We update you on the latest in politics, including the new head of the DNC and the upcoming State of the Union; last week, Trump blasted the media's use of anonymous sources - we debate the ethics of the practice; what were your reactions to the 2017 Oscars?; and more.
Monday politics: Future of Democratic Party with Tom Perez at the helm, another chapter in White House vs the media and more
The Trump Administration’s turbulent relationship with the national media has been a focal point of its first month in the White House, and another chapter was written on Friday as press secretary Sean Spicer held an off-camera gaggle that excluded several major outlets, including CNN, The New York and Los Angeles Times and POLITICO.
Many reporters from other outlets who were allowed in the briefing were quick to share the pool audio with the outlets who were kept out.
President Trump also
I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
Saturday on Twitter that he would not be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, making him the first present in nearly four decades to decline to attend. This morning, the President outlined his budget priorities, highlighting a plan for a more than $50-billion increase in defense spending, with accompanying cuts in domestic programs. He wants Medicare and Social Security funding to stay as is.
On the Democratic side of the aisle, the DNC elected a new chairman in former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who edged out Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison in the vote on Saturday. Perez, the establishment favorite, was quick to name Ellison deputy DNC chair.
Plus, President Trump delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, though it technically is not the State of the Union, because giving that speech requires a president to be in office for at least a year. We’ll talk about what to expect today on AirTalk.
Guests:
Caroline Heldman, associate professor of politics at Occidental College and co-author of ‘Rethinking Madam President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House?’ (Lynne Rienner Pub, 2007); she tweets
John (Jack) Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
In light of Trump’s CPAC comments, debating the media’s use of anonymous sources
At CPAC last week, President Trump blasted the media’s reliance on anonymous sources, saying that “[t]hey shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name.”
Much has been made on the deluge of leaks coming out of the Trump administration. These bits of unauthorized information have apparently helped scuttled a number of White House actions before they become reality, and have roiled a Trump ecosystem that values loyalty above most everything else.
Critics of anonymous sources, including many media ethicists, argue that their use could too easily be abused. But supporters say that anonymous sources are an important tool to help keep the Trump administration, with its inclination for secrecy, in check.
Guests:
Judy Muller, an award-winning television journalist and a professor of journalism at USC
Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
The best and worst of Oscar 2017 mishaps, upsets and triumphs
In the final stretch of the Oscar campaign race, "Moonlight" and "La La Land" were neck and neck, and it seems they were destined to remain so even after the best picture award was handed out mistakenly, and now infamously, to "La La Land" instead of the true winner "Moonlight."
The accounting firm responsible for Oscar awards and envelopes issued an apology for the error. PwC - formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers - explained:
We sincerely apologize to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened...
"La La Land" still collected a leading six awards, including honors for cinematography, production design, score, the song "City of Stars" and best director. "Moonlight" won three in total, including best writing (adapted) and best supporting actor.
Throughout the awards show, host Jimmy Kimmel and numerous presenters and winners made political statements critical of the Trump administration.
Kimmel made the most out of President Donald Trump famously calling much-decorated Meryl Streep "overrated." Kimmel said Streep had "stood the test of time for her many uninspiring and overrated performances" and "phoned it in for more than 50 films." Streep, who has been unstinting in her criticism of Trump, received a standing ovation.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Nicole Sperling, Senior Writer, Entertainment Weekly
Planned Parenthood president talks reproductive rights under a Trump Administration
With President Trump at the helm, Planned Parenthood is in the spotlight again, and House Republicans may be closer to defunding the organization.
Those moves include the repeal and replacement the Affordable Care Act, along with a new bill that allows states to withhold Title X family planning funds.
With federal funds making up about 40 percent of its budget, will the organization be able to survive?
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards shares her perspective with listeners today on the possible defunding of her organization.
Guest:
Cecile Richards, president, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Why the accepted reasons behind the high rate of incarceration in the US are wrong
The prevailing wisdom behind the high incarceration rate in the U.S. go something like this: that the failure of the War on Drugs, harsh sentencing laws and the rise of prison prisons are major factors.
In the new book, “Locked In,” writer John Pfaff points to a number of overlooked and underreported factors that could help us better understand the trend of rising incarceration in the country.
Guest:
John Pfaff, professor of law at Fordham Law School and author of the new book, “Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration – and How to Achieve Real Reform” (Basic Books 2017)