AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead on the week to come. Also on the show, Rep. Adam Schiff joins us to discuss the latest in impeachment; we take a look at the 18th Amendment's impact on California; and more.
Week In Politics: Impeachment Hearings Recap, Bloomberg Enters 2020 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:
What did we learn last week and where do we go from here?
Should the whistleblower be revealed or should protections be increased?
2020:
After booking large quantities of TV ad time, Michael Bloomberg officially launched his bid
New citizens might play a significant role in battleground states
2016 saw some problems in polling. Will they be repeated in 2020? Problems w 2016 polling
Moderates could play a central role in picking the nominee
South Bend, Ind. black leader endorses Biden over Buttigieg
Poll shows Californians just want a candidate who can beat Trump
Why are Kamala Harris and Cory Booker having such a tough time?
Investigation into Carter Page’s FISA warrant
Will Trump sign a bill to support protesters in Hong Kong?
Democrats criticize tech companies over changes to political ads
The Navy will be going forward with disciplinary proceedings against Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, despite Trump’s Twitter pardon
Guests:
Nomiki Konst, founding member and board director of the newly launched PAC, Matriarch, which aims to help progressive working class women run for office; former member of the DNC Unity Reform Commission, which worked to increase participation in the Democratic Party and reform the presidential primary process; former Bernie Sanders surrogate in 2016; she tweets
Lanhee Chen, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University; he was an adviser for Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign and served as policy director for the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign; he tweets
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer’s Fired Over Handling of Edward Gallagher Case
Following the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper has put forth Ambassador to Norway and retired Navy rear admiral Kenneth Braithwaite to fill the seat of 77th Secretary of the Navy.
Spencer allegedly was working a deal with President Trump to allow Navy Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher to retire in his current rank and not lose his status as a SEAL after posing for a photo with the corpse of an Islamic State prisoner of war in 2017 (Gallagher was acquitted of a string of other war crimes, including murdering a prisoner). Esper said Spencer had not told him of the proposal to the White House, causing him to lose “trust and confidence.”
In yet another twist, Esper also directed on Sunday that Gallagher be allowed to retire at the end of this month, and that the Navy review board that was scheduled to hear his case starting Dec. 2 be cancelled. At Esper’s direction, Gallagher will be allowed to retire as a SEAL at his current rank. Gallagher, speaking Sunday on “Fox & Friends,” alleged the Navy was acting in retaliation. “They could have taken my Trident at any time they wanted,” he said. “Now they’re trying to take it after the president restored my rank.” Gallagher formerly held the title of Special Warfare Operator Chief before the controversy began. President Trump said he is nominating Kenneth Braithwaite to succeed Spencer.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Hope Hodge Seck, managing editor of military.com; she tweets
AirTalk Special: Interview With House Intel Chief Adam Schiff
After two weeks of public hearings, Democrats could soon turn the impeachment process over to the House Judiciary Committee. They’re moving “expeditiously” ahead as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has instructed.
In the coming weeks, the House intelligence panel will submit a report to the Judiciary panel, and then Democrats will consider drafting articles of impeachment on President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and the administration’s attempts to block the investigation. The articles could cover matters beyond Trump’s efforts to push Ukraine to investigate Democrats, including special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Joining Larry to talk about what’s next on the House Intelligence Committee’s agenda is its chairman and California Democrat, Adam Schiff.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; Democratic Congressman representing California’s 28 Congressional District, which includes Burbank, parts of Pasadena, and Glendale; he tweets
Purple Project For Democracy: Legal Limits In Separation Of Church And State
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is often associated with the right to free speech, but it’s also the part of the document where the framers laid out the idea that their new government should be free from established religion, having seen the influence that the Church of England had in Britain.
In fact, the very first sentence of the amendment reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The idea of a “wall of separation” between church and state has been around since Thomas Jefferson was alive, though the phrase is not actually in the First Amendment despite how often it is quoted in discussions about religion and government. How far the wall extends, however remains a topic of discussion among legal scholars to this day.
Over the years, various Supreme Court cases have addressed issues like prayer in schools, how government money can be spent when it comes to religious organizations and displays of religious symbols in public, but these issues continue to come up in Supreme Court cases and our understanding of the boundaries of the amendment continue to change.
As part of the Purple Project for Democracy, AirTalk takes a deep dive into the limits of separation of church and state and what the First Amendment does and doesn’t protect when it comes to religion and government.
Guests:
Margaret M. Russell, associate professor of law at Santa Clara University
Rick Garnett, professor of law and political science at the University of Notre Dame; he tweets
Ilya Shapiro, director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute; he tweets
Purple Project For Democracy: What Prohibition Was Like In Los Angeles, And How One Winery Survived (Legally!)
One-hundred years ago, the United States ratified the short lived 18th Amendment, which prohibited “the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors.”
Also known as the “Noble Experiment,” Prohibition was the result of a temperance movement which argued that restricting alcohol would alleviate poverty, strengthen familial bonds and reduce alcohol abuse.
In addition to being unpopular and arguably ineffective, Prohibition saw the rise of organized crime, as well as homicides, burglaries and assaults. In 1933, Prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment.
Unlike the East Coast which was dominated by the mafia, the booze trade in L.A. was more diffuse. It was a time when the city saw the rise of coastal smuggling, as well as a boom in Tijuana’s popularity.
Many wineries closed down but some found ways to survive -- for example, San Antonio Winery, which took advantage of a religious exemption in the law to sell altar wines to the Catholic Church in Los Angeles.
We take you back to the dry days of L.A. -- what it meant for the various communities living here, how it affected crime and how people still got their fix.
Guests:
Richard Foss, culinary historian and book author; he is currently curating an upcoming exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West called “Cooking Up a New West,” opening in 2021
Steve Riboli, owner of San Antonio Winery, based in Downtown Los Angeles since 1917