National Emergency and State of the State
Citing “an invasion of our country,” President Trump declared a national emergency today to circumvent Congress and obtain additional funds to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The declaration allows him to access roughly $8 billion, including nearly $4 billion earmarked for military construction projects. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the president’s declaration “a national disgrace” and vowed legal action. Also this week, the governor delivered his first State of the State speech from Sacramento. He scaled back costly projects championed by his predecessor, Jerry Brown, including high-speed rail and the construction of two tunnels to move water from the Delta, while championing state funding incentives to spur local communities to build affordable housing.
Guests:
- Katie Orr, KQED politics and government reporter
- Tal Kopan, Washington correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle
- Sean Walsh, GOP political strategist, Wilson Walsh George Ross Consulting
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo
The new Congress boasts a record number of women lawmakers on Capitol Hill and many of them are in key leadership positions, including Anna Eshoo. The Palo Alto congresswoman is chair of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This week, she held a hearing to discuss four bills introduced by her and fellow Democrats to shore up protections for people with pre-existing conditions and to educate consumers about the risks of short-term medical plans being promoted by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, divisions are emerging among congressional Democrats over single-payer “Medicare for All” legislation.
Guest: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto)
“Zucked”
More than 2 billion people around the world log onto Facebook to do everything from sharing family vacation photos to scrolling through news feeds and streaming live events. But its explosive growth since its launch 15 years ago has come at a price. Multiple data breaches, including one last year affecting tens of millions of users, as well as the proliferation of misinformation campaigns to influence national elections, have prompted congressional hearings and public backlash to Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Now, a new book by a venture capitalist and early Facebook investor explains why he thinks Facebook is a “clear and present danger to democracy” and what can be done about it.
Guest: Roger McNamee, author, “Zucked”