Is the Tea Party over? Interracial marriages are at an all-time high. What does it take to get Angelenos onto public transit? And, the fastest pitch in baseball. David Lazarus is in for Larry Mantle.
Is the tea party over?
Lead loosely by former House Majority leader Dick Armey, the group’s protests have garnered no shortage of attention—and many Republican candidates re-jiggered their campaigns to appeal to the movement’s small federal government and limited spending message. But a new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that the Tea Party’s popularity is waning. Going into Super Duper Tuesday and beyond, what might a tiny Tea Party mean for Republicans who have hitched their campaigns to the populist movement? Is the Tea tepid?
Interracial and inter-ethnic marriages on the rise
A new study released Friday by the Pew Research Center shows that one in seven new marriages in the U.S. is interracial or inter-ethnic. While mixed marriages are not new – our own president is the product of one such union – their numbers are at an all-time high, suggesting that this is one taboo that has run its course. And yet, as recently as last year, a Louisiana justice of the peace resigned after refusing to marry an interracial couple. When it comes to picking a partner, do race and ethnicity still matter?
Guest:
Jeffrey Passel, Senior Demographer with Pew Hispanic Center
How do we get Angelenos aboard public transit?
In Los Angeles, there are millions of people who would take public transportation if only… if only… if only what? If only the train went where they needed to go? If only the bus ran faster, maybe with a dedicated lane? Or maybe if LA’s streets were arranged more like they are in Portland, Copenhagen, or Brooklyn, so things were easier to walk and bike to? What will it really take to get more Angelenos out of their cars?
Guests:
Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation for the City of New York
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor representing the Third District, and longtime member of the Metro Board (the planned subway extension would cross much of his district)
Searching for baseball's fastest pitcher
When pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg takes the mound tonight for his major league debut with the Washington Nationals, baseball fans will be hoping to check out his 100 mph fastball. Who is the fastest pitcher ever? Baseball writer Tim Wendel tries to find out in his new book High Heat. He joins guest host David Lazarus to talk about the history of the fastball, and how the mechanics of “throwing heat” separates the good pitchers from the great. And, whose hot pitches will be forever burned into your memory?
Guest:
Tim Wendel, author of High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time (Da Capo Press). He is author of six other books and is the founding editor of USA Today Baseball Weekly.