On Friday President Donald Trump retracted the American Health Care Act after a contentious week in Washington - where does that leave Covered California? We also talk about the Huntington Beach pro-Trump rally that escalated to violence over the weekend, whether California's bars should serve alcohol past 2 a.m.; and more.
Week in politics: What’s next as GOP moves on to tax reform following healthcare bill failure, weekend violence at Trump rally and more
Republicans are shifting their focus this week after a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act fell short of a vote on Friday, despite the White House’s best efforts to convince skeptical Republicans and members of the House Freedom Caucus to support the bill.
President Trump pointed the finger at a number of parties -- Democrats, the House Freedom Caucus, Paul Ryan, the Koch Brothers -- and says that his administration will now turn to tax reform.
President Trump also tapped his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to lead a task force (or SWAT team as it’s been called internally) that aims to help fix the government by taking ideas from the business world. It raises questions about the use of private sector values in the public sector. Kushner also made news by agreeing to appear before the Senate panel investigating connections between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.
Here in California, pushing and shoving led punches being thrown at a pro-Trump rally in Huntington Beach this past weekend.
Guests:
Paris Dennard, Republican political analyst and former staffer for President George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee; he tweets
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies. He is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets
With GOP health plan pulled, parsing what’s next for the ACA in California
After a contentious week in Washington, the retraction Friday of the GOP health bill left Republicans and Democrats wondering what’s next.
The clear answer? “Obamacare” is here to stay...for now.
The Trump Administration could still undermine the Affordable Care Act with changes to the insurance market. And what does this mean for the remaining problems with the ACA, such as increasing premiums? Libby Denkmann asks health care reporters what to expect with the ACA firmly in place.
Guests:
Chad Terhune, senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News’ California Healthline; he has been following the story; he tweets
Rebecca Plevin, KPCC health reporter; she has been following the story
Serving alcohol until 4am: boon or bane for public safety?
Unlike in other major cities around the U.S. -- Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago -- bars in Los Angeles and San Francisco shut down at wee hours of 2 a.m.
That’s the impetus behind the new bill proposed by Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would push back alcohol sales for two hours in some municipalities. In addition to bringing more profits for bars and nightclubs, Wiener argues the extension, named Let Our Communities Adjust Late Night Act (LOCAL), could promote public safety. In the aftermath of the Ghostship tragedy, lawmakers are thinking of ways to discourage club goers from attending illegal venues. By making the last call 4 a.m. instead of 2 a.m., people might opt for aboveboard businesses over ad hoc and dangerous venues. While restaurant groups and hospitality coalitions support the bill, community advocates are concerned about a potential spike in noise level and drunk driving.
Guest host Libby Denkmann sits down with Jessica Lall, president of the Central City Association, and Steven Sussman, professor of preventive medicine and psychology, to talk about the cost-benefit analysis of a later curfew.
Guests:
Jessica Lall, president and chief executive of the Central City Association, a downtown L.A. business advocacy group
Steven Sussman, a professor of preventive medicine and psychology specializing in addiction at the University of Southern California
‘Phenomena’ explores spoon-bending, mind-bending discoveries from secret government experiments with ESP and psychokinesis
The United States government has always prided itself on having one of the most technologically advanced militaries in the world, from state-of-the-art weapons and vehicles to some of the foremost battle strategists the world has to offer.
But in the past, the U.S. government has spent ample time trying to weaponize something much more technologically-advanced: the human brain.
In her new book, journalist and author Annie Jacobsen explores the depth of the U.S. government’s experiments into precognition, clairvoyance, ESP, and psychokinesis through declassified documents and interviews with the officials, researchers, and test subjects who were there.
From former Department of Defense officials to scientists and researchers, Jacobsen tackles the complexities of being a journalist reporting on an area of science many believe to be ‘squishy,’the story of Uri Geller, who became world famous for his apparent ability to bend spoons, and looks at just how far some will go to find the answers to some mysteries.
Guest:
Annie Jacobson, journalist and author of “Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis”