Foxconn: Trump’s big win for American jobs?

Coming up on today’s show:

• On Thursday, Venezuelans will participate in day two of a 48 hour strike, coordinated to fall ahead of a controversial election scheduled for Sunday. Patrick Duddy, former US Ambassador to Venezuela from 2007 to 2008, joins The Takeaway to discuss what the election could mean for the country’s future. 

• Without a clear strategy, it appears that the Trump administration may use potential resource exploitation as a reason for protracted military involvement in Afghanistan. According to reports, President Trump has already discussed the country’s mineral deposits with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Stephen Carter, Afghanistan campaign leader at Global Witness, weighs in. 

• President Trump cited “tremendous medical costs” in the tweet that outlined his new policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military. But research shows that health care for active transgender personnel would account for just .13 percent of the military’s active-service health care budget.  Dr. Jennifer Conti provides health services to transgender veterans, and she joins The Takeaway to explain the significance of those services. 

• While the Senate continues with a series of votes moving toward a repeal and replace plan for the Affordable Care Act, disability rights activists are concerned over how their health care may change under a new law. Ericka Jones, disability rights activist with ADAPT and systems advocate at the Center for Disability Rights, discusses what the GOP health care plan could mean for Americans with disabilities.

• As temperatures warm, ticks are surviving the winters and moving geographically, leading to a wider spread in tick-borne diseases, which many people are unfamiliar with. Dr. Samuel Telford, professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, explains what to watch out for when it comes to ticks.

• Yesterday, Foxconn, a major Taiwanese manufacturing company, announced plans to build a factory in Wisconsin. President Trump is hailing the news as a major personal achievement, but some wonder whether this is really a win for the U.S. economy. Heather Long, economics reporter for The Washington Post, joins The Takeaway to explain what Foxconn’s move means for the politics of US manufacturing.

• Fifty years ago this week, in the wake of the Detroit riots, President Lyndon Johnson established The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission. Then Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma is the last surviving member and he joins The Takeaway to reflect on what’s changed in the 50 years since and the progress we still need to make in terms of race and equality.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.