Ban on medical marijuana sales rejected; New breast cancer screening guidelines spark debate; What's Sarah Palin's political future?; Romesh Ratnesar discusses his book "Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War"
Ban on medical marijuana sales rejected
Two LA City Council committees rejected a proposal Monday by the City Attorney to outright ban the sale of medical marijuana in Los Angeles. Councilmen Ed Reyes and Dennis Zine said medical marijuana patients ought to be able to reimburse dispensaries for the cost of cultivation and distribution provided it’s in compliance with state law. The full City Council may vote on an amended ordinance tomorrow. Is a provision that allows for some sales workable? Or would it simply perpetuate pot profiteering?
Guests:
David Berger, Special Assistant to LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich
Ed Reyes, Los Angeles City Councilman, District 1
Joe Elford, Chief Counsel, Americans for Safe Access Now
New breast cancer screening guidelines spark debate
A federal panel says that most women in their 40's no longer need to be screened for breast cancer, and that women over 50 should get mammograms less frequently, now every other year. Previously, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended regular screening starting at age 40. In reversing those guidelines, the panel said that the risk of screening women aged 40 to 49 outweighed the benefit. But the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology are criticizing the change. Will the new guidelines hinder early detection of breast cancer? What do you think of the recommendations, and do you plan to follow them?
Guest:
Dr. Stephen Taplin, Senior Scientist and the Acting Branch Chief of the Applied Cancer Screening Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute
Dr. Catherine Dang, attending surgeon at the Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dept. of Surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Laura Nikolaides, Director of Research Programs, National Breast Cancer Coalition
What is Sarah Palin's political future?
Sarah Palin burst onto the national scene in 2008. But after some embarrassing interviews, publicized conflicts with the McCain campaign, and her resignation as Governor of Alaska, it's been unclear where her political future will take her. Republicans seem to love her or hate her, depending where they fall on the conservative spectrum. Now she’s hitting the airwaves promoting her book "Going Rogue: An American Life." But how much power can she have to sway the future of the Republican Party? And is she a viable candidate for 2012?
Guests:
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School. Expert in political strategy and campaign communication.
Jon Fleischman, Southern California Vice Chairman of the State GOP
The speech that ended the Cold War
Mr. Gorbachev—! Well, you know the rest. As historians and artists around Los Angeles and the world reconstruct bits of the Berlin Wall, Time's Romesh Ratnesar commemorates and cobbles together the speech that is credited with bringing it down. At the very least, President Ronald Reagan's exhortation to the Soviet premier thawed some of the Cold War's ice floes. Ratnesar does Reagan one better in his book, "Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War."
Guest:
Romesh Ratnesar, author of "Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War" (Simon & Schuster). His is deputy managing editor of Time magazine.