McMansions: The Latest Battle Front against Global Warming

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Few members of Congress have done more to protect the auto industry from tough pollution controls than John Dingell of Michigan. But now Dingell has not only changed course and embraced the need to slash emissions, he has suggested increased taxes to do the job – on big houses. Can more efficient homes solve the global warming crisis? Also, does the latest economic news signal a recession on the horizon? On Reporter's Notebook, President Bush opens up about how he made some of his most important decisions. Jim Sterngold guest hosts.

Making News

Economy Sheds Jobs in First Downturn in Four Years ()

Economists expected some slowdown in the economy because of the turmoil in the mortgage and housing markets, but the news this morning was far worse than expected. The Labor Department said that job growth had not just slowed, but reversed course in August for the first time in four years. The country lost 4,000 jobs. The stock market swooned. Is a recession looming? David Shulman is a senior economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast.

Guests:

David Shulman: Senior Economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast

Main Topic

Carbon Tax Bill Would Charge McMansions for Global Warming ()

For several years the battle to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases has focused on the automobile. Hummers became public enemies and the Prius was suddenly chic. Now, Washington has found a new villain in the fight against global warming—American homes. John Dingell of Michigan and other key members of Congress are considering painful measures, including eliminating the cherished mortgage deduction for wasteful McMansions. It's a sign that the global warming fight is now more about ways and means than science. Is it a political ploy or are McMansions going to go the way of the gas guzzler? Jim Sterngold guest hosts.

Guests:

David Von Drehle: Editor-at-Large for Time Magazine
Nolan Finley: Editorial Page Editor for the Detroit News
Daniel Kammen: Chair of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Steering Committee
David Freeman: former Board Member of the California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority
Dan Kammen: Professor in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley

Reporter's Notebook

New Presidential Bio Says Bush 'cries a lot' ()

Robert Draper persuaded President Bush to give him unparalleled access to the White House for his new biography. In spending hours with Bush as well as his closest advisers and even his wife, the journalist witnessed a White House rife with infighting and led by a single-minded president. The picture that emerges in Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush is of a driven, stubborn man, more focused on shaping the world to fit his ideas than adapting his policies to fit the world.

Guests:

Robert Draper: Regular contributor to Texas Monthly

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