Larry Mantle checks in with the NPR political team, just ahead of the Wisconsin primary; the Panama Papers were leaked over the weekend, releasing sensitive information about tax havens for the ultra-rich; and two sports reporters join us to preview the season.
AirTalk Election 2016: Dem and GOP candidates fight hard for Wisconsin primary voters
Larry Mantle is joined by NPR’s political team for a roundup of the week ahead on the campaign trail as candidates battle over Wisconsin’s primary.
Speaking in LaCrosse today, GOP candidate Donald Trump said a win in Wisconsin would effectively end the GOP presidential nominating fight and allow him to focus on defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton. He also called on Ohio Governor John Kasich to drop out - Kasich said that amounted to whining.
Senator Ted Cruz was on the hustings in Madison this morning and told reporters a win in the state would give him momentum moving forward.
As for the Democrats, Senator Bernie Sanders told Wisconsin voters he would rebuild the state's trade unions that were targeted by Republican Governor Scott Walker. Hillary Clinton is also campaigning on worker issues today, but she's in New York lauding that state leadership's plans to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
What are you paying close attention to as these races continue?
Guests:
Asma Khalid, presidential campaign reporter for NPR; she tweets from
Ron Elving, Senior Editor and Correspondent, Washington Desk
Don Gonyea, National Political Correspondent; he tweets from
David Cameron, Vladimir Putin among pols embroiled in Panama Papers tax shelter leak
A vast trove of documents detailing the offshore financial dealings of the rich and famous has been leaked.
The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung received data from an anonymous source more than a year ago and shared it with over 100 news organizations.
Their work was coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism, a nonprofit organization based in Washington.
The ICIJ says the latest trove includes nearly 40 years of data from a Panama-based law firm, Mossack Fonseca.
With files from Associated Press
Guests:
Andy Greenberg, senior writer for Wired who’s been following the story. He is the author of the book, “This Machine Kills Secrets” (Plume, 2013)
Nicholas Shaxson, a journalist and author of the book, "Treasure Islands: Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking and Tax Havens," He is based in Berlin, Germany
Debating cost of Xtandi prostate-cancer drug developed with UCLA research
A group of Washington lawmakers is calling for public hearings about the cost of Xtandi, a prostate-cancer drug developed with federally-funded research at UCLA.
In a letter to the heads of the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) urged the agencies to step in to cut prices for Xtandi, saying it costs four times more in the U.S. than in some other developed countries.
The drug is jointly marketed in the U.S. by Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma and its partner, Medivation Inc., which is based in San Francisco.
Astellas says the campaign doesn't reflect what patients actually pay for the drug. In a statement addressing lawmakers, it argues: "During 2015, 81% of privately insured patients paid $25 or less out of pocket per month for XTANDI and 79% of Medicare patients paid nothing out of pocket per month for XTANDI."
In early March, the University of California, Los Angeles sold its royalty rights to a pharmaceutical investment company for $520 million - with additional monies going to the researchers and an external research company.
Since Astellas and Medivation spearheaded the drug's approval, manufacturing, and marketing, how much does it matter that the science was funded publicly at UCLA? How many drugs akin to Xtandi's development are paid for by Medicare and other taxpayer-funded insurance? Could the pipeline from public institutions, such as the UC system, to FDA drug approval and manufacturing be altered without hurting innovation?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
James Love, Director, Knowledge Ecology International - a not-for-profit advocacy organization focused on vulnerable populations; KEI is one of a dozen organizations which filed a petition with the National Institutes of Health to lower the price of Xtandi
Paul Howard, Senior Fellow at the free-market focused think tank, Manhattan Institute where he is director of health policy
Dodgers’ new skipper, Angels’ new shortstop highlight season previews for LA baseball
Major League Baseball’s regular season is officially underway as three games kicked off the 2016 campaign on Sunday, including a World Series rematch between the Mets and Royals.
The Dodgers and Angels both begin their seasons today with the Halos facing the Chicago Cubs in Anaheim and the Dodgers in San Diego to play the Padres.
For the Angels, 2016 will be a season of redemption after a tumultuous 2015 that saw the exit of former general manager Jerry Dipoto due to differences with Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia and his coaching staff. His replacement, former New York Yankees assistant GM Billy Epler, used the offseason to sign former Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, one of the hottest young talents in baseball, which gives them a much needed glove in the middle infield. Big names like Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Jered Weaver all return to the Halos’ roster this year as they look to reclaim the American League West crown.
As for the Dodgers, they welcome a new manager in Dave Roberts, a 9 year MLB veteran and former Boston Red Sox commentator, as they look for their fourth straight NL West title. Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig, and last year’s rookie sensation Joc Pederson all return to the lineup. New additions include veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins and starting pitcher Brett Anderson.
The Dodgers’ World Series hopes fell short last year as the eventual National League Champion New York Mets beat L.A. 3-2 in the National League Division Series. Meanwhile, the Angels fell just short of the postseason altogether, coming up one game short of a Wild Card berth behind the upstart Houston Astros.
What are the major storylines and players to watch this season? What are the teams’ postseason chances? How much have the teams changed from last year to this year?
Guests:
Andy McCullough, Dodgers beat writer for the Los Angeles Time; he tweets
Pedro Moura, Angels beat writer for the Los Angeles Times; he tweets