The case for defunding NPR. Author Gideon Rose on winning the war but losing the peace. Gender is not a factor for women voters in California. The Lakers and the hot hot Heat - a preview of the the NBA season. Continuing drug violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Defunding NPR?: network under fire after Williams ouster
NPR’s controversial firing of Juan Williams has renewed Republican calls to defund public broadcasting. Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Sarah Palin and other conservative pundits and lawmakers argue that taxpayers shouldn’t pay for NPR’s “one-sided liberal agenda.” NPR actually only gets 1-2% of its funding through federal grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcast. KPCC, an NPR affiliate, gets about 6% of it’s funding from CPB, much of which is then paid to NPR for use of its programming.
Critics on the left have long said NPR is too beholden to the power structure, because getting government funding and corporate underwriting doesn’t allow for independence in reporting. Supporters say that there are precious few commercial models for the kind of unbiased journalism NPR strives for. But with record federal deficits – should the government fund public radio? Or is it time for public broadcasters to uncouple?
Guest:
Tom Thomas, co-Chief Executive Officer, Station Resource Group
Dan Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute, former chief economist for the Senate Finance Committee
Gideon Rose on how America ends its wars
The United States defeated the Iraqi army in battle in 1991, only to fall into postwar turmoil. In 2003, America did it again. President Obama declared the combat mission in Iraq complete, but conflict wears on. Now, attention has shifted to the 10-year old war in Afghanistan, but our exit strategy remains unclear. Why is the strongest power in modern history so good at winning battles, but so bad at preparing for the aftermath of war? In his new book, “How Wars End,” author Gideon Rose examines wars over the last century, and argues that our leaders have focused too much on beating up the enemy and not enough on careful postwar planning. What can and should leaders do to win not just war, but peace?
Guest:
Gideon Rose, author, How War Ends: Why We Always Fight the Last Battle, A History of American Intervention from World War I to Afghanistan; editor of Foreign Affairs
Poll says that gender is not a factor for women California voters
Republicans are running their first female nominees for governor and U.S. Senate. Republican strategists hoped gender could draw new female voters, but a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll shows that ideology trumps gender almost every time. Does this mean we’ve moved into a post-gender-bias era? Or is it the unique factors of this election driving the results? And to what extent does gender still influence your decision in choosing a candidate?
Guest:
Darry Sragow, interim director of the Times/USC poll
Lakers season begins, but state of NBA is no slam dunk
Fresh off their 2nd consecutive NBA championship, the Lakers open the NBA season tonight looking for a repeat three-peat next June. In August, Lakers owner Jerry Buss said that this might be his most talented squad yet. But power has been redistributed in the East. How hot will the talent-overloaded Heat be? Can the aging Celtics hang with the elite teams in the league? Overshadowing the on-court action will be possible impending labor issues. How will the Lakers fare this season? The competitive talent in the NBA has never been better, but can the NBA resolve their financial situation?
Guest:
Mark Heisler, sports writer for the Los Angeles Times who covers the NBA, and author of Madmen's Ball: The Inside Story of the Lakers Dysfunctional Dynasties
Drug violence at the border—will it ever stop?
People are dying along the U.S.-Mexico border at alarmingly high rates. 2,657 people were murdered in Ciudad Juarez in 2009 alone. Ed Vulliamy’s new book Amexica: War Along the Borderline explores the complexities of border life, digging deeper into this civil war being fought over access to U.S. drug markets. What can be done to stop this horrific violence? Has Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s war on drugs worked? And how might women and church groups mend the rift in Mexican society?
Ed Vulliamy will be discussing and signing Amexica at Eso Won Bookstore tonight at 7pm.
Guest:
Ed Vulliamy, author of Amexica: War Along the Borderline; Senior International Correspondent for The Guardian