AFTRA Vote In; Taking Back The River - How Green Is Our Valley?; Iranian Missile Test; McCain and Obama Battle For The Latino Vote
AFTRA Vote In
Despite fierce opposition from the larger Screen Actors Guild, members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ratified a three-year prime-time TV contract with studios. A slim 62 percent of members voted to support the new contract. SAG members feared AFTRA's contract, if ratified, could undermine their own battle with AMPTP, and are being accused of pressuring AFTRA members to vote the deal down. Larry talks with KPCC Reporter Brian Watt, Roberta Reardon, President of AFTRA, Doug Allen, Executive Director of SAG and Chief Negotiator, and Jesse Hiestand, spokesman for Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Taking Back The River - How Green Is Our Valley?
Restoration efforts are underway to bring the long-neglected L.A. River back to life. The Los Angeles River Revival Master Plan, adopted last year after 18 months of public debate, calls for 239 improvement projects along 32 miles of riverway, at a cost of $2 billion. That brings to mind a "green belt" of people-friendly parks, bike paths and low-rise housing, supported by environmentalists and pro-river activists. But the City Council and Community Redevelopment Agency have also proposed a "green belt" of a different sort: a 19-acre industrial zone near downtown for developing and manufacturing renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind power. Larry talks with Mark Haefele, Op-Ed Columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Lewis MacAdams, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Friends of the L.A. River, and Cecilia Estolano, CEO of the Community Redevelopment Association about our river’s future
Iranian Missile Test
Iran test-fired nine long and medium-range missiles in the Persian Gulf Wednesday. The military exercise was conducted at the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about 40 percent of the world's oil passes. Iran has threatened to shut down traffic in the strait if attacked. Footage showed at least six missiles firing simultaneously, including one that has a range of over 1,200 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead. That would put Israel, Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, Afghanistan, and Pakistan within striking distance. Iranian General Hossein Salami said the exercise would "demonstrate our resolve and might against enemies who in recent weeks have threatened Iran with harsh language," and "Our hands are always on the trigger and our missiles are ready for launch." Larry talks with Jim Walsh, International security expert at Security Studies Program, Center for International Studies, at M.I.T. and takes listener calls.
McCain and Obama Battle For The Latino Vote
Senators McCain and Obama addressed the League of United Latino Citizens (LULAC) convention in Washington, DC, Tuesday. Both candidates are working hard to capture this essential constituency, 40 percent of which went to George W. Bush four years ago. Obama leads McCain among Latinos in recent polls, but over a quarter of the respondents are still undecided. Both candidates stressed economic concerns in their remarks to the convention yesterday, but immigration policy is sure to be a recurring issue in the campaign ahead. Larry talks with Louise Roug, Los Angeles Times reporter covering the Obama campaign, Hector M. Flores, Immediate Past President LULAC, and Danny Vargas, National Director of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly.