Among the names being pushed for Trump's Secretary of State are former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, with both names generating sharp criticism in the GOP; the Green Party's Jill Stein reached historic levels of fundraising in the demand for voter recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan; we speak on the death and legacy of Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro; and more.
Who’s lining up to be Secretary of State, the GOP divide over the choice and other cabinet considerations
Speculation surrounding who President-elect Donald J. Trump will choose as Secretary of State continues to heat up this week after we learned last week of a divide within the party over who that person should be.
The Republican establishment is pushing for former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to be Secretary of State, though his supporters cite his sharp criticism of Mr. Trump during the campaign cycle as a question mark when it comes to Romney’s loyalty. On Friday, it was reported that some on Trump’s transition team want Romney to publicly apologize for criticizing Trump during the election if he wants the job.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s name has also surfaced in Secretary of State talks, though his critics argue that Giuliani’s involvement with foreign businesses could make it hard to get him confirmed, and others say the travel-heavy job would be difficult for Giuliani, given his age and vitality. California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Coronado) also says he’s under consideration for the job and is directing his supporters to a Breitbart online poll about potential Secretary of State picks to show their support.
Who do you think President-elect Trump should choose as Secretary of State? What do you like or dislike about Romney or Giuliani as choices? We’ll dive into these questions with our political experts, plus take a look at others being considered for cabinet positions.
Guests:
John Iadarola, host and creator of ThinkTank, part of The Young Turks Network; he also serves as a weekly co-host for The Young Turks weekly live show; he tweets
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco
Jill Stein raises millions of dollars for election recount effort in three states
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Green Party generated the largest fundraising drive for a third party in history with the goal of demanding recounts of election results in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
In prior elections, the Green Party has led similar efforts, but this attempt could only work to help Democrat Hillary Clinton. The move comes after a group of election lawyers and data experts asked Hillary Clinton's campaign to call for a recount of the vote totals in the three battleground states to ensure that a cyberattack was not committed to manipulate the totals.
There is no evidence that the results were hacked or that electronic voting machines were compromised, and the Clinton campaign has not moved to petition recounts.
While other election lawyers and data experts argue a recount is extremely unlikely to change the final results, what would it take for another tally in those states? What are the logistics involved and why do some Democrats oppose the campaign?
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Josh Douglas, Professor of Law specializing in Election Law and Voting Rights, University of Kentucky
SoCal-based Cuban composer, noted historian weigh in on Fidel Castro’s legacy
Like many Cuban Americans around the country, Southland residents are taking stock of what Fidel Castro's death means — both personally and politically.
Castro, who led a revolution that overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista in 1959, died on Friday evening at the age of 90.
Some local Cuban Americans have gathered in Echo Park, near a statue of Cuban national hero José Martí, to celebrate.
"This is a significant development for Cuba, for Latin America and for U.S.-Cuban relations," says Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology at USC. "I think there's a sense with the death of Fidel Castro that the future of Cuba is much more up for grabs."
Pastor was born in the United States. His father emigrated from Cuba in the 1930s, among an earlier wave of immigrants who left the country out of economic desperation.
Tessie Borden, who lives in Mount Washington, was born in the United States to parents who fled Cuba during the 1960s. She says her feelings about Castro's death are complicated.
"In some ways, I feel like my life would have been very different if Fidel hadn't come to power, because I would have been full-blooded Cuban," Borden tells KPCC.
She has not yet spoken to her mother, who lives in Texas, but says, "I suspect that my mother is very happy this morning. She's probably one of those who, like [the people] in Miami, are celebrating."
Borden's comments highlight what is sometimes a generational divide among older vs. younger Cuban Americans.
"I don't feel sort of the rabid hatred that some of the people who had to flee, the refugees, feel," she ays. "I never had a homeland taken away from me, so I can't blame that feeling. But at the same time, I feel like over time, it's become almost a caricature. It did get in the way of perhaps finding a different road for Cuba. And I think that kind of division happened on both sides."
Pastor echoes that sentiment: "Cubans who came over in last 10 or 20 years or Cuban Americans who were born in the U.S. don't have quite the same visceral reactions to Fidel Castro. That generational difference is now going to play out probably in a pretty dramatic way."
He also points out that significant change occurred when Fidel Castro handed over the presidency to his brother. The less charismatic and powerful Raúl Castro has walked a more moderate path than his fiery older brother. He has been more open to market activity and vowed to leave the presidency in 2018.
"I don't think this single death is by itself is going to create tremendous change," Pastor says. "But it's a pretty symbolic moment. We'll have to watch for the next six months to see whether the symbolism of the passage of Fidel Castro gets translated actual political and economic change on the island. If that happens and there can be more moderate path to change, that would be a good thing."
Guests:
Aurelio de la Vega, Cuban composer and professor emeritus at California State University, Northridge. He is in Miami today receiving an award from the National Association of Cuban American Educators. Today is also his birthday, he turns 91
Douglas G. Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and the author of many books, including The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). He published a piece over the weekend looking at Fidel Castro’s legacy on the CBS News website
Do casinos feed gambling addictions?
More than three decades ago, casino gambling was illegal everywhere in the United States besides Nevada and New Jersey.
But when Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, commercial casinos have grown exponentially. Now, gambling is legal within 40 states. A huge portion of gambling revenue, standing at 38 billion dollars, comes from a small percentage of casino customers.
Most of these frequent casino customers are likely compulsive gamblers, meaning they have an uncontrollable urge to keep betting even if the habit takes a toll on their personal and financial well being. Writer John Rosengren profiled one gambler in a recent Atlantic article. Scott Stevens took his life when his gambling habit spun out of control, leaving his wife and three daughters behind. Rosengren compared practices casino employs in enticing gamblers to bars offering drinks to alcoholics.
Host Larry Mantle talks with Rosengren on his writing titled “How Casinos Enable Gambling Addicts”. Also joining the show is Dr. Timothy Fong, Associated Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies program.
For help with a gambling addiction, or if you questions about someone you know who may have an addiction, you can call California's largest problem gambling hotline for free at 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537).
Guests:
John Rosengren, journalist and author of eight books. His article titled “How Casinos Enable Gambling Addicts” can be found in this month’s Atlantic Magazine.
Dr. Timothy Fong, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies program
Public radio journalist Lisa Napoli dives into the lives of philanthropist Joan Kroc and her billionaire husband
Her name is heard everyday on National Public Radio for bestowing a landmark $225 million donation to the network.
His name might not be as well-known, even though he was the man who founded McDonald’s, arguably the world’s most famous fast food chain in the world.
In her new biography, “Ray & Joan,” public radio’s own Lisa Napoli looks at the couple’s tumultuous marriage, and how that relationship shaped Joan Kroc’s philanthropic missions.
Guest:
Lisa Napoli, public radio journalist and author of the new book, “Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made The McDonald’s Fortune and The Woman Who Gave It All Away”