Tillerson Out, Best Time to Have a Heart Attack, Breast Cancer Genetics Testing

Guest: Eric Jensen, JD, Professor of Law, BYU US Foreign Policy is Top of Mind today. President Trump announced on Twitter this morning that Rex Tillerson is out as Secretary of State and he’ll nominate CIA director Mike Pompeo to the position. Just before boarding a helicopter on the White House lawn this morning, President Trump explained his reasons for going with Pompeo: “I’ve worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time – tremendous energy, tremendous intellect – we’re always on the same wavelength. The relationship has been very good and that’s what I need as Secretary of State. I wish Rex Tillerson well.” What are the implications of this change?

Guest: Anupam Jena, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard, Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital All around the country, people with common interests or expertise come together for big gatherings. Heart doctors go to cardiology conferences. Gun enthusiasts go to the NRA convention. Runners converge for the Boston Marathon. And when these gatherings happen, there are consequences for public health. Surprising consequences in many cases. For example, what happens to the patients of all those top-flight cardiologists when they’re away at the conference? Do they get worse care from the doctors who fill in? Actually, no. They do better.

Guest: Sandra Block, Senior Editor, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance We’ve got just about a month until 2017 taxes are due. When I’m scrambling to meet that deadline every year, I always resolve to keep better records and be more strategic about spending throughout the year, so next April 15th feels a little less daunting. Now is actually a really good time to start preparing for 2018 taxes, because there are lots of changes thanks to the tax bill Congress passed. We’ve got Sandra Block on the line to help us sort through it all.

Guest: Micheal Austin, Vice President, BYD America Beijing, China traffic is legendary, as is its air pollution. Chinese President Xi Jinping is working to address both and has called for an “energy revolution” in China that includes incentives for buying electric vehicles. In fact, the world’s largest maker of electric vehicles is a Chinese company you’ve likely never heard of. You probably thought Tesla was the biggest, but actually it’s a company called BYD. What's on the horizon for electric vehicles, especially in China?

Guest: Laura Hercher, MS, Director of Student Research, Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics, Sarah Lawrence College If you send in a sample of your saliva to 23andMe, the genetics-testing company will send you a report about where your ancestors came from, and you can pay extra to find out if you’re at risk for Parkinson’s or Late-Onset Alzheimer’s. Just last week, the Federal Drug Administration also gave 23andMe the green light to screen for three mutations that increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It was screening positive for mutations on these BRCA genes that led Angelina Jolie to have a double mastectomy. This is the first time the FDA has authorized this screening by a company selling directly to consumers.

Guest: Tricia Bacon, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, American University Shortly after Barack Obama took office in 2009, he made killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden the top priority of America’s war against al Qaeda. In 2011, they got him. But cutting off the head did not kill the proverbial snake in this case. In fact, killing Bin Laden may have hastened the rise of ISIS, whose tactics have been even more brutal than Al Qaeda's.