Bernie Sanders unveils "Medicare for All" today in Washington - AirTalk dives into a full hour of analysis with economists and policy experts. We also take a look at the push to move California's primary date; Diane Feinstein's skepticism of a Catholic judge's neutrality; and more.
The Bernie Sanders solution: Is universal health care the best plan for the US?
Sen. Bernie Sanders will publicly unveil a new version of his single-payer healthcare bill today.
Among his ticket of early supporters and 15 co-sponsors include Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Tom Udall (D-New Mexico). Following a House bill allowing Medicare for all, the bill will eventually die in a GOP Congress. But aside from political debate, what does universal health care need to succeed in America?
AirTalk dives into a full hour of analysis with economists and policy experts.
Guests:
Margot Sanger-Katz, health care correspondent for the New York Times; she has been following the story; she tweets
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies; he is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets
Nomiki Konst, correspondent for The Young Turks Network and a former Bernie Sanders surrogate in 2016
Gerald Kominski, professor of health policy and management and director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Tevi Troy, CEO of the American Health Policy Institute and author of the book, "Shall We Wake the President? Two Centuries of Disaster Management from the Oval Office"
Richard M. Scheffler, a professor of health economics and public policy at UC Berkeley
Sally C. Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a nonprofit think tank focused on free-market solutions to policy problems
How moving up CA’s primary could impact 2020 presidential election
The California Legislature is moving forward on a plan to switch the state's presidential primary election from June to March, a move that would change the national strategy for presidential candidates but has unclear implications for local voters.
S.B. 568 appears to have broad support among lawmakers. Final votes in the Senate and Assembly are expected by Friday; it would then advance to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.
Read the rest of Mary’s story here.
Guest:
Mary Plummer, senior politics reporter for KPCC who’s been following the story; she tweets
Does a judge’s faith interfere with his or her ability to serve the public?
Dianne Feinstein made waves last week when she questioned a 7th Circuit appellate court justice nominee about her ability to keep her religious beliefs from interfering with her job.
As reported by The Atlantic, the nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor who had previously clerked for the late Antonin Scalia, was criticized by Feinstein for a paper Barrett had co-written as a law student. The paper examined the potential for one’s Catholic beliefs to intersect with the law, particularly in death penalty cases. Barrett wrote that a judge should not let religious leanings bear weight when the law was involved, and any judge who could not set their faith aside should recuse themselves.
But Feinstein was not convinced, and brought up hypothetical questions about how issues like abortion would be handled. In a continuously divisive political climate that often has roots in religion, questions about personal beliefs and the law are become more prominent. But should judicial nominees have their religious leanings held against them?
Guest:
Garrett Epps, professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Baltimore; he covers the Supreme Court for “The Atlantic”
Why youth sport is the midst of a crisis
Youth sports is in decline, according to a new report published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and the Aspen Institute.
Between the high cost of coaching and specialization, athletic participation for kids is down almost 8 percent over the past ten years. Resource is a big factor in the decline, especially that from the family. Children from low-income households are half as likely to play team sports than children from households earning at least $100,000. And private coaching sessions can add up for leagues, according to the study.
Why do we see up and down trends for sports? What does it mean when youth sports professionalize? What’s the role of parental participation in the world of recreational league? Larry Mantle asks these questions to Jacob Bogage, sports writer for the Washington Post.
Guest:
Jacob Bogage, sports writer for the Washington Post; he wrote the article “Youth sports study: Declining participation, rising costs and unqualified coaches”