Obama Economic Summit; State GOP Convention; Academy Award Winners; To Nationalize or Not; Honeymoon in Tehran
Obama Economic Summit
Today President Obama is convening a "fiscal responsibility summit" with over 100 economics experts. With hopes of cutting the federal deficit by half within four years, he will discuss with advisers solutions to reduce the deficit as well achieve the goals of his administration. Among the topics to be considered: health care costs, Social Security, tax reform, and defense spending. Larry Mantle talks with guests about ways to solve the current financial crisis.
State GOP Convention
Coming off the passage of the California budget and the $12.5 billion in tax increases approved by Governor Schwarzenegger, this past weekend's state Republican convention in Sacramento was described as a "circular firing squad". Among the developments- the party is refusing to fund the campaigns of Republican representatives who voted to raise taxes. Party members also were critical of Schwarzenegger, whom they feel has the same tax-and-spend behavior of recalled Gov. Gray Davis. The party also discussed ways to broaden their base by appealing to more minorities and younger voters. Larry Mantle talks with guests about the future of the state GOP.
Academy Award Winners
The results are in from last night's Academy Awards. What are your thoughts on the winners and those shut out of the golden statue? Larry Mantle opens the phones for listener comments.
To Nationalize or Not
America's banks are in trouble and may be in need of more than just a bailout. Nationalization is the unavoidable word that is making its way into conversations. Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Corp. are two banking giants that are facing the threat of nationalization. The Obama administration would prefer that banks remain in private hands while some like Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd says that nationalization may be need "for a short time." Larry delves into the details about this complicated method of saving America's banks.
Honeymoon in Tehran
In 2005, American-born journalist Azadeh Moaveni returned to Iran to cover the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for 'Time' Magazine. Perceiving a more open society, she also was testing the idea of moving permanently to the country. But Iran turned more fundamentalist as Ahmadinejad came to power due to heavy inflation and an apathetic younger generation. The two years Moaveni spent in Iran were further complicated when she fell in love and got pregnant, leading to a quick marriage to avoid government persecution. Intimidated by a Ministry of Intelligence agent who dictated the stories she could cover, Moaveni ultimately decided that her future lay outside of Iran. Larry Mantle talks with Azadeh Moaveni about her experiences during her two years in Iran.