Frustrated with President-elect Trump, organizers are planning another protest march tomorrow that will take place from MacArthur Park to Downtown L.A.; we narrow down the list of possible choices for a Trump Cabinet; AirTalk wants to hear from Trump supporters on what they want to see the new president prioritize, followed by an analysis of the voices the Democratic Party failed to represent; and TGI-FilmWeek!
What you need to know: Trump protests planned for Saturday at MacArthur Park
Protests against the presidential election results have roiled cities across the country, including Los Angeles. Tomorrow, organizers are planning a march from MacArthur Park to downtown L.A. to voice their frustrations at a Trump presidency.
About 185 people were arrested and one officer injured in Los Angeles during a third night of protests over the presidential election of Donald Trump, police said.
The protests were peaceful for most of the afternoon and evening, Los Angeles police Sgt. Barry Montgomery told KPCC.
"At some point during the evening, things went awry. We had some folks out there doing vandalism and blocking roadways and all of those are things we just can't tolerate," Montgomery said.
Around midnight, a group refused to leave the area around Olympic Boulevard and Olive Street, and about 35 people were arrested. Another 150 people were arrested about an hour later near Cesar Chavez and Grand Avenue.
One officer was injured and treated at a hospital before being released.
Guests:
Sgt. Barry Montgomery, officer with the LAPD
Joe Delaplaine, an organizer with Answer L.A.
Ron Gochez, an organizer with Union del Barrios, the group behind tomorrow's MacArthur Park march
Narrowing down the list of possible choices for President-elect Trump’s cabinet
The transition of power from President Obama to President-elect Trump began in earnest on Thursday as the two met for 90 minutes in the Oval Office and, from the sounds of it, went over a variety of important issues both domestic and foreign.
One of the questions on the minds of many Americans as the transition gets underway is who Mr. Trump will choose to fill out his cabinet. The early word was that he would seek to put outsiders in the positions -- CEOs and other private sector executives on whom Mr. Trump has called in the past for advice on certain issues. Specific names that have come up include Lucas Oil founder Forrest Lucas, oil tycoon Harold Hamm, and former Goldman Sachs’ executive Steven Mnuchin. There’s also the possibility that he decides to reward some of the political heavy-hitters who have stuck with him throughout the campaign, which means people like Newt Gingrich, Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, and Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions could also be tapped.
The Trump transition team has stayed mum on speculation about who he might choose for cabinet positions, so whether the newly-elected president will stock his cabinet full of Washington outsiders and business executives or whether he chooses a mix of career politicians and outsiders remains to be seen. Today on AirTalk, we’ll go through the shortlist of possible candidates and talk about the experience and insight each would bring to a Trump White House.
Guest:
Isaac Dovere, senior White House reporter for POLITICO; he tweets
Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times Congressional reporter
What do Trump voters want to see the new president prioritize? Immigration, jobs, security
Candidate Donald Trump made a number of promises throughout his campaign — promises to bring back jobs, build a wall at the Mexican border and make Mexico pay for it and increase screening of immigrants to this country, to name a few.
But he struck a different tone in his acceptance speech Tuesday night, when he called on America “to come together as one united people.”
AirTalk’s Larry Mantle spoke with former Riverside County Trump delegate Ben Clymer Jr. about what he wants to see from Trump’s presidency.
“First, focus on jobs,” said Clymer. “Second, and really close to equally important, unity... and third, it would be the Supreme Court picks.”
We also asked listeners to share the issues they want Trump to prioritize in hist first 100 days. Here are some responses:
Immigration
Wakefield in Chicago: I want the government agency to protect the border and stop drugs flowing into the country and destroying our kids. I want him [Trump] to enforce strict vetting on all the refugees in certain areas, including those who are already in this country.
Abe in Laguna Niguel: I think that we need to crack down on illegal immigration in California. I'm a private contractor — work with many day laborers — my guys are all citizens, I know they're paying taxes. Day laborers [who are] undocumented workers aren't and that is unfair.
Infrastructure
Joe in Torrance: The most important thing we need to start off with is the infrastructure. This country is falling apart. The schools, the roads, the bridges, the highways — there's talks of so many other things, but something you can actually start with, something that everybody can coalesce around, is the infrastructure.
ISIS
Deborah in Venice: I want Trump to take control of what's going on in the Middle East — listen to the generals on the ground and focus on ISIS.
Security
Wakefield in Chicago: First thing I want Mr. Trump to focus on is definitely law and order. I live in Chicago... it's a crazy city. Everyday we have at least two or three persons get killed. So definitely I want policemen to protect our inner-city and suburbs.
The Supreme Court Vacancy
Leslie in Laguna Beach: Get our Supreme court filled. That vacancy is an important one and obviously as a conservative I'd like to see a Constitutional jurist on the bench.
Unity
Leslie in Laguna Beach: I really am hopeful that Donald Trump does a much better job, very early, communicating that his supporters and his philosophy and the way he'll manage our country is not born out of racism and bigotry, and can be a much more inclusive dialogue... I hope he does a much better job of calming the fears of my neighbors, in California in particular, who I understand are afraid.
Veterans
Jack in Azusa: I want Trump to address veterans issues, specifically with government asking veterans to repay the signing bonus here in California.
Interviews have been edited for clarity. Click on the blue playhead above to hear the full discussion.
Guest:
Ben Clymer Jr., CFO of Ben Clymer’s The Body Shop and president of the Lincoln Club of Riverside County; he is also a delegate for Donald Trump
Democratic Party’s 2016 loss blamed on DNC abandonment of average Americans
Some Democratic voters are calling for severe reforms or abandonment of the Democratic National Committee - arguing its loss of the presidential election was caused by the DNC being out of touch with dire, existential challenges facing middle- and lower-income Americans. As former Democratic congressional candidate Krystal Ball wrote this week:
"They said they were facing an economic apocalypse, we offered “retraining” and complained about their white privilege. Is it any wonder we lost? One after another, the dispatches came back from the provinces. The coal mines are gone, the steel mills are closed, the drugs are rampant, the towns are decimated and everywhere you look depression, despair, fear. In the face of Trump’s willingness to boldly proclaim without facts or evidence that he would bring the good times back, we offered a tepid gallows logic. Well, those jobs are actually gone for good, we knowingly told them. And we offered a fantastical non-solution. We will retrain you for good jobs! Never mind that these “good jobs” didn’t exist in East Kentucky or Cleveland. And as a final insult, we lectured a struggling people watching their kids die of drug overdoses about their white privilege."
Ball argues the old ways of the Democratic Party must die. As a start, progressives like her want: the DNC to elect a chair, rather than appoint one; leadership in Congress other than Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Charles Schumer; an increase of union membership in the DNC, and more. Other Democrats, such as strategist Bill Burton, says "Having pros in high positions is what you need right now. Other voices will rise up from outside, but for now, in Congress, those are the folks we need."
Why do you think the Democrats lost on Tuesday? What reforms are necessary for the DNC, if any?
Guests:
Krystal Ball, Former Democratic congressional candidate; this week, Ball wrote “The Democratic Party Deserved to Die” and "For Democrats, Cleaning House Means Pelosi And Schumer Too"
Bill Burton, Democratic political strategist; former deputy White House press secretary for Barack Obama; he tweets
FilmWeek: ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,’ ‘Arrival’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Justin Chang and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s new movie releases including director Ang Lee’s technologically-groundbreaking war drama, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk;” a sci-fi starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, “Arrivals;” the first of the holiday season fare, “Almost Christmas;” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzHmZTN5uzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0fKILXUNIs
Christy's Hits
Justin's Hits
- "Arrival"
- "The Love Witch"
- "The Monster"
Mixed Reviews
- Christy & Justin: "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk"
This Week's Misses
- Christy: "Come and Find Me" & "Rainbow Time"
- Justin: "Rainbow Time"
Guests:
Christy Lemire, Film Critic for KPCC and Co-Host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?;" she tweets
Justin Chang, Film Critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets