Iran and Nuclear Weapons; A 'Mystery Man' for LA
Host:
Produced by:
Subscribe to this Podcast:
Listen to/Watch entire show:
Arguments over rates charged by LA's Department of Water and Power have been central to what Mayor Villaraigosa calls the undermining of "civic unity." Now he's put a Wall Street banker in charge of the DWP. We ask Austin Beutner about his qualifications to run a public utility, how the DWP can be made accountable to the public that own it, his plans for converting to "green energy" and what they might cost. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, in a Top Secret memo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said there's no long-range plan to deal with Iran if it learns to make nuclear weapons. Gates denies it was a "wake-up call." So, what was he up to? And what are the options?
Banner image: Mayor Villaraigosa announces nomination of Austin Beutner as Interim General Manager of the Department of Water and Power. April 19, 2010
Main Topic
Dissecting the Iran Memo ()
President Obama has tried diplomacy, but yesterday Iran announced that it's starting work on a new plant to enrich uranium. The President's fallback strategy is getting the United Nations to step up sanctions designed to prevent Iran from "reaching the threshold." That means developing the capacity to build a nuclear bomb. But what if that doesn't work? Sunday's New York Times revealed a Top Secret three-page memo from Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying the US does not have an effective long-range policy.
Guests:
- David Sanger: Washington Correspondent, New York Times, @SangerNYT
- Tony Karon: Senior Editor, Time magazine, @TonyKaron
- Michael Rubin: Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
- Trita Parsi: President, National Iranian American Council, @tparsi
Links:
Main Topic
Mayor Villaraigosa's Latest Choice to Lead the DWP ()
In last night's speech on the State of the City, Mayor Villaraigosa said the strain of challenges facing LA have "undermined civic unity." He referred specifically to the battle over increasing utility rates, explained as necessary for the Department of Water and Power to switch from fossil fuels to "green energy." He promised to reform the DWP, an agency he said is known more for secrecy than transparency. This week Villaraigosa appointed Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner to become the DWP's ninth general manager in the past 10 years.
Guests:
- Austin Beutner: Interim General Manager, LA Department of Water and Power, @austinbeutner
- Ron Kaye: Founder, Saving LA Project
- Mary Leslie: former Commissioner, LA Department of Water and Power
- Margot Roosevelt: Reporter, Los Angeles Times
Links:
Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.
Engage & Discuss
Further the conversation with your thoughts and comments. Agree, disagree, present a different perspective -- engage.
For information and guidelines click: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
Please note, comments are moderated. KCRW reserves the right to edit and or remove posts deemed off-topic, abusive or not in accordance with KCRW's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
