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 check in on the protests in Hong Kong; examine how the acquisition of Anthony Davis changes expectations for next years Lakers' season; and more.
Week In Politics: Democratic Debates, Sarah Huckabee Sanders Steps Down 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:
2020 Check-in:
The latest on the first Democratic presidential candidate debates: the winners and losers of the lineups, the moderators, the protocols. Also, are there just too many candidates in the ring?
But the candidates who didn’t make the cut to the debates aren’t necessarily done
Plus, there’s a new California poll, and it’s not looking great for Senator Kamala Harris
Dems seem to be shifting against the Death Penalty -- how will that play out after the primaries?
Trump faced criticism for saying he would “listen” if a foreign government gave him opposition research. He walked that back later, sort of
In White House staffing news:
Trump announced that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is stepping down as White House press secretary. Who could replace her?
The White House may bring back the daily briefing for the next press secretary. What’s the role of the press secretary, especially in the Trump administration
With guest host Kyle Stokes.
Guests:
Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, director of civic engagement and lecturer in political science at the University of Texas
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
How the Lakers’ acquisition of Anthony Davis changes expectations for LA next season
It is said that good things come to those who wait. While it remains to be seen whether or not Anthony Davis will be a good thing for the Los Angeles Lakers, there’s no doubt that fans are relieved that the wait for the next superstar big man is finally over.
The New Orleans Pelicans reached a deal on Saturday to send the 2012 No. 1 overall draft pick to L.A. in exchange for a treasure trove of assets, including young Laker stars Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram as well as the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft and additional picks through 2025.
A deal to send Davis to L.A. at the trade deadline seemed all but certain but broke down in the eleventh hour and ultimately With their odds now 3/1 to win the NBA title in 2020 following the trade, the pressure is on for LeBron James, new head coach Frank Vogel and the entire Laker organization to match their on-court play with the moves the front office has made over the last two seasons to bring in elite-caliber players like LeBron and Davis.
Once the trade is finalized on July 6th, when the 2019-2020 NBA season officially begins, the Lakers will have a better idea of the kind of cap space they have left, and could still have enough money to go after a third superstar, such as the Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving or the Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker.
Davis, who is known as “The Brow” for his signature unibrow, has averaged a double-double for his career so far with 23.7 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. He has been selected as an all-star in five of his seven seasons.
Do you think this was a good deal for the Lakers, or do you feel like they gave up too much of their future to try and win in the present? What does this trade portend for how the franchise might chase after another superstar? And while the bookmakers currently favor the Lakers to win it all next year, do you think this trade makes the Lakers the team to beat next season?
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Tania Ganguli, Lakers beat reporter for The Los Angeles Times; she tweets
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets
What’s Next After 2 Million People Took To The Streets Of Hong Kong To Call For The Resignation Of Its Leader
Demonstrators in Hong Kong gathered Monday outside the office of the city’s leader, demanding that she step down in the crisis over a highly unpopular extradition bill that has tested the durability of China’s promises to respect the former British colony’s quasi-autonomy.
The mostly young protesters blocked a street near the city’s waterfront as they stood outside the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam chanting calls for her to cancel the proposed legislation.
Nearly 2 million Hong Kong residents, young and old, joined a march on Sunday that lasted late into the night to express their frustrations with Lam and the extradition bill, backed by Beijing. Many stayed on afterward.
Protesters blocked some downtown roads well into Monday morning, but gradually yielded to police requests to reopen roads, moving to areas near the city’s government headquarters. The protest revived after Joshua Wong, a prominent activist leader, rallied the crowd after his release from prison later Monday.
The activists have rejected apologies from Lam for her handling of the legislation, which would allow suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. She announced that work on the bill would be suspended after large protests last week, but the legislation has touched a nerve not easily soothed in a city anxious over the increasingly authoritarian Communist rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The uproar highlights worries that the former British colony is losing the special autonomous status China promised it when it took control in 1997.
With files from the Associated Press
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Victoria Tin-bor Hui, associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame specializing in Hong Kong politics; she is originally from Hong Kong
Gabriel Law, spokesperson for Hong Kong Forum Los Angeles, a non-profit that promotes democratic development in Hong Kong and China; he is originally from Hong Kong and was one of the organizers behind a 3-day hunger strike in Monterey Park over the weekend held in support of the Hong Kong protests