A Repeal and Replace Double Take, #BlackWomenAtWork, Alaska’s Hidden History

The TakeawayMarch 29, 2017

Coming up on today’s show:

Today, the Senate Intelligence Committee holds its first open hearing on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us the latest on the hearings, and discusses what to expect from both the House and Senate investigations.

After the failure of the Republican healthcare bill, the GOP is planning to put together yet another bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY) supported Speaker Paul Ryan’s replacement plan, and he joins The Takeaway to discuss what House Republicans are planning for healthcare reform.

The GOP healthcare plan would have barred states from expanding Medicaid, but since the proposal fell apart, states like Maine, Virginia, Kansas, and North Carolina are now considering an expansion in order to cover more citizens. Randall Hardy, a freshman Republican state senator from Kansas, and Thomas Saviello, a Republican state senator from Maine, explain why they support the Medicaid expansion, despite their party affiliations.

The state of Michigan is finally offering large scale monetary relief to the people of Flint. On Tuesday, a federal judge approved a settlement that allocates $87 million to the city for the purpose of replacing roughly 18,000 contaminated water lines by 2020. Melissa Mays, a Flint resident, parent, and founder of advocacy group “Water You Fighting For,” joins The Takeaway to discuss how the people of Flint are feeling now that a settlement has been reached.
In 29 California neighborhoods, nearly 14 percent of children under the age of six have elevated levels of lead in their blood — levels that are almost three times higher than the contamination experienced by residents in Flint at the peak of the water crisis. Jill Johnston, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and director of USC’s Environmental Health Centers Outreach Program, weighs in.

After Bill O’Reilly joked about Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ hair and Sean Spicer chastised journalist April Ryan at a press conference, women on social media are discussing sexism and racism on the job with the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork. Rebecca Carroll, special projects producer for WNYC, discusses this viral social media moment and her own experience as a woman of color.

One hundred and fifty years ago, the United States agreed to give the Russia Empire $7.2 million in exchange for 586,412 square miles of Alaskan wilderness. It would be another 92 years before we would start calling Alaska a state. Mike Dunham, author of “The Man who Sold Alaska” and “The Man who Bought Alaska,” examines how the deal came together, how Russian culture has survived in Alaska, and the significance of the purchase for the United States.