White House Correspondent, Politics Daily
White House correspondent for Politics Daily, an online news magazine
PROFILE
Alex Wagner
Guest
FROM Alex Wagner
To the Point
Does Rhee's Departure Signal End to Teacher-Centered Ed Reform? As Chancellor of Washington, DC's notorious public schools, Michelle Rhee got national attention for closing 23 poor-performing schools and firing 500 teachers. But the poster-child for President Obama's " Race to the Top " has resigned after the mayor who hired her lost his bid for re-nomination. What will that mean for "Race to the Top" and school reform based on teacher accountability? Is it a win for teachers' unions and the seniority system? Are other factors just as important as teachers when it comes to improving the quality of public education? Our guests today include Davis Guggenheim, director of the school-reform documentary, Waiting for Superman .
To the Point
Immigration and the Fourth of July In the aftermath of Arizona's new immigration law , with the prospect of other states passing similar crackdowns, President Obama has made an impassioned plea for comprehensive immigration reform, although there's no chance of action before November's elections. Transparently courting the votes of Hispanics, he bashed the Republicans. But he also addressed all sides of an issue that is polarizing the nation. He wants accountability for the federal government's failures, the greed of employers and the lawbreaking by undocumented workers. Will his speech help resolve differences or make them worse? Will it stop other states from going the way of Arizona?
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
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.