Perspective Podcast - February 3, 2012

In this edition of Perspective...

The Fight for Florida
GOP Candidates are in states like Nevada, Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota after battling in Florida's GOP Primary on Tuesday.  Mitt Romney sailed to victory in the sunshine state, picking up fifty delegates in the winner-takes-all contest.  Newt Gingrich placed second -- Rick Santorum third and Ron Paul fourth.  Weeks of negative campaigning saw an unprecedented amount of advertising money flow into the Sunshine State, however Rick Santorum and Ron Paul were not on the airwaves. Both instead focused on this weekend's race in Nevada.  Santorum was in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and addressed his supporters after coming in third.  After finishing fourth in Florida, Ron Paul spoke to supporters in Henderson, Nevada, congratulating Romney but remaining encouraged by the support he's received.  After Romney's win in Florida, The Department of Homeland Security informed his presidential campaign that he will begin receiving secret service protection.  Many believe that Romney will be the one taking on President Obama in the fall, although there are a lot of folks who see things differently, starting with Newt Gingrich.  Here is ABC's Terry Moran.

Miami Mafia Scam
Now the story of a Philadelphia TV weatherman and his costly vacation disaster at the hands of two beautiful women.  John Bolaris set out for a couple nights of fun in Miami beach, but on his first night there, he fell prey to a well-organized operation run by the Russian mafia.  ABC's Matt Gutman has the details.

Tug of War: Custody Battle
In America, the issue of immigration sparks fierce debate.  And now, and ABC News investigation reveals the story of a five-year-old boy, taken from her mother because she crossed the border illegally.  And as ABC Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross reports, there may be thousands of other cases just like it.

Chemical Kids
Tens of thousands of preschoolers in this country are on anti-psychotic medications … and that number has doubled in the last decade.  Most of the drugs in question have *not* been tested on children, and doctors have no idea what their affect may be on the developing brain.  ABC's Cynthia McFadden spoke to one family faced with a profoundly difficult choice when it came to medicating their child.

Remembering Don Cornelius and Soul Train

Bill Gates the Philanthropist
We now turn to another man that has changed millions of lives.  Bill Gates has made billions of dollars as a computer industry pioneer and entrepreneur, and now he's finding new challenges to tackle.  He spoke to ABC's Bill Weir about the work he's doing to heal the world.

Black Market Boom
There are billions of people in poverty across the world.  How do they survive?  We're now finding out it's because the economy of the streets is booming.  This black market is rapidly growing and becoming the main market.  And ABC's Christiane Amanpour says the facts of this slumdog economy will amaze you.

Queen Latifah
She released her first album "All Hail the Queen" when she was only nineteen years old.  In the more than two decades since, Dana Owens -- better known as Queen Latifa -- has won a Grammy, a Golden Globe, and has been nominated for an Academy Award.  Here's ABC's Lara Spencer.

Host:  Cheri Preston
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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Perspective Podcast - January 27, 2012

In this edition of Perspective...

The State of the Union
Facing a country preparing to hold a referendum on his leadership, President Barack Obama gave his fourth State of the Union address this week.  He struck themes of patriotism and American unity, calling for a renewed commitment to economic fairness, as well as growth.  ABC's Terry Moran has the details.

Gabby Giffords Steps Down
After receiving a roaring round applause upon her entrance at the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords received additional accolades from her colleagues in the House of Representatives when she turned in her resignation letter this week.  She was recognized by both the Majority Leader, Eric Cantor ... and the Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.  But it was what one of Giffords' best friends ... Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz said ... that touched the most people.  Here's some of what it sounded like on Wednesday, when --- a year after her near fatal shooting --- Gabby Giffords stepped down.

Seal Team 6 Strikes Again
It's the story of a Navy Seal team rescuing a young, American woman and another man from pirates in Somalia.  The mission involved jumping from an airplane in the middle of the night, lethal combat, and a helicopter evacuation.  ABC's Martha Raddatz has the story.

The Most Dangerous Man in China
We now turn from Somalia to China, to an artist and dissident that some consider a danger to the government of China.  His name is Ai Weiwei (eye way-way), and Chinese authorities fear him so much they have gone through the trouble to install surveillance cameras throughout his home.  He is now the subject of a documentary from filmmaker Alison Klayman, titled "Never Sorry."  ABC's Christiane Amanpour spoke with Klayman about the film and what she learned about one of China's most influential artists and activists.

Cyber Stalking
A danger closer to home involves the dark side of social media, evidenced by one woman's struggle to elude her cyber stalker.  After being approached with a friend request on Facebook from a former classmate, their interaction quickly took a disturbing turn that eventually dominated her life.  ABC's Andrea Canning reports.

Many Happy Returns
It's another type of holiday shopping season ... only cheaper.  Now that the holiday season is over, people have spent the last month returning unwanted gifts, including more than 550,000 items returned from online purchases alone.  But many of those items aren't ending up at the stores they were bought.  Instead, they're sent to warehouses to sell at seriously deep discounts.  ABC's Juju Chang explains.

The End of Illness
He's been called a rock star of science ... and believes that modern medicine is completely backwards.  Instead of America spending billions on the sick, Doctor David Agus says the system should keep us from getting sick in the first place.  To demonstrate his theory, he asked ABC's Bill Weir to undergo a series of cutting-edge tests, and it turns out those tests may actually have saved his life.

Oh Say Can't You Sing?
The Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814 and became the national anthem in 1931.  Singing it before major sporting events has become a tradition, but it's not an easy song to sing.  It's been mangled by some very famous people, most recently by American Idol judge Steven Tyler at last weekends AFC Championship football game.  Here's ABC's David Wright.

Host:  Cheri Preston
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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Perspective Podcast - January 20, 2012

In this edition of Perspective...

Cruise Ship Disaster
It's a mangled sea wreck off the coast of Italy that had just days ago been a proud ocean liner.  Here in the U-S, the tragedy of the Costa Concordia ship wreck is hitting home, with several dead and more still missing.  And now, doubts are intensifying about the captain's story of what exactly happened onboard.  Reporting from Italy, here's ABC's News Correspondent Lama Hasan.

Gingrich's Ex-Wife Speaks
The 20-12 political season is well underway, with the South Carolina primary in focus this weekend and Florida's primary on the horizon.  Most of the candidates spent the week campaigning in South Carolina to secure votes, while Rick Perry and Jon Hunstman dropped out of the race.  Texas Congressman Ron Paul took a short break from campaigning to return to his home state.  When he did travel to South Carolina, he picked up the endorsement of a state senator popular with Tea Party members, and told supporters he expects his campaign to continue to exceed expectations.  One candidate under fire this week was Newt Gingrich.  He's been in the public eye for decades and has had a complicated private life, which he's spoken about openly on the campaign trail.  But this week, one of Gingrich's two ex-wives spoke to ABC News about the candidate.  His second wife, Marianne, says she does not believe Gingrich has the morals necessary to be president.  ABC Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross reports.

Romney's Cayman Accounts
In addition to speaking with Marianne Gingrich this week, ABC Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross inspected several offshore investment funds linked to presidential candidate Mitt Romney.  These are just a few of the numerous funds on tiny islands that hold a staggering amount of American money.  Once again, here's ABC Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross.

Evangelicals for Santorum
Just last week, a group of evangelical leaders met to decide *their* choice for president.  Despite a tepid showing in the New Hampshire primary, they chose to endorse Rick Santorum.  ABC's David Kerley has the details.

U.S. and Iran Tensions
America and Iran appear to be on a collision course over Iran's nuclear program.  Iran blames the United States and Israel for the recent murder of an Iranian nuclear scientist, while Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Defense Panetta vehemently deny any U-S involvement.  To discuss the escalating tension between the U-S and Iran, ABC's Christiane Amanpour speaks to former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jamie Rubin, who is also Ms. Amanpour's husband.

Diet Rehab
It's the number one new years resolution on many people's lists: losing weight.  It's also big business in the U-S.  Americans spent 62-billion dollars last year on weight loss programs and health club memberships.  But one doctor says we may be spending our money in the wrong ways.  He believes food can be as addictive as drugs,  and we put his 28 day solution to the test during the hardest time of the year to diet: the holidays.  Here's ABC's Juju Chang.

Madonna
Throughout her career, Madonna has pushed many boundaries, but has superstardom slowed down for her at all?  Not exactly.  She's the main attraction at this years Super Bowl Half-time Show, and as ABC's Cynthia McFadden reports, she's not slowing down anytime soon.

Host:  Aaron Katersky
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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