PROFILE
FROM Kelsey Snell
Budget Deal Reached, but Will GOP Go Along? For the first time in five years, Congress may be able to pass a budget. Republican and Democratic leaders made a deal late last night after lengthy negotiations behind closed doors. Calling the bipartisan agreement " a solid agreement ," outgoing House Speaker John Boehner said he saw no reason why any member should vote against it. Kelsey Snell is a reporter for the Washington Post .
The Highway Trust Fund Encounters Congestion in Congress America's transportation system is falling apart. More than half of all roads, highways and bridges are "obsolete" or "at high risk for catastrophe." The American Society for Civil Engineers says the cost of repair will be $3.6 trillion — if money's available over the next five years. But the Highway Trust Fund will run out on Friday, with Congress leaving for summer vacation. In both the House and the Senate, long -term funding has been caught up in short-term politics. We look at the consequences of falling behind — compared to what's possible for "the world's most advanced nation."
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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.
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.
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.