Trump has chosen Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State and Rick Perry for Energy Secretary – we examine the picks, as well as their likelihood to stand the test of a Senate confirmation; Trump cancelled his Thursday press conference – we look at the precedent and implications of this decision; plus, we bring together Clinton and Trump supporters to #AirTalkItOut.
Senate Democrats could use Republican colleagues to block Trump cabinet picks
The latest Cabinet picks by President-elect Donald Trump, including the CEO of Exxon Mobil for Secretary of State, could portend lengthy confirmation hearings and fiery bluster in the Senate - from both sides of the aisle.
For now, as reported by the Associated Press, three Republican senators have publicly voiced concerns about the Rex Tillerson nomination to State: Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida. However, considering the highly partisan choices for other appointments, such as Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, it is possible that Democrats on the Hill will have to choose their battles.
Which nominations could Democrats vote down with the help of some Republican colleagues? Which appointments should Democrats give easier passes to, if any?
Guests:
Burgess Everett, POLITICO congressional reporter who’s been reporting on this angle
Todd Ruger, Legal Affairs Staff Writer for CQ Roll Call; he’s been reporting on Senator Jeff Sessions’ nomination to be Attorney General
Why we should all care, despite our politics, that Trump cancelled his press conference
It’s now been 35 days since Donald Trump won the election and, bolstered by yesterday’s cancellation, he’s delayed holding a press conference longer than any modern president.
Since the 1970s, presidents-elect have held a post-election press conference on average 3.4 days after being elected and never more than 9 days after.
Larry talks with presidential historian Robert Dallek about which presidents come closest to Trump’s adversarial relationship with the press and what the role of press conferences still is in the age of Twitter. Plus, we ask what you want to hear the president-elect answer.
Guest:
Robert Dallek, a presidential historian at Stanford University who has written many presidential biographies including “An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963”
Across the Divide: Clinton and Trump supporters #AirTalkItOut after the election
The 2016 election has exposed just how divided our country has become and how little communication there is between those who support Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
AirTalk brings together 8 people – 4 Trump supporters and 4 Clinton voters – for a town hall to talk about their differences, their hopes, their fears for the next 4 years.
They are all Southern Californians, from different walks of life and with different perspectives.
Tune in Tuesday on AirTalk for the conversation.
Guests:
Trump supporters:
Ben Clymer, chief financial officer of the Body Shop & Collision Centers of Southern California. He lives in Riverside
"How many of us here are entrepreneurs? Many of us. So having someone who's never served their whole life in government -- which let's face it, would any of us say the government is known for efficiency? No! So having a guy from the private sector his entire life, I think that's what excites me, to see what the economy can really do."
Terrance Lang, a marketing executive who lives in Westchester
"As a Black American from the inner city, let me be really clear: illegal immigration has had a devastating impact on Black Americans. Our schools are overcrowded. The hospitals are overcrowded.... There are no jobs.... You cannot ask the African American community to be open to this idea of illegal immigration when it does so much harm to my community.... When Trump says, 'what do you have to lose?' when talking to the Black community? What do we have to lose?! Hillary Clinton promised more of the same.
Mark Ma, an IT professional who lives in Pomona
"We need to make a distinction between rhetoric versus actual policy decisions. He does have moderates in his Cabinet. If I were to guess, when it comes time to implement a vetting process [for Muslim immigrants], it's going to be reasonable and sensible. It's not going to be an outright ban based on a religion."
Francisco Rivera, a janitorial worker who lives in Huntington Park
"A couple of my family members asked me, ' you being born in Mexico, how can you support Donald Trump?' And I said this, 'Do you support your immigration laws in Mexico? Yes?! That makes you a patriot, right? How can that make you a racist?'"
Clinton supporters:
Anabel Cuevas, a project manager in the tech industry who lives in Culver City
"I am very close to my families. So right away, I have to start thinking about Plan B and C of them getting deported, and my family getting completely broken.... My parents are undocumented.... I think this country is really important with how we talk about law, but at the same time, those laws are not always effective or they are a little outdated. It doesn't take into account how it affects people's safety and livelihood."
Eugene Hung, a content writer for websites who lives in Fullerton
"Part of the problem with Trump, and even now after the election, is that the rhetoric obviously makes a lot of difference to a lot of people.... Even if we assume the policy is going to be somewhat sensible, there's still a lot of danger for a lot of people. There's a Muslim friend of mine, she wears a hijab. She didn't go out of the house for a couple of days after the election.... Rhetoric makes a difference."
Faisal Qazi, a neurologist who lives in Fullerton
"What just saddens me is the fact that Trump supporters are ready and willing to overlook the vitriol coming from that campaign, in that populist anger of theirs, at the expense of other Americans and the future of other Americans."
Mia Shackelford, a college senior at Scripps College in Claremont, majoring in math and economics
"The type of free trade that we've had over the last 50 years has led to a lot of prosperity and also a lot of peace. From an economics perspective, when people are trading with each other, when people's economic well-beings are tied up with each other, it makes it less likely for people to want to bomb each other.... Trump's rhetoric is just, to me, so divorced from any kind of economic thinking, it makes me concerned that the economy might crash, and it also makes me concerned about the rise of global tension."