AirTalk parses through the budget California lawmakers will vote on tonight, as well as the future of the state tax agency, the Board of Equalization. We also discuss the Clippers' possible move to a stadium of their own; how do you celebrate Father's Day if you don't have a dad?; and more.
Trump fires back on Mueller’s Russia investigation
As the nation’s capital is still dealing with yesterday’s shootings at a GOP baseball practice in suburban D.C., President Trump is lashing out at the investigation headed by special counsel Robert Mueller.
The President tweeted early this morning, “They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice”. He followed up an hour later with the tweet, “You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history – led by some very bad and conflicted people!”
That’s an apparent reference to CNN’s reporting that three top lawyers hired by Mueller for his investigation were donors to Hillary Clinton’s and other Democrats’ campaigns.
Guests:
Darren Samuelsohn, senior White House reporter for POLITICO; he tweets
Steve Vladeck, professor of law at the University of Texas
John Eastman, professor of law and director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence at Chapman University
After the Alexandria shooting, a look at DC security culture
The Congressional Baseball Game practice shooting yesterday is raising questions about the level of security for D.C. leaders.
House Majority Whip, Steve Scalise, in still in critical condition after he was shot in the hip during the incident. Scalise was the only person who had security detail among nine members of Congress at the practice. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the two Capitol Security officers who were with the congressman are credited with saving his life. Alexandria police also arrived quickly on the scene, and the lone gunman was shot and later died of his injuries, according to a statement by President Trump.
Moving ahead, there are concerns about the level of security members of Congress should have. What goes into the decision to give detail to a leader in the Capitol? Will the current standards for security change after yesterday’s incident? If so, where would the resources come from?
Guest:
Cedric Leighton, founder and president of Cedric Leighton Associates, a risk and leadership management consultancy; he is also a retired colonel in the US Air Force and the former Director for Training of the National Security Agency; he is also a CNN military analyst
A look at the labor market after Wednesday's Fed rate hike
During a press conference yesterday, Janet Yellen, Chair of the Federal Reserve, announced that the Fed would continue its planned incremental increase of the federal interest rate, despite weak inflation numbers below the Fed’s projections.
Yellen’s reasoning? With the tight labor market and continued growth, the conditions look ripe for inflation to hit the predicted 2% mark. The “tight economy” Yellen is referring to means that unemployment is down, and so are wages. In other words it’s hard for employers to find people with the skills they need, and it’s also hard to find the money pay those people.
What does this look like on the ground? AirTalk host Larry Mantle talks to David Wessel, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.
Guest:
David Wessel, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institute and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy
What’s in the new CA budget, and the fight to overhaul the state’s tax board
The state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 touches on Californian's lives in everything from higher education and taxes to how much their medical providers get paid. Lawmakers will vote on the spending plan today.
Also taking place today is a vote to overhaul the embattled Board of Equalization, the state’s tax agency. The tax board has come under fire after an audit in March that showed that, among other things, it mishandled millions of dollars of tax revenue.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times who’s been following the budget negotiations
Dan Walters, long-time CA politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication
Sports round-up: A new stadium for the Clippers, UFC fighter steps into boxing ring
Looks like the Clippers are trying to step out from the Laker’s shadow.
The L.A. based basketball team is potentially foregoing the Staples Center for an arena of their own in Inglewood.
Inglewood’s City Council voted today to approve a negotiation agreement to develop the arena, which would sit across the street from a different stadium being built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
BREAKING: Inglewood city council unanimously approves exclusive negotiating agreement to build Clippers arena across from NFL stadium.
— Ben Bergman (@thebenbergman)
BREAKING: Inglewood city council unanimously approves exclusive negotiating agreement to build Clippers arena across from NFL stadium.
— Ben Bergman (@thebenbergman) June 15, 2017
Also, the Clippers have hired legendary Lakers great Jerry West to help retool the team. West has been instrumental in putting together the Golden States Warriors, which won the NBA championship in two of the last three years.
In completely different sports news, boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s coming August fight with Conor McGregor is sparking controversy. Though McGregor is the first man to hold two Ultimate Fighting Championship belts simultaneously, he’s not a boxer – so why would he step into the boxing ring?
Host Larry Mantle and Take Two host A Martinez chat about these two unexpected stories. What do you think of the Clippers’ plan for a new stadium? What’s the reasoning behind the unconventional Mayweather-McGregor match?
Guest:
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s Take Two
AirTalk asks: How do you celebrate Father’s Day if you don’t have a dad?
Last Mother’s Day we asked how you honor the holiday if you don’t have a mom – whether you remember her passing or celebrate someone who has occupied that space for you.
With Father’s Day coming up this Sunday, we want to know how you celebrate the day if you don’t have a father. Has someone else – a teacher, coach, brother, neighbor, or even your mother – filled that role?
Is there a non-traditional “father” figure in your life? How have they stepped into that role for you? And how do you celebrate them?
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