Assistant Professor of Government, Wesleyan University
Assistant Professor of Government at Wesleyan University, blogger at ElvinLim.com and author of The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to President Bush
Healthcare Reform and Race Relations President Obama's been criticized for taking on too many issues all at the same time. He began last night's opening statement by saying that health-insurance reform fits into his broader economic strategy. After last night's news conference, the President was asked about the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates , who had forgotten his keys and was arrested while trying to get into his home.
Healthcare Reform, the Economy and the Obama Agenda Recent reports on the progress of healthcare reform have portrayed a President battling his own party in Congress while his popularity ratings decline. Republicans -- and some Democrats, say he's moving too fast toward what some call "a government takeover" and a step toward "socialism." In his press conference last night, the President pushed what he called an "affordable" plan for "quality care," not financed "on the backs of middle class families." Which messages appeal to American voters? Is a familiar debate being re-framed in the age of the Internet?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
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.
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.