AirTalk for Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Contact: Producers Joel Patterson, Jasmin Tuffaha, Anny Celsi & Erica Mu

626-583-5100

SCHEDULE FOR AIRTALK WITH LARRY MANTLE

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

11:06 –11:30

Topic: TBD

Guest:

11:30 - 12:00

Topic: Slicing the immigration pie: should family members get a smaller piece? This week a bipartisan senate committee is crafting a new immigration reform bill. The so-called “Gang of Eight” - four Democrats and four Republicans -- has been fairly closed-mouth about their legislation, but a few of their ideas have come to light. One such proposal, put forth by South Carolina GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, would increase the number of H1B visas, those granted to highly skilled workers with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. These highly-prized “STEM” graduates and entrepreneurs are coveted by technology companies and other business interest who hope to lure them to our shores with a path to citizenship.The catch? The number of visas granted to family members of immigrants would be reduced. The restriction would not apply to spouses and underage children of immigrants, but to siblings, parents and grown children. Currently, the number of H1B visas is capped at 140,000 per year; around 112,000 family-sponsored green cards are granted to siblings and adult children of immigrants. The proposal has drawn criticism from immigrants’ rights groups. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) sent a letter to Senator John McCain, one of the Gang of Eight, urging him not to support Graham’s proposal. Should economic-based immigration come at the cost of family unification? Could giving visa preference to highly skilled workers and STEM graduates lead to U.S. economic growth? Should those candidates get a bigger slice of the immigration pie - or should we just make the pie bigger? If you’re a foreign-born citizen or green card holder, what would this legislation mean to your family?

Guest: Jeremy Robbins, Director, The Partnership for a New American Economy

Call him @ 212-788-4357 backup Alex: 212-788-7617

BY PHONE

Guest: Judy Chu, California Democratic Congresswoman representing the 27th district and Chair of The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)

BY PHONE

27th district includes the communities of Alhambra, Arcadia, Claremont, Glendora, Monterey Park, Monrovia, Pasadena, Rosemead, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Temple City, Upland and unincorporated areas of Altadena.

12:00 – 12:20

Topic: “Operation Iraqi Freedom” a decade later: Ten years ago today, the U.S. military and the so-called coalition of the willing unleashed a "shock and awe" bombardment on Iraq. While Saddam Hussein fell from power quickly, the invasion dragged on far longer and cost more lives than had been estimated. A new study from Brown University puts the civilian death toll at 134,000; the deaths of U.S. military and contractors at 8,000 minimum; and the cost to U.S. taxpayers (before interest) at $2.2 trillion. Polling on American opinions of the war shows a range of opinions. A majority of Americans say the war was not worth the effort and cost, but a smaller majority go so far as to call the war a mistake. On the ground in Baghdad, political leadership is unstable still. As Christian Science Monitor reports, at the fortified Green Zone that used to be the heart of U.S. operations, concrete walls are being erected once again to protect the Iraqi parliament. Sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni result in regular bombings and bloodshed, but the country has not split as some had warned. What reflections do you have on the 10th anniversary? Was it worth it? Was it a mistake? How has it influenced U.S. foreign policy at present?

Guest: TBD

12:20 – 1:00

Topic: Iraq War Homecomings: [temp blurb] On the 10th Anniversary of the war in Iraq, we sit down with four veterans of the Iraq War to discuss one of the most challenging parts of fighting such a complex and deadly conflict...coming home again. The transition back to "normal" life possess many huge hurdles for vets, whose successes and failures on the road to reassimilation are as momentous as those they faced in theater. No one is left unchanged by war, and on an important milestone in the history of modern warfare, we do our best to understand the real sacrifices vets have made to the safety of the American way of life.

IN STUDIO

Guest: Sandra Altamirano, currently in the Mobile Public Affairs Department of the US Army Reserves doing military outreach

Guest: Michael Chan, deployed to Iraq 2006-07 and 2007-08 and is now a PA in the visual effects department at Marvel

Guest: David Barr, deployed from 2005-2006 as an Army officer, and is now in his final semester of school for his master's in social work at USC

Guest: Thom Tran, was a member of one of the first units to cross the border into Iraq in 2004, now a founding member of the GI’s of Comedy, a stand-up comedy troop whose goal is to comfort vets

Anny Celsi

Mayor Sam Press Release Blog - Spin Zone of Los Angeles Politics

Monday, March 18, 2013