What do yesterday's primaries mean for November? Tracing the impact of the Colorado River from source to sea. Obama meets with Mexican President Calderon. And writer Bruce Feiler shares the story of finding men to take care of his daughters when he's gone.
Incumbents succumb to primary challenges
Voters in key primaries yesterday chose newcomers over political veterans. Long time Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter lost the Democratic primary to Rep. Joe Sestak. Tea Party favorite Rand Paul easily won Kentucky’s Republican nom, and Senator Blanche Lincoln faces a runoff election for the Democratic spot in Arkansas’s Senate race. Do the results have any meaning outside these states? What might Tuesday’s anti-incumbent mood mean for November’s Congressional contest?
Guest:
Mark Barabak, political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times
From source to sea down the Colorado River
In the spring of 2008, author and National Geographic grantee Jonathan Waterman launched a journey by boat and by foot down the Colorado River. His 1,450-mile trip began at the river’s source in Rocky Mountain National Park and followed the river through the Sonoran desert and the parched Mexican delta, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Colorado River supplies water for more that 30 million people and 3 million farm acres and is the most diverted and litigated river in the world. Through his journey, John Waterman gets to the heart of the complex issues facing the river whose water levels have dipped to an all-time low. His book examines the impact of the Colorado’s peril on a vast region and looks at the immense debate over water use in the American West.
Guest:
Jonathan Waterman, author of Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River (National Geographic Books)
Drug war and immigration on the menu for Mexican state dinner
President and Mrs. Obama welcome Mexican President Felipe Calderón to Washington this week for an official state dinner hosted at the White House. Presidents Obama and Calderón have already begun to chew over the heavier fare this morning: immigration policy and the drug war. Will Calderon manage to convey urgency—but not alarm—over Mexico’s drug violence? Will Obama commit to immigration reform?
Guests:
Peter Nicholas, White House correspondent for the Tribune Washington Bureau, which serves the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, and other papers
Eric L. Olson, Senior Advisor, Security Initiative, Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Living for dad
Imagine, as a father, knowing that you won’t be there for your young children. That was the situation contemplated by writer Bruce Feiler when he discovered a life-threatening tumor in his leg. He reached out to six men from his life and formed a "Council of Dads" to help look after his daughters. The book that resulted chronicles the lessons he hopes these other men will impart. Larry talks to Feiler about his book and what it says about parenting.
Guest:
Bruce Feiler, writer of The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me (William Morrow)