Libya declares a cease fire after the UN approves a no-fly zone. The latest on the situation in Japan. Decisions and cuts and the California state budget. FilmWeek: KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Wade Major join guest host David Lazarus to review the week’s new film releases including The Lincoln Lawyer, Paul, Limitless, Win Win, Cracks and more. The enduring legacy of Humphrey Bogart. TGI-FilmWeek!
U.N. votes for air strikes, Libya declares cease fire
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized all necessary measures – short of ground invasion – to prevent Gadhafi's planes from carrying out aerial attacks on rebel-held positions. Today, Libya’s Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa declared an immediate cease-fire and stop to all military operations. But there are reports that Gadhafi’s forces have continued to shell houses, hospitals and a mosque in cities in the East and West. What will Western leaders, who greeted Libya’s cease-fire announcement with skepticism, do next? Who will take the lead on any military intervention? What should the U.S. role be?
Guest:
Borzou Daragahi, Baghdad bureau and Middle East correspondent for the LA Times
Kalev I. Sepp, Professor of Defense Analysis at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey
Qamar-ul Huda, Senior Program Officer, Religion and Peacemaking Center, United States Institute of Peace (USIP); editor of The Crescent and Dove: Critical Perspectives on Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam
Earthquake 9.0 -- one week later
Sirens in Japan marked one week since a 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami set off a nuclear emergency that the world has been watching anxiously. The cascading disaster has left approximately 6,900 dead, although other estimates put that number closer to 10,000. Experts have been accusing Japan of downplaying the severity of the problems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant after the quake knocked out power to cooling systems. But Japan's prime minister has acknowledged that his government was initially slow to respond. Now Japan is welcoming U.S. help in stabilizing its overheated, radiation-emitting nuclear complex. Prime Minister Naoto Kan evoked the nation's history of rapid economic growth following World War II, saying "That is how Japan was built” and we will "rebuild Japan from scratch." We get an on-the-ground report from the region. How bad are things at Fukushima and how long will it take to get the reactors under control? What role can the U.S. play to help Japan rebuild?
Guests:
Stu Seidel, NPR's Deputy Managing Editor of News, currently in Tokyo, Japan
Frank Buckley, co-anchor of the KTLA Morning News, who just returned from covering developments in Japan
California lawmakers OK $14 billion in budget cuts, loans
Major spending reductions and other solutions were approved yesterday as part of Governor Brown’s proposed budget reduction package. Lawmakers agreed to $14-billion in cuts to programs such as welfare, medical programs for the poor, education, and aid to elderly and disabled people. Brown hopes these concessions will help secure Republican support to resolve the most contentious budget issues that remain: taxes and a plan to abolish redevelopment agencies. Yesterday’s cutbacks will close only about half of California’s roughly $26-billion shortfall. What’s next? Will lawmakers be able to strike a deal on Brown’s proposed tax extensions? If so, how will voters respond?
Guest:
Evan Halper, Sacramento Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times
FilmWeek: The Lincoln Lawyer, Paul, Limitless, Win Win, Cracks and more
FilmWeek: KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Wade Major join guest host David Lazarus to review the week’s new film releases including The Lincoln Lawyer, Paul, Limitless, Win Win, Cracks and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and boxoffice.com
Live tweeting this week's reviews:
Here’s looking at you Bogie
Actor Humphrey Bogart was America’s preeminent motion picture tough guy. In the 1940s and 50s he starred in some of the most beloved classics of American cinema including The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep and The African Queen. “Bogie” was a top box office attraction then, and now, even as time goes by, his star power endures. There’s even a new biography that delves into the magic behind the man that became an iconic film figure – Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart, by Stefan Kanfer. How does Humphrey Bogart, perhaps better than any other star of Hollywood’s golden era, still capture our hearts? In Bogart’s own words, “Maybe the people like me.” Here’s looking at you kid!
Guest:
Stefan Kanfer, author, Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart (Knopf); former reporter for Time Magazine and author of many other books including biographies of Lucille Ball, The Marx Brothers and Marlon Brando