Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on government shut down, food benefit cuts and steep insurance prices

The US Government shutdown has reached 32 days, 3 days away from the longest in history. 

President Donald Trump seems to be on-track to break his own record after the shutdown in late 2018 which lasted 35 days. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the shutdown is affecting US public services. 

'More and more air traffic controllers are staying off work since they're not being paid.'

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Arnold is in the United States of America. Good morning,
Good morning, mind. What are we voting for this week?
Key week in politics here. Yeah, the government shutdown is
really starting to bite things, carooning towards the longest shutdown
in history, So watch out for that. Food benefits being
cut for millions of folks. While at airport's more and
more air traffic controllers are staying off work since they're
not being paid. That's delaying or canceling a lot of

(00:21):
flights as well. Yeah, voting this Wednesday, your time sees
the first electoral test for Trump. It's the off ye
elections with governor's races in mostly left leaning states Virginia
and New Jersey, plus Becous, the New York mayor's race,
which has been getting a lot of attention, and the
fight over a ballot measure in California which would redraw
a number of seats here to favor the Dems in

(00:42):
the same way that the Republicans just did in Texas.
So a lot of attempt at cheating going on. And
what's the vibe. Well, there are some new polls out
this day, as you will have seen, and the ABC
Washington Post Pole has over six in ten saying Trump
and the Republicans are out of touch. This pole blames
Trump for quote going too far in try to expand
the power of the presence. He's sixty four percent, so

(01:02):
that no time though for the Dems to tread water.
It's a pox on both their houses. Sixty eight percent
in this pole say the Democrats are out of touch.
So that's more than turned thumbs down on Trump at
sixty three percent and the Republican Party itself on negative
sixty one. So Obama is out campaigning in some of
the governor's races, and California's Governor Newsom, who seems to
have been prepping his own presential bid for months, months

(01:24):
and months now, is slamming Trump.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
In every core category. He's underwater, and he's Ago who
promised to make us wealthier and healthier. We're poorer and sicker.
Across the board, people are starting to realize that not
only is our coffee more expensive, their beef is more expensive,
but the cost of an automobile is more expensive since
he became president, the cost of utilities, all the things
he promised to solve day one, he hasn't solved.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
So those costs are a key. People here are just
getting their health insurance for renewals as well, and these are skyrocketing.
A friend of mine whose daughter has a serious ailment,
says his insurance now has an out of pocket potential
payout of almost get this, sixteen thousand dollars New Zealand
per year, while this woman says her basic insurance has sword.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
This is more than quadri board and cost for me.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
So it's just straight out there's no way I would
be able to afford this next year meantime, but shut down.
An NBC poll out today says forty two percent blame
the Democrats for all, fifty two percent blame Trump and
the Republicans. Trump's Treasury Secretary, Scott Besstt was just pressed
about on when food ate for the poor will resume.
He was questioned by CNN's Jake Tapper about all of this.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
It could be done by Wednesday, could be okay, could
be and five Democratic Senators could cross the aisle and
open the government by Wednesday.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
You do it. No, you do it, The Democrats leader
in the House of Kim Jeffrey says, dip into emergency
funds and do so now. The Trump administration needs to
release these benefits. They have the funds for a contingency situation. Really,
people need to eat instead. Later from Camp Trump is
how he had a Gatsby style Roaring twenties super party

(03:03):
at Mari Lago for Halloween this week, and how Trump
has just redone his white House bathroom in white marble.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
I enjoyed it.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Game seven extra innings Dodgers got There was a stunner.
We paint the City of Angels in blue. This was
an epic series between the LA team and the Toronto
Blue Jays, with the Dodgers pulling off what was just
a remarkable comeback at every point. Right they were facing
and stunning defeed early on, with Toronto needing just one
more victory to break their longtime World series drought. Then

(03:32):
the Dodgers clawed their way back, making the big game
last night the clincher. Toronto took an early lead, then
the Dodgers slowly pulled back. Who knew what was going
to happen. The game was sent into extra innings and
MVP pitcher Yamamoto was brought back after pitching the night before.
He was so tired he didn't think he was able
to do much the rest of the team sparked up
and they did it, winning five to four. He was

(03:54):
the moment two pitch to beat the chap you donna
do come out The Dodgers stander title so has said,
repeat titles, first back to back titles in twenty five years.
Count them the Blues and Mookie Betts, who said the

(04:14):
other day he'd been playing so very badly. Now the
tough guy, I don't care about tough games.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
We know how to win some games.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
While the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was celebrating as well,
here's comments.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
What a great series, what a great game, and I
think we're going to be talking about this game for
a long time.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Big parade for the Dodgers in Los Angeles tomorrow. This
really was an epic win. Even with a twenty twenty
five pay roll for the team of six hundred and
eleven million dollars, New Zealand playing a motto was so
zonked he could barely help lifting the winning trophy. It
was worth watching Good on your Mate catch upsa winsday.
Richard start side for more from the Mic Asking Breakfast

(04:50):
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