Bush Allowed NSA to Illegally Eavesdrop; Ralph's Indicted for Labor Law Violations; Central Valley Builders to Pay Smog Fees; FilmWeek
Bush Allowed NSA to Illegally Eavesdrop
President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on thousands inside the United States, without getting search warrants, following the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a The New York Times story published today. This story surfaced as Congress was considering reauthorizing key provisions of the controversial Patriot Act. The reauthorization was voted down this morning. Larry talks about these new developments with Congressman Adam Schiff and Chapman University School of Law Professor John Eastman.
Ralph's Indicted for Labor Law Violations
The Ralphs supermarket chain, owned by Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., was indicted Thursday on federal charges of hiring workers under false names and violating numerous other labor laws during the 2003 Southern California grocery strike. The federal jury’s indictment accuses Ralphs of engaging in a “company-wide course of criminal conduct involving the hiring of locked-out employees under false names, Social Security numbers and documentation.” Larry talks with Rick Icaza, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Braun about the indictment.
Central Valley Builders to Pay Smog Fees
In a proposal that would pit the building industry against farm groups and environmentalists, Central Valley air quality officials are poised to force developers to pay air pollution fees for new development if their projects are not environmentally friendly. Larry talks with experts on both sides of the issue.
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and critics Lael Loewenstein of Variety, Jean Oppenheimer of New Times, and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com, discuss this week's new releases, including King Kong, The Producers, Finding Home, Be Here to Love Me, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Angels With Angles, Cape of Good Hope, and Hoodwinked.
Scott Foundas editor and critic of the L.A. Weekly joins us to share his thoughts about The Family Stone.