Today on AirTalk, our panel of political analysts discuss the formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump, and the effects it may have on his administration and the 2020 election. We also discuss the history of presidential impeachment; California's car manufacturing past; and more.
House Launches Formal Impeachment Inquiry of President Trump
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced the House is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
Pelosi made the announcement Tuesday from the speaker's office at the Capitol saying "no one is above the law." The move puts the Democratic speaker's stamp on the investigations that have been underway in the House. Calls for an impeachment inquiry have intensified following reports that Trump may have sought a foreign government's help in his reelection bid. Pelosi says the president "must be held accountable."
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor for Politico; she tweets
Michael Gerhardt, distinguished professor of jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where his expertise includes constitutional law; he is the author of two books on the federal impeachment process
Nomiki Konst, former member of the DNC Unity Reform Commission, which worked to increase participation in the Democratic Party and reform the presidential primary process; former Bernie Sanders surrogate in 2016; she tweets
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
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
Harmeet K. Dhillon, RNC National Committeewoman for California and founder of Dhillon Law Group, LLC, based in San Francisco; she tweets
We Could All Use A Refresher On Impeachment’s History
Impeachment, impeachment, impeachment. It’s a word being tossed around a lot today as Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially announced the House is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
Watergate may have commanded the attention of the nation, but Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson weren’t so lucky.
Today on AirTalk, we look back on the scandals and procedures of the past as historians and reporters share their understanding of how past impeachments played out. Do you remember Clinton’s impeachment? How does public opinion from back then compare with our current moment? Share your perspective and memories with us and give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Michael Isikoff, chief investigative correspondent with Yahoo News, he covered the Clinton impeachment process, he’s the author of “Uncovering Clinton” (1999); he tweets
Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News; he tweets
Barbara Perry, professor, co-chair of the presidential oral history program and director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center; she tweets
SoCal Auto Historians Go Under The Hood Of LA’s Rich Auto Manufacturing And Retail History
Outside of Detroit, there is no American city more associated with cars than Los Angeles.
And while SoCal’s car-centric culture may often be traced anecdotally to its urban sprawl, perpetually clogged freeways and the inordinate amount of time it often takes to get from point A to point B, the City of Angels was once as much of a hub for automobile manufacturing as it has become for car culture.
The automobile arrived in Southern California in the late 19th century at a time when rail was popular. Trains made way for electric streetcars, which thrived in Los Angeles for a couple of decades beginning at the turn of the 20th century, but by the 1910s the streetcars were on the outs due to general public unhappiness due to overcrowded trains, unreliable schedules and the increasing popularity and affordability of automobiles, which numbered about 6,500 in California by 1905. The 1910s also brought in new federal and state funding for road construction projects, further increasing the demand for automobiles.
Ford Motor Company opened L.A.’s first auto assembly plant in 1914 to assemble Model Ts. That plant moved to Long Beach in 1930 and operated near the harbor there for another 29 years before it shut down in 1959. Southern California’s last domestic auto manufacturing facility, a General Motors plant in Van Nuys, ceased operations in 1992. And the story of auto manufacturing in Los Angeles wouldn’t be complete without also mentioning the retail side and the auto dealers, who were instrumental in developing the sales, distribution and financing model that is now the industry standard.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll explore the history of automobile manufacturing and retail in Southern California from its start at the turn of the 20th century to its current state today.
Guests:
Leslie Kendall, chief historian at the Petersen Automotive Museum in West Los Angeles
Darryl Holter, historian and CEO of the Shammas Group, which has owned the Felix Chevrolet dealership in Downtown Los Angeles since 1957 and, up until 2017, owned the Downtown L.A. Auto Group, which included eight car dealerships along the Figueroa corridor and one in Carson; he is also a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association and the California New Car Dealers Association