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New York Times
Thomas Kaplan is a congressional correspondent for the New York Times.
PROFILE
Thomas Kaplan
Guest
FROM Thomas Kaplan
To the Point
GOP budget proposal paves way for massive tax cuts In a party-line vote – except for Rand Paul of Kentucky, Senate Republicans passed the framework for a budget last night, but a detailed spending plan will come later. The objective was to protect a massive proposed tax cut from a Democratic filibuster. Thomas Kaplan, who covers Congress for the New York Times , says the move paves the way for a massive tax overhaul.
To the Point
Is It Time to Retreat from the Sea? Forget spending billions in tax dollars to rebuild coastal developments destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. New York's Governor Cuomo says he has a better idea. Buy up vulnerable properties, restore the beaches to their natural condition, and enjoy a publicly owned resource until the inevitable happens again. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office doesn't go that far, but it is warning that climate change is one of the highest risks to financial stability. Are the beaches the first place to prepare for the consequences of climate change? Where will it happen next?
To the Point
New York State Passes First Gun Bill Since Newtown Last night, New York’s Republican-controlled State Senate approved new gun controls by a vote of 43 to 18. Today, the Assembly—led by Democrats—is expected to go along and Governor Cuomo is ready to sign the package into law.
To the Point
Gay Couples Rush to Exchange Vows in New York In New York, a bruising, multi-year legislative battle ended last month when the State Senate approved same-sex marriage by a narrow margin, instantly doubling the number of Americans who live in states where gay and lesbian couple can wed. Couples from all over the state, as well as a hundred from other states, rushed to wed Sunday. Over a thousand ceremonies were celebrated in New York City alone, where temperatures were high, but the mood was even higher. After an 11-year engagement, one couple wed beside Niagara Falls, a minute past after midnight. Thomas Kaplan reports on politics for the New York Times .
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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.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
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.
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.