We discuss the new Labor Secretary choice, as well as the leaks coming from D.C.; whether you're participating or intentionally not participating in the #DayWithoutImmigrants, we want to hear from you; plus, limited endorsement and new guidelines on human gene editing; and more.
White House roundup: new Labor Secretary nom; leaks, leaks and leaks
Today, President Trump will announce Alexander Acosta as his new Labor Secretary choice.
Alexander Acosta, former member of the National Labor Relations Board under President George W. Bush, is currently the dean of the Florida International University School of Law. If confirmed, Acosta, the son of Cuban immigrants, would be the first Hispanic member of Trump's Cabinet.A day earlier, fast-food chain CEO Andrew Puzder backed out of consideration for Labor secretary, amid bipartisan scrutiny of his personal and professional background.
Acosta’s reception comes as National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s resignation. President Trump put out a series tweets questioning the legality of leaks that may have brought down Flynn:
“Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a big problem in Washington for years. Failing
(and others) must apologize!”
It’s likely that the whistleblower(s) seek to undermine the administration at an early stage, but how does the latest leaks compare to those under our former presidents? Does leaking classified information constitute as felony? Is this a common concern for the White House? What are some of the legal framework in place to protect whistleblowers?
Guests:
Josh Eidelson, reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek covering politics, policy and labor
Karoun Demirjian, reporter at the Washington Post
Russell Riley, associate professor and co-chair of the Miller Center’s Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia
What’s next for Obamacare, plus AirTalk listeners share their ACA stories
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump promised conservatives that his top healthcare priority would be to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Just shy of a month into the Trump Administration there has been a lot of talk on Capitol Hill about the future of Obamacare, but very little being done to decide its fate. House Speaker Paul Ryan said during his weekly press briefing today that the House would roll out legislation to repeal and replace the ACA after the President’s Day weekend. This comes as pressure mounts from a small group of GOP lawmakers on the Hill to repeal the health care law right away, regardless of whether there’s a replacement plan in the works, in order to capitalize on the political momentum it has gained since President Trump’s election.
What lies ahead for President Obama’s signature piece of legislation? What would happen to those covered by the law if it were repealed with no replacement? If it were repealed and replaced?
AirTalk wants to hear how the ACA has impacted your life for our next "Across the Divide" conversation. Ever wanted to be a guest on an AirTalk segment? We’re putting together a panel of Southern Californians with different stories to tell about their experience with the ACA and we want YOU to be part of it. Are you someone on MediCal? Do you have a pre-existing condition that kept you from getting health insurance before the ACA? Did you close or are you considering closing your small business because of the cost of providing employee insurance? Did you refuse to buy insurance and have to pay a penalty? Share your story with us by emailing AirTalk producer Matt Dangelantonio at mdangelantonio@scpr.org with a brief explanation of your story and we’ll contact you if we’d like to consider you for the panel!
Guests:
Jennifer Haberkorn, senior health care reporter for POLITICO Pro; she tweets
Kavita Patel, M.D., nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; she’s also a practicing primary care physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine and was previously a director of policy for The White House under President Obama; she tweets
Paul Howard, senior fellow and director of health policy at the Manhattan Institute; he tweets
What would a #DayWithoutImmigrants look like?
That’s the question being posed by some immigrants across the country who are striking Thursday by staying home from work and/or not making any purchases.
In light of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, these protesters aim to underscore the economic and cultural contributions of immigrants to the U.S. Some restaurants have closed down for the day or are working with minimal staff. Some schools have closed as well, though LAUSD administrators have urged students and staff to be present.
If you’re participating in the #DayWithoutImmigrants, we want to hear from you. What do you hope to accomplish? Are you a business owner or employee who is affected by this today? Or are you an immigrant who’s choosing not to participate, and if so, why?
Call in at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Patrick May, business reporter for the Mercury News
Influential science group releases guidelines for human gene editing
A science advisory group from the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine this week released guidelines on the use of human genetic engineering.
Human gene editing is a controversial subject matter, and the panel’s endorsement is limited only to prevent serious diseases and disability in babies, and in cases where no other “reasonable alternatives” are available.
Experiments in human genetic engineering won’t likely become a reality in the immediate future, according to The New York Times. But a new technology called Crispr-Cas9 has made it easier for researchers to alter genetic information.
The panel’s new guidelines came a year after an international group of scientists strongly condemned the use of human genetic engineering under any circumstances.
Guests:
Jeff Kahn, one of the authors of the new guidelines and Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University
Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest group based in Berkeley, Calif.
Recommended reading for political junkies across the spectrum
If newspapers, magazines, and your social media feed are not helping you make sense of the world, politically-minded editors have actual books to recommend - fiction and non.
From the conservative mind of Matthew Continetti, editor-in-chief of "The Washington Free Beacon" comes a long list including, "Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America" and "The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy." For greater insights into progressive politics and worldview, Michelle Chihari, an editor with the "Los Angeles Review of Books," recommends “A Brief History of Neoliberalism” by David Harvey and “Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time.” Both editors believe it’s worth revisiting classic dystopias including “1984,” “Brave New World,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
What do you consider required reading, and why?
Here are our guests' complete lists:
Michelle Chihara, "Los Angeles Review of Books"
Post-Election Reading
- "A Brief History of Neoliberalism," David Harvey
- "Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time," by Ira Katznelson
- "Never Let A Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown," by Philip Mirowski
- "Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil," by Timothy Mitchell
- "Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty," by Jennifer Silva
- "Between The World and Me," by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- "I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay," by John Lanchester
- "Creditocracy: And the Cause for Debt Refusal," by Andrew Ross
- "Fool’s Gold: The Inside Story of J.P. Morgan and How Wall St. Greed Corrupted its Bold Dream and Created a Financial Catastrophe," by Gillian Tett
- "The Panama Papers," an online project at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Fiction
- "On Such A Full Sea: A Novel," by Chang-Rae Lee
- "The Sell Out: A Novel," by Paul Beatty.
- "Tuff: A Novel," by Paul Beatty
- "Citizen: An American Lyric," by Claudia Rankine
- "American Woman: A Novel," by Susan Choi,
- "Under The Feet of Jesus," by Helena Maria Viramontes
- "1984," by George Orwell
- "The Handmaid’s Tale," by Margaret Atwood
Matthew Continetti, "The Washington Free-Beacon"
Post-Election Reading
- “Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America” by Jim Webb
- “The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose from Defeat to Create the New Majority” by Pat Buchanan
- “Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010” by Charles Murray
- “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West” by Christopher Caldwell
- “The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy” by Christopher Lasch
- "Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties," by Paul Johnson
- "A Student’s Guide to Political Philosophy," by Harvey Mansfield
- "The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don’ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life," by Charles Murray
- "The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945," by George H. Nash
- "Crisis of the House Divided: An Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 50th Anniversary Edition," by Harry Jaffa
- "Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics," by Charles Krauthammer
- "Will This Do? The First 50 Years of Auberon Waugh," by Auberon Waugh
Fiction
- "1984," by George Orwell
- "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley
Guests:
Michelle Chihara, section editor for Economics and Finance, "Los Angeles Review of Books;" Professor of English, Whittier College
Matthew Continetti, editor-in-chief, “The Washington Free Beacon”