Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Israel. Should you move your money from "too big too fail" institutions to smaller banks? Later, why are conservatives so angry, and why are liberals so condescending? And California's proposed legislation to ban sex offenders from social networking sites.
Vice President Biden in Israel
It’s almost impossible to visit the Middle East without stirring some kind of controversy. Vice President Joe Biden said America is absolutely committed to Israel’s security and that there is “no space” between the two countries. But then, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he condemned an Israeli plan to build 1,600 new houses in East Jerusalem, saying it threatened efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Today he’s scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. What are the likely impacts of these new settlements and the Vice President’s visit?
Guests:
Janine Zacharia, Jerusalem bureau chief for the Washington Post
Jacob Dayan, Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles
A look at the Move Your Money campaign
It’s hard to imagine anything more unpopular than the recent bank bailouts. After grabbing $700-billion in federal TARP funds, many of these supposedly “too big to fail” banks turned around and slapped higher fees and interest rates on their customers, while continuing to reward their executives with lavish bonuses. Now, HuffPo’s Arianna Huffington is urging customers to move their money out of behemoths like JP Morgan, Citi and Wells Fargo, and into smaller, community-oriented banks. Can this campaign limit the power of big banks and foster a more stable financial system? Or are Wall Street Titans too big to bend? Are you feeling betrayed by big banks? What are you doing in response?
Guests:
Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief, The Huffington Post
Dennis Santiago, CEO of Institutional Risk Analytics, and a partner in Move Your Money
Chris Thornberg, Principal, Beacon Economics
Condescending liberals and angry conservatives
Have you noticed how angry all those conservatives are, yelling and screaming and demonstrating against Obama’s policies? And isn’t it incredible just how snotty and condescending liberals are, acting as if conservatives are just stupid and don’t have valid opinions? Well, depending on your political persuasion, you probably treat either of those statements as self-evident. But maybe both are true. What, if anything, can each side do to gain perspective on their political opposites?
Guests:
Gerard Alexander, associate professor of political science at the University of Virginia
Marc Cooper, a journalist and professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication
Sex offenders could be banned from Facebook
It’s estimated that 750,000 children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social networking websites, despite the fact that many of these sites prohibit child users. According to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, internet pedophiles have become increasingly skilled at using the Internet to hide their identity and use technology to contact victims. Last week, San Francisco DA Kamala Harris and Assemblywoman Norma Torres introduced the California Child Cyber Safety Act. The legislation would keep sex offenders off social networking sites. Larry speaks with the SFDA about the legislation and how it would work to protect minors from sexual predators.
Guest:
Kamala Harris, San Francisco District Attorney and candidate for California Attorney General