March 27 - Suing Sessions on Behalf of Sanctuary Communities; Is Devon Nunes a Saboteur or Just Dumb?; Can Trump Make Obamacare "Explode"?

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the announcement today by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the Trump Administration will withhold $4.1 billion in DOJ grants unless some 300 American communities can certify that they are not so-called sanctuary cities and counties. Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice in Boston, who is the first to sue the Trump Administration on behalf of sanctuary communities, joins us. Wediscuss how the issue of state’s rights comes into play in this case when the Federal government is trying to impose its will and muscle smaller communities that want to uphold the law for all citizens into adopting policies that will result in minority communities not cooperating with local police.

Part 2

Then, following today's call from Senator Schumer for Paul Ryan to replace Devon Nunes, we assess whether the Republican Chair of the House Intelligence Committee is trying to sabotage inquiries into the Trump Administration’s alleged ties to Russia or if he is just a dumb guy put in charge of overseeing intelligence. David Halperin, a former counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee joins us to discuss the desperate and clumsy attempt to give Trump cover with so-called “intelligence” that Nunes was given by the White House the day before he showed up there again to hand the target of an investigation “evidence” that Trump claims exonerates him.

Part 3

Then finally we look into the extent to which Trump can sabotage Obamacare, which after the Trump-Ryan repeal and replace plan blew up, a chastened Paul Ryan reminded us is now the law of the land. An expert on health policies, James Morone, a professor of Political Science and Urban Studies at Brown University and author of “The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office” joins us to discuss whether Trump can make his claim that Obamacare will “explode” a reality.