Senate vs. House health bills. What's up with these new Facebook privacy settings? Renewed protest in Iran; Copenhagen outcomes; and, a look back at the Ed Sullivan show.
Senate health bill one step closer to passage
After snowed-in weekend negotiations, the Senate is on track to vote on their health reform bill before Christmas. How does it compare to the bill passed by the House? What will emerge from conference committee? And, how much pork was packed in, to pull conservative Dems off the fence?
Guests:
Noam Levey, Staff Reporter based in Washington DC
Jerry Flanagan, Health care policy director, Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group
Michael Cannon, Director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute
Advocates slam Facebook privacy changes
Are people who post personal pictures and daily status updates online really itching for privacy? The short answer is yes. But Facebook’s new privacy enhancements are falling short. Last Thursday, a coalition of privacy groups asked regulators to look into the new, controversial settings. The complaint, filed by The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), says the features reduce customer control and make users’ pictures, location, gender and friend lists automatically public. Is Facebook private enough? Or should we un-friend it?
Guests:
Ryan Singel, Staff Writer covering civil liberty and privacy issues for WIRED.com’s Threat Level blog
John Verdi, Senior Counsel, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Iran's leading dissident cleric dies
The death of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the chief opposition cleric in Iran, set off protests following his funeral today. Montazeri, once a follower of Ayatollah Khomeini, became a symbol of defiance in Iran when he denounced the politically motivated killings of his former mentor. Where does the opposition fit into the future Iranian political structure?
Guest:
Borzou Daragahi, Beirut Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times, he just returned from Iran
Climate deal reached
A non-binding agreement on climate change has been reached by world leaders in Copenhagen. Will it have lasting effects on global warming? What does the agreement say about the relationship between the United States and China? Was anything actually accomplished at Copenhagen?
Guests:
Michele Chan, spokeswoman for environmental group Friends of the Earth
David Hawkins, Director of the Climate Center for Natural Resources Defense Council
Kenneth Green, Resident Scholar at American Enterprise Institute and Adjunct Scholar for the Reason Foundation
Ed Sullivan's America
"Tonight, we have a really big show…" Gerald Nachman's book "Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!" explores the history of the Ed Sullivan Show and its place as an American institution. As kingmaker (and tastemaker) of American pop culture in the mid-20th century, looking at the Ed Sullivan Show means looking at our own history. Rock n' roll, civil rights, the Red Scare – the man they called "The Great Stone Face" was a part of it all.
Guest:
Gerald Nachman, author of "Right Here On Our Stage Tonight!: Ed Sullivan’s America"