Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Air Pollution May Cause Pre-Term Births; The Origins Of 9/11; Nancy Wilson
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Resigns
Alberto Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, has announced his resignation, effective September 17th. President Bush announced the resignation this morning from his ranch in Texas, where he is vacationing. Gonzales served more than two years at the Justice Department. Before that, he was President Bush's White House counsel. Solicitor General Paul Clement will be acting attorney general until a replacement is found and confirmed by the Senate. Gonzales, whom Bush once considered for appointment to the Supreme Court, is the fourth top-ranking administration official to leave since November 2006. Donald H. Rumsfeld, an architect of the Iraq war, resigned as defense secretary one day after the November elections. Paul Wolfowitz agreed in May to step down as president of the World Bank after an ethics inquiry. And Bush's top political and policy adviser, Karl Rove, announced earlier this month that he was stepping down.
Air Pollution May Cause Pre-Term Births
A new study from UCLA shows that air pollution may cause babies to be born early. The study looked at twenty-five hundred women living in Los Angeles County. Some lived in regions with high carbon monoxide or particulate levels and some women lived in less polluted areas. The women who breathed the more polluted air were about 10 - 15% more likely to have pre-term births than the women who breathed cleaner air. Larry Mantle speaks with the author of the study, Beate Ritz.
The Origins Of 9/11
In her new book, Spying Blind, National Security expert, Amy Zegart attributes the intelligence failures that preceded the September 11th terrorist attack to our intelligence system itself. Larry talks with Zegart who argues that longstanding organizational weaknesses prevented the CIA and FBI from opportunities to disrupt the September 11 plot.
Nancy Wilson
Singer Nancy Wilson joins Larry to discuss her long and successful career, and her performance at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday, August 29th.