Wounded American soldiers being carried on wheel litters in the Argonne region of France.; Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

To mark the 100th year of America’s entry into World War I, the Library of America is rolling out a volume containing stories and writings by American participants and observers of the conflict.

The writing of 88 men and women are collected in the book – soldiers, nurses, politicians, journalists – to provide a kaleidoscopic look at what happened from the outbreak of war in 1914, through the Armistice, and the Paris Peace Conference.

Noted historian A. Scott Berg, who edited the book, joins Larry to talk about these stories.

Guest:

A. Scott Berg, Pulitzer prize winning author of the biography Lindbergh (1998) and the National Book Award recipient for Max Perkins: Editor of Genius (1978); most recently, he is the editor of an anthology of American writing, World War I and America: Told By the Americans Who Lived It

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Graduating Stanford University students partcipate in the "Wacky Walk" before the start of the 123rd Stanford commencement ceremony June 15, 2014 in Stanford, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

College affordability has emerged as a major economic and social issue.

To that end, a group of California Assembly Democrats are proposing a general college aid plan that would cover tuition -- and also some living expenses -- for Cal State and UC students. It would also increase grants to community college students and cover the first year of tuition for full-time students, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The price tag, however, would be hefty. The program is estimated to cost the state $1.6 billion a year.

Guests:

Assemblyman Jose Medina(D-Riverside, Moreno Valley), chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee who supports the proposal that will be announced today

Jessie Ryan, executive vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, a California-based non profit

Neal McCluskey, director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute

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President Donald Trump (2nd R) hosts Office of Managment and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney (L) and Republican Congressional leaders (2nd L-R) Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) and others.; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

What effect will the House Republican health insurance plan have on healthcare?

We should know a lot more sometime today. The Congressional Budget Office will release its analysis of the proposed ACA replacement. At issue, its effect on insurance premiums, extent of coverage, and quality of care. We'll look at the potential pros and cons of the Obamacare replacement.

Guests:

Lisa Garcia Bedolla, professor of education and political science at UC Berkeley

Pete Peterson, dean of the School of Public Policy and senior fellow at The Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University

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395716 05: An American flag flies at sunset October 11, 2001 in downtown Los Angeles as the city is placed on highest alert after the F.B.I. warned of a possible terrorist attack in the near future.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Nearly 300 law professors have signed a letter to President Trump, contending it's unconstitutional to cut federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities.

They argue that the part executive order on immigration that President Trump signed last week that will yank federal funding to jurisdictions who won’t rescind their sanctuary city policies violates the Tenth Amendment and is an overreach of the president’s powers. 

Guests:

Pratheepan (Deep) Gulasekaram, professor of law at Santa Clara Law, where he specializes in constitutional and immigration law

Jim Copland, senior fellow and director of legal policy at the Manhattan Institute

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A lab technician takes a saliva sample for DNA testing at the Genetic Institute Nantes-Atlantique (IGNA) on December 10, 2015 in Nantes, western France. ; Credit: GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images

A bill introduced by the Committee on Education and the Workforce would impose new penalties on employees who opt-out of genetic testing under voluntary work wellness programs.

As reported by the New York Times, the bill was introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, (R-N.C.), chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. While Foxx argues mandatory genetic testing under these programs would help with company health care costs, opponents of the bill are criticizing the impact on patient privacy.

What do you think of the bill? Should genetic testing be mandatory under wellness programs?

*Note: We reached out to the Virginia Foxx, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce which introduced the bill, but did not hear back in time for our air.

Guests:

Reed Abelson, reporter for the New York Times covering health care; she wrote the recent article, “How Healthy Are You? G.O.P. Bill Would Help Employers Find Out”

Deborah Peel, MD, founder and president of Patient Privacy Rights, a group dedicated to ensuring that Americans control all access to their health records

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price (L) and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney talk to reporters following the release of the Congressional Budget Office report on the proposed American Health Care Act.; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

As the healthcare battle continues between conservatives and Dems, a nonpartisan voice Monday gave its two cents on the American Health Care Act, the new G.O.P. bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, or C.B.O.’s review of the Republicans health care plan, 24 million less people would have coverage and take cuts to Medicaid and private subsidies which would decrease the deficit by $337 billion within a decade. As reported by POLITICO, that has garnered criticism from Democratic lawmakers. And the C.B.O. is famously objective, which potentially doesn’t bode well for the G.O.P.’s new plan.

So what does this mean for the future of healthcare in America?

Guests:

Jennifer Haberkorn, senior health care reporter for POLITICO Pro; she has been following the story; she tweets @jenhab

Grace-Marie Turner, founder and president of the Galen Institute, a nonprofit policy research organization focusing on health care and tax policy; she’s also a contributor to Forbes.com; she tweets @gracemarietweets

Kavita Patel, M.D., nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; she’s also a practicing primary care physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine and was previously a director of policy for The White House under President Obama; she tweets @kavitapmd

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A couple walks the beach at Coney Island on March 9, 2016 in New York.
; Credit: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

The children's author Amy Krouse Rosenthal has died of ovarian cancer at the age of 51.

Her tragic struggle with cancer was much-discussed, thanks to a Modern Love column published earlier this month titled "You May Want to Marry My Husband.” Rosenthal said she wrote the essay to memorialize her marriage to husband Jason and to tout his credentials as a great partner and father, perhaps sparking a future romance after her death. In Modern Love, she provides readers with Jason's basic dating profile stats--height, weight, hair color--and goes on to describe his skills as a travel companion, painter, and pancake-flipper.

Rosenthal said in the NYTimes:

"I am wrapping this up on Valentine's Day, and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins."

The piece was shared widely on social media and began a conversation on death, grieving, and dating after losing a partner. Now that Rosenthal has passed, there is renewed attention on the story and an opportunity to invite AirTalk listeners to share their experiences.

How have you handled conversations around dating after the death of a spouse? If you or a loved one is terminally ill, do you talk about the prospect of moving on with a new partner in the future?

Guests: 

Camille Wortman, professor of social and health psychology at Stony Brook University in New York.  Her area of expertise is grief and bereavement

Julie Cederbaum, associate professor of social work at USC; she specializes in clinical social work with children and families

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

According to the Consumer Price Index, rental prices in Southern California have spiked 4.7 percent in 2016 compared to 3.9 percent in 2015. The increase is the fastest since 2007. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Housing and rental prices have gone up in tandem in California.

A state bill recently introduced in the California Legislature wants to lower rental prices by overturning a 1995 law.

AB 1506, co-sponsored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), seeks to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Among other things, the 22-year-old law banned rent control on residential buildings constructed after 1999, and also allows property owners of rent-controlled buildings to raise rent to market rate if the units are vacated voluntarily.

Guests:

Dean Preston, executive director of Tenants Together, a statewide renters’ rights organization

Fred Sutton, director of Government Affairs at the Apartment Association of Great Los Angeles, an advocacy organization for the multifamily housing industry

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US President Barack Obama (L) talks to Dr. Russell Moore, Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville, TN.; Credit: YURI GRIPAS/AFP/Getty Images

President of the Southern Baptism Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Russell Moore might lose his job because of backlash to his criticism of President Trump and religious leaders who supported his campaign.

According to the Washington Post, over 100 churches have threatened to cut funds from the Southern Baptist Convention’s umbrella fund. If Moore gets ousted, it could mean controversy for the already divided Protestant denomination.

What are the political, racial and ideological divisions within the SBC? Is the controversy over Russell Moore a symptom of a larger fracturing?

Guests: 

Sarah Pulliam Bailey, religion reporter for the Washington Post, who’s been following the story

Tom Krattenmaker, religion and public life writer and author of several books on religion, including "The Evangelicals You Don't Know: Introducing the Next Generation of Christians" (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013)

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye attends the emergency cabinet meeting at the presidential office on December 9, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. ; Credit: Bluehouse Handout/Getty Images

The political scandal roiling South Korea for the last 6 months has come to an end of sorts, with the impeachment of the country’s first female president, Park Geun-hye.

Park was charged with giving a personal friend access to sensitive government information, and for allowing her to make governmental decisions. Protests have swept the country since these allegations first surfaced, and the scope of the investigation has reached as far as the head of Samsung.

On Friday, a panel of judges ruled the move to impeach Park by lawmakers should be upheld, ending Park’s 4 year reign.

What’s next for South Korea after Park’s ouster? How has the scandal spiked conversations throughout the Korean community here in LA? We want to hear local listener reactions to the impact and repercussions of what's happening back at home.

Guests:

Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor in Korean Studies at Tufts University 

Hyepin Im, president and CEO of Korean Churches for Community Development

Katharine H.S. Moon, a professor of Political Science and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; she is an expert on the Koreas

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck at a news conference in October.; Credit: Nick Ut/AP

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck joins AirTalk today to talk with Larry about his plans to work with Mayor Garcetti to reduce  L.A.’s uptick in violent crime.  

Chief Beck will also address the potential expansion of a high-tech system used to locate shooters, as well as Metro’s new security plan which shifts a portion of security responsibility to the LAPD.

Other recent developments include L.A. lawmakers asking LAPD to put more officers on the city streets, the shooting and killing of a Whittier officer, the expansion of the Community Safety Partnership Program and more.

Call in with your questions for Chief Beck.  

Guest:

Charlie Beck, chief, Los Angeles Police Department; he tweets @LAPDChiefBeck

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally organized by the Tea Party Patriots against the Iran nuclear deal in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC.; Credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

"Never Trumpers" "Ever Trumpers" and "Safe Space" conservatives.

That's how Tevi Troy describes the new camps on the GOP landscape. In his POLITICO piece, "How Trump Split Conservatives Three Ways," Troy examines how conservative politics have evolved and created unfamiliar posturing over the course of President Trump's rise.

Troy joins Larry today to talk about what to expect as the new administration moves forward, and shares insight on the right's reaction to the nation's new leader.

Guest:

Tevi Troy, president of the American Health Policy Institute and author of the book, "Shall We Wake the President? Two Centuries of Disaster Management from the Oval Office"

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Stephen Colbert visits "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" at Rockefeller Center on February 17, 2014 in New York City.; Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Tonight Sho

The new White House has arguably been very good for one industry: standup comedy.

And late-night TV has taken note. By foregrounding pointed political humor that often targets the Trump administration, Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” has beaten Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” in ratings in recent weeks.

Word is that Fallon’s “The Tonight Show,” which has typically stayed clear of politics, is contemplating moving toward a more political direction to win back the late-night crown.

This increased politicization of TV doesn’t end with the late-night shows, however. Proving that there’s an appetite for news and comedy, “Weekend Update” -- the popular Saturday Night Live staple -- has just gotten the greenlight for a trial primetime run this August.

How are audiences responding to the trend?

Guest:

Dominic Patten, Senior Editor and Chief TV Critic at the news and entertainment site, Deadline; he tweets @DeadlineDominic

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A staff member reveals a wanted poser of Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin, one of three Russians charged for in the 2014 hacking of Yahoo, during a press conference at the US Department of Justice on March 15, 2017 in Washington, DC.
; Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

For the first time ever, the US is charging two Russian intelligence officers and two hackers with the mega hacking of Yahoo in 2014.

The hack affected at least half-a-billion users. Meanwhile, FBI Director James Comey is scheduled to disclose Monday whether the Bureau is investigating Trump campaign contacts with Russia.

Guests: 

Shane Harris, senior writer on national security for the Wall Street Journal

Alistair Barr, technology editor at Bloomberg news

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announces his decision on potential action regarding President Donald Trump's latest Executive Order on immigration on March 9, 2017. ; Credit: Karen Ducey/Getty Images

Donald Trump's revised executive order banning travel from six majority Muslim countries is facing legal challenges in multiple courtrooms today.

The ACLU and other immigration groups are suing in Maryland for an injunction to stay the order. Arguments in that case center on whether it's legal to change the number of refugees accepted into the U.S. in the middle of the fiscal year. The state of Hawaii will also have a hearing today on its lawsuit claiming the order will harm university students, tourism, and Muslims who live in the state.

The attorney general of Washington State wants to bring the same challenge that stayed President Trump's first executive order back to the courtroom of federal district Judge James Robart. Robart has left the door open to arguments by telephone today, and could rule at any time on whether his previous temporary restraining order still applies.

There are a number of tweaks in the latest executive order. Iraq is no longer included in the ban, Syrian refugees are not indefinitely blocked, and there are no longer exceptions built in for religious minorities.  

Critics say the core of the order remains the same--it's an attempt to implement the Muslim ban promised by candidate Trump, and it violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, preventing the government from showing preference for a particular religion.
The Justice Department argues the new order is legal and necessary for national security--and prior injunctions should not apply to the latest executive order.

How will the President's revised executive order on travel stand up to legal challenges? And what will it mean for people in the Los Angeles area when (and if) it kicks-in at 12:01 AM Thursday?

Guests: 

Ahilan Arulanantham, legal director and director of advocacy at the ACLU of Southern California

James Copland, director of legal policy and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

An Obamacare logo is shown on the door of the UniVista Insurance agency in Miami, Florida on January 10, 2017. ; Credit: RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

The GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act cleared a major hurdle this morning, as the House Budget Committee voted to advance the bill.

Three Republicans voted against the Trump-backed bill, joining all 14 Democrats in the committee. But that wasn’t enough to stop the bill from moving on to the next phase.

Conservatives are not unified their support for the replacement proposal. Noting split, both President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have come out and said that they are open to revising the plan to gain wider support.

Guests:

Jen Haberkorn, senior healthcare reporter at POLITICO

Avik Roy, opinion editor at Forbes, and former policy advisor to Marco Rubio, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney; his piece on the CBO report has been published in Forbes

Doug Badger, senior fellow at the Galen Institute, a nonprofit public policy research organization on healthcare issues; he was a senior White House adviser to President George W. Bush on health-related issues; his piece on the CBO report is published today in the National Review

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A Volkswagen AG (VW) 'Cedric' self-driving automobile is presented during the Volkswagen Group Shaping The Future / Create Innovation event ahead of the 87th Geneva International Motor Show on March 6, 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. ; Credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

Paying attention to the road may be optional starting as early as next year.

That is, if a California Department of Motor Vehicles proposal goes through. As reported by the Associated Press, the DMV issued proposed rules last week to road-test self-driving cars. This applies to truly driverless vehicles, without a wheel or any other way for the person inside to operate it.

According to DMV rules, the cars could be road-tested starting late 2017, and become commercially available by 2018. The rules are also subject to a public comment period and federal approval would still be needed before the people could hit the road in fully autonomous vehicles.

Do you think these cars are almost ready for prime-time? Would you feel safe in driverless technology by 2018?

Guests:

Ashley Z. Hand, co-founder of CityFi, a company that focuses on the integration of technology in the urban environment. She recently served as the Transportation Technology Strategist for the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and developed public policy for shared mobility, automated vehicles and other technologies; she tweets @azhandkc

Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog; the organization has raised concerns about the safety of driverless vehicles

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

U.S. Immigration inspectors check passports July 2, 2002 at Miami International Airport in Miami, Forida.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Wall Street Journal reported on a recent study out of UC San Diego and the University of Michigan that looked at the impact of the H-1B visa program on wages and employment.

Researchers focused on a period between 1994 and 2001, which is the longest period on record of maximum H-1B claims (total of 85,000 per year) made by employers:

"[Researchers] found that, while the visa program bolstered the U.S. economy and corporate profits, tech-industry wages would have been as much as 5.1% higher in the absence of the H-1B visa program and employment of U.S. workers in the field would have been as much as 10.8% higher in 2001."

Critics of the study say other research has shown the immigration of highly skilled workers--not specifically H-1B recipients--has an overall positive effect on wages and employment. While the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Trump administration recently announced it is suspending for six months the fast-track visa processing option for H-1B applications, it's unclear if the President is sticking by his hard line campaign rhetoric on foreign workers. Supporters who want President Trump to fulfill his promise to "end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program" say by simply suspending the $1,225 premium processing option, he's not doing enough to protect American workers.

What's the future of H-1B's under the Trump administration? How is the uncertainty impacting businesses that rely on the visa program to find skilled workers? For employees or students about to graduate and enter the labor market, do you think you are unfairly expected to compete against foreign workers?

Guests:

Gaurav Khanna, co-author of the study, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Global Development

Dick Burke, president and CEO of Envoy, a Chicago-based immigration services provider

John Miano, Center for Immigration Studies

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney answers questions regarding the budget proposal from the Trump Administration during a White House daily briefing on February 27, 2017.; Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Trump’s first federal budget proposal is out and, as many following its release expected, it calls for a major increase in defense spending while slashing the budgets of a number of government agencies, including 12 of the 15 Cabinet-level departments.

The plan, titled “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” calls for a $54 billion increase in spending on defense and national security, making the U.S. military and the Department of Homeland Security the big winners. The Departments of Labor, State, and Agriculture would all see cuts of more than 20 percent and the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget would be slashed by 30 percent. President Trump also asks for a $1.7 billion infusion this year, increasing to $2.6 billion next year, to start building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, so despite his campaign promise that Mexico would pay for the wall, it appears that U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill for the time being. Major themes absent from the budget include increases in infrastructure spending, a departure from Trump’s campaign promise to create a $1 trillion infrastructure program. Despite saying during his campaign that he wanted to eliminate disease, he’s also cutting the National Institutes of Health’s budget by almost $6 billion. As expected, future federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been eliminated.

What do you think of the spending priorities as set forth by the Trump Administration in his budget proposal? What are you happy to see?

Guests:

Roberta Rampton, White House correspondent for Reuters; she wrote the article, “Military wins in first Trump budget; environment, aid lose big;” she tweets @robertarampton

Romina Boccia, leading fiscal and economic expert at The Heritage Foundation, focuses on government spending and the national debt

Harry Stein, director of fiscal policy at the Center for American Progress

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (C) poses for a photograph with US Gen. Vincent K. Brooks (R), commander of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea, and deputy Commander of the Combined Force Command General Leem Ho-young (L) as two North Korean soldiers (top) look on at the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, on March 17, 2017.; Credit: LEE JIN-MAN/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea has emerged as a major issue during Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first official trip to Asia this week. At a press conference in Seoul, Tillerson said all options are on the table when it comes to dealing with North Korea and its rising nuclear capability, including the use of military force.

"Certainly, we do not want things to get to a military conflict ... but obviously, if North Korea takes actions that threatens the South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response,” Tillerson said in response to a question.

Tillerson also rejected the idea of negotiating with North Korea. The country’s nuclear threats that gained traction during the Obama Administration are coming to the fore. As reported by the New York Times, North Korea successfully launched three medium-range rockets, all in less than a year. And that country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is also boasting final preparations for an intercontinental missile test.

So how prepared is the U.S. to take on a nuclear threat? When testing interceptors in California and Alaska, results came back with a failure rate of 56 percent. So what’s left us so unprepared? And what tactics are in the works to protect the country from North Korea’s growing nuclear power?

Guests: 

Sung Yoon Lee, an expert on the Koreas and professor in Korean Studies at Tufts University

William J. Broad, science journalist and senior writer at the New York Times. He co-authored the article, “Trump Inherits a Secret Cyberwar Against North Korean Missiles”

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.