State Legislature Passes 100's of Bills; Water Shortage; Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel; President Picks Mike Mukasey for Attorney General; Competitive Chess
State Legislature Passes 100's of Bills
The State Legislature passed nearly 1000 bills this past legislative session, and the Governor must either sign or veto them by October 21. Larry Mantle talks with Los Angeles Times staff writer Nancy Vogel about the notable bills that passed, failed, and which of them are likely to become laws next year.
Water Shortage
In light of the city of Long Beach curbing water use throughout the city, Larry Mantle discusses how Long Beach and other cities are dealing with a possible water shortage in Southern California. What is being done, or will be done, to conserve?
Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel
Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, serving from 1969 to 1981. He is primarily known for his efforts to end the draft following the Vietnam War and for having put the Pentagon Papers into the public record in 1971. Larry Mantle talks with Gravel, who is currently a candidate for the 2008 Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
President Picks Mike Mukasey for Attorney General
President Bush has nominated Michael B. Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzales as the country's next attorney general. Mukasey, a retired federal judge from New York, presided over high-profile terrorism cases during his time on the bench. So far, Democrats have raised no objections to the nomination. Larry and his guests discuss Mukasey's background and the likelihood of his confirmation. Larry talks with Capitol Hill reporter Jack Shaw and Slate.com Senior Editor Emily Bazelton about the nomination. Larry also talks with LA Times staff writer Garrett Therolf about the news that UC Irvine has re-invited Erwin Chemerinsky to lead its new law school.
Competitive Chess
As a child, Paul Hoffman escaped from his parents' troubled marriage by losing himself in chess. In his new book King's Gambit, the award-winning author of the international bestseller The Man Who Loved Only Numbers interweaves tales from the history of the game and portraits of contemporary chess wizards into the story of his own attempt to get back into tournament chess as an adult. The author joins Larry Mantle to talk about his book and the complex, obsessive subculture of championship chess.