Today on AirTalk, our weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come. We also take a look at Walter Mercado's legacy; discuss the science of birth control with author Sarah Hill; and more.
Week In Politics: One Year Out From Election, Impeachment Watch And More
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come. Here are the headlines what we’re following this week:
Impeachment watch:
2020
We’re one year out from the 2020 election -- how is Trump doing? What about everyone else?
Warren leads and Buttigieg surpasses Biden in recent New York Times/Siena College poll
A year out from the election, Americans are more engaged and more anxious about the election, according to poll
Beto O’Rourke drops out of the race
Sen. Kamala Harris is cutting costs on her campaign – is this a bellwether?
Some think (stoked by her recent WSJ op-ed) that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is planning a third party run
At the last debate, Sen. Warren was questioned over her plan to pay for universal healthcare without taxing middle class Americans. Last week, she released her blueprint
Trump criticized the California Governor’s handling of wildfires and power outages via twitter, threatening to nix federal funding
Twitter and Facebook have established sharply contrasting policies regarding political advertising
ISIS confirms that its leader was killed and taps a replacement
Employment is on the up and up, despite economy slowing down
After losing in a federal appeals court, Trump is going to be asking SCOTUS to take tax returns case. Plus, he is trying to move his legal residence to Florida
Biden was refused Holy Communion by a Catholic priest because of his stance on abortion
Guests:
Amanda Renteria, president of Emerge America, a national organization that works to identify and train Democratic women who want to run for political office; she is the former national political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has been a staffer for Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); she tweets
Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and senior fellow at The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University; he tweets
Week in Politics: What Role Does (And Should) Religion Play In The Presidential Race?
Jewish, Catholic, Christian -- there’s a diversity of faiths among the democratic presidential candidate pool.
In the last debate, Senator Booker briefly talked about his bi-partisan bible group. Senator Warren has taught Sunday school. And Mayor Buttigieg has invoked his faith on several occasions.
However, religion hasn’t been much mentioned on the Dem side of 2020.
In a recent New York Times opinion piece, Frank Bruni made the case that Dems are running a secular race to their detriment. In a country where over half of adults pray daily and where the left is criticized for lack of traditional values, discussing religion could help win over voters.
Most recently, Biden was refused Holy Communion by a Catholic priest because of his stance on abortion. Could that affect him negatively in the race?
And more broadly, is the secularism of the 2020 Dem presidential race a boon or is it a detriment? What has been the historic relationship between Dem candidates and faith? How does it affect your perception of the candidates? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Amanda Renteria, president of Emerge America, a national organization that works to identify and train Democratic women who want to run for political office; she is the former national political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has been a staffer for Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); she tweets
Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and senior fellow at The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University; he tweets
Exploring Recommendations From Department Of Interior Committee That Would Privatize National Park Campgrounds
Expanded Wi-Fi access. Food trucks. Amazon deliveries at campgrounds. These are just some of the ideas that a federal subcommittee has proposed as part of an effort that it says will “expand and improve recreational opportunities” at national parks.
Last month, the Department of Interior’s “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee submitted a memo to Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt with a number of recommendations that it wrote would “help overcome boundary issues associated with
Federal, State, local public lands and private enterprises as well as barriers for data sharing
among recreation agencies, partners, and providers.” The committee's vice chair says the recommendations would offer park-goers additional costs if they want to enhance their experience by, say, having Amazon deliver your s’more-making material right to your campsite. But environmental organizations like the Sierra Club and others are pushing back against the recommendations, saying that this is just another attempt by the Trump administration to privatize public lands, which they say will eventually drive down attendance and limit the types of people who can afford to go.
Guests:
Derrick Crandall, vice chairman of the U.S. Department of Interior’s “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, which developed the recommendations, and a counselor with the nonprofit National Park Hospitality Association, an organization representing U.S. national park concessioners that provide lodging, food service, gifts, equipment rentals and other visitor services in the National Park System
Kitty Benzar, president of the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition, a Durango, Colorado-based nationwide network of people who advocate on behalf of public access to public lands
Walter Mercado’s Legacy In The Spanish-Speaking World
Spanish language broadcaster Walter Mercado died Saturday at 87 years old. The Puerto Rican born Mercado was known internationally for his syndicated astrology segments on Primer Impacto nightly news.
Mercado began giving horoscopes on TV in 1969, and cultivated a flamboyant, gender fluiud stage persona with elaborate costumes and make-up, and a dramatic vocal delivery. Mercado’s segments were inspirational, and blended Catholicism with Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Occult. He was hugely impactful on migrant workers getting through hard times, and on many latinos who felt they fell outside of machista norms.
With us on the line is Kareem Tabsch, Co-founder of O Cinema in South Beach, Miami, and Co-Director of Mucho Mucho Amor, an independent documentary on the life of Walter Mercado coming out in 2020. Tabsch and co-director Cristina Costantini spent three years with Mercado and his family, and filmed the astrologists' last public appearance.
Guest:
Kareem Tabsch, a co-director behind an upcoming documentary on Walter Mercado titled, “Mucho Mucho Amor”; co-founder of O Cinema, an independent cinema in South Beach, Florida
The Unintended Consequences Of Birth Control
Women typically go on birth control pills for a couple of reasons: to prevent pregnancy and manage acne. But new research suggests the pill changes women's bodies and brains in more extensive ways.
In her book, “This Is Your Brain On Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the Law of Unintended Consequences,” evolutionary psychologist Sarah E. Hill lays out the side-effects associated with hormonal birth control. Partner choice, body scent and mental health are just a couple ways altering estrogen levels can impact a woman's life.
Today on AirTalk, Sarah Hill talks with host Larry Mantle about what to know about going on the pill.
Guest:
Sarah Hill, professor of evolutionary psychology at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth; author of the new book, This Is Your Brain On Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the Law of Unintended Consequences (Avery/Penguin Random House, 2019)