Obama Addresses the Muslim World; Tiananmen Massacre Anniversary; Director Guillermo del Toro; Vocalist & Pianist Diane Schuur
President Obama addresses the Muslim world
In his speech in Cairo today, President Obama pledged "to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims". He expressed a goal to improve relations with the Muslim world with a relationship "based upon mutual interest and mutual respect". Obama also discussed seven "sources of tension", including violent extremism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, freedom of religion, and women's rights. Larry Mantle and guests analyze President Obama's speech and hear listener's reactions.
Hussein Ibish, Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Chair of Islamic Studies at American University
Salam S. Al-Maryati, Director & Co-founder at the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles
Jacob Dayan, Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles
Tiananmen Square 20 years later
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events of the morning of June 4th put a brutal halt to a burgeoning democracy movement in China and resulted in the deaths of hundreds, maybe thousands of dissidents and the imprisonment of many others. Since then, China has become the fastest growing economy in the world even though individual civil rights and freedom of expression are still greatly suppressed by a powerful central government. Larry Mantle talks with former Chinese dissidents about their involvement with the Chinese Democracy Movement and the legacy of Tiananmen 20 years later.
Bob Fu, founder and CEO of ChinaAid. He was a leader of the student democracy movement that ended in the Tiananmen Massacre on June 4, 1989.
John Bussey, Washington, DC bureau chief of Wall Street Journal
Clayton Dube, Associate Director of USC's U.S.-China Institute
Guillermo del Toro
The Oscar-winning director of Pan's Labyrinth joins Larry Mantle to talk about his new novel "The Strain," a frightening tale of vampirism's viral spread throughout the world. The book is the first in a trilogy that traces the fictional legend of vampires from ancient times to the modern day. Larry talks with del Toro about his work as a director, screen writer and now as a novelist and what motivates his interest the macabre.
Guillermo del Toro, co-author with Chuck Hogan of "The Strain" (William Morrow, June, 2009)
Jazz vocalist & pianist Diane Schuur
Diane Schuur's career spans nearly three decades and includes two Grammy Awards and three Grammy nominations. Larry Mantle talks with her about her music, which has explored nearly every corner of the 20th century American musical landscape.
Diane Schuur, jazz vocalist