Space Shuttle to Launch Tomorrow; Mexican Elections; FilmWeek
Space Shuttle to Launch Tomorrow
NASA says it's still on track for a launch of space shuttle Discovery Saturday afternoon, even if the weather outlook remains iffy. Launch managers say there are no major technical issues with the shuttle, with launch set for 3:49 pm, Eastern Time. But the weather forecast isn't so hot. Forecasters say there's a 60 percent chance of dangerous conditions, the main concern being clouds that could trigger a lightning strike on the spaceplane. The launch would be just the second since the Columbia disaster in 2003. Larry Mantle talks with Katherine Trinidad, Public Affairs Officer at NASA.
Mexican Elections
On Sunday, Mexican voters will choose a new President to succeed Vicente Fox. The election will determine whether Mexico joins Latin America's rising tide of charismatic leftist leaders, or continues on a path of fiscal conservatism and unbridled free trade. While both front runners in the July 2 election agree on building close U.S. ties and pushing for immigration reform, their visions for Mexico's role in the world are vastly different. Harvard-educated Felipe Calderon wants to expand Mexico's already active international role, taking controversial stands at times and openly supporting Israel. While advocating strong ties with many countries, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is pushing for a return to the days when Mexico stayed out of world politics. Larry Mantle talks about what's at stake for the country with Denise Dresser, a columnist for the Mexican newspaper Reforma and a professor at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico and LA Times staff writer Sam Quiniones.
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and critics Jean Oppenheimer of New Times and Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor discuss this week's new releases, including Superman Returns, The Devil Wears Prada, Wassup Rockers, Lower City, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, and Who Killed the Electric Car?.
Peter shares his opinions of the films of the Yukon International Film Festival.