AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the headlines you might have missed over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come in political news at the national and state level. We also examine a proposal to privatize the United States Postal Service; debrief on the Super Bowl; and more.
Week in politics: 2020 presidential field continues to expand, previewing the State of the Union and more
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the headlines you might have missed over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come in political news at the national and state level. Here’s what we’re following this week:
Preview of Tuesday night’s SOTU address
Cory Booker, Howard Schultz join 2020 Dem field
President Trump’s interview with NYT & on CBS during Super Bowl
VA Gov. refuses to step down amid backlash over racist photo -- what are the implications of this for Democratic Party at large?
Friday’s jobs numbers
Trump, intel chiefs go back and forth over troop withdrawal from Syria, Afghanistan
U.S.-China trade talks
U.S. suspends nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, who also backed out of treaty over weekend
Guests:
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies. He is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
Under Trump proposal, private carriers like FedEx and UPS could access your mailbox
The Trump administration has been exploring a proposal to privatize the United States Postal Service.
The president famously
Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer? Should be charging MUCH MORE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2017
critically about the postal service’s business model about a year ago and has since taken steps towards allowing private companies like UPS and FedEx access to mailboxes-- a right only legally granted to public postal workers.
Supporters argue countries like England and Germany have successfully brought the free market into letter carrying and considers USPS sole access to mailboxes a criminal monopoly. Critics say privatizing the post office would cut access to customers and weaken middle class jobs.
The Postal Service has been losing money in recent years with a $3.9 billion loss in 2018 as customers have declined. By allowing private carriers access to mailboxes for a fee, the proposal seeks to make up lost revenue.
Guests:
Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute; editor of the CATO project, DownsizingGovernment.org; he tweets
Mehrsa Baradaran, law professor and associate dean at University of Georgia. Author of "How the Other Half Banks" (Harvard University Press 2015)
Unpacking the LA Rams’ disappointing loss to New England in Super Bowl LIII
“We got outplayed. We got completely outplayed.”
That was the bottom line from a visibly frustrated Jared Goff as the Rams quarterback spoke to reporters following his team’s 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta on Sunday night. The 24-year-old signal-caller went on to say he felt like they’d left a lot out on the field and added that he was angry with himself for not capitalizing on more opportunities. But in reality, it was more than just Goff’s lackluster play that contributed to the loss. The entire Rams offense, which averaged nearly 33 points per game during the regular season, was nowhere to be found, scoring no points in the first half.
Star running back Todd Gurley never got rolling, racking up just 35 yards rushing and the team failed to convert on key third downs in a game where there were opportunities about to take advantage of a Patriots offense that got off to a slow start and even turned the ball over on the game’s first possession. Goff’s interception with just over 4 minutes left in the game killed any final chances L.A. had of coming back, and in the end the Rams and their fans were left wondering what might’ve been had the offense been more productive.
We’ll debrief on the Super Bowl, talk about some of the other factors that contributed to the loss, and look ahead to the promise of next season for a young, talented Rams football team that will likely enter the 2019 season with a chip on its shoulder after coming up just short of winning it all this year.
Guest:
Gary Klein, Rams beat writer for The Los Angeles Times who has been in Atlanta covering the Super Bowl and attended the game on Sunday night; he tweets
When one religion isn’t enough: a Presbyterian minister and practicing Buddhist shares what it means to be spiritually fluid
To many in the religious community, spiritually fluid people can be a source of frustration.
How can someone follow more than one religion? Are they confused? Do they have commitment issues? Is there a space for them to belong at all?
Duane R. Bidwell, an ordained Presbyterian minister and practicing Buddhist, wants to answer those questions with his new book, “When One Religion Isn’t Enough: The Lives of Spiritually Fluid People.” He writes that sensitivity and authenticity, coupled with a deep understanding of colonization and social context of religions, can make for a richer spiritual experience that embraces multiplicity, especially as interfaith marriages and interfaith households increase in America.
Host Larry Mantle speaks with Bidwell about the making of the book, the challenges encountered and intriguing lessons learned.
If you have a spiritually fluid background, what has it meant for you? How has it shaped your life and experience with religion? Call us at 866-893-5722 to share your story or comment below.
Guest:
Duane R. Bidwell, professor of practical theology, spiritual care and counseling at Claremont School of Theology; he’s an ordained Presbyterian minister, practicing Buddhist and author of “When One Religion Isn’t Enough: The Lives of Spiritually Fluid People” (Beacon Press 2018)