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Reuters
Reporter covering California politics and policy issues for Reuters; former reporter and editor for the Los Angeles Times, covering small business and restaurants
PROFILE
Sharon Bernstein
Guest
FROM Sharon Bernstein
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Bicoastal Conferences While Republicans gathered on the East Coast for their national the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, California Democrats held their state convention in Los Angeles. We check in on both conferences to find out what was discussed and what it says about the future of each party.
Which Way, L.A.?
College Officials Cope with a Rare Disease Finals ended the first quarter at UC Santa Barbara last week, and many students have left the campus. But there's still concern about the bacterial meningitis that broke out there last month. A freshman lacrosse player's feet had to be amputated, and some parents were demanding that the Centers for Disease Control allow students to be inoculated with a vaccine not yet approved in the US. At Princeton University in New Jersey, 5000 students started getting those shots last week. At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and at UC Riverside there have been cases of viral meningitis, a much less severe form of the illness.
Which Way, L.A.?
California to Raise Minimum Wage to $10 an Hour Governor Brown celebrated in Los Angeles today, then flew to Oakland to put his signature on a bill that will increase California's minimum wage for the first time since 2008. Democrats in the Legislature were all for it, but Republicans said it would do more harm than good. Sharon Bernstein reports from Sacramento for the Reuters News Service .
To the Point
Nutrition Group Takes Aim at Happy Meal Toys Plastic toys with Happy Meals encourage kids to eat the food that's producing an epidemic of childhood obesity. Santa Clara County, home to California's Silicon Valley, has made a decision to actively promote childhood nutrition and has banned such giveaways in unincorporated areas. One self-styled consumer watchdog group is threatening to sue . Sharon Bernstein is covering that story for the Los Angeles Times .
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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
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
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
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?