Six California legislators introduced a bill that would prohibit law enforcement from helping federal drug agents arrest and investigate marijuana license holders in the state - we hear what proponents and opponents of the bill are saying. We also cover the latest on the healthcare vote, yesterday's SCOTUS decision on special education; and more.
Vote or no vote? Trump, Ryan rally skeptical House Republicans for health care bill passage
The vote for the GOP’s Obamacare replacement bill is still slated for today, even as questions over its passage in the House linger.
President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have been working tirelessly to bring conservative Republicans on board. About 25 House Republicans belonging to the Freedom Caucus have vowed to vote down the bill. Only 22 down votes are needed to bury its chances in the House.
President Trump is set to meet with this faction of Republicans on changes they want to see in the bill.
Guests:
Lisa Mascaro, congressional reporter for the Los Angeles Times who’s been following the story
Margot Sanger-Katz, correspondent for The New York Times’s Upshot covering health care, who’s been following the story
Jennifer Haberkorn, senior health care reporter for POLITICO who’s been following the story
How school districts will respond to Supreme Court decision expanding students’ special education rights
Public school districts in the United States will now have to provide students with disabilities meaningful, “appropriately ambitious” educational opportunities to advance academically.
After hearing the case back in January, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of an autistic Colorado boy and his family, who took the Douglas County School District to court arguing that he was not provided with a “free and appropriate public education” as is required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975. What ‘appropriate’ means may differ in each individual case, and the justices wouldn’t go as far as to give it a definition in their unanimous decision, but they did come down on the opposite side of other federal courts, which have ruled that the district only needs to provide educational benefits that are more than ‘minimal or trivial.’ The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver had previously ruled in favor of the district.
What will the overall impact be on public school districts across the country? How are local districts in Southern California responding? What trade-offs will have to be made?
Guests:
Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., distinguished professor of education at the UCLA Graduate School of Education
Alex Rojas, Ph.D., superintendent of the Bassett Unified School District, which is located in the San Gabriel Valley; serves some unincorporated parts of L.A. County and portions of the City of Industry, La Puente and Whittier
CA bill would prevent local authorities from cooperating with feds on marijuana
A bill introduced by six California legislators in February would prohibit state and local law enforcement from helping federal drug agents arrest and investigate marijuana license holders unless they receive a court order, effectively creating a sanctuary for the cannabis industry here.
Proponents argue the bill will protect sellers and growers applying for state licenses from a federal crackdown. But some members of local law enforcement have come out against the measure, calling it an unnecessary obstacle.
We talk to the lead author of the bill and the president of the California State Sheriff’s Association about the pros and cons of the legislation.
Guests:
Reggie Jones-Sawyer, (D-Los Angeles) CA assemblymember serving the 59th district and the lead author of the bill, AB 1578
Donny Youngblood, Kern County Sheriff and president of the California State Sheriff’s Association
From loss to victory: President Ronald Reagan’s trajectory
In his fourth and most recent book about Ronald Reagan, biographer Craig Shirley explores Reagan’s, from failed 1976 presidential run to 1980 victory.
“Reagan Rising” explores the four years during which Reagan remade himself as well as the identity of the conservative movement.
Host Larry Mantle talks to Craig Shirley about Reagan’s trajectory, his lasting impact on the Republican party and more.
Guest:
Craig Shirley, biographer, lecturer and historian; author of “Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980” (Broadside Books, 2017)