Physicians for a National Health Program
Private anesthesiologist in Portland, Oregon; member of Physicians for a National Health Program and Mad As Hell Doctors, two organizations committed to a single payer system
PROFILE
Samuel Metz
Guest
FROM Samuel Metz
Which Way, L.A.?
Healthcare Reform: Should Obama Have Fought for Single-Payer? The US Supreme Court opened a new session today with an unexpected challenge. The Obama Justice Department has asked that it resolve differences between lower courts on the President’s controversial healthcare reform, specifically the mandate for all Americans to buy health insurance whether they want to or not. What could that mean for next year's elections? Is a "single payer" plan providing "universal coverage" still a live issue after all?
To the Point
The President, the US Supreme Court and Healthcare Reform The US Supreme Court opens a new session today with an unexpected challenge. President Obama's healthcare reform requires all Americans to buy health insurance, but 26 states have sued, claiming that's unconstitutional. The federal courts are so divided that the Obama Justice Department has now asked the Supreme Court to resolve the issue once and for all. That could be a major gamble for his re-election campaign, depending on whether the court takes the case, what it decides and when. With health costs and premiums rising, it also poses a lingering question: should the President have proposed a single-payer plan in the first place?
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.