As of Sunday, the minimum wage in certain cities has increased from $12 to $13.25 per hour. We discuss the effects on both workers and employers. We also take a look at Mexico's new president and his policies; high-five over the Lakers signing LeBron James; and more.
Week in politics: Justice Kennedy’s retirement, some follow-up on Janus, Mexico’s new president, and more
AirTalk’s political analysts round up the headlines you might have missed this weekend and what to watch for in the week to come.
More on Justice Kennedy’s retirement announcement, impact on balance of court, the short list for possible replacements, political dimensions of confirming that person and more
More on the Janus Supreme Court decision
Family reunification/abolish ICE marches over the weekend
Mexican election results and its impact on NAFTA talks, border wall, international relations, and more
CA finalizes 12 initiatives for November ballot
Trump and Putin to meet in July summit
Rosenstein/Wray hearing recap
Michael Cohen interview with ABC News
*Topics subject to change.
Guests:
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies; he is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he 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
What Mexico’s election results mean for future of Mexican politics, NAFTA and relations with the US
Yet another populist candidate was elected to a presidency this weekend, this time in Mexico where leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, often referred to as AMLO, was elected in a landslide on Sunday night.
Obrador ran on a campaign to end corruption and fight back against rampant violence, and capitalized on a pervasive feeling of disenfranchisement among many voters who felt left out or forgotten about by the political establishment. It’s the third time Obrador has run for president after unsuccessful bids in 2006 and 2012. But between the populist wave of frustration among voters with the establishment and, some would say, a collapse down the stretch by his opponents, AMLO was able to capture more than half the vote, according to early returns.
Not unlike President Trump did during his campaign, Obrador called out the political establishment and its elite for failing to understand the average citizen and promised to bring a fresh perspective to Mexican government that is more closely connected to the needs of the common man.
Many questions still remain unanswered, however, in the wake of the election. What will this mean for the future of relations between the U.S. and Mexico, and specifically how will Obrador get along with President Trump? What of the border wall that President Trump wants built and for which he has said Mexico will pay? And with NAFTA currently being re-negotiated, what will Obrador’s impact be on those talks?
Guests:
Genaro Lozano, a professor of political science and international relations at the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City; he is also columnist for the Mexican newspaper Reforma; he tweets
Rachel Schmidtke, program associate for migration at the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C.
LeBron. ‘Nuff said
The LA Lakers have revived its championship hopes with the imminent signing of King James.
The blockbuster deal is worth $153.3 million over the course of 4 years. What Lakers get out of mega-contract is the indefatigable NBA superstar who, despite being at the ripe age of 33, has shown no signs of slowing down. LeBron will be surrounded by Lakers’ promising young core, including Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. But the team’s rebuilding is far from over, and all eyes are on whether the team can land a super sidekick -- say Kawhi Leonard or DeMarcus Cousins -- by this Friday, when free agency period ends.
Guests:
Arash Markazi, senior writer for ESPN; he tweets
A Martínez, host, Take Two; he tweets
Minimum wage hike comes to some LA County cities: How will it impact workers and businesses?
The minimum wage in the city of Los Angeles was raised Sunday, the third such hike since Mayor Eric Garcetti signed a measure in 2015 that will gradually increase it to $15 per hour by 2020.
Hikes went into effect in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Malibu. The minimum wage in the cities and unincorporated areas for businesses with 26 or more employees is moving up to $13.25 per hour from $12 per hour, and to $12 per hour from $10.50 per hour for businesses with 25 or few employees. The California minimum wage is $11 an hour for businesses with 26 employees or more, and $10.50 for smaller ones.
So how will the new minimum wage affect those looking for entry-level positions? And if you are a business owner, what do you think the impact of the hike will be? Call us at 866-893-5722 and weigh in.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Andrew Khouri, reporter covering the California economy for the Los Angeles Times who has been reporting on the minimum wage hike; he tweets at
Unapologetically rich, powerful and amoral — the life of notorious Madame Claude
From the 1960s to 70s, Madame Claude ran the most successful escort service in the world.
But her “girls” serviced a specific clientele; the likes of John F. Kennedy, Prince Aly Khan and Elie de Rothschild, to name a few. Influential men who traveled to Paris to dine on expensive meals and stay in fancy hotels quickly began to add “Claude girls” on their list.
Madame Claude vigorously groomed her young women, even requiring plastic surgery and dental work before hire. In return, the girls were promised money and advantageous connections. They also helped gather information from heads of states and politicians that could be passed onto Madame Claude’s French government contacts.
Juicy details of her extraordinary life are now published in the rags-to-riches tale, “Madame Claude: Her Secret World of Pleasure, Privilege and Power.”
Best-selling author William Stadiem joins host Larry Mantle to talk about his latest book and the Madame who created an empire built on sex, secrets and extravagance.
Guest:
William Stadiem, writer for Vanity Fair and author of many bestselling books; his latest is “Madame Claude: Her Secret World of Pleasure, Privilege and Power” (St. Martin’s Press); he tweets