Same Sex Marriage; Inland Empire Journalists Roundtable; America's Charity Divide; Mothers and Nannies
Same Sex Marriage
The California Supreme Court unanimously agreed on Wednesday to decide whether the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates a constitutional ban on discrimination. The justices' move sets aside a lower court's decision in October that upheld state laws banning gays and lesbians from marrying one another. Meanwhile, New Jersey's governor signed legislation today giving gay couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage allowed under state law, but not the title. When the law goes into effect in February, 2007, New Jersey will become the third state offering civil unions to gay couples. Massachusetts is the only state that authorizes same-sex marriage. Larry talks with attorney Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and with Mary McAlister, Senior Counsel for Liberty Counsel, a conservative, non-profit, civil liberties and legal defense organization.
Inland Empire Journalists Roundtable
Larry Mantle talks with Steven Cuevas, KPCC's Inland Empire reporter, Phil Willon, editor of the LA Times Inland Empire edition, and columnist, Cassie MacDuff, columnist with The Press Enterprise, about the latest news events and developments in the Inland Empire.
America's Charity Divide
Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, religious organizations, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers? Larry talks with Arthur Brooks, author of Who Really Cares: the Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism, about the trend he has spent years researching and his surprising conclusions.
Mothers and Nannies
In essays by prominent writers, the anthology Searching for Mary Poppins, examines the intimate, dynamic bond between nannies and the mothers who opt to employ them. Writers Daphne Merkin, Marisa de los Santos, Susan Cheever and Rebecca Walker, among others, explore the many conundrums that emerge from the central dilemma in being a mother who needs help raising her own children. Susan Davis, Co-Editor of Searching for Mary Poppins, has worked in public radio for more than a decade and is currently a senior producer at North Carolina Public Radio/WUNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.