Which Way, L.A.?

First Lady Maria Shriver: TV Journalist and Policy Maker

Maria Shriver is a wife and mother, and a featured contributor to the news program, Dateline NBC. Now she's taken on new responsibilities as California's First Lady, and has she demonstrated political clout of her own during negotiations between the Legislature and her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger. How much clout will a liberal Democrat have in her husband-s Republican administration? We hear more about Shriver's role in state government, and whether there-s a potential conflict of interest with her duties as an independent reporter, from the director of Cal State Sacramento's Institute for the Study of Politics and Media and a broadcast news veteran who's now with the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Making News: LAX Investigated for Illegal Contract Awarding Mayor Hahn says Airport Commission President Ted Stein assures him he-s not raising political contributions from contractors. Hahn was responding to City Controller Laura Chick, who asked local, state and federal law enforcement to investigate -potential illegal acts- discovered during an audit of LAX. Hahn agrees an investigation is appropriate but says he-s satisfied -proper procedures have been followed.- Controller Chick has more on the allegations. Reporter's Notebook: The Lies of President Bush Last Sunday's New York Times Magazine carried the commentary, -Enough Debating-Let-s Start Hating.- Contributing writer Matt Bai claimed that the political Left is finally responding to years of Right-Wing attacks and allegations with attacks and allegations of its own. Three of the books listed have -lies- in their titles, including The Lies of George W. Bush, by David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation magazine. Corn is mad as hell and he's not going to take it any more.