Universal Fire; Primary Update; Jack Sheldon Documentary; Kakfa Comes To America; Leisureville
Universal Fire
A fire destroyed a wide swath of the 400 acre Universal Studios backlot yesterday. It took more than 12 hours to extinguish the flames that destroyed movie sets and a video archive. L.A. County Fire Chief Michael Freeman told the L.A. Times that a lack of adequate water pressure made battling the fast moving blaze a challenge and that the sprinkler system on the outdoor sets was nearly useless. Larry and his guests Captain Michael Brown, Public Information Officer for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and L.A. County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky discuss the latest information about the cause of the fire and the clean-up of the damage which is expected to reach into the millions.
Primary Update
Saturday's long-awaited meeting of the Democratic Party's rules and bylaws Committee, and Puerto Rico's Primary provided a bit more clarity in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the election in Puerto Rico, and the panel voted to seat disputed delegations from Michigan and Florida, but to give each delegate only one-half vote rather than the full vote sought by the Clinton campaign. In the end, Barack Obama is now only 47 short of the 2,118 needed to clinch the nomination. Larry Mantle talks with Los Angeles Times reporters Mark Barabak and Peter Nicholas about the recent developments in the race, and about what we can expect next.
Jack Sheldon Documentary
Larry talks with legendary musician Jack Sheldon and with Doug McIntyre, co-writer, producer and director with wife Penny Peyser, of the film "Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon."
Kakfa Comes To America
After the train bombing in Spain in 2004 Brandon Mayfield, a Muslim, fell under suspicion of terrorism when his fingerprint was found on the bomber's backpack. The FBI held Mayfield for 19 days before he was found not guilty and released. In another case, a Sudanese man named Adel Hassan Hamad was held in Guantanamo for 2,000 days before he was found not guilty of any wrong doing. Steven T. Wax was the federal public defender who represented both men. In his book, "Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror," Wax talks about both cases as well as why Mayfield sued for $2-million and won, and Hamad sued and received nothing. Larry speaks with Mayfield about his experiences with the men and as a defense attorney in the War on Terror.
Leisureville
Imagine a utopian society with music streaming from lampposts and golf carts providing all transportation. Well, "The happiest place on Earth" might not be Disneyland, it might just be gated retirement communities. Developers are buying and gating massive plots of land in warm climates and installing aesthetically pleasing downtown centers designed by Universal. But these developments don't allow for children, and indeed segregate themselves from much of the outside world. In his new book "Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias," author Andrew Blechman explores beyond the facade of these surreal communities. Larry speaks with Blechman about what stirred his interest in the subject as well as the benefits and drawbacks of living in paradise, removed from society.