Today on AirTalk, our 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. We also discuss the new legislation signed into law in California, gender etiquette and more.
Week in Politics: Syria, Trump’s Tax Returns And Upcoming Dem Debates
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:
The Turkish invasion of Syria continues. Meanwhile, Trump threatens Turkey with sanctions
U.S. and China negotiate “Phase One” of trade accord
Federal appeals court upholds House’s request for Trump’s tax returns
Impeachment Update:
U.S. Diplomat to the E.U. agrees to testify, despite the Trump Administration’s refusal to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry
Two of Rudy Guliani’s associates are arrested on campaign finance charges
Trump decries impeachment efforts in first rally since the inquiry’s announcement
Biden calls for impeachment for the first time
Latest impeachment polls
Hunter Biden says he’ll resign from the board of a Chinese company
2020:
We preview the fourth Democratic Debate
Warren’s story of being fired because of pregnancy is put into question
Feinstein endorsed Biden over her fellow CA Senator Harris
Warren ran a Facebook ad with a false claim to call out the way the platform handles untrue information
A fake video of Trump shooting journalists ran at an event for his supporters and garnered some backlash. Trump has condemned the video
News anchor Shepard Smith announced he was leaving Fox News
Guests:
Jennifer Merolla, professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
Gendered Gestures: Outdated Or Chivalrous?
Curtsies and hat tipping may have gone the way of the dinosaur, but there are still gendered gestures that some consider the norm for polite society.
Namely, men opening doors for women, pulling out chairs or opening car doors. For some men, it’s the way they were raised. For some women, it’s the way they expect to be treated by a gentleman.
But there are plenty of people who find these gestures unnecessary at best and insulting at worst -- actions rooted in outdated ideas of women’s weakness and even examples of benevolent sexism.
If you’re a woman, what’s your take on these gendered gestures? If you’re a man, how do you approach these situations? If you’re a feminist, do you think these gestures conflict with the goal of gender equality? If you’re queer, how do you negotiate these traditional norms? Call 866-893-5722 to share your thoughts.
School Start Times And Smoking On Beaches: Gov. Newsom Makes Decisions On Final Round Of Legislation
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed and vetoed the final round of bills on Sunday.
He signed some bills that former Gov. Jerry Brown had previously vetoed, including a bill that pushes back the school start time at most public schools, making California the first in the nation to do so. Newsom also signed a bill that bans smoking on state beaches, banning traditional cigarettes as well as e-cigarettes. Other bills signed include one that gives childhood sexual assault victims more time to report and file charges, a bill that requires health insurance companies to cover costs of fertility procedures and legislation that requires public universities in the state to provide access to abortion pills. By signing some bills that his predecessor didn’t, Newsom has set himself apart from Brown. But in other ways, experts say he’s emulated Brown and even President Donald Trump. Today on AirTalk, we recap the latest on bills signed and vetoed by Newsom and take a look at his time in office.
Guests:
Dan Walters, long-time California politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication
Sophia Bollag, political reporter with the Sacramento Bee; she tweets
New Allegations In Death Of Angels’ Tyler Skaggs Sheds Light On How Young Pitcher May Have Obtained The Drugs That Killed Him
The 27-year-old Los Angeles Angels pitcher who died of a drug overdose during a team road trip in Texas over the summer got opioids regularly from a team public relations employee, according to new reporting out this weekend from ESPN.
On Saturday, investigative reporter T.J. Quinn published a story in which he cites two sources familiar with the investigation who say that Angels’ director of communications Eric Kay told DEA agents that he gave Skaggs oxycodone, used it with him and that two Angels team officials were told about Skaggs drug use well before he died. Kay’s attorney also confirmed to Quinn the statements that his client made to the feds, though the two Angels employees who Kay says were told about Skaggs’ drug use have both denied those claims in statements to the Los Angeles Times.
The new details add an additional layer of complexity to the story and shed light on the circumstances surrounding Skaggs’ death, which have been unclear up to this point. Skaggs was found dead on July 1 in a Southlake, Texas hotel room. He had choked on his own vomit. His autopsy showed evidence of oxycodone, alcohol and fentanyl in his system. Venmo transactions obtained by ESPN’s investigative team allegedly show a series of payments made between Skaggs and Eric Kay over two years for amounts ranging from $150 to $600.
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with ESPN’s T.J. Quinn as well as longtime Angels’ beat writer for the Los Angeles Times Mike DiGiovanna to talk about what to make of these new details and how they impact the larger investigation into Skaggs death, drug use and who knew what, and when.
We reached out to the Los Angeles Angels to request a team spokesperson be made available for comment, but as of the airing of this segment we had not received a reply to our request. We will update this segment if we hear from the team. On Saturday, October 12th, the Angels released this statement from team president John Carpino:
"We have never heard that any employee was providing illegal narcotics to any player, or that any player was seeking illegal narcotics. The Angels maintain a strict, zero tolerance policy regarding the illicit use of drugs for both players and staff. Every one of our players must also abide by the MLB Joint Drug Agreement. We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler and fully cooperate with the authorities as they continue their investigation.”
Guests:
T.J. Quinn, investigative reporter for ESPN who broke the story about the Angels’ employee who provided drugs to pitcher Tyler Skaggs; he tweets
Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times sports writer who spent 19 years as a beat writer covering the Los Angeles Angels for the paper; he tweets
Author Goes Beyond The Pink Ribbons To Improve How We Understand & Talk About Breast Cancer
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words breast cancer? Maybe a pink ribbon or a sea of pink shirts walking in a 5K? Well that image, the same one that’s often portrayed in the media and on social media sites, isn’t something author Kate Pickert could relate to when doctors diagnosed her with an aggressive form of the cancer at 35 years old.
In the book, “Radical: The Science Culture, and History of Breast Cancer in America,” Pickert takes readers on her journey through breast cancer surgery, details her own treatment and reports on the challenges of taking on the disease. And in doing so, she attempts to improve how readers understand and talk about breast cancer, a disease diagnosed in one in eight women. The book explores how breast cancer has been portrayed throughout history and offers an update on breast cancer research and treatment.
Guest:
Kate Pickert, author of the new book, “Radical: The Science Culture, and History of Breast Cancer in America” (Little, Brown Spark, 2019), she’s a journalism professor at Loyola Marymount University and former staff writer for TIME Magazine and tweets