Federated Department Stores, Inc., to Buy May Department Stores Co.; California's Education Budget Battle; The End of Amtrak?; Post-Oscar Wrap
Federated Department Stores, Inc., to Buy May Department Stores Co.
In an $11 billion deal, Federated Department Stores, Inc., is buying May Department Stores Company. Carol Sanger, Vice President for Corporate Communications for Federated Department Stores, Inc., and Mark Lacter, editor of the Los Angeles Business Journal, join Host Larry Mantle to discuss how this might affect the Southland, which has many Robinson’s May department stores, some of which may be closed as a result of this deal.
California's Education Budget Battle.
State legislative analyst Elizabeth Hill has criticized the Governor’s afterschool program initiative, and his plan to end state funding of teacher pension plans. This is the latest blow to Governor Schwarzenegger’s education budget, which has been heavily criticized lately by the California Teacher’s Association. Larry Mantle talks with Elizabeth Hill, Mitch Zak, from the Governor’s Coalition for Education Reform, Vince Sollitto, Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Roger Salazar, a Spokesman for the California Education Coalition.
The End of Amtrak?
Amtrak is close to bankruptcy, and President Bush would like to end subsidization of the rail line. Could this be the end of Amtrak? Larry Mantle talks with Ross Capon of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, and author Joseph Vranich. Mr. Vranich's new book is called End of the Line: The Failure of Amtrak Reform and the Future of America’s Passenger Trains (AEI Press, Dec. 2004).
Post-Oscar Wrap
Larry is joined by two of our FilmWeek critics, Scott Foundas of Variety.com and the LA Weekly, and Lael Loewenstein of Variety, for a post-show wrap up of the 2004 Academy Awards--the winners, the losers, the clothes, the music, the jokes.