We dive into Trump’s executive orders on immigration and refugees; we debate Betsy Devos’ education plan; a look at Trump’s SCOTUS shortlist; what are your disgusting, delicious guilty food pleasures?; and more.
Analyzing Trump’s executive order on refugees and immigration law
Multiple news outlets report the President will soon sign an executive order revamping and limiting refugee admissions and legal immigration.
The order calls for an immediate moratorium on immigration from several Muslim-dominant countries - Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan. The 30-day halt would allow the government to tighten its screening process. As for those seeking refugee status, the order would block all refugees for at least 120 days.
Syrian refugees would face an indefinite ban. The overall number of refugees accepted into the country would be cut in half, to 50-thousand this year.
Guests:
Ted Hesson, reporter for POLITICO PRO who covers immigration and labor
Kathleen Newland, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, a research organization dedicated to the analysis of migration trends
Mark Krikorian, executive director at the Center for Immigration Studies; he tweets
Trump’s gag order on the EPA: unprecedented, or business as usual?
This week, the Trump administration placed a media blackout on the Environmental Protection Agency, and a temporary ban on giving new contracts and work assignments to EPA contractors, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.
The media blackout applies to the EPA’s social media accounts, as well as to press releases.
And in an interview with NPR, the head of communications for the new administration’s EPA transition team said that scientists working at the agency could be required to submit their findings and studies for a review before they can publish them.
Critics say these restrictions imposed by the Trump administration are unprecedented, but proponents argue that similar prohibitions were installed by previous administrations, most recently under President Obama.
Guests:
Bob Deans, director of Strategic Engagement at The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Oren Cass, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute specializing in energy, the environment and antipoverty policy
Debating Betsy DeVos’ vision for the Department of Education
Before President Donald Trump nominated her for his education secretary, Betsy DeVos was known as a harbinger in privatizing public education.
As the former head of the Republican Party in Michigan, DeVos has been involved in education reform for decades, notably pushing for charter schools in the state. Just before the Presidential inauguration, Democratic senators held a confirmation hearing, citing DeVos’s lack of experience and qualification in leading the nation’s education system. In addition, the committee also honed in on potential conflict-of-interest between the secretary and the industry she would regulate.
What would happen to our public education system, if DeVos is confirmed? Are we going to see more competitive charter schools across the nation? How would our education agenda evolve?
Guests:
Alyson Klein, reporter with EdWeek
Robert Enlow, CEO and President of EdChoice, an education reform organization aimed at advancing school choice for all children nationwide
Alberto Retana, President and CEO of Community Coalition, a South LA-based community organization. He was the Director of Community Outreach in the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama administration
High Court watchers profile judges on President Trump’s SCOTUS shortlist
It’s been almost a year since the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and since then the High Court has ruled on several cases with only eight justices, leading to a number of 4-4 ties and ultimately little to no resolution to the cases at hand.
Now that President Trump has officially taken office, he’s made one of his first priorities filling the vacant spot on the bench. Trump
I will be making my Supreme Court pick on Thursday of next week.Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
on Wednesday that he’d announce his nominee next week. A list of finalists has been making its rounds on the Internet and via the media and three main contenders have emerged: Judge Neil Gorsuch of Colorado, Judge William Pryor of Alabama, and Judge Thomas Hardimann of Pennsylvania.
We’ll dive into the backgrounds of these contenders and others on the shortlist, plus talk about what each might bring to the bench if appointed and confirmed.
Guests:
Amy Howe, author of ‘Howe on the Court,’ a blog covering the Supreme Court and the Judiciary; she is a reporter and former editor for SCOTUSblog and continues to contract as a reporter for them
Margaret Russell, professor of law at Santa Clara University
Bring on your delicious (and likely not nutritious) guilty food pleasures
After our adventurous "Take Two" colleagues embarked on a taco tour of Jack in the Box at the behest of a Wall Street Journal article applauding the success of that "vile and amazing" menu item, AirTalk will explore our listeners' guilty food pleasures.
Experts on our show have warned you about red, processed meat; counselled you against high-fat foods; and guided you to more healthful options. Enough of that for now. Bring on the Steak'umms, aerosol cheese spray, and, of course, the Jack in the Box tacos.
What you do gorge on when you desire something vile and amazing?