Tom Daschle Withdraws As Nominee For Health And Human Services Secretary; The Economic Stimulus Plan: What's In It?; Measure B - The Solar Power Plan; The Battle For Wall Street; It's Mean, It's Personal, And It's Ruining Our Conversation
Tom Daschle Withdraws As Nominee For Health And Human Services Secretary
Larry talks with Linda Feldmann, White House Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor about Tom Daschle's sudden announcement that he will withdraw as President Obama's candidate for Health and Human Services Secretary over unpaid taxes.
The Economic Stimulus Plan: What's In It?
The 885-billion dollar economic stimulus plan passed in the House, but will be facing stiff scrutiny in the Senate in the coming week. The bill is supposed to focus on healthcare, education, and housing, but does it really? After all the different permutations the bill has earmarked money for several projects. Larry will talk to experts about the distribution of the money and if the stimulus package is really the best bet to help America's ailing economy. Guests include Elizabeth Williamson of The Wall Street Journal, John Irons of the Economic Policy Institute, and Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics.
Measure B - The Solar Power Plan
It seemed simple enough when the decision was made to put Measure B on the March ballot: faced with concerns about carbon emissions and dependence on foreign oil, LA would do its part by having the Department of Water and Power install solar panels on rooftops throughout the area. The question, however, is how much will it all cost? Larry talks with S. David Freeman of the "Yes" on B campaign, and Noel Weiss, of the "No" on B campaign. Weiss is also a candidate for City Attorney.
The Battle For Wall Street
According to Richard Goldberg, an epic struggle is happening on Wall Street between the buyers and the sellers. The sellers are made up of commercial and investment banks, while the buyers are the hedge funds and private equity groups. For over 100 years, sellers like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns held all the power by managing financial markets and controlling information about the markets. But through information technology, buyers became just as powerful by gaining access to the same data as the sellers. Goldberg provides an insider's look at this contentious shift in his new book "The Battle for Wall Street." Richard Goldberg joins Larry Mantle to discuss this financial battle and the implications for the winners and losers.
It's Mean, It's Personal, And It's Ruining Our Conversation
Imagine that you and a friend are secretly making crude remarks about another person across the room. But that other person is actually your best friend. These verbal abuses are the essence of "snark." In his book "Snark" David Denby explains where the hostility comes from, from Ancient Rome to its explosion through the protective anonymity of the Internet. He criticizes such nasty misinformation that he says is the media's way of looking smart and up-to-date to hold on to audiences. Larry Mantle talks with Denby about his new book and how snark is as seductively entertaining as it is poisonous.