Week in Politics: Kavanaugh Hearings, Dissent From Within White House
President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, faced three days of intense and often contentious questions this week on Capitol Hill. At stake are Kavanaugh’s views on abortion rights, gun control and whether presidents can be protected from prosecution while in office. Meanwhile, an explosive op-ed by an unnamed senior official in the Trump administration claims the president’s own staff members have been trying to stop him from acting in “a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”
Guests:
- Marisa Lagos, KQED government and politics reporter
- Professor Rory Little, UC Hastings College of the Law
- Sean Walsh, Wilson Walsh Consulting
Safe Injection Sites
San Francisco could become the first U.S. city to facilitate the use of intravenous drugs under medical supervision. A bill passed by the California Legislature last week would allow the city to set up a three-year pilot project of so-called safe injection sites. Supporters, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, say it’ll help reduce overdose deaths and get used syringes off the streets. But in a recent New York Times opinion piece, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein lashed out against the proposal, threatening “swift and aggressive action against their opening” and that city officials could be subject to civil and criminal action because these facilities are still illegal under federal law.
Guests:
- Dr. Scott Steiger, UCSF associate professor of medicine and psychiatry
- State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco