A federal judge rules that a provision of Obama's health care legislation is unconstitutional. The fight against malaria. A New York conference presents an alternative to partisan labels. Agnostics, atheists and the existence of God.
Virginia judge rules parts of health care bill unconstitutional
In the latest news on State battles against Obama’s health care bill, a Richmond judge found that mandating that all citizens buy health insurance - or pay a penalty if they do not - exceeds federal authority. Virginia’s attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, challenged the government’s claim that the mandate is enforceable under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Virginia hoped that if successful, they would achieve an injunction against the entire health care law, but the judge ruled narrowly on only certain provisions. Virginia is one of 20 states challenging aspects of the federal health care bill and is the first to deliver a ruling that could set the stage for a Supreme Court case on the constitutionality of the bill. What does this mean for other parts of the sweeping health care bill passed in March? And how does a ruling in Virginia affect other court cases happening across the country?
Guests:
Jamie Court, President, Consumer Watchdog; also author of The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell
Michael Cannon, Director of health policy studies for the CATO Institute
The fight against malaria
It’s an age-old disease that still plagues some 300 to 500 million people in over 80 countries. But a cadre of scientists is determined to defeat it. Some use bed nets and insecticides, while others work on cheaper medical treatments. In his book, "The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men," Bill Shore describes the efforts of the philanthropists, physicians and researchers who make war on this terrible disease. Shore focuses the book on the few physicians who are working on a vaccine that can eliminate malaria forever. Many experts say that’s impossible—that malaria can’t be cured with a vaccine. So what keeps these visionaries working? And how close are they to finding a way to rid the world of this devastating virus?
Guest:
Bill Shore, writer of The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men: Inspiration, Vision and Purpose in the Quest to End Malaria
No Labels launches centrist group to combat partisan politics
Today, elected officials from across the country gathered in New York to launch “No Labels” - a group aimed at curbing political partisanship. New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent, was there, as was LA’s own Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, who told the crowd that it’s time for both parties to rethink their traditional alliances. The No Labels movement rests on the belief that hyper-partisanship is destroying our political system and paralyzing our ability to govern. They say the majority of Americans are centrists, who don’t want the country to move left or right, just forward. The group’s goals are dreamy, but are they realistic? Will politicians listen? Can “No Labels” work in a climate where people seem to want politicians to take a stand and stick to it?
Guests:
John Avlon, co-founder of No Labels; senior political columnist for The Daily Beast and author of Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America
Bob Stern, President, Center for Governmental Studies
Radio man Michael Krasny’s quest for spirituality – is there a God?
On one side, you’ve got Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens declaring that God is a delusion. Or, just as stridently, there’s no shortage of believers espousing the existence of a deity. But what about all those who fall between, who are unsure if God exists or what form he – or she - takes? In Spiritual Envy: An Agnositc’s Quest, Michael Krasny, the host of KQED’s Forum—San Francisco’s most listened-to public radio program—writes about his journey questioning the existence of a God. What do you believe?
Guest:
Michael Krasny, author of Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest