The Exchange

There’s an effort underway to make insurance more affordable in New Hampshire by allowing a range of plans – some with a maximum number of mandates and others with fewer mandated services.  Supporters say this gives consumers greater choice  -- they ask why a young unmarried male, for instance, pay for a plan that includes prenatal care. And, they say, it could help bring down cost, which has left too many people unable to afford any insurance at all.

Last week the New Hampshire House voted to allow employers to exclude contraceptive coverage from health insurance plans on the basis of religious objections – reversing a 12-year-old law requiring insurers that offer prescription coverage to include contraceptives.  Supporters say the bill protects religious freedom because it allows groups with religious objections to birth control to avoid providing this coverage to employees. Opponents say it interferes with the relationship between a woman and her doctor.

Huge Solar flares and 'coronal mass ejections" have the potential for major disruptions.  New extra-solar planets seem to be found every week. A new rover on Mars called 'Curiosity' seems to be peaking ours, while the New Horizon's spacecraft is heading to Pluto. We'll get the latest news that's going on from the skies with the Exchange's Space Guys. 

Guests

Next week on the Exchange, we begin with our Astronomy guys.

On June 3, 2009, Governor John Lynch signed a law that allowed gay marriage in the Granite State. A little less than 7 months later, the first wedding ceremonies began to be performed.  At the time, New Hampshire made history as the first state to pass a same-sex union bill without a court order or the threat of one.  But before the first "I do" was uttered, some groups and lawmakers vowed to pass legislation overturning the law.  Last year, bills were tabled to focus on the budget, but now this year several pieces of legislation are on the table and money on both sides of this interest is

We know he's running for President and that he's become a household name. We know he ran unsuccessfully in 2008 as well. We know that he was Governor of Massachusetts and that he was behind a major health care bill that passed in that state. We know he's Mormon, Republican, good looking and has a great smile, but who is the 'real Romney'. Who is the Mitt Romney behind the campaign promises, debates, political ads and handshakes? What drives him, what were the events in his life that motivated him and why does he want to be President so badly?

We’re looking at yesterday’s voting in Ohio, Tennessee, Idaho, Virginia, Vermont, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Alaska and Georgia in the Republican nomination contests.  We’re looking closer at the results and at where the campaigns go from here.

Guests:

Wayne Lesperance: Professor of Political Science and Director for the Center for Civic Engagement at New England College.

Dante Scala: Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of New Hampshire. He tweets @graniteprof.

We continue our series on New Hampshire immigration by looking at the proposed refugee moratorium in Manchester. The moratorium would temporarily stop the city of Manchester from accepting new refugees. Meanwhile a recent bill in the statehouse would allow communities throughout the state to establish moratoria. The supporters claim that a moratorium will allow the state to better serve the current refugees, but the bill leaves some wondering if closing the doors to refugees is the best answer.

Guests:    

We talk about the balance of power in New Hampshire government.  A number of bills have appeared in the state legislature that would seek to constrain the judiciary; from eliminating the state supreme court to avoiding constitutional review of laws. Today we investigate the friction between the legislative and judicial branches of our state government.

Guests:

David Campbell: Democratic State Representative from Nashua

Brandon Guida: Republican State Representative  from Chichester