Bush Signs Bill To Curb Class Action Suits; California Schools May Be Left Behind By “No Child Left Behind” Act; FilmWeek
Bush Signs Bill To Curb Class Action Suits
President Bush signed a major tort reform bill into law today, calling it a step toward ending “lawsuit culture.” The law will require that most class-action lawsuits be heard in federal, rather than state courts. Federal judges tend to be less generous in awards to plaintiffs. Larry Mantle talks with Jamie Court of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, and Jacob Sullum of Reason Magazine.
California Schools May Be Left Behind By “No Child Left Behind” Act
The U.S. Department of Education is pressuring the State of California to add more school districts to its “watch list.” According the “No Child Left Behind Act,” school districts on the watch list are in danger of losing federal education funding, and could eventually be taken over by state-appointed trustees. Larry Mantle talks with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, Malibu-Santa Monica Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy, Jean Brown of Los Angeles Unified School District, and Ross Wiener of Education Trust.
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and critics Peter Rainer, past president of the National Society of Film Critics, Henry Sheehan of HenrySheehan.com, and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com discuss the new film releases for this week including Constantine, Son of the Mask, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Animation Show, Schultze Gets the Blues, Turtles Can Fly, and Imaginary Heroes.