Tax reform is the buzzy phrase of the week in Washington D.C. as Congressional Republicans eye a much-needed legislative victory in passing the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul package.
The bill is expected to pass along party lines, though Democrats are making a last-ditch effort to convince some Republicans on the fence to vote ‘no.’ There’s little room for dissent for Republicans, who hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate.
Meanwhile, at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., President Trump is preparing to deliver a speech that will broadly define his stance on national security. He is expected to talk about the need for bolstering the military and throttling the flow of immigrants into the U.S.
President Trump has said he is not considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mueller has been in the president’s crosshairs for some time now, and that isn’t changing after the news that lawyers for the Trump transition team are saying that Mueller improperly obtained transition team emails and are asking for them to be given back. Mueller’s office maintains they got the emails through the proper channels.
We’ll also talk about what Doug Jones’ win in Alabama means for future Democratic prospects and explore the political implications of last week’s repeal of net neutrality rules.
Guests:
Lisa Mascaro, congressional reporter for the Los Angeles Times; she tweets @LisaMascaro
Mara Liasson, national political correspondent for NPR; she tweets @MaraLiasson
Lisa Garcia Bedolla, professor in the Graduate School of Education and director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley
Lanhee Chen, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and former policy director for the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign; he tweets @lanheechen