Today on AirTalk, Larry sits down with a political analysts to parse through Mueller’s statement this morning and discuss what’s next for Congress. We also examine a package of bills making their way through the state legislature that could result in major changes to California's charter school laws; and more.
Mueller Speaks: Russian Probe Does Not Exonerate President Trump
Special counsel Robert Mueller said Wednesday he believed he was constitutionally barred from charging President Donald Trump with a crime but pointedly emphasized that his report did not exonerate the president.
He cautioned lawmakers who have been negotiating for his public testimony that he would not go beyond his report in the event he appears before Congress.
The comments were Mueller’s first public statements since his appointment as special counsel two years ago.
“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” Mueller said. “We did not however make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.”
Trump, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed that Mueller’s report cleared him of obstruction of justice, modified that contention somewhat shortly after the special counsel’s remarks. He tweeted, “There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed!”
Mueller’s statement came amid demands for Mueller to testify on Capitol Hill about his findings and tension with Attorney General William Barr.
Larry sits down with a political analysts and a reporter covering the DOJ to parse through Mueller’s statement this morning and discuss what’s next for Congress.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Aruna Viswanatha, reporter covering the Justice Department for the Wall Street Journal; she 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
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
Is Judge At Center Of Legal Battles Over OC Homeless Impartial?
Advocacy groups have been pushing several cities within Orange County to provide adequate resources for their homeless population in a suit filed in February.
In the case, Housing is a Human Right Orange County vs. The County of Orange et al., the cities of Aliso Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, and San Clemente argue that U.S. District Judge David O. Carter should step aside from the case because of his involvement in a separate suit with other Orange County cities.
The advocacy groups, however, dispute that the judge’s involvement in another similar case does not put him in a biased position.
Larry sits down with KPCC’s Orange County reporter, the counsel representing the homeless advocacy groups, and a law professor to discuss the implications of the case for Orange County’s homeless population.
We reached out to the DC-based law firm Jones Day, which is representing the cities of Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and Aliso Viejo in their motion to dismiss Judge Carter as presiding judge from the lawsuit against them. The firm is unable to join us today. We also reached out to the council members and mayors of those three cities.
Guests:
Jill Replogle, KPCC Orange County reporter; she tweets
Carol Sobel, civil rights attorney, who is representing the Orange County homeless in court.
Laurie L. Levenson, professor of law at Loyola Law School and former federal prosecutor.
End Of An Era For Charter Schools? Bills Call For Temporary Charter Halt Make Way Through State Legislature
A package of major changes to California's charter school laws is advancing through the state legislature — changes that are making pro-charter advocates very, very nervous.
"They certainly represent an existential threat to charter schools," said Myrna Castrejón, executive director of the California Charter Schools Association.
But teachers unions see it the other way — that charter schools pose an existential threat to traditional, district-run schools — and after strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland, their efforts to enact new limits on the growth of charters have gained traction.
If enacted, Senate Bill 756 would prevent any new charter schools from opening until 2022.
In the other chamber, three Assembly bills — AB 1505, 1506 and 1507 — propose new hurdles to opening charter schools, and grant regulators new ways to shut down existing ones.
AB 1505 passed last week.
Statewide, one out of every 10 students in public schools is enrolled in a charter school; what happens to this legislation will directly impact their education.
Read the rest of Kyle’s piece here.
Guest:
Kyle Stokes, education reporter for KPCC who’s been following the story; he tweets
A Mexican-American Food Writer Says The Notion of Authenticity Is Defined By Tourists
John Paul Brammer is “from a Mexican family that can’t cook,” in his own words.
When he began food-writing, he realized that as a Mexican-American writer, his expertise was expected to be about food, the immigrant experience, or his culture, which felt limiting.
This raised the question about what “authentic” Mexican food should be considered.
Brammer then wrote about the imposed expectations he has experienced in an opinion piece in the Washington Post.
Larry sits down with Brammer and features writer for the LA Times and author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America” to discuss the notion of “authenticity.”
Guests:
John Paul Brammer, author of the Washington Post op-ed we’re discussing titled “I’m from a Mexican family. Stop expecting me to eat ‘authentic’ food” and is the creator of the advice column “¡Hola Papi!” for the community platform called “them” ; tweets
Gustavo Arellano, features writer for the L.A. Times and author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America”; he tweets