Larry Mantle talks with Frank Luntz about the language of health care, and with Richard Rayner about his new book, "A Bright and Guilty Place: Murder Corruption and L.A.'s Scandalous Coming of Age."
State budget update
Governor Schwarzenegger has pledged to veto the latest budget measure passed by Democrats in the California Assembly. According to the LA Times, the plan would balance the state budget with $2 billion in new taxes on smokers, oil companies, drivers and homeowners. While California requires a two-thirds vote for budgets and tax increases, Democrats employed a series of legal maneuvers that would require only a simple majority for the plan. Unless a budget agreement is reached by July 1, the state may have to start issuing IOUs for its bills. Larry Mantle gets an update on the latest budget developments.
John Meyers, Sacramento bureau chief for KQED's California Report
Bob Stern, President, Center for Governmental Studies
Supreme Court firefighters decision
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut were victims of illegal racial discrimination. The case stems from a 2003 decision by officials in New Haven to throw out the results of a promotion assessment when no black firefighters were among the top scorers. The ruling clarifies job discrimination rules and says that the goal of the Civil Rights Act is to remove race as a factor in hiring and promotions. It also overturns a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York, which included Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Larry Mantle discusses the meaning and impact of the decision.
Ronald Rotunda, Doy and Dee Hentley Chair and Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at Chapman University School of Law
Charles Doskow, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law at University of La Verne College of Law
Mark Tushnet, Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School
Honduras coup
The president of Honduras has been ousted in a military coup and sent into exile in Costa Rica. World leaders have widely condemned this subversion of the democratic process. Will a desire for peace in the hemisphere put President Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on the same side of the negotiating table? Larry Mantle finds out more about the situation.
Angela Sanbrano, President of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities
Bob Amsterdam, international human rights attorney
The language of health care
Frank Luntz has been suggesting language to Republican lawmakers for years. Now in a 28-page memo, Luntz has come up with some recommendations about what words GOP members of Congress should use when talking about health care. For example, Luntz has suggested that conservatives stand up strongly in favor of reform but warn against a "Washington takeover." Frank Luntz joins Larry Mantle to explain the jargon of health care reform.
Dr. Frank Luntz, author, communications expert, top Republican consultant on the language of politics. His latest book is "Words that Work: It's Not What You Say That Matters, It's What People Hear" (Hyperion Books, 2007).
LA's scandalous coming of age
When you think of Los Angeles, images of movie stars, sunshine and a laid-back lifestyle come to mind. Yet in Richard Rayner's new book, he describes a very different kind of town. Like a tale by the great noir fiction greats Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, Rayner describes some of L.A.'s most high profile scandals and murders. Richard Rayner joins Larry Mantle to talk about his book and LA’s scandalous coming of age.
Richard Rayner, author "A Bright and Guilty Place: Murder, Corruption, and L.A.'s Scandalous Coming of Age" (Doubleday, June 2009)