Air Resources Board Approves Sweeping Pollution Rules

Main Topic

Will Washington Rescue Detroit's Big Three? ()

The Big Three bailout passed the House but stalled in the Senate today, even after Barack Obama warned that collapse of the auto industry would have "a devastating ripple effect" throughout the economy. In the Senate, Republicans, many of them from the South, were still saying, "No."  On this rebroadcast of today's To the Point, we hear whether regional interests are playing a role in preventing what Democrats, including Barack Obama, call a disaster of national proportions.

Guests:

• Todd Spangler: Reporter, Detroit Free Press
• James Rubenstein: co-author, Who Really Made Your Car?
• William Diem: Paris-based automotive journalist
• Daniel Howes: Business Columnist, Detroit News
• Yves Smith: financial consultant and blogger

Links:

• Spangler's article on the auto industry crisis
• Rubenstein's 'Who Really Made Your Car?: Restructuring and Geographic Change in the Auto Industry'
• Howes' column on how crisis could especially benefit Ford
• Smith's column on 'nationalization'

Making News

Sparks Fly in Sacramento Budget Battle ()

Guests:

• Kevin Yamamura: Reporter, Sacramento Bee

Main Topic

Air Resources Board Approves Sweeping Pollution Rules ()

Governor Schwarzenegger says he'll fight global warming, whatever the cost, even during an economic crisis.  Today, his Air Resources Board set the toughest goals in the nation, even though the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst says it'll cost more than the Board estimated.  It's a road map for implementing AB 32, the law that caught worldwide attention in 2006.  We hear a debate.

Guests:

• Margot Roosevelt: Reporter,Los Angeles Times
• Dorothy Rothrock: Vice President of Government Relations, California Manufacturers and Technology Association
• Eileen Wenger Tutt: Deputy Secretary for Climate Change, California Environmental Protection Agency

Reporter's Notebook

The Tomato Racket ()

If you've bought tomato-based products like sauces, soups or salsas, you may have received less than you paid for. A former tomato-sales broker has admitted he bribed purchasing agents at some of America's largest food companies, including Safeway and Kraft. Randall Rahal works for SK Foods, which federal agents have labeled a "racketeering enterprise." Denny Walsh reports on the federal courts for the Sacramento Bee.

Guests:

• Denny Walsh: Reporter, Sacramento Bee