You’ve likely heard this common phrase, all too commonly: “All politics is local.” Given this week’s Supreme Court ruling on individual donor limits, that adage might change to “all politics is money.” Host Melissa Harris-Perry will open Saturday’s show with a look at the McCutcheon decision, which you can read here.
But it’s not just the courts that are potentially giving more political power to the rich. This week, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin released an updated House Republican budget plan that would create a balanced budget by 2024, somehow, by:
- raising zero taxes
- repealing the Affordable Care Act
- making deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, among other things
On Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, we’re taking a look at the increasing wealth disparity in America and the state of American democracy in the hands of super-rich political power players like Charles Koch.
Did you catch Kentucky freshman Aaron Harrison’s game-winning jump shot against Michigan last Sunday? Not only did Harrison clinch a Final Four spot for his team, but he landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But how much was that basket really worth? The answer might have you thinking twice about money in college sports.
The death penalty has long been a controversial punishment. Starting in 1982, the United States began using a uniform three-drug combination in executions with the first drug administered, the anesthetic, being imported mostly from Europe. However, in 2011, the European Commission banned the export of “products which could be used for the execution of human beings by means of lethal injection.” Some states have now resorted to using other drug combinations and providers as a way to get around procuring the limited supply of European-manufactured anesthetics. Harris-Perry and her panel will break down the potential implications of these new execution drugs.
When we talk about climate change it often conjures images of ice caps melting and polar bears stranded on ice floes. But one image probably should come to mind is our food supply. This week, the United Nations released a report listing the disastrous consequences of climate change if we do nothing to curb carbon emissions. Among the most dire warnings in the report is what will happen to our food supply in an environment of rising carbon dioxide levels.
As part of the discussion, Harris-Perry will talk to director Nailah Jefferson and preview her new documentary “Vanishing Pearls,” about the devastating effect that the 2010 BP spill had on African American fisheries. Watch a trailer here.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on msnbc! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
Rachel Zuckerman