President’s presser covers economy, tax breaks, gay marriage, Libya, Afghanistan & GOP position. The latest in cancer treatment and diagnosis. Greek debt crisis -- who's fault and who's problem? Never say never.
President’s presser covers economy, tax breaks, gay marriage, Libya, Afghanistan & GOP position
In a White House news conference today President Barack Obama challenged Republicans in Congress to accept limiting tax breaks for oil companies and the super-wealthy as a part of any deficit reduction plan. As he has done in many previous speeches about the budget the President said that the government can’t reduce its deficit by keeping all current tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires while senior citizens and the poor will bear the brunt of the burden from additional cuts. He added that he still believes it’s possible to come to a bipartisan agreement to cut deficits, raise the government's debt limit and avert a threatened financial crisis. On Libya, the president defended the U.S participation in the NATO military action, saying the U.S. had carried out a ``narrow mission in an exemplary fashion'' and adding that we haven’t seen a single U.S. casualty. He also said, “There's no risk of additional escalation. This operation is limited in time and in scope.''
Guest:
Peter Nicholas, White House reporter for the Los Angeles Times
The latest in cancer treatment
According to the 2011 American Cancer Society Report there is a continued decline in overall cancer deaths in the U.S. African American and Hispanic men showed the largest annual decreases in cancer death rates during this time period, 2.6% and 2.5%, respectively and lung cancer death rates showed a significant decline in women after continuously increasing since the 1930s. Dr. Michael Friedman, the President and CEO at the City of Hope Cancer Center joins Larry Mantle to discuss the most promising research in cancer treatment presented at the annual meeting of the American Society Clinical Oncology. Those developments include new drugs for metastatic melanoma, new tests for gene mutations in lung cancer that could lead to greater specificity in treatment, new research showing the success of an estrogen inhibiting drug used in invasive breast cancer and an enzyme blocking drug that improves recurrence rates in people with stomach cancer.
Guest:
Michael Friedman, MD, President and CEO at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte
Greek debt crisis - whose fault and whose problem?
Ten hours of intense rioting outside of the parliament in Athens yesterday amplifies the critical juncture for Greece this week. Lawmakers there must vote on so-called austerity measures over the next two days as a condition for receiving another round of bailout funding from international creditors. The government will try to pass spending cuts and tax hikes for all. The alternative is the country falling into default on its debt. More than 50% of that debt is held by public institutions across Europe, according to research from Barclays Capital. What would a default mean for the Euro and countries across the European Union? Why is Greece struggling? What can rebuild its economy?
Guests:
Tom Stoukas, Reporter with Bloomberg News, currently in Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece
Yanis Varoufakis, Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Athens
Aristides Hatzis, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law and Theory of Institutions at the University of Athens; author of the Greek Crisis blog
Vassilis Kaskarelis, Greek Ambassador to the United States
Never say never
How do you tell people NOT to do, say or forget something? In his new book Neverisms, quotation collector Dr. Mardy Grothe comes up with a couple thousand different ways to tell someone not to do something. With each quote beginning in “never,” Grothe offers up a broad range of witty and profound advice about things people should never do. As in his previous books, the wordy wordsmith also tells the fascinating back story of many of the quotations he’s collected. Some of his favorite neverisms are: "Never let 'em see you sweat," "Never change diapers in mid-stream," "Never ruin an apology with an excuse," "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died" and the very current "Never let a crisis go to waste."
Guest:
Mardy Grothe, PhD., author of Neverisms: A Quotations Lover’s Guide to Things You Should Never Do, Never Say, or Never Forget (Harper Collins); author of five previous word-and-language books: I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like, Viva la Repartee, Oxymoronica, Ifferisms, and Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.