Today on AirTalk, we analyze Michael Cohen's testimony with a roundtable of political and legal experts. We also discuss the frustration behind the ending of the Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam; explore Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption charges; and more.
Michael Cohen delivered his explosive testimony — what now? AirTalk dives deep with roundtable of political, legal experts
On Wednesday, former personal lawyer and longtime fixer for President Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, delivered scathing allegations against the president in a public hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
“I hope my appearance here today, my guilty plea, and my work with law enforcement agencies are steps along a path of redemption that will restore faith in me and help this country understand our president better,” said Cohen. “Before going further, I want to apologize to each of you and to Congress as a whole. The last time I appeared before Congress, I came to protect Mr. Trump. Today, I’m here to tell the truth about Mr. Trump.”
Cohen called Trump a “racist,” “con man,” “cheat” and accused the president of criminal misconduct while in office. Republicans immediately attacked Cohen’s credibility, pointing to his previous false statements before Congress and a record of financial corruption for which he has been sentenced to three years in prison. Democrats focused on the laundry list of allegations and documents provided by the disgraced lawyer.
Visibly emotional and agitated at times, Cohen’s testimony lasted nearly seven and a half hours. His law license was also officially revoked the day before and he will testify behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee today.
But now that partisan theatrics of Cohen’s congressional hearing are over, what’s next? Are his accusations credible and incriminating enough for a direct investigation of the president? What does his testimony mean for the Trump administration, the Robert Mueller investigation and Democrats pushing for impeachment? We dive into analysis with a roundtable of political and legal experts.
Guests:
Amanda Renteria, chair of Emerge America, a national organization that works to identify and train Democratic women who want to run for political office; 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
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
Kim West-Faulcon, law professor at Loyola Law School, her focus includes constitutional law; she tweets
David Rivkin, partner at the Washington D.C.-based law firm BakerHostetler; he has previously held positions at the Department of Justice, in the Office of White House Counsel and elsewhere in the federal government; he tweets
No deal! As Trump-Kim summit ends in frustration, what’s next for North Korea’s nuclear containment
President Donald Trump has departed Vietnam after failing to reach an agreement during his second nuclear summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
The U.S. leader said he "walked away" from talks with Kim after it was clear the two sides remained at odds in talks over ending the North's nuclear program.
Trump says the North had demanded a full removal of U.S.-led international sanctions in exchange for the shuttering of the North's Yongbyon nuclear facility, and the U.S. wouldn't agree to that.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on the Koreas and professor in Korean Studies at Tufts University. Read his op-ed on the Trump-Kim summit here
California bill would require clergy to report child sex abuse disclosed in confession
A California lawmaker said Wednesday the state should require clergy members to report suspected child abuse or neglect even if they learn of it during confession.
Clergy members are among a list of more than 40 “mandated reporters,” meaning they are required under state law to report suspected abuse. But that doesn’t apply if they learn about something during a private communication such as confession, a sacrosanct practice in the Catholic church.
A bill by Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill would eliminate that exemption.
Clergy includes priests and ministers as well as rabbis or other religious practitioners. Under state law, clergy can assert privilege over a “penitential communication,” which is a statement made in confidence that the clergy must keep secret based on church doctrine.
While the bill deals broadly with child abuse and neglect reporting, Hill linked it directly to widespread sexual abuse within the Catholic church, saying clergy have been accused of covering up for other abusers.
The California Catholic Conference in Sacramento provided this statement:
“Clergy are already mandatory reporters. We support that and would do nothing to change it. Inserting government into the Confessional does nothing to protect children and everything to erode the fundamental constitutional rights and liberties we enjoy as Americans. It’s also why courts here and around the world respect the special nature of spiritual counseling.”
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Andrew Sheeler, reporter for McClatchy covering California's unique political climate who’s been following the story; he tweets
Tim Stier, former priest who served for 25 years before leaving the active priesthood in 2005
Father Alex Gaitan, associate pastor at San Gabriel Mission Catholic Community
Oscar-winning composer, pianist and conductor André Previn dies at 89
André Previn, the pianist, composer and conductor whose broad reach took in the worlds of Hollywood, jazz and classical music, always rejecting suggestions that his bop ‘n’ blues moonlighting lessened his stature, died Thursday. He was 89.
Previn was a child prodigy whose family fled Nazi Germany. As a teenager, he found work as a composer and arranger in the musical sweatshops of Hollywood, mostly at MGM, winning four Oscars for his orchestrations of such stylish musicals as 1964′s “My Fair Lady.”
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Tim Page, professor of journalism and music at the University of Southern California and Pulitzer Prize-winning former music critic
The end of an era? With election in April, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to face corruption charges
Israel's attorney general on Thursday recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery and breach of trust in a series of corruption cases, a momentous move that shook up Israel's election campaign and could spell the end of the prime minister's illustrious political career.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his decision after more than two years of intense investigations and deliberations.
Police had recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases that ranged from accepting expensive gifts from wealthy allies to allegedly trading influence for more favorable press coverage.
"The attorney general has reached his decision after thoroughly examining the evidence," his statement said.
The final decision on indictment will only take place after a hearing, where Netanyahu is given the opportunity to defend himself. That process is expected to take many months and be completed long after the April 9 elections.
But the recommendations immediately cast a cloud over the campaign and Netanyahu's future.
An indictment would mark the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been charged with a crime. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert served time in prison for corruption, but had already resigned by the time he was charged.
Netanyahu doesn't look to go that quietly. He denies any wrongdoing and calls the various allegations a media-orchestrated witch hunt aimed at removing him from office. He has vowed to carry on and is deadlocked in the polls, 40 days before Israelis go to vote.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
David Pollock, an expert in Israeli politics; a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a DC-based think tank
What’s for dinner? Foreign policy, first ladies and cultural trends through the lens of White House menus
Every presidential administration encounters countless decisions that affect how the U.S. is seen on the international stage, as well as by its own people -- and deciding what’s on its dinner menu is no exception.
In his recent piece for Foreign Policy, “All the Presidents’ Meals,” Christopher Hickey traces 86 years of diplomacy and changing cultural trends through the lens of the White House state dinner menu.
For example, he argues that Eleanor Roosevelt’s austere, Great Depression-era chicken and lima bean dinners, which rang up to 10 cents a plate, where a reflection of the hardship in the country, as well as a reflection of the trend of viewing food as an ends to nutrition rather than a means towards exciting flavors.
Then came along the post-WWII economic boom in the US and the cosmopolitan Kennedys, with Jackie creating the position of the White House Executive Chef and hiring a French man for the job, which set the tone for the next 30 years. And then the Clintons initiated the modern shift towards highlighting American farm-to-table cuisine, with a diplomatic nod to the culture of the guest of honor -- for example, rice wine served to President Xi Jinping during a dinner with the Obamas.
How have various First Ladies used White House state dinners as political and diplomatic tools? And what does the history of these dinners say about how Americans have viewed the world and how we want it to view us?
Guests:
Christopher Hickey, interactives designer at Foreign Policy, where his recent piece is “All the Presidents’ Meals;” he tweets
Frank Ruta, former White House first family chef and executive sous-chef (1979-1991); he tweets