'BradCast' 1/10/2019 (Guest: Tom Philpott of Mother Jones)
As Donald Trump's federal government shutdown continues over his demand for US taxpayers to foot the $5.8 billion bill for his border wall, we air his previous comments about government shutdowns charging that Presidents, not opposition parties in Congress, should be held responsible. But what he had to say about walls back in 2004 is even more amusing and/or ironic. As the shutdown drags on, the safety of the nation, including its food supply, is now endangered \u2013 including FDA food inspections, and the furloughs of workers at the Federal Aviation Administration, Secret Service, FBI, DHS cybersecurity divisions and even the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. Food and agriculture correspondent TOM PHILPOTT of Mother Jones discusses the safety (or lack thereof) of the nation's imperiled food supply, how the Trump Administration's deregulatory agenda has already undermined the safety of our food supply, and the negative impacts on farmers, craft beer makers, small business owners, and low-income families who rely on government programs for nutrition assistance. Trump reiterated that he might declare a national emergency in order to force the border wall's construction, but even rightwingers like Fox 'News' are publicly saying such a declaration would set a bad precedent. Polls show Americans increasingly blame Trump for the shutdown. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer's response to Trump's prime-time Oval Office address on Tuesday garnered higher ratings than Trump's speech (so much for his "winning" television ratings). Plus, Desi Doyen has the latest 'Green News Report', as Fiat-Chrysler agrees to pay a huge fine for using secret software to cheat on emissions testing, Trump threatens to cut off FEMA wildfire disaster relief to California, and Democrats continue to push back and push ahead on climate crisis action...