Former US Senator
Former Democratic US Senator for California and Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
PROFILE
Barbara Boxer
Guest
FROM Barbara Boxer
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Barbara Boxer wants to be an unyielding check on Trump's policies After spending more than three decades in Congress, California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer stepped down from her seat last month. Democrats are in the minority in Washington DC. But Boxer has a plan to change that.
To the Point
The Keystone XL Pipeline Divides the Democrats After more than five years of passionate debate. last week the Obama Administration announced another delay in the Keystone XL Pipeline , designed to bring oil from Canadian tar sands across the border and on to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Republicans call it "shameful" to put off increasing oil supplies from a friendly neighbor. But Democrats are sharply divided, caught between oil interests, organized labor and environmentalists, who praise the delay in the interests of climate change and potential health affects. What's the role of this year's midterm elections and control of the Senate? What do cowboys and Indians have to do with it?
Which Way, L.A.?
What Will the Looming Austerity Cuts Mean for Los Angeles? At the moment there does not seem to be an alternative to the deep federal budget cuts, known as the " sequester ," going into effect on Friday. It looks like $85 billion in cuts to discretionary programs this year, and $1.2 trillion over the next decade. No one is precisely sure how this will affect California, the City of Los Angeles and you .
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To the Point
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?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
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.