Professor of Neurosurgery at UCLA School of Medicine
Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center and Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine, with an expertise in neurovascular surgery
Will Medical Illness Mean Political Change? While the rest of the country copes with the weather and makes holiday plans, Washington's "political class" is buzzing about brain surgery. South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson is in stable condition after surprise brain surgery Wednesday night. Nevada's Harry Reid has been visiting George Washington University hospital every day and says Senator Johnson looks "really good" to him. But the same may not be true of the one-seat Democratic majority that Reid is expected to lead as Johnson's sudden ailment could alter Democrats' one-vote balance of power in the US Senate. Or could it? The Senate is bound by tradition and, back in the 40's, one member served four years without ever attending a session. In these polarized times, will the Upper House maintain its historic gentility or give way to the partisan demands of the moment?
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?