AirTalk debates how long Airbnb properties should be available to rent after concerns the home-sharing giant's success is causing companies to take their apartments off the housing market. We also discuss the legal grounds of a lawsuit against President Trump for conflicts of interest overseas; why are fewer teens working summer jobs?; and more.
Week in politics: Debating the legal grounds to sue the president and what to expect from AG Sessions’ testimony
In the first lawsuit of its kind brought by the government, the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia are suing President Trump for violation of anti-corruption clauses in the U.S. Constitution.
First reported by the Washington Post, the suit has yet to be filed but claims the president has not adequately distanced himself from his businesses, and argues that President Trump has received millions in money and benefits from the governments of other countries since taking office.
Also this week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify publicly on Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sessions is expected to be asked questions about possible contact with Russian officials during and after the transition. This will be the first time Sessions has testified since he formally recused himself from the Department of Justice’s investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Guests:
Josh Blackman, an associate professor of Law at the South Texas College of Law who specializes in constitutional law; he is the author of “Unprecedented: The Constitutional Challenge to Obamacare” and is filing an amicus brief this Friday in the case, CREW v. Trump, in support of the defendant
James R. Copland, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of Legal Policy
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
What’s the smartest strategy for Democrats to take back the House in 2018?
It’s no secret that liberal Americans have been at odds since the November 2016 election.
Those in the Bernie Sanders camp wanted an overhaul of the current system, especially pertaining to issues with education and healthcare. More traditional Democrats were looking to work within the current system. Now, with a Republican president, there are questions about how to take back the House of Representatives in 2018.
But which approach is the smartest? With so much of the base calling for reform, is a conventional approach still relevant, or is the Bernie Sanders model a less-safe, but more effective bet?
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
John Nichols, National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation; he tweets
What should be the regulations for Airbnb in LA?
As Los Angeles moves closer to finalizing new regulations for short-term rentals, a major dispute has emerged: how many rental days should a property be allowed?
City officials say a 180-day limit will discourage companies from taking apartments off L.A.’s tight housing market and turning them into short-term rentals. Home-sharing giant Airbnb, on the other hand, says a cap would hurt the earning potential of hosts who are not investors and depend on the rentals to stay afloat financially. Lastly, some advocates of affordable housing say a cap of 90 days or less would better discourage landlords from moving units off the long-term rental market.
The regulations could get a hearing as early as Tuesday, when the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee meets. Its recommendation would be forwarded to the full council for a vote.
Read the full story here.
Guests:
Becky Dennison, executive director of Venice Community Housing, a non-profit that aims to provide affordable housing, education and support services in Venice
Christopher Nulty, Airbnb’s North and South America's Public Affairs Lead
We look at why fewer teens are working summer jobs
American unemployment rates are the lowest they’ve been in 16 years, but there’s one demographic that hasn’t made a full return to the workforce: teenagers.
Now that summer is starting, companies are ramping up hiring seasonal workers, but less and less 16 to 19 year-old teenagers are taking summer jobs.
After peaking in 1979 at nearly 58 percent, the general rate of teenage participation in the labor force has continued to fall, reaching in 34.1 percent in 2011, and projected to slide further by 2024.
According to an article in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Labor Review, there are various factors at play, such as older workers, recent graduates and immigrant workers taking jobs that might typically go to teenage workers. But one crucial factor is that teenagers are spending a lot more time studying – summer school, an extended school day and more strenuous college admissions standards that require volunteer hours and high SAT scores – all take up teenagers’ time. For example, in 1985, about 10 percent of teens ages 16-19 were enrolled in school during July, compared to nearly 42 percent in 2016.
If you’re a teenager, or are the parent of a teenager, how do teens spend their summers? Did you have a summer job and what was its value?
Guest:
Ben Steverman, personal finance reporter at Bloomberg news; he wrote the article “Why aren’t American teenagers working anymore?;” he tweets