers to a level never known in U.S. history. "The Dark Side" is Mayer's account of how the United States made unwise decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world-- decisions that not only violated the Constitution but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda.
Rand Talks Back To Alex Abella
In his recent book, "Soldiers of Reason," author Alex Abella gives his historical account of the RAND Corporation; its founding principles and its involvement on some of America's biggest foreign policy misadventures. Michael Rich, RAND's Executive Vice President, joins Larry Mantle to counter the assertions made in Abella's book and give Rand's version of the think tank's history.