Stem Cell Breakthrough: Sickle Cell Anemia Cured in Mice; Mayor Villaraigosa Kicks Off Citywide Environmental Youth Conference; Mitt Romney and the Politics of Religion; Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd; The Singing Revolution; FilmWeek Reviews
Stem Cell Breakthrough: Sickle Cell Anemia Cured in Mice
Building upon breakthrough experiments last month involving "reprogramming stem cells," scientists have successfully cured sickle cell anemia in mice. Larry discusses this development and the implications for curing human diseases with LA Times Staff Writer Karen Kaplan, and Dr. Martin Pera, Director of the Stem Cell Institute at USC.
Mayor Villaraigosa Kicks Off Citywide Environmental Youth Conference
Mayor Villaraigosa joins Larry to discuss the 2007 Environmental Youth Conference, which kicks off Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The mayor also speaks on the USC Trojans' return to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, as well as recent issues involving the LAUSD.
Mitt Romney and the Politics of Religion
In a much anticipated speech on Thursday, White House hopeful, Mitt Romney outlined his position on the role of religion in America, but avoided revealing details about his personal faith. Romney, who hopes to become the first Mormon president, said "religious tolerance would be a shallow principle, indeed, if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree." He spoke at former President George H.W. Bush's presidential library at Texas A&M University before a crowd of about 300 people: a combination of friends, family and religious and conservative leaders. Larry and Craig Detweiler from Fuller Theological Seminary discuss Romney's speech and its impact on voters, especially evangelicals who have concerns about the presidential candidate's faith.
Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd
Connecticut's senior United States Senator Chris Dodd joins to talk about his campaign to win Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election. Senator Dodd discusses his positions on a variety of issues and concerns related to the upcoming primaries and the presidential election.
The Singing Revolution
This new documentary tells the little-known story of how hundreds of thousands of Estonians sang forbidden patriotic songs in public to rally for independence. Larry talks with Jim Tusty, co-director of The Singing Revolution, and Mart Laar, member of the Estonian Parliament, about how this nonviolent revolution helped topple an empire.
FilmWeek Reviews
Larry and critics Jean Oppenheimer, of Village Voice Media, Peter Rainer, of the Christian Science Monitor, and Charles Solomon, animation critic, historian, and author for amazon.com, discuss many of the week's new releases including the feature films Atonement, Juno, The Walker, The Amateurs, Grace is Gone, and The Golden Compass and the documentaries, The Singing Revolution, and Oswald's Ghost.