Today on AirTalk, we discuss Trump's reported tax returns, which saw him pay $750 the year he took office. Also on the show, we answer your COVID-19 questions; talk to Jeff Pearlman about his new book "THREE-RING CIRCUS: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty;" and more.
A Closer Look At What We Know Of President Trump’s Tax Returns
A New York Times report that President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income tax the year he entered the White House — and, thanks to colossal losses, no income tax at all in 11 of the 18 years that the Times reviewed — served to raise doubts about Trump’s self-image as a shrewd and successful businessman.
Since entering the White House, Trump has broken with tradition set by his predecessors by not only refusing to release his tax returns but by waging a legal battle to keep them hidden. The Times report suggests why that might have been so. It reported that many of Trump’s top businesses are losing money, even as those losses have helped him shrink his federal tax bill to essentially nothing.
We take a deeper dive on the President’s tax returns.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Eugene Steuerle, co-founder of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, a think tank based in Washington D.C.; he was a Treasury Department official under President Reagan
Theodore Seto, law professor at Loyola Marymount University; his specialties include income taxation, corporate taxation and tax policy
DOC AMA: No Labor Day COVID-19 Surge In LA County, How Children Might Fight Off The Virus And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, we speak with Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Today’s topics include:
How do children fight off the coronavirus?
No need to sweat COVID vaccination rates
Why a COVID-19 surge is likely this fall and winter
No Labor Day COVID-19 surge in L.A. County; hospitalizations declining but virus still widespread
Guest:
Robert Kim-Farley, M.D., professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; he served as the director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2004-2018 and is a former senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO
The Pandemic Is Creating New Ways To Be Friends. How Are Your Friendships Evolving?
Some friendships are built to last— or at least, were. With the pandemic, once robust friendships are undergoing new strain, while others are rekindling.
Maybe it’s the friend you used to meet up with for drinks once a month, and haven’t spoken to since March. Or the college buddy that lives across the country and never responds to texts. As with all the changes wrought by the pandemic, friendships are facing a new kind of challenge. Without the mediums they once flourished in (bars, museums, concerts) some friends have lost touch. However, others are reporting that their friendships are flourishing in the pandemic, albeit in surprising ways. They might be talking on the phone with a close friend who had moved away, going for masked walks with a neighbor, or reaching out to people they had lost touch with. Regardless of how it’s happening, one thing’s for certain: friendships are changing. How are yours being impacted?
We want to hear from you. Have you lost touch with a beloved friend? Or reconnected with an old one? Has the pandemic made you reevaluate certain friendships, or treasure others? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or comment below.
The Confirmation Road Ahead For Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett
President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort.
Barrett, a former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, aligned herself with Scalia’s conservative approach to the law, saying his “judicial philosophy is mine, too.”She would be the sixth justice on the nine-member court to be appointed by a Republican president, and the third of Trump’s first term in office.
Republican senators are lining up for a swift confirmation of Barrett ahead of the Nov. 3 election, as they aim to lock in conservative gains in the federal judiciary before a potential transition of power. Trump, meanwhile, is hoping the nomination will galvanize his supporters as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden.
While Democrats appear powerless to stop Barrett’s confirmation in the GOP-controlled Senate, they are seeking to use the process to weaken Trump’s reelection chances. No Democratic senators are expected to vote to confirm Barrett before the election.
Today on AirTalk, we look at who Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barett is, her judicial record, and what to expect from the Senate confirmation process will look like in the upcoming weeks.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Brian T. Fitzpatrick, professor of law at Vanderbilt University and former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia, for whom Judge Coney Barrett also clerked
Andrew Desidero, congressional reporter covering the U.S. Senate for Politico; he tweets at
Kobe, Shaq And Phil: The Inside Story Of A Powerful Lakers Dynasty That Put The Franchise Back On The Map
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal joined forces to bring the Lakers three straight national titles and restore the team into a powerful NBA franchise. But the two basketball icons also loathed each other in a way no other two teammates had before. So how did the superstar pair, along with coach Phil Jackson, result in one of the greatest teams in NBA history?
New York Times best selling author Jeff Pearlman shares the inside of story of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 through 2004 in his new book “THREE-RING CIRCUS: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.” Through the inner turmoil of taunts and trade rumors, the Lakers endured the adversity and even thrived. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with Pearlman about the new book and what the story and legacy of the team means in the wake of Bryant’s tragic death earlier this year. Do you have questions or memories of the team? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Jeff Pearlman, New York Times best-selling author, his latest book is “THREE-RING CIRCUS: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty,” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020); he tweets