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?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
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.
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.