Today on AirTalk, our weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come. We also examine President Trump's new asylum policy and get an update on the expected ICE raids; and more.
Week In Politics: The ‘Go Back’ To Where You Came From Tweet, A Change In Asylum Law And More
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come. Here are the headlines what we’re following this week:
On Sunday, President Trump tweeted that “the squad” -- the four progressive freshmen Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib -- should “go back” to the countries they came from. After backlash, he doubled down on his statement. What should be the repercussions for the President? How should Dems respond? What about Trump’s own party?
The White House is working on a new rule that would curb asylum protections for many of the migrants coming to the U.S. from Central America
President Trump threatened immigration raids, but they weren’t as large scale as expected
Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta resigned over his plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein
2020 check-in:
Swalwell was the first major Dem to drop out of the race. How and why does a candidate choose to drop out? Who else will follow?
Plus, billionaire Tom Steyer has thrown his hat into the ring
Even though Warren and Sanders are quite similar ideologically, their voters are completely different
Biden laid out his foreign policy vision, as well as his healthcare plan, which some have pointed out looks a whole lot like the ACA
Sanders’ aides urge him to get more personal to distinguish himself as a candidate
There’s continued infighting between House Speaker Pelosi and the “squad,” although after Trump’s controversial weekend tweet, Pelosi came out to defend the four women
Plus, a recent piece in the Washington Post argues that the reason older Dems compromise is because of the Reagan era
On Friday, the House voted to restrict President Trump’s capacity to authorize a military strike in Iran
Retired former House speaker Paul Ryan has publicly criticized Trump
California is floating a bill that would force Trump and all presidential candidates who want to see their names on the state’s 2020 primary ballot to turn in the last 5 years of their tax returns
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
Immigration Round-Up: New Asylum Policy And Update On Expected ICE Raids
The Trump administration said Monday it will end asylum protections for most migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border in a major escalation of the president’s battle to tamp down immigration.
According to a new rule published in the Federal Register, asylum seekers who pass through another country first will be ineligible for asylum at the U.S. southern border. The rule, expected to go into effect Tuesday, also applies to children who have crossed the border alone.
The rule applies to anyone arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Sometimes asylum seekers from Africa, Cuba or Haiti and other continents arrive there, but the vast majority of migrants arriving recently come from Central America.
The move by President Donald Trump’s administration, even if blocked by the courts, is reversing decades of U.S. policy on how refugees are treated and marks an escalation even compared to other hardline efforts meant to choke off the flow of people from poor and war torn nations.
Meanwhile, many undocumented immigrants are still on edge after the Trump administration announced ICE raids in 10 major cities, including Los Angeles. The raids were supposed to start yesterday, but so far there have been no reported arrests in the L.A. area.
Larry speaks with experts to parse through the latest news.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Cindy Carcamo, reporter covering immigration issues for the Los Angeles Times; she tweets
Robyn Barnard, staff attorney in the Los Angeles office of Human Rights First, a human rights nonprofit working to provide representation and advocate for asylum-seekers; she tweets at
Claude Arnold, a consultant at Frontier Solutions, a crisis management firm based in Washington, D.C.; he is also a retired Special Agent In Charge with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over a decade, holding various roles at the agency including overseeing all aspects of ICE investigative mission in the L.A. area and in Southern Nevada
ICE Use Of DMV Databases For Facial-Recognition Requests Draws Concern From Privacy Advocates
Federal agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI use driver’s license photos for facial-recognition requests, according to new research from the Georgetown Law School’s Center on Privacy and Technology.
The Washington Post first reported on the trove of documents, emails and facial-recognition requests obtained via public records, which Georgetown shared with them. The research team at Georgetown along with other privacy advocates and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the practice, arguing that it infringes on civil rights and should not be used by federal agencies since neither state lawmakers nor license holders have approved their photos for such use. But a former ICE agent tells KPCC’s AirTalk that he was using facial-recognition technology as early as the mid 90s, and wonders whether a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to a photo taken by a government agency for a government ID.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll take a closer look at what the documents obtained by researchers at Georgetown tell us about how these federal agencies use the data.
Guests:
Clare Garvie, senior associate at the Center for Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, where she has led their research into how state DMVs share information with federal law enforcement; she tweets
Claude Arnold, a consultant at Frontier Solutions, a crisis management firm based in Washington, D.C.; he is also a retired Special Agent In Charge with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over a decade, holding various roles at the agency including overseeing all aspects of ICE investigative mission in the L.A. area and in Southern Nevada
Here’s Your Sign! AirTalk Listeners Share The Most Iconic Signs In Southern California
Some of them captivate us with their alluring neon glow as we whiz by them on the freeway. Others are just so big and in-your-face they can’t be avoided. And still others are unique or quirky enough that they’ve garnered their own local cult following. We’re talking, of course, about Southern California’s various and sundry signs.
“Ok, AirTalk staff, I’ll bite,” you’re saying. “Why talk about signs on a random Monday in July?” We’re so glad you asked! The Los Angeles Times’ Frank Shyong wrote a piece in Monday’s edition of the paper profiling the Happy Foot Sad Foot Sign at the corner of Sunset Blvd and Benton Way in Echo Park. Local legend has it that the sign is somewhat of a fortune cookie or lucky penny -- if you see it on the happy side, you’re in for a good day. If you see it on the sad side...well, you get the idea. Frank’s piece got us thinking about what the most iconic and well known signs across Southern California are! Sure, the Hollywood sign is an obvious answer, but there are plenty of others worth mentioning, like the Randy’s Donuts sign in Inglewood, the Felix Chevy sign along the 110 freeway near downtown Los Angeles, Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank and of course the Capitol Records sign atop its headquarters in Hollywood.
What is your favorite SoCal sign? What sign do you think is the most quintessentially Los Angeles? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722