KUAR's Week In Review Podcast

A decisive early Friday vote on a GOP-led Obamacare "skinny" repeal comes up short. Why Arkansas's Senators voted for the failed measure amidst evidence that state public opinion may not be quite on their side.

Arkansas’s U.S. Senators Boozman and Cotton say they both support repealing without immediately replacing the Affordable Care Act. That comes as support for GOP-crafted healthcare legislation tears apart at the seams. Meanwhile, Gov. Asa Hutchinson suggests it may be time for a bipartisan approach.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights spar with lawyers for the state of Arkansas as they present their first formal arguments in court over a lawsuit challenging four abortion laws passed by the legislature this year.

2017 has seen a sharp increase in violent crime in Little Rock, but the nightclub shooting a week ago that injured 28 people left authorities saying something drastic needed to be done. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has brought together state and federal manpower in a coordinated effort to combat crime in the state's capitol city. We'll discuss what that will involve.

A controversial Ten Commandments monument was put on display this week at the Arkansas State Capitol, but less than 24 hours later it was destroyed. We'll have an in-depth discussion about what happened to the monument.

U.S. Senate Republicans unveil their long-awaited bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. How will it affect Arkansans on the exchanges and the Medicaid rolls? Sen. Tom Cotton helped shape it with a select group in secret. Why has he been silent? Also, thoughts from other Republicans, Democrats and people in between.

On this Week-In-Review, we put Arkansas's congressional delegation in the spotlight as Trump ignores the state's agricultural interests on his newly announced Cuba policies. Also, Sen. Tom Cotton dismisses Russia collusion and Sen. Boozman is short on healthcare specifics. -Elections were held throughout Arkansas this week: Pulaski County votes to send more money to schools; Pine Bluff takes a stab at revitalization; and Helena-West Helena makes an effort to pare down its sprawling city...

The widely anticipated public testimony from fired former FBI Director James Comey spurs a political response in Arkansas. As Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton dines with the president, state Democrats chime in a critique of their across-the-aisle foes’ relationship with the Russia investigations. Also on the program: -Applications for Medical Marijuana retail and grow centers are about to roll in. We check in with the soon-to-be state pot industry. -Neo-Nazis to rally in Batesville; 10...

Arkansas Republicans are roundly cheering President Trump's decision to join forces with Syria and withdraw from a worldwide climate change accord. Mayors in Little Rock and Fayetteville take a different tone and pledge to keep the course set under the previous administration.

On this week's podcast we take a look at what President Trump's first budget proposal could mean for the poor state of Arkansas. Analysis from political scientist Heather Yates of UCA and reaction from the state's Congressional delegation.

On this week's podcast: As questions about possible collusion between the Donald J. Trump White House and the Russian government swell to a fever pitch in Washington, we talk Arkansas’s congressional reaction to the firing of the FBI director, the appointment of a special prosecutor and more.

Three big topics on KUAR’s Week-In-Review Podcast:

On this edition of KUAR's Week-In-Review Podcast we sit down with Bobby Ampezzan and Sarah Whites-Koditschek of Arkansas Public Media to talk about the story that has consumed the state this week: the first execution carried out in 12 years. We discuss the night of the execution, the legal developments leading up to it — including decisions by state and federal courts — and have a look ahead to next week when three more executions are scheduled.

A federal judge temporarily blocks the execution of one man who’s among eight to die over a 10-day timetable this month. What does the state’s clemency process have to do with it? -While a federal appeals court says Ohio can’t use a controversial lethal injection drug, we explore the issues surrounding midazolam—part of Arkansas’s three-drug cocktail. -What’s Arkansas’s congressional response to President Trump ordering airstrikes against Syria’s Assad regime? -The 91 st General Assembly...

This edition of KUAR's Week In Review podcast tackles the winding down of the legislative session. Lawmakers retread the concealed carry debate and carve out an exception for athletic events, UAMS, and the state hospital despite NRA opposition. The online sales tax finally gets past a committee hurdle and the bathroom bill gets pushed aside for another time as does highway funding.

On the program:

On this week's podcast, two bills are awaiting the governor's signature.

On this week's podcast the KUAR News team tackles the emerging overhaul of healthcare at the both federal and state level. The Speaker of the House is moving forward with the repeal of the Affordable Care Act but Arkansas's congressional delegation has plenty of reservations about the replacement plan.

On this edition of KUAR's Week-In-Review podcast, we explore the state's decision to schedule execution dates for eight inmates over a period of ten days. The Death Penalty Information Center says that's an unprecedented timetable for executions since the U.S. resumed capital punishment in 1977. Why the hurry? What’s the status of execution drugs, and do the inmates have any appeals left?

Chris Hickey and Karen Tricot Steward take a deep-dive into some of the top stories in Arkansas this week, including angry constituents at town hall meetings and a Supreme Court decision to strike down a local anti-discrimination law.