Trump's EPA nominee Scott Pruitt questioned California's right to tougher auto emission regulations during his confirmation hearing; we debate President Obama's decision to commute Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence; and we remember the 44th President of the United States on his final day in office.
Trump EPA nominee faces questions about California’s right to tougher auto emissions rules
During yesterday's confirmation hearing for Scott Pruitt - who is nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency - he was questioned by Kamala Harris.
California's newly-elected junior senator pushed Pruitt on whether he'd continue to allow California to set its own vehicle emissions standards.
That's something the state has done since the 1970s. Here's a bit of that exchange:
HARRIS: Do you agree to uphold that same standard that has been held by your previous administrators…
PRUITT: I agree to review it it as each administrator before me has. It has been granted at times…
HARRIS: Do you agree to uphold it? Reviewing it and upholding it are two different points.
PRUITT: Senator as you know, administrators in the past have not granted the waiver, and in fact have granted the waiver. That's a review process that will be conducted…
HARRIS: What is your intention sir?
PRUITT: I don't know without going through the process to determine that Senator. And one would not want to presume the outcome.
What is the history of California's emissions policies? How does Pruitt's past challenging EPA's so-called overreach align with his answers on the Hill yesterday? AirTalk speaks with LA Times politics reporter Evan Halper, along with EarthJustice attorney Adrian Martinez and Heritage energy policy expert Nick Loris.
This segment is being updated.
Guests:
Evan Halper, politics reporter, Los Angeles Times; he tweets
Adrian Martinez, staff attorney at the environmental law firm, EarthJustice
Nicolas (Nick) Loris, an economist who focuses on energy, environmental, and regulatory issues as the Herbert and Joyce Morgan fellow at The Heritage Foundation - a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
President Obama commutes Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence
President Obama has commuted the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of leaking a trove of military information to WikiLeaks in 2010.
Manning, who came out as transgender in 2013, has served seven of her 35-year sentence. She will be freed in May, instead of 2045.
Guests:
Charles "Cully" Stimson, Manager of the National Security Law Program and Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation
Sarah St.Vincent, a researcher and advocate on national security, surveillance, and domestic law enforcement for the US Program at Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit organization
Debating Councilmember Bonin’s ‘clean money’ election reforms
On January 16, Councilmember Mike Bonin introduced a motion for the city to publicly finance local elections in Los Angeles.
Under the “clean money” proposal, a candidate would collect small donations from constituents in order to prove the viability of their campaign, and then receive adequate funding from the city, foregoing further fundraising. The motion is part of a series of proposed election reforms introduced this week by Councilmember Bonin, who’s running for reelection in March. They include formal support for the CA DISCLOSE Act, which requires a political ad to display its three largest funders, and a motion to prevent foreign money from influencing local elections.
Proponents of the “clean money” motion say it would keep the influence of money out of city politics, leveling the playing field and encouraging candidates to engage with constituents. Opposition says that sounds good on paper, but realistically, it’s just another barrier. Do you think local elections should be publicly funded? Or will this system be too expensive, creating more hoops for candidates to jump through? What do you think of Bonin’s other “clean money” election proposals?
Guests:
Michele Sutter, co-founder of Money Out Voters In, nonprofit that works to decrease the influence of money on politics
Jessica Levinson, president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and a professor of law at Loyola Law School
Looking back on 44: AirTalk debates President Obama’s legacy
As of January 20, President Barack Obama will no longer call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue his home.
His second term has all but ended, President-elect Trump is transitioning into power, and now President Obama faces the post-presidency world after holding the most powerful job in it.
So how will history remember President Obama? Being the first black president will no doubt be a major part of his legacy, but how and what role it will play is largely up for debate. There are, of course, his legislative accomplishments and sometimes controversial directives, from the Affordable Care Act to the auto industry bailout to his executive actions on immigration. As commander-in-chief, Obama pioneered military drone use and greenlit a risky operation in Pakistan that ultimately led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
But some will remember him for promises left unkept -- think closing Guantanamo and pulling the U.S. out of Afghanistan. Others may remember how race relations seemed to degrade during his tenure, and point to incidents in places like Ferguson or Charlotte or Baton Rouge or Dallas. And others still will remember him for his captivating speaking abilities and overall good humor, whether it was poking fun at himself while slow-jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon or throwing zingers around the ballroom at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner.
How do you think history will remember President Obama? Will he be seen more or less favorably as time passes? What will you remember about his presidency?
Guests:
Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian & professor of history at Rice University; Fellow, James Baker, III Institute for Public Policy
Christopher Caldwell, senior editor at The Weekly Standard; he is also a regular contributor to The Financial Times and Slate