Perspective Podcast - September 30, 2011

In this edition of Perspective ...

Michael Jackson Trial
Vivid stories emerged this week in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray.  Jurors in the trial listened to a recording of the star's security guard pleading with emergency personnel for help.  But what happened in that room *before* the call was made might be even more startling.  ABC's Jim Avila has the details from Los Angeles.

Justice John Paul Stevens
We now turn from a manslaughter trial to the issue of the death penalty.  Retired Justice John Paul Stevens spent decades balancing his every word as one of the longest serving Supreme Court Justices in history.  Now Justice Stevens deals with some controversial issues of the day ... from gay marriage to the death penalty ... in his new book, The Five Chiefs.  Here's ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

Libyan Surface-To-Air Missiles
For months now, Libya has been a lawless zone open to fighters who have poured into the country from surrounding areas.  It's feared that those fighters include members of Al Qaeda.  And now, thousands of missiles have gone missing in Libya ... missiles that could take out a plane.  ABC Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross reports..

Food Safety
The current Listeria outbreak in cantaloupes is already being called the third deadliest wave of food-bourne illness in U-S history.  In a list that seems to grow daily, now there are two new voluntary recalls of lettuce and grape tomatoes.  ABC's Neal Karlinsky spoke with one of the country's top food safety litigators about the items he refuses to eat.

A Fast Food Makeover
Burger King, Wendy's, and other fast-food brands are battling to keep their sales up.  Young adults are making less visits to fast-food restaurants --- 53 fewer visits than they did five years ago.  ABC's David Muir set out to discover what's taking the place of those 53 meals.

Netflix
Netflix has always been considered one of the big winners when it comes to internet companies, but suddenly customers are fleeing by the hundreds of thousands.  The man at the top of Netflix has gone from a study in success to a business page pariah.  And now, the embattled CEO talks about what went wrong and how to fix it.  Here's ABC's John Donvan.

The Facebook Economy
The fight for new jobs rages on.  President Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and GOP Presidential Candidates are all talking about how to create new jobs.  Meanwhile, jobs are being found in a place that's literally right at our fingertips.  It turns out that social networking sites just might be the place to score a new job.  ABC's Bill Weir explains.

Tony Bennett
What do Lady Gaga, Queen Latifah, and Carrie Underwood all have in common?  They would all like to be in a room with the silky smooth voice that brought us "The Best Is Yet To Come."  Here's ABC's Chris Cuomo.

Host:  Cheri Preston
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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Perspective Podcast - September 23, 2011

In this edition of Perspective ...

The Contenders: GOP Debate
This week in Orlando, Florida the economy took center stage in the Republican Presidential Debate.  We heard some personality from the candidates -- but also from the giant, vocal crowd.  Here's ABC's Bill Weir.

Real Housewives Backlash
If money could buy you class, strong personal relationships, and inner peace ... then there probably wouldn't be the Real Housewives franchise.  Their tabloid exploits packaged in all that wealth, beauty, and social fizz make them a pleasure for millions of fans, but lately there appears to be something seriously amiss in New York, Beverly Hills, and the other cities where these famous families live.  And now the reality show is dealing with a *new* kind of tragic reality.  ABC's Andrea Canning explains.

Millionaire Murder
In a murder trial underway in Florida, the defense has began it's efforts to convince a jury that a millionaire developer is *not* responsible for the close-range shooting death of his wife.  He admits to having shot her -- he told the 9-1-1 operator as much -- but he says it was an accident.  The latest tapes to emerge of the defendant talking on the phone from a police interrogation room are just part of the evidence against him.  Here's ABC's Ashleigh Banfield.

Mansion Suicide Mystery
We turn now to another mysterious death ... a horrific scene at a private mansion in Coronado California --- right across the bay from San Diego.  A young woman was found hanging from a balcony ... nude, bound, and gagged.  Identified as the girlfriend of the mansion owner, her death was ruled a suicide.  But her family disagrees with that ruling and speaks out to ABC's Elizabeth Vargas.

Joel Osteen
Tens of thousands of people show up every week to hear him preach in his hundred million dollar Houston church.  His message that faith and positive thinking can overcome hardship is a controversial one, but it's a message that fills every one of those stadium seats.  ABC's Robin Roberts has the story.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz
There are plenty of people upset that politicians took so long to start talking about jobs.  Among them is a man who has played a role in growing one of America's most successful businesses -- the CEO of Starbucks.  ABC's Terry Moran has more.

Jermaine Jackson
We turn now to financial news regarding the estate of Michael Jackson.  The executors say, since the star's death, the estate has earned a whopping 310 million dollars ... enough to pay off the singer's debts.  The executors have also said that Jackson's mother, Katherine, wants to sell the family's famous Encino estate -- the very place that ABC's Chris Connelly sat down with Michael's brother, Jermaine Jackson.

Host:  Cheri Preston
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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Perspective Podcast - September 16, 2011

In this edition of Perspective ...

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 1
It's a voice many of us never thought we'd hear and the private history we never thought we would learn.  Only four months after her husband's assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy quietly recorded more than eight hours of audio tape.  It tells the story of a woman who is a witness to history ... and also making history herself.  Here is ABC's Diane Sawyer.

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 2
Jacqueline Kennedy went on to become an object of complete fascination in America - women wanted to entertain as she did.  There was even a thirty percent increase in college students trying to learn French.  And America became a nation of bouffant hair and pillbox hats.  ABC's Diane Sawyer spoke with Jacqueline's daughter, Caroline Kennedy.

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 3
We return to the nearly fifty-year-old audio tapes of Jacqueline Kennedy speaking to friend and historian Arthur Schlesinger.  Four months after her husband's assassination, she recounts the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Once again, here's ABC's Diane Sawyer.

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 4
Jacqueline Kennedy did not give interviews during her lifetime -- and these tapes, held in a vault for decades, include caustic revelations about some very public figures.  Again, here's ABC's Diane Sawyer.

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 5
It's not easy for all of us in 2011 to remember who women were back in the '60's.  They were standing between two worlds: the traditional past and the independent future.  So it is very surprising to hear what Jacqueline Kennedy says on these tapes from 1964 ... when she saw women on television asserting their own power, but believed they were on a kind of cultural suicide mission.  Again, here's ABC's Diane Sawyer.

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 6
In the audio tapes Jacqueline Kennedy left behind, recorded nearly fifty years ago, she recounts a moment from 1963.  President and Mrs. Kennedy are in the White House, studying the portraits of Abraham Lincoln.  Once again, ABC's Diane Sawyer.

Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words Part 7
We turn now to the last minutes of audio, recorded by the first lady nearly half a century ago.  Again, here's ABC's Diane Sawyer.

Host:  Cheri Preston and Diane Sawyer
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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