Today on AirTalk, we discuss the confirmation hearings for supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett and its political implications. Also on the show, we talk about the Lakers winning the 2020 NBA championship; break down protocols for going to the polls; and more.
Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Commence Today
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett vows to be a justice “fearless of criticism” as the split Senate charges ahead with confirmation hearings on President Donald Trump’s pick to cement a conservative court majority before Election Day.
Barrett, a federal appeals court judge, draws on faith and family in her prepared opening remarks for the hearings, which begin today as the country is in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic. She says courts “should not try” to make policy, and believes she would bring “a few new perspectives” as the first mother of school-age children on the nine-member court.
Trump chose the 48-year-old judge after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon.
“I have been nominated to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat, but no one will ever take her place,” Barrett says in her remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Associated Press obtained a copy of her statement on Sunday.
Barrett says she has resolved to maintain the same perspective as her mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who was “devoted to his family, resolute in his beliefs, and fearless of criticism.”
Republicans who control the Senate are moving at a breakneck pace to seat Barrett before the Nov. 3 election, in time to hear a high-profile challenge to the Affordable Care Act and any election-related challenges that may follow voting.
Democrats are trying in vain to delay the fast-track confirmation, raising fresh concerns about the safety of meeting as two GOP senators on the panel tested positive for COVID-19.
Today on AirTalk, we’re discussing the confirmation and what nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s presence would mean on the Supreme Court. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
John Bresnahan, Congressional bureau chief at Politico; he tweets
Pratheepan Gulasekaram, professor of law at Santa Clara Law, where he specializes in constitutional and immigration law
Josh Blackman, professor of law at the South Texas College of Law Houston, where he specializes in constitutional law and the Supreme Court; he tweets
As The November Election Approaches, Are You Talking Openly With Friends And Family About How You’re Voting?
We all know the old adage— “don’t talk politics at the dinner table.” It’s meant to keep harmony and decorum among family and friends whose conversation might otherwise be… inspired, to say the least.
Yet as the November election approaches, many voters have not only the presidential election on their minds, but also California’s many local elections and complicated ballot measures. Voters might feel the need to share their political choices because they are hoping to sway the vote of those around them, or they may simply want to try to help decode how certain measures would affect others in their community. The state’s ballot measures in particular require much more than a face value analysis, and may propel voters to reach out to others to get clarity. With so many contentious national and local issues on the ballot this year, are you trying to embark on potentially fraught political conversations with family and friends? If so, how have you been received?
If you have begun sharing your political leanings more openly, we want to hear from you. Share your experience with us below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Purple And Gold Paydirt: Lakers Cap Rollercoaster 2020 Season With 17th NBA Championship In Franchise History
The deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. A worldwide pandemic that led to a league-wide shutdown and a 12 month season, the longest in NBA history. Protests against racial inequality and police brutality. Living in a bubble. A target constantly on their backs and the eyes of the world watching. In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers overcame it all to achieve their ultimate goal: winning their 17th NBA Championship in franchise history.
This season, for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, had it all. And it ended in the only fashion that they deemed would be acceptable, with them back atop the basketball world. For the first time since Kobe Bryant's fifth and final title a decade ago, the Lakers are NBA champions. James had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Lakers beat the Miami Heat 106-93 on Sunday night to win the NBA Finals in six games. It would be, James predicted, the toughest title to ever win, but they made the clincher look easy.
James won his fourth title, doing it with a third different franchise - and against the Heat franchise that showed him how to become a champion. Bam Adebayo had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which got 12 points from Jimmy Butler - the player who, in his first Heat season, got the team back to title contention. Rajon Rondo scored 19 points for the Lakers, who put together the elite talents of James and Davis with this moment in mind. And Davis, as white and gold confetti coated the floor around him, spent his first moments as an NBA champion thinking of Bryant.
With that, the league’s bubble chapter, put together after a 4 1/2-month suspension of play that started March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic and came with a promise that it would raise awareness to the problems of racial injustice and police brutality, is over. So, too, is a season that saw the league and China get into political sparring, the death on Jan. 1 of commissioner emeritus David Stern - the man who did so much to make the league what it is - and then the shock on Jan. 26 that came with the news that Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other died in a helicopter crash. The Lakers said they were playing the rest of the season in his memory. They delivered what Bryant did five times for L.A. - a ring, and the clincher was emphatic.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll remember the Lakers historic 2020 season and take your calls. Where does this championship compare to others in Laker history? How will you remember this season along with the other great campaigns in franchise history? Join our live conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Tania Ganguli, Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times
Nick Roman, host of KPCC’s “All Things Considered”; he tweets
Are You Volunteering At The Polls? Plus The Latest On Vote Centers
Many who volunteer at the polls do so as a matter of habit, but with the pandemic underway this year we’re wondering if that’s going to affect the worker pool.
We also check in on what you can expect from L.A. and O.C. vote centers this fall, from safety measures to procedural guidelines.
If you have questions, call us at 866-893-5722. We also want to hear from you if you’ll be working the polls, or if you typically do but are sitting out this year.
Guests:
Libby Denkmann, KPCC politics reporter; she tweets
Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters for Orange County, California