The San Francisco Mayoral Runoff Election; Celebrity Charity Scandal; Nuclear North Korea
The San Francisco Mayoral Runoff Election
Democrat Gavin Newsom and Green party candidate Matt Gonzalez are running nearly neck to neck, depending on which poll you read. Still, there seems to be a 10% margin of undecided voters, and today's turnout will decide who wins. Younger voters go for Gonzalez, while older voters prefer Newsom. Add to the mix the fact that up to 40% of the vote will be by absentee ballot, and the results are anyone's guess. One thing is for certain: this has been a most unusual race! Tim Redmond, Executive Editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and John Wildermuth, political writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, join Host Larry Mantle to talk about the race.
Celebrity Charity Scandal
In November, federal authorities charged event promoter Aaron Tonken with two counts of fraud related to charitable fundraising. Seven million dollars is unaccounted for, and Tonken will plead in court today. These charges bring to the fore the practice of paying celebrities for appearances at charity events. For example, David Schwimmer, of the hit TV series "Friends," was given a pair of Rolex watches, and Natalie Cole obtained Cartier jewelry. Tonken gave other celebrities thousands of dollars and trips in exchange for their appearance at a given charity event. Host Larry Mantle speaks with LA Times staff reporter Jim Bates about the story. Then, "AirTalk" opens the phone lines to hear what you think about the practice of buttering-up celebrities to entice them to appear at charity events.
Nuclear North Korea
In a move to deal with North Korea's nuclear program, the Bush administration has agreed with South Korea and Japan to a broadly worded set of principles to end the North Korean nuclear threat, calling for a "coordinated" series of steps that would be monitored by five nations who have agreed to offer the North security, in exchange for a verifiable dismantling of its nuclear facilities. Two experts, Victor Cha, Associate Professor of Government and holder of the D.S. Song-Korea Foundation Chair in Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and David Kang, Associate Professor of Government and Business at the Tuck School, Dartmouth College and an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for National Policy in Washington D.C. and Research Director of the Center for International Business at Tuck School join Larry to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis their new book on the topic, Nuclear North Korea.