A Healthcare Collapse, Buying American, The Lasting Legacy of Jane Austen

Coming up on today’s show:

• The Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare has fallen apart. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Mike Lee of Utah announced last night that they will not support the GOP healthcare bill in its current form, which leaves Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell without the votes he needs to pass The American Health Care Act. Jeffrey Young, a senior reporter for HuffPost, explains what we can expect going forward. 

• This week, the Trump Administration is highlighting domestic businesses and products with “Made in America” week. But what are the realities of American manufacturing? David Autor, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, looks at how this slogan has evolved historically, and the challenges of producing products in America.

• President Donald Trump has pledged to support the U.S. steel industry by introducing tariffs on cheap imported steel, but many American manufacturers and energy companies rely on steel from overseas. Stuart Speyer, president of Tennessee-based manufacturing company Tennsco Corp., explains how such a tariff could impact his business. 

• Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it plans to eliminate funding for programs designed to prevent teen pregnancies. Luanne Rohrbach, an associate professor of preventative medicine at the University of Southern California and co-director of Keeping it Real Together, a sexual health education program that will lose its federal funding next year, explains how these cuts could impact teen pregnancy rates across the country. 

• Sports franchises tend to stay away from political issues, but not the Seattle Storm — they’re leaning in. Tonight, the WNBA team is holding a rally for Planned Parenthood before their game against the Chicago Sky. Dave Zirin,sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of “The Edge of Sports” podcast, says the rally is also a reflection of the political climate in Seattle.

• This week’s Case In Point from The Marshall Project explores why it’s so difficult to prosecute prison guards for sexual assault. Guards are often covered by the concept of “qualified immunity,” which protects public officials from civil liability.  Andrew Cohen, senior editor of The Marshall Project, and Jennifer Laurin, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, have the details. 

• On this day 200 years ago, acclaimed author Jane Austen died. This year, there has been a renewed interest in her work and legacy, according to Juliette Wells, author of “Everybody’s Jane: Austen in the Popular Imagination.”

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.