Today the House votes on whether to rollback Obama-era Federal Communication Commission rules that would require internet service providers to get users’ consent before sharing or selling sensitive data; plus, we bring you the latest on Trump's climate change executive order; an interview with an "asteroid hunter;" and more.
California confronts Trump’s executive order on climate change
Today, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would roll back a number of environmental measures put in place by his predecessor.
The order reflects the dichotomy between the two presidents’ approach to climate change. During his campaign, Trump repeated labeled Obama’s initiative as “job killers,” and today’s order will launch a review of the Clean Power Plan initiative, remove the moratorium on coal mining on US federal lands, and push federal agencies to promote “energy independence.”
Guest host Libby Denkmann sits down with Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley, to talk about how legislators in California plan to tackle a shift in environmental protection on the federal level.
Guest:
Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley
What Raiders’ Vegas move mean for LA fans, the NFL
The Raiders are leaving Oakland and heading to Sin City. The move was approved by the NFL Monday night by a vote of 31-1.
The Raiders will stay in Oakland for two more seasons until their new Vegas stadium is built. How would the move impact Las Vegas, the NFL, and LA fans?
Guest:
Ken Belson, NFL writer for the New York Times who’s been following the story
Should Internet service providers be allowed to sell your browsing data?
You might be unaware that your internet service provider can sell your browsing history to an advertiser.
Obama-era Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules, scheduled to go in effect late this year, would require providers to get users’ consent before sharing or selling this sensitive data, but these regulations are now in jeopardy. Last week the Senate voted 50-48 to prevent the regulations from going into effect and today the legislation is in the House– if passed, the joint resolution will land on Trump’s desk.
Consumer protection advocates argue that this move prioritizes the interests of industry over users’ privacy. There’s also concern that the strategy of using the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress the power to null decisions made by federal agencies and keep them from passing “substantially similar” rules, could endanger future privacy protections.
Critics of the regulation argue that the FCC’s definition of sensitive information is too broad and that internet providers shouldn’t be held to a different standard than the likes of Google and Facebook.
Do these regulations create an uneven playing field for internet providers? Or does this resolution jeopardize consumers’ online privacy?
Guests:
Jon Leibowitz, former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and co-chair of the 21st Century Privacy Coalition, a group formed by U.S. communications companies
Klint Finley, reporter for Wired, he wrote an article on the rules rollback:“The Senate Prepares to Send Internet Privacy Down a Black Hole,” he tweets
With the spotlight on Devin Nunes, a look at his chances of leaving the Russia probe
Conflict is mounting over Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ involvement in the Trump Administration’s Russia probe.
Nunes (R-Calif.) was asked to recuse himself by House Democrats after revelations about his meeting with a secret source on White House grounds raised questions about his and the panel’s independence. Nunes rebuffed calls to step aside from the Russia Investigation and House Speaker Paul Ryan today also expressed confidence in Nunes’ ability.
So what are the next steps for Nunes? Should he recuse himself?
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Katie Bo Williams, reporter covering national security for The Hill; she’s been following the story; she tweets
David Siders, senior reporter for POLITICO, and co-author of POLITICO’S California Playbook; he tweets
In case an asteroid hurtles towards Earth, there’s a group of scientists who’ve got us covered
Nearly 65 million years ago, an asteroid collided with Earth, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
So what’s to stop another rogue asteroid from destroying all we hold dear?
Carrie Nugent’s new book, “Asteroid Hunters,” explores a group of scientists who map the cosmos and search the sky for incoming asteroids. An asteroid hunter herself, Nugent writes about the impact, both figurative and literal, that asteroids have had throughout the years and how calculus and technology could help prevent another disastrous collision.
Guest:
Carrie Nugent, scientist at Caltech/IPAC, author of “Asteroid Hunters”
* During this segment we also covered breaking news on President Trump's climate change executive order with LA Times reporter Chris Megerian; he covers California and climate change