Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Republican's Obamacare replacement bill, explained
Republicans announced a plan to replace Obamacare this week. It gets rid of the individual mandate and restricts the amount of people who can be covered by Medicaid. It also says Medicaid cannot be used at Planned Parenthood for such things as contraception and mammograms. What will the plan mean for Planned Parenthood? And for the millions of Californians covered under the ACA?
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenPhoto: Demonstrators protest over the repeal and replacement of Obamacare outside the offices of Republican congressman Darryl Issa in Vista, California, U.S., March 7, 2017. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
In this episode
5 storiesWhat will the GOP health care plan mean for Californians?
Republicans announced a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. It removes the requirement that you have to buy insurance – the individual mandate – and places restrictions on the number of people who can be covered by Medicaid. California has covered more people through the Affordable Care Act than any other state.
Read the story10 minObamacare replacement strips Planned Parenthood of federal funds
The Republican healthcare plan says Medicaid cannot be used at Planned Parenthood for such things as contraception and mammograms. Since Medicaid is the single largest source of funding for Planned Parenthood, what will the impact of that be on California, home to more Planned Parenthood clinics than any other state?
Read the story5 minWikileaks exposes alleged CIA hacking secrets
Wikileaks released thousands of documents Tuesday claiming to show how the CIA can hack into personal devices such as smartphones, computers, even some internet-connected TVs. The documents are still being authenticated, but if they turn out to be real, their release could have major ramifications for Silicon Valley and the tech world at large.
Read the story11 minHow a dyslexic spy stole reams of government secrets
One of the biggest thefts of American secret documents was carried out by Brian Regan, a dyslexic staffer at the National Reconnaissance Office. Why did he do it? For money and revenge. Regan’s story is told in the book ‘The Spy Who Couldn't Spell.’
Read the story14 min'The Americans' seems incredibly timely right now
With all the talk of secret Russian operatives, spies and espionage in the news these days, the television show “The Americans” seems incredibly timely today. The series, created by a former CIA officer, follows two Soviet spies who pose as a married American couple in Washington during the Cold War.
Read the story8 min
