Trump on Shutdown Day 31: 'No Cave!'
Now in its 31st day, the government shutdown now threatens a second paycheck for hundreds of thousands of federal employees. Senate Republicans have put forward a spending bill this week that would require $5.7 billion for President Trump's long-promised border wall and includes a temporary DACA extension. Democrats have called that deal "hostage-taking," and are pushing a bill in the House that would reopen the government with billions of dollars for border security, minus a wall along the southern border. Elsewhere, more Democrats are gearing up for the 2020 presidential race, with California Sen. Kamala Harris the latest to throw her hat in the ring.
Jim Braude was joined by Beth Lindstrom, former state secretary of consumer affairs under Romney, who ran in the Republican primary to challenge Elizabeth Warren in last fall; and Rufus Gifford, former U.S. Ambassador and Obama campaign aide who ran in the crowded Democratic primary for Massachusetts third congressional district.
2020 Starts In Puerto Rico, Still Recovering From Maria
As the race for 2020 is already underway, Puerto Rico is becoming an unusual center of attention. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is visiting the U.S. territory tonight, just a week after former HUD Secretary Julian Castro announced his candidacy from there. It has now been well over a year since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, devastating the area and driving out thousands of residents who no longer had a safe home, power, or access to clean water and food. Many came to Massachusetts. But it's only recently that nearly all have finally found permanent housing here. And as Tina Martin reports, it's been a difficult journey.
Where Does #OscarsSoWhite Stand Today?
The 91st annual Academy Award nominees were announced this morning, making some history in the process. The streaming service Netflix got its first-ever best picture nominee with "Roma," a film about a domestic worker set in Mexico in the 1970s. "Black Panther" got a best picture nod as well — the first-ever superhero movie in the category. Rounding out the list were "A Star Is Born," "BlacKkKlansman," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "The Favourite," "Green Book" and "Vice."
But four years since the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, questions about diversity remain, with just one black actor and one black actress out of 20 overall acting nominees, and not a single woman nominated for directing or cinematography. So are we making progress?
Jim Braude was joined by WGBH News Arts Editor Jared Bowen; and Michael Jeffries, a sociologist and American Studies professor at Wellesley College.
IMHO: Forget The Border, Sue The Suppliers
Jim Braude shares his thoughts on how those pointing at the southern border as the source of our drug crisis should look a lot closer to home – right here in Cambridge and Somerville, in fact.
