Assemblyman, State of California
Democratic Assemblyman from Van Nuys
PROFILE
Lloyd Levine
Guest
FROM Lloyd Levine
Which Way, L.A.?
Cable TV, Competition and Community Service Twenty years ago, cable companies promised to wire libraries, schools and hospitals as part of their public service. Community groups would be connected to local government, senior citizens could talk directly to city hall and politicians would be called to account on programs focusing on politics and government--all in exchange for monopoly franchise agreements with local cities and counties. Although most of those promises have not been kept, many of the franchise agreements remain. Now, even the public service programming may be at risk. In Sacramento, it's a bill to promote "competition" that's racing through the Legislature. Locally, it's Time-Warner , which is taking over from Adelphia and Comcast to become the biggest cable operator in LA and Orange Counties. We hear about the fate of public service on cable TV from local and state officials, and a former cable TV host.
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To the Point
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.
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
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.