Obama's speech on Afghanistan; Larry talks with State Assemblyman Chuck Devore about his bid for U.S. Senate; Mike Penner's suicide and transgender trouble; and polar bears on thin ice.
Afghanistan: what now?
On Tuesday, President Obama will deliver an address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he is expected to announce an increase of 35,000 troops in Afghanistan. The escalation would eventually put more than 100,000 American troops in Afghanistan at an annual cost of about $75 billion. Rep. David Obey, Democrat from Wisconsin and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has introduced legislation to impose a war surtax beginning in 2011. Larry asks KPCC listeners: what do you want to hear in Obama's speech? What is the way forward in Afghanistan? How will we pay for it?
Chuck DeVore's Senate bid
He's a California State Assemblyman representing the Irvine area of Orange County. But he's got greater ambitions: he's running against Carly Fiorina and incumbent Barbara Boxer to become a California Senator. What is he proposing for the state? And what are his challenges running against Fiorina for the Republican ticket and then, he hopes, Barbara Boxer?
Guest:
Chuck DeVore, California Assembly, dist. 70 (Irvine)
Transgender sportswriter Mike Penner dies
LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner was found dead over the weekend, having apparently committed suicide. Penner changed his gender identification in 2007 and began living and writing as Christine Daniels. Later detransitioning, he reassumed Mike Penner's gender and byline. Did gender trouble prompt his suicide? What unique challenges do transgender people face in their professional and personal lives?
Guests:
Autumn Sandeen, New Media Reporter for Pam’s House Blend
Patricia Wojdowski, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in therapy for gender variant individuals and couples. For more info, visit: GenderCounseling.com
Polar bears are on thin ice
In 1994, near the North Pole, writer Richard Ellis encountered a wild polar bear that walked up to the side of his boat. Today, this experience would not be possible: the area where they were traveling is now devoid of ice...it is now open water. Global warming is having a profound impact on the habitat of the polar bear. In his new book, "On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear," Ellis examines how this magnificent animal might be saved from extinction.
Guest:
Richard Ellis, author of "On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear." (Alfred P. Knopf)