AirTalk breaks down the implications of two state environmental bills proposed yesterday, including one on California's controversial cap-and-trade program. We also discuss the latest surrounding Donald Trump Jr.'s email chain leading up to a meeting with a Russian government attorney; Mosul after ISIS; how to find love after loss; and more.
Trump Jr. reveals email chain leading up to Russian attorney meeting
Donald Trump Jr.
Tuesday his full email chain with publicist Rob Goldstone, regarding his meeting with a Russian government attorney.
Here's my statement and the full email chain
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr)
Here's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017
Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints).
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr)
Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017
In the emails, President Trump’s son was told the Russian government had incriminating information on Hillary Clinton. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the Twitter post showing the emails was self-described act of transparency for Trump Jr.. He has denied any wrongdoing tied to the meeting with attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, which President Trump’s advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chair, Paul Manafort, also attended. Trump Jr. also claimed the meeting was not useful, but questions remain about his intentions in obtaining damaging information about Clinton from a foreign government.
While opposition research is common practice during political campaigns, the connection to Russia, a country which hasn’t been friendly to the U.S. in recent years, remains a subject of controversy for the Trump Administration. The emails now indicate that Russia was attempting to make contact with the Trump campaign since June, 2016. Larry speaks with political analysts to find out what this means for the ongoing investigation into the president’s connections with Russia.
Guests:
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies.; he is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008 and 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
A primer on two new CA environmental proposals
Two new California environment proposals were announced late Monday: AB 398, which would extend the cap-and-trade program to the end of 2030, and AB 617, which would make oil refineries in polluted locations switch out their equipment with more green technology by 2023.
The cap-and-trade proposal has proven to be controversial. It would stop local air districts from creating their own carbon-emissions regulations for industry already regulated by cap-and-trade. It would also create a hard ceiling on the price of allowances, which is a boon for businesses since it prevents the sharp rise of prices. That’s only a few of the bill’s provisions.
We break down the cap-and-trade and air quality bills, as well as how they negotiates oil industry and environmental interests.
Guests:
Dan Walters, long-time California politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication; he tweets
Guy Marzorati, reporter for KQED’s California politics and government desk; he tweets
Please vent here: Confessions of popular things you don’t like
Shakespeare. Seinfeld. The Beatles. While some speak endlessly about the pleasure these cultural gems incite, the less enthusiastic among us can feel obligated to stay quiet.
AirTalk wants to change that. Do you cringe at the sound of an operatic soprano? Are you not a fan of “Game of Thrones”? Was watching “Goodfellas” time you’ll never get back? Not liking the critically acclaimed stuff is more common than you think. This morning, the AirTalk team gathered to talk about the news of the day, and after stimulating conversations about Mosul and cap-and-trade, we segwayed into the idea of discussing this very important topic: There are things we know are good, there’s no reason not to like them, but we don’t.
Now it’s your turn. Tell us why you don’t like the things others rave about. Call in at 866-893-5722.
ISIS after Mosul, plus the reported death of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
Iraq announced Monday that it has recaptured the city of Mosul and driven out ISIS fighters.
The victory capped a nine-month-long battle that saw much of northern Iraqi city destroyed. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the victory is a "critical milestone" in the global fight against the terrorist group, and ISIS is believed to have been significantly weakened by the defeat. What’s next for ISIS? How would the city of Mosul rebuild?
In addition, a human rights group in Syria is reporting that ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has been killed. The news has not been confirmed by the U.S.
Guests:
Jonathan Marcus, London-based Defense and Diplomatic Correspondent for the BBC who’s been following the story; he tweets
Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Security Studies and a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; he is a former Corporate Chair in Counterterrorism and
Counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation; his new book is "Inside Terrorism"
Debating the role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The government agency in charge of protecting consumers in the financial sector just made it a lot easier for consumers to take up legal action against banks and other financial institutions in the event of a dispute.
On Monday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a new rule that bans arbitration clauses, fine print present in contracts for many financial products that force customers to use a mediator in a dispute. This generally means that a consumer or a group of consumers surrender their right to file a lawsuit against a bank or financial institution if there’s a dispute. Consumer advocates are applauding the new rule, saying it’s a step forward in fighting back against big banks that take advantage of customers with excessive fees and regulations. Banks and financial institutions are bristling at the move, calling it an overreach and arguing that arbitration is the best way to address these kinds of disputes, as class action lawsuits often take a long time to resolve and can be more beneficial financially to the lawyers than the consumers.
What is the role of the CFPB? Is it doing its job? Should it be doing more? Does its role need to be curbed? Should Congress be in charge of making big decisions like the one the CPFB made to ban arbitration clauses?
Guests:
Joe Valenti, director of consumer finance at the Center for American Progress; he tweets
Alan Kaplinsky, partner and co-practice leader of the Consumer Financial Services Group at the law firm Ballard Spahr, LLP; he is widely considered to be the father of the arbitration clause
Love after loss: Deciding to date after the death of a spouse
Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt is getting remarried and it’s led to a backlash on social media.
That’s because Oswalt is also a widower, whose wife, Michelle McNamara, died in April of 2016 due to an unfortunate mix of prescription medication and a heart condition. As reported by the Huffington Post, after a Oswalt’s Twitter announcement of his engagement to actress Meredith Salenger, there was a smattering of criticism from the public, arguing that it was too soon for him to move on. He and Salenger had been dating for three months before they made the decision to tie the knot.
Blogger Erica Roman, also a widow, stood up for Oswalt in a post that went viral. Roman shot back at the negative social media posts against Oswalt, writing that it’s intrusive of the public to pass judgement on whether someone moves on after a spouse dies. She also said it takes courage it takes to have another relationship after that kind of tragedy. So AirTalk wants to hear from listeners who’ve lost a spouse and found love again.
What made you decide to get back into a relationship? If you have children, how did you approach them about your decision? What advice do you have for others who are on the fence about dating again?
Guest:
Mary Andres, Psy.D. professor of clinical psychology and co-director of USC’s marriage and family therapy training program; her focus includes couples therapy