On Wednesday, there was a federal court hearing on three of California’s “sanctuary state” immigration laws. We also examine the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on online sales tax; look into the social movement called DIY biohacking; and more
How CA Republicans might influence immigration votes, plus the legality of Trump’s executive order
President Donald Trump abruptly reversed himself Wednesday and signed an executive order halting his administration's policy of separating children from their parents when they are detained illegally crossing the U.S. border.
The order does not end the "zero-tolerance" policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally. But it would keep families together while they are in custody, expedite their cases and ask the Defense Department to help house them.
But the Flores agreement from 1997, which establishes standards about whether and how minors can be detained, might present legal issues for Trump’s executive order. We parse those legal questions, and dive into what happened during a similar situation under the Obama administration.
Meanwhile, the House is voting on several immigration bills today, the “Goodlatte” bill and the “compromise” bill. If the bills fail, Republicans in vulnerable seats, including those in California, such as Rep. Jeff Dunham, might flout GOP establishment and resurrect some sort of compromise legislation with Democrats. We get the latest on the California politics piece of the House votes series happening today.
With files from the Associated Press.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Kate Irby, congressional reporter for the news organization, McClatchy, who has been reporting on the immigration bills; she tweets
Pratheepan Gulasekaram, professor of law at Santa Clara Law, where he specializes in constitutional and immigration law
Trump administration v California: Checking in on the legal battle over ‘sanctuary state’ laws
On Wednesday, there was a federal court hearing on three of California’s “sanctuary state” immigration laws.
The laws in question: AB 450, which limits federal agent access to workplaces, SB 54. Which limits local law enforcement cooperation with ICE and AB 103, a law that allows state officials to inspect federal detention centers.
U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez was hearing the case, which may be appealed and be bumped up to the ninth circuit.
We check in with John Myers of the L.A. Times, who was at the federal court hearing yesterday.
Guest:
John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
DIY Biohackers aim to democratize science – but what are the risks?
Search “biohacker” into YouTube and you’ll find women and men injecting themselves with homemade vaccinations, steroids and even (unsuccessfully) superhuman powers.
Though these “garage biohackers” are certainly shocking, they are only a small fraction of a much larger scientific and social movement called “DIY biohacking.” With the decrease in price for biogenetic equipment came an increase in access, and DIY biohacking arose as a result of this phenomena. Community labs were formed, which allowed both amateurs and professionals a space to experiment with biological projects and research at a relatively low cost.
But what kinds of safety and ethical regulations exist for labs such as this? And what are the regulations on biological engineering research in general? In January of this year, a team at the University of Alberta sparked controversy after recreating a horsepox virus – a close relative of smallpox – and then publishing their methodology. Concerns were made over the paper’s publication, arguing that it created an avenue for irresponsible replication.
So where does innovation end and risk begin? Guest host Libby Denkmann discusses the multi-layered issue with experts Ellen Jorgensen and Gregory Koblentz.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Ellen Jorgensen, molecular biologist and co-founder of Biotech Without Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public access to biotechnology
Greg Koblentz, associate professor who teaches and researches on international security at George Mason University in Virginia; he is also the director of the school’s Biodefense graduate program
California’s 48th District: The fight for the second spot in November’s general election
The 48th congressional district in Orange County is seeing a tight race between businessman Harley Rouda and stem cell scientist Hans Keirstead, who are vying to become the Democratic challenger in the November election against incumbent Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa).
Votes are still being counted from the June 5 primary. The Orange County Registrar of Voters is planning to complete and certify the results by Monday and present them to the Board of Supervisors by Tuesday.
We look at how close that race is.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Jill Replogle, KPCC's Orange County reporter who's been following the story; she tweets
Christine Mai-Duc, reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering California politics who has been reporting on the congressional races; she tweets
Jacqueline Wu, community outreach manager for the Orange County Registrar of Voters
The impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on online sales tax
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to collect sales taxes from online retailers.
The 5-4 ruling overturns previous decisions from the High Court that exempted internet retailers with no physical presence in the state from collecting taxes.
The case stemmed from a law passed by the state of South Dakota in 2016, which required all online retailers to collect sales tax for purchases made in the state. South Dakota then took several out-of-state online retailers -- Wayfair, Overstock.com, and Newegg -- to court over the law.
The decision is a big win for states -- as well as for brick-and-mortar business that have long claimed that the lack of a sales tax on online purchases create an uneven playing field. And besides big online retailers like Amazon and Overstock.com, today’s decision also impacts small businesses that sell online.
Libby talks with Brent Kendall from the Wall Street Journal about today’s decision, as well as looking forward to major decisions from the Supreme Court for the remainder of the term, which ends next week.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Brent Kendall, legal affairs reporter in the Washington bureau of The Wall Street Journal who’s been following the case; he tweets
Richard Wolf, Supreme Court correspondent for USA Today
Among Asian-American families, stigma still grips mental illnesses
There is a silent killer that is still looming in the Asian-American community. Asian-Americans are three times less likely to seek medical care for mental illnesses than Whites according to the American Psychological Association. Even back in 2007 suicide was the second leading cause of death for Asian Americans aged 15-34.
With the constant clash of mainstream American values and ethnic culture, many Asian-Americans especially women choose “hiding up” as their coping mechanism to avoid confrontation with their families and hope that doing nothing will one day rid their mental illness. Depression and other mental illnesses come with a stigma in the Asian-American community. There is deeply rooted shame and fear when coming into terms with these issues. For parents, many simply do not know how to address these issues and acknowledge that their child has a mental illness. For Asian-Americans who suffer from mental illnesses, pressures of perfectionism and high expectations from their families contribute to the cyclical nature of hiding up.
If you are Asian-American or a person of color, have you ever experienced depression or been diagnosed with a mental illness and had a difficult time communicating that to your family? What were some of the pressures that held you back from saying anything? And if you did communicate with them, how did they take action to remedy the issue? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 and share your experience with us.
If you are in need of support, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255, for free and confidential help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Amanda Rosenberg, a freelance writer based in San Francisco; she wrote the article,“Hiding my mental illness from my Asian family almost killed me”; she tweets @AmandaRosenberg
Sarah Jin, marriage and family therapist in Pasadena who specializes in working with Asian-American clients