© 2024 Blue Ridge Public Radio
Blue Ridge Mountains banner background
Your source for information and inspiration in Western North Carolina.
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Trump Takes Shutdown Standoff To Southwest Border, And Presidential Contenders Gear Up

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,
Laura Pellicer
Published January 11, 2019 at 12:38 PM EST
President Donald Trump speaks at a roundtable on immigration and border security at U.S. Border Patrol McAllen Station, during a visit to the southern border, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, in McAllen, Texas.
President Donald Trump speaks at a roundtable on immigration and border security at U.S. Border Patrol McAllen Station, during a visit to the southern border, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, in McAllen, Texas.

President Donald Trump headed to the U.S. southwest border Thursday to tout his push for a border wall amid a federal government shutdown. Trump calls the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border a national crisis, while Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi strongly refute the claim, calling it a manufactured crisis. 

Host Frank Stasio talks with the Political Junkie Ken Rudin.

The 21-day-long shutdown is now tied for the longest government shutdown in history. Meanwhile there are new developments in the investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 election. Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has agreed he will give a “full and credible account” of his work with Trump to a House committee next month. Plus the behind-the-scenes planning is underway in many potential presidential campaigns, but who has a real chance at the highest office?

Host Frank Stasio speaks with the Political Junkie Ken Rudin on who the 2020 presidential front runners may be. Rudin and Stasio also discuss how North Carolina’s 9th Congressional district remains in the political spotlight for election fraud. 

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer