World AIDS Day -- what does an HIV diagnosis mean in America in 2009? Should Californians vote by mail? Obama's Afghan plan. And, the story of poker.
Living with HIV today
Since the first cases were discovered in 1981, many advances have been made in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Antiretroviral drugs are helping to cut the death rate, but in the U.S., a new infection occurs every nine-and-a-half minutes. On World AIDS day, we ask, what does a diagnosis mean in 2009? How have treatments changed? And how safe - or unsafe - are people’s sexual habits now?
Guest:
Dr. Michael Gottlieb, an HIV physician practicing in Los Angeles. Gottlieb was the first to identify AIDS as a new disease in 1981.
Vote by mail
Just 18% of Orange County's 72nd District voted in last month's special election to fill Mike Duvall's vacated Assembly seat. But of that percentage, 77% of voters chose to vote by mail. Oregon already conducts mail-only elections, and some advocates are trying to get districts in California to adopt the practice. They say that mail-only elections will increase voter turnout and marginally cut costs. But earlier this year, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a measure to allow Yolo and Santa Clara counties to conduct all-mail elections, saying that it makes it harder for those who prefer to vote in person. Is vote-by-mail a better way to cast a ballot, or does it diminish the civic ritual of voting in person?
Guests:
Fred Smoller, professor of political science and director of the Masters of Public Administration program at Brandman University, part of the Chapman University system. He is currently working to advance vote by mail in California.
Matt Cunningham, executive editor of RedCounty.com, a political website that advocates limited government and individual liberty.
Previewing Obama's Afghanistan speech
Tonight, President Barack Obama is giving a speech on his military strategy for Afghanistan. He is expected to call for a 50 percent increase in US troops over the 68,000 already stationed and fighting there. Is it enough? How will the US pay for it? Will additional troops change the tide of the war? And what will a surge mean for the future of that conflict?
Guests:
Howard "Buck" McKeon, Congressman (R-CA), 25th District, Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, San Bernardino, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee
Loretta Sanchez, Congresswoman (D-CA), 47th Congressional district, Garden Grove, House Armed Services Committee
Michael A. Cohen, Senior Research Fellow, American Strategy Program; co-director, Privitization of Foreign Policy Initiative at the New America Foundation. He is also the author of “Live From the Campaign Trail: The Greatest Presidential Campaign Speeches of the 20th Century and How They Shaped Modern America” (Walker Books: 2008).
Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
America's cheating game
Poker, the liar's game, is one of America's most popular pastimes. In "Cowboys Full," author James McManus illustrates the connections between poker, politics and our national spirit. He traces the history of steamboats, American trade and westward expansion, and the connection to poker. Larry talks with McManus about his new book and what poker says about who we are as a culture.
Guest:
James McManus, author of "Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)