Governor Opposes Democrats Healthcare Proposal; Potential Set Back In Cancer Treatment; Board Of Regents Tells UC To Shape Up; Iran: The U.S. Policy Conundrum; Megachurches
Governor Opposes Democrats Healthcare Proposal
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Wednesday that he would not support a proposed expansion of medical insurance if it were financed exclusively by employers, as proposed by state Democrats, who also omitted the governor's own proposal to require all Californians to have health insurance, arguing that many people would be unable to afford the premiums. Guest host Ted Chen talks with Governor Schwarzenegger's health policy advisor Herb Shultz and with Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Speaker Fabian Nunez about the implications of the standoff.
Potential Set Back In Cancer Treatment
A new study from UCLA shows that a new type of cancer tumor-killing drug may cause heart attacks and strokes in mice. The new type of drugs, called "angiogenesis inhibitors," block a tumor's blood supply and have been touted as effective cancer fighters with fewer side effects than chemotherapy. One type of these drugs, called Avastin, is already on the market being used by cancer patients. Avastin cuts off blood supply from outside the tumor, and carries some cardiovascular side effects. UCLA studied a drug that cuts off a cancer tumor's blood supply from the inside. In the UCLA study, over 50 percent of the mice taking the drug died from stroke or heart attack. Guest host Ted Chen talks with UCLA cancer researcher Luisa Iruela-Arispa about the news, and with Stanford University School of Medicine's Dr. Stanley Rockson about its implications.
Board Of Regents Tells UC To Shape Up
In a report issued yesterday, Richard Blum, chairman of the University of California's board of regents, proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the university system. Blum said he wants to reduce expenses, raise money for capital improvements and ensure the system remains affordable. He also wants to improve student diversity. Guest-host Ted Chen talks with UC spokesperson Brad Hayward and Dorothy Young, Vice-President of External Affairs at UCSD and Chair of the Legislative Committee of the UC Student Association.
Iran: The U.S. Policy Conundrum
The invasion of Iraq had many unintended consequences, among them a shift in the regional power balance. Now Iran is raking in billions in oil revenues while the US hemorrhages money trying to stabilize Iraq. Iran continues to process nuclear fuel, despite the protests of the US, and recriminations continue that the country is helping insurgent groups in Iraq. The Bush administration ratcheted up the rhetoric by declaring the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group and now word is the Guard may be involved in skirmishes with Kurdish rebels inside Iraq. Some hawks in the US are calling for air strikes, but with the US military so engaged in Iraq, Iranians are unlikely to take US threats seriously. Which leaves the question: What is the proper policy towards Iran? Guest-host Ted Chen discusses the situation with Robert McMahon, an editor with the Council on Foreign Relations website, Abbas Milani Director of Iranian studies at Stanford University, and with Heritage Foundation Research Fellow James Phillips.
Megachurches
The phenomenon of megachurches, Protestant congregations with 2,000 or more parishoners, continues to grow in the United States. Ted Chen speaks with Scott Thumma co-author of the new book, Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (J-B Leadership Network Series), about the unique characteristics of these churches and how they are changing the landscape of American religion.