Shutdown Showdown
As the partial federal government shutdown drags on, President Trump addressed the nation this week and visited McAllen, Texas, to make his case for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Both sides remain firmly apart, with congressional Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer refusing to authorize funds for a wall in exchange for reopening the government. The president is now considering declaring a national emergency to bypass Congress and get the barrier built.
Also this week, newly sworn-in California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a record budget totaling $209 billion. Some of the funds would be spent to double the size of the earned income tax credit for working families and expand health care coverage to young undocumented adults.
Guests:
- Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle Senior Political Writer
- Scott Shafer, KQED Senior Editor of Politics and Government
- Sean Walsh, Wilson Walsh Consulting
California’s Record Budget
While Gov. Newsom inherits a surplus of more than $21 billion, he still needs the approval of the state Legislature to fund costly proposals such as expanding early childhood education. We get reaction to the governor’s budget wish list from Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-SF), who chairs the budget committee in the state Assembly.
“Last Boat Out of Shanghai”
In 1949, Mao Zedong’s Red Army marched into Shanghai, China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city at the time, sparking a mass exodus of refugees fleeing Communist rule. Bay Area journalist, author and LGBTQ activist Helen Zia shares with us the tale of this remarkable diaspora in her new book, “Last Boat Out of Shanghai.”