Today on AirTalk, we talk to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon about the latest news involving his office. Also on the show, we give you the latest stimulus check updates coming from Washington D.C.; answer your COVID-19 questions; and more.
President Biden Set To Meet With Republicans Proposing $618 Billion Virus Aid
President Joe Biden is set to meet on Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed $618 billion in coronavirus relief, about a third of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking as congressional Democrats are poised to move ahead without Republican support.
The Republicans propose slimmer benefits, including $1,000 in direct payments to individuals earning up to $40,000 a year, or $80,000 for couples, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press. The proposal would begin to phase out the benefit after that, with no payments for those individuals earning more than $50,000, or $100,000 for couples. That’s less than Biden’s proposal for $1,400 direct payments at higher incomes levels.
The cornerstone of the GOP plan appears to be $160 billion for the health care response — vaccine distribution, a “massive expansion” of testing, protective gear and funds for rural hospitals, according to the draft.
Others elements of the package are similar but at far lesser amounts, with $20 billion to reopen schools and $40 billion for Paycheck Protection Program business aid.
An invitation to the GOP senators to meet at the White House came hours after the lawmakers sent Biden a letter on Sunday urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram through his relief package solely on Democratic votes. The House and Senate are on track to vote as soon as this week on a budget resolution, which would lay the groundwork for passing an aid package under rules requiring only a simple majority vote in the closely divided Senate.
Today on AirTalk, we’re hearing the latest on the stimulus bill. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code For America; a non-profit that partners with government to deliver services efficiently and equitably; she is the former national political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has been a staffer for Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); she tweets
Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor for POLITICO; she tweets
COVID-19: Distribution Latest, Impact Of Reopening Outdoor Dining & More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, host Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.
Today’s topics include:
A recent poll shows that 71 percent of Californians want to get vaccinated - is that enough?
Pharmacies and grocery stores prepping to take on vaccine distribution
Some L.A. firefighters are reluctant to get vaccinated - should officials be incentivizing those who don’t want the vaccine, or moving on to people in other tiers who do want them?
Did California’s outdoor dining ban tamp down infection rates? What will be the effect of resuming outdoor dining?
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón On Sentencing Enhancements, Bail Reform And More
It’s been just under two months since Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón took office, but he’s wasted no time implementing criminal justice reforms that he hopes will address two major issues that he’s made a focus of his term so far: reducing incarceration and addressing racial inequities within the criminal justice system.
On his first day in office, Gascón said "California's mass incarceration problem can be tied directly to enhancements and the extreme sentencing laws of the 1990s. Under Gascón's sweeping directive, his office will no longer seek sentencing enhancements for things such as using a gun, belonging to a gang, or committing a second or third strike. His prosecutors are also prohibited from seeking the most severe punishments: the death penalty and life in prison without the possibility of parole. But the implementation of these reforms has not come without challenges. Judges have refused to dismiss sentencing enhancements in a number of cases and some prosecutors in California, including several of his own deputy district attorneys, worry that relaxing these enhancements could result in more crime.
Today on AirTalk, D.A. Gascón joins Larry to talk about his directive on sentencing enhancements, his response to the pushback against it by judges, other district attorneys, and even his own deputy district attorneys and other criminal justice issues he plans to address in the coming months.
With files from LAist
Guests:
George Gascón, district attorney of Los Angeles County; he tweets
and his office tweets
Frank Stoltze, KPCC/LAist criminal justice correspondent he tweets
What President Biden’s Climate Change Plan Means For Climate Science, Policymakers & More
Last week, President Biden’s administration began implementing a new climate change approach, one which includes rejoining international climate policies and investing in renewable energy.
The plan takes into consideration science-based policy, as well as economic and social components like jobs and human health. Biden’s plan proposes a public investment in clean energy that could help to create 10 million jobs, particularly for workers displaced by the fossil fuel industry. The plan’s messaging mirrors an approach that many states have used in the past two decades to push climate policy by connecting it to energy independence and economic development. But Biden’s plan is also heavily centered on environmental justice and the social repercussions of climate change, a departure from past presidential language on climate change. How effective do climate scientists think these policies will be, and what might the economics of Biden’s plan look like?
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about President Biden’s climate plan, the economics of it, and what climate scientists hope to see from a Biden presidency. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Michael Méndez, assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at the University of California, Irvine and author of “Climate Change from the Streets: How Conflict and Collaboration Strengthen the Environmental Justice Movement” (Yale University Press, 2020);
Bjorn Lomborg, president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, a think tank that advises policymakers and philanthropists on spending and the author of "False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet" (Basic Books, 2020); he tweets