Today on AirTalk, we'll examine the biggest headlines in politics that you might have missed over the weekend and preview the stories you’ll want to be watching this week. We'll also give you a play by play of NASA’s InSight spacecraft landing on Mars; and more.
Week in politics: Debrief on Sunday’s San Ysidro border incident, Trump’s Russia probe answers & more
Every week on AirTalk, we begin by discussing the biggest headlines in political news that you might have missed over the weekend and previewing the stories you’ll want to be watching this week. Here’s what we’re following:
Latest from U.S.-Mexico border
Mueller probe latest (POTUS has provided written answers to Mueller’s questions, plus we’ll discuss this op-ed in the L.A. Times)
Saudi, Khashoggi fallout latest
Trump admin climate report – how will POTUS/admin respond?
What to expect from Congress at it returns to the Hill this week
WHCA Dinner won’t have a comedian this year, Trump says he might go
G-20 nations meet this week, POTUS expected to meet with Presidents Putin & Xi
Guests:
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
Matt Barreto, professor of political science and Chicano/a Studies at UCLA and co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions; he tweets
Affect vs. effect: Those and other words commonly misused by people
It’s embarrassing but true, even the best of us can misspeak and use a word incorrectly.
Can't figure out the difference between "affect" and "effect." Squabbled over the meaning of "factoid"? Ever wonder what "per se" really means? (Hint: a lot of people are using it wrong). Well, you're not alone. The brother-sister writing duo,Ross Petras and Kathyrn Petras, compiled a little book of the top most misused words called, "That Doesn't Mean What You Think it Means (The 150 Most Commonly Misused Words and Their Tangled Histories)."
Every entry comes with a cringe-worthy, historical example of the word misapplied by a high-profile speaker, ranging from news outlets to world leaders. Along with each humbling citation of a smarty-pants sounding not-so-smart, comes with a bite-size etymological story of how the word came to be so commonly confused.
Guest:
Kathryn Petras, co-author with Ross Petras of a number of books, including their latest, “That Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means" (Ten Speed Press, 2018)
Tijuana declares humanitarian crisis as Mexico deals with new US policy to keep asylum seekers across the border
Mexico looked set to shore up security near its border with the United States on Monday, and local authorities said that 39 migrants were arrested after a peaceful march devolved into mayhem when U.S. agents fired tear gas into Mexico to stop some migrants who tried to breach the international line.
Mexico's Interior Ministry said it would immediately deport those who tried to "violently" enter the U.S. from Tijuana. Meanwhile, Tijuana's municipal government said that more than three-dozen migrants were arrested for disturbing the peace and other charges stemming from the march and what followed.
On Sunday, the situation at the border devolved after a large group marched to the U.S. border to appeal for the U.S. to speed processing of asylum claims for Central American migrants marooned in Tijuana.
There, some attempted to get through the fencing and wire separating the two countries, leading U.S. agents to fire tear gas.
American authorities also shut down the nation's busiest border crossing at San Ysidro for several hours at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.
AirTalk checks in with reporters from Tijuana, Mexico City, and Washington DC for the latest.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Maya Averbuch, reporter covering the caravan for the New York Times; she was at the San Ysidro Port of Entry this weekend, where the U.S. government used tear gas on migrants approaching the border; she tweets
Carrie Kahn, international correspondent for NPR based in Mexico City; she tweets
Nick Miroff, national security reporter covering immigration enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for the Washington Post; he’s been following the latest on the Trump administration’s border policy; he tweets
Supreme Court case: Can Apple users sue tech giant on behalf of app developers?
The Supreme Court sounds open to allowing a lawsuit to go forward that claims Apple has unfairly monopolized the market for the sale of iPhone apps.
The court on Monday heard arguments in Apple's effort to shut down an antitrust lawsuit. Chief Justice John Roberts was alone among the nine justices in seeming ready to agree with Apple.
The suit by iPhone users could force Apple to cut the 30 percent commission it charges software developers whose apps are sold exclusively through Apple's App Store. A judge could triple the compensation to consumers under antitrust law if Apple ultimately loses the suit.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Charles Duan, senior fellow and director of tech & innovation policy at the R Street Institute, a free market think tank in DC
Sandeep Vaheesen, legal director, Open Markets Institute, an anti-monopoly advocacy group
NASA’s InSight spacecraft has less than seven minutes to land on Mars, we give you the play by play
NASA's InSight spacecraft will enter the Martian atmosphere at supersonic speed, then hit the brakes to get to a soft, safe landing on the alien red plains.
After micromanaging every step of the way, flight controllers will be powerless over what happens at the end of the road Monday, nearly 100 million miles away. The communication lag between Mars and Earth is eight minutes. "By the time we hear anything, the whole thing is already done," said project manager Tom Hoffman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Either it happened or it hasn't happened."
Any small last-minute adjustments must be completed 1 ½ hours before touchdown, said Rob Grover, lead engineer for the landing team. "All of our efforts to make sure we're successful all happen in the years before," he explained. NASA’s says that lander will experience “seven minutes of terror” during the atmospheric entry, descent and landing. We give you the play by play live on AirTalk.
With files from the Associated Press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwMDvPCGeE0
Guest:
Anita Sengupta, rocket scientist, aerospace engineer and adjunct research associate professor of astronautics at USC; she was an entry, descent and landing (EDL) engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 16 years; she tweets