Left, Right & Center

Authorities were still searching for survivors of the deadly July 4 floods in Central Texas when some Democrats started asking whether President Donald Trump’s cuts at the National Weather Service exacerbated the disaster. Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, accused those Democrats of “partisan finger-pointing.” How early is too early to talk about accountability? And is a nuanced policy conversation to prevent future tragedies possible in our political climate? Democratic strategist Rebecca Pearcey joins on the left, Republican strategist Mike Dubke joins on the right, and host David Greene holds down the center.  Five years after the pandemic, American kids are still struggling in reading and math. Glimmers of hope are shining in red states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. What are those states doing right? And are both parties too distracted by the culture war to focus on improving public education? Elon Musk threatened to start a third party if Trump passed his “Big Beautiful Bill.” The tech billionaire launched that party on X this week, saying he wants to represent the “80%” of Americans “in the middle.” Is anyone on the left or the right taking him seriously? Or is this just the latest development in his very-public spat with the president?

Congress signed into law the “Big Beautiful Bill” this week. The bill survived slim margins to passage through the Republican-led Senate and House. GOP Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina was one of its strongest holdouts, citing the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts outlined by the bill. His opposition created a war of words with President Trump and led Tillis to announce he would not seek re-election. Senator Tillis cited the lack of compromise and bipartisanship in Washington under the president. But is compromise truly a thing of the past? Or is it as essential to this political moment as ever? Parental opt-outs for school curriculum have usually been reserved for lessons on sexual education. That changed with a ruling from the Supreme Court at the end of its recent term. In a 6-3 decision, the court decided that parents in Maryland had the right to opt their children out of lessons featuring characters that go against the parents’ religious beliefs. The case revolved around a school district’s decision to incorporate storybooks with LGBTQ characters. Should parents have a bigger role in what their kids learn at school?

President Trump’s decision to strike Iran has sparked debate in Congress over the executive branch’s ability to take military action without authorization. The strikes Trump ordered last week were in line with recent precedent. But some critics and supporters alike are calling for restrictions to his ability to take further action in Iran. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the debate ill-timed, and openly questioned the constitutionality of the War Powers Act. That act requires the president to seek Congressional approval before declarations of war. Is this another battleground in the fight over legislative checks and balances? Trump’s assistance with a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran led to a warm reception at a NATO security summit later in the week. The summit was planned to discuss the war in Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and Iran, and other alliance concerns. Much of the focus landed on the ceasefire and an agreement by members to commit 5% of their GDP to defense. The new spending mark was seen as a major concession to Trump, who had threatened since his first term to leave the alliance if it wasn’t met. But was the decision made more for self-preservation than appeasement? Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary in New York City’s mayoral race. Progressives are pointing to his victory as a beacon for Democrats nationwide to push further to the left. Does that ignore the fact that he ran against the scandal-ridden former governor Andrew Cuomo?

President Trump has plans for securing peace after Israel launched a war with Iran. However, he’s keeping them to himself. A lack of clarity on whether the U.S. will support Israel has created a divide amongst interventionist and isolationist wings of Trump supporters. Which direction will Trump’s often-touted “America First” policy lead the U.S. in? The federal government’s mass deportation efforts have expanded to work sites like farms, hotels, and restaurants. The business community has pushed back, calling for President Trump to relax deportation efforts on industries that rely on immigrant labor. Trump obliged those requests, but federal officials say they’ll continue to enforce immigration law wherever possible. Will the president continue to try navigating the pitfalls of interior enforcement? Ten years ago this month, the country mourned a tragic act of racial violence in Charleston, South Carolina. As America reckons with another all too familiar occurrence, this time in Minnesota, KCRW discusses what has changed and what hasn’t in America’s political climate.

Protests in Los Angeles sprang up this week as residents sought to deter ICE raids in several neighborhoods. The raids are part of a larger “mass deportation” program Trump promised to enact on the campaign trail. Recent polls show that mass deportation maintained popularity amongst a majority of voters, but will the images coming out of LA change the perception of immigration policy? California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass told the federal government that local law enforcement could handle the situation in Los Angeles. Despite this, President Trump called in 4,000 National Guardsmen as well as several hundred Marines. It’s sparked a discussion over the administration’s continued efforts to expand executive powers. Has Trump acted outside the powers of the office? President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” is full of corporate-friendly tax breaks and major cuts to entitlement programs. So why does Wall Street hate it? Has the president missed the chance to build a true coalition on the right?