AirTalk parses through the pros and cons of extending the state's cap-and-trade program before today's California Senate vote. We also debate a new bill that would eliminate the immigration consultant industry in California; does a politician’s infidelity impact how you vote?; and more.
Week in politics: Whether delay of GOP health care bill vote helps or hurts, plus the new poll that has Trump making history
Healthcare is once again front and center this week as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he’s delaying a vote on the bill until Arizona Senator John McCain returns to Congress following surgery.
The question, however, is which side the delay in the vote will benefit more, as it gives Republicans more time to wrangle votes and Democrats more time to dissuade supporters.
After a much-scrutinized trip to France to meet with its newly-elected head of state and celebrate Bastille Day, President Trump was also back stateside this weekend
The women played great today at the @USGA #USWomensOpen🇺🇸 I look forward to being there tomorrow for the final round! pic.twitter.com/2oWyptgfIY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2017
the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, which was held this year at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The trip abroad was both for Mr. Trump to get to know French President Emmanuel Macron and a chance for Macron to try and soften Trump’s position on climate change and talk about future U.S. involvement with the Paris climate accord.
Questions also continue to swirl about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer last year as new information keeps surfacing. Mr. Trump’s lawyer made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows to defend the president’s son, saying there was nothing illegal about the meeting. Elsewhere within the Trump camp, there are also questions about the future of security clearance for Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows President Trump’s disapproval rating is the highest of any president six months into his term in office since modern polling began in the 1940s. It also shows nearly half of Americans (48 percent) think the country’s leadership role in the world has weakened since Trump’s election compared to 27 percent who say it’s strengthened.
Guests:
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
John Iadarola, host and creator of ThinkTank, part of The Young Turks Network; he also serves as a weekly co-host for The Young Turks weekly live show; he tweets
Double-booked surgeons: What you need to know about the teaching hospital practice
Teaching hospitals around the country have been using a controversial booking method when scheduling surgeons.
As reported by Kaiser Health News, overlapping and concurrent surgery is a way for surgeons to perform procedures on more patients. Overlapping surgery refers to doctors working on two patients in different rooms during the same block of time. The doctor performs and decides what the “critical” part of the surgery is, while a resident in training does other parts of the procedure. Concurrent surgery, “or running two rooms” is when two surgeries are booked simultaneously and a senior attending surgeon gives trainees the responsibility of performing one part of the surgery, while the trainee completes another part. Concurrent surgery is rare and not covered by Medicaid.
While double-booking surgery isn’t new, many patients are unaware of the likelihood of their doctor not being present during parts of the their procedure. This is most common with cardiac, neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery. Proponents of the practice say this gives doctors the opportunity to help more patients. But critics argue that patients should be able to choose whether their doctor stays with them throughout the procedure. Larry speaks to two surgeons today to get an inside look at the pros and cons of double-booking.
Guests:
Dr. James Rickert, M.D., orthopedic surgeon and and assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Indiana University Bloomington; he is president of The Society for Patient Centered Orthopedics, a patient care advocacy nonprofit
Emily Finlayson, M.D. M.S., associate professor of surgery and director at the Center for Surgery in Older Adults at UC San Francisco; she specializes in colorectal surgery
Ahead of the vote, the environmental and fiscal impacts of extending CA’s cap-and-trade
Monday, the California Legislature will vote on whether to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program, due to expire in 2020, until 2030.
The package being voted on also includes a measure to reduce air pollution.
Governor Jerry Brown’s climate initiative is largely backed by industry, which has led to divided support among environmental groups, with some arguing that the plan is a practical way to fight climate change and others criticizing the measure for pandering to oil interests.
There’s also opposition from fiscal conservatives, who see increased regulations and taxes as a money-grab on behalf of Brown’s bullet train.
On the morning ahead of the vote, we discuss the environmental and fiscal impacts of the proposed cap-and-trade extension.
Guests:
Chris Busch, research director at San Francisco-based think tank Energy Innovation
Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA)
Immigration professionals weigh in on bill aiming to ban immigration consultant business in CA
Should immigration consultants be banned from operating in the state of California in order to stem immigration fraud?
This is the question at the heart of a new bill that’s making its way through the California legislature. AB 638, the immigration Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, would essentially make the immigration consulting industry illegal and create both criminal and civil penalties for people who still practice.
Immigrants in California who need help with things like legal status renewal or applying for certain benefits will often go to an immigration consultant, who is not a full-fledged lawyer but is required to be vetted and bonded by the state. Immigration consultants can help people complete forms but can’t give legal advice. Consultants say they provide a necessary service and can do a number of the things an immigration attorney can do for less money and in less time.
Supporters say it will prevent some consultants with ulterior motives from taking financial and legal advantage of desperate immigrants who will do anything to stay in the U.S. Opponents say shutting down an entire industry is the wrong way to fight fraud and that banning the industry means the consultants who do honest work, the majority of the industry, would lose their livelihood.
Guests:
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
Ricardo Marquez, executive director of the National Association of Immigration Consultants
Political affairs: Does a politician’s infidelity impact how you vote?
The field of the 2018 California governor’s race is starting to get crowded.
Six people have declared their candidacy for next year’s contest to replace termed-out Governor Jerry Brown. Gavin Newsom, current Lieutenant Governor and former Mayor of San Francisco and former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are both top contenders in the race. But they have more than just that in common: Both Newsom and Villaraigosa had suffered a high-profile extramarital affair while in office.
While the impact of their infidelity on the race is yet to be known, the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend that the two Democrats have hired advisors with knowledge of the other person’s affair.
AirTalk wants to know: Would Newsom or Villaraigosa’s infidelity change how you vote in 2018? Call us at 866-893-5722.