April 27, 2018: Hour 1

In hour one of Here & Now's April 27, 2018 full broadcast, we round up a week in politics that saw White House physician Ronny Jackson withdraw his nomination to become Veterans Affairs secretary, CIA Director Mike Pompeo confirmed as the next secretary of state and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt struggle to defend himself in testimony before Congress. Also, an employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs tells Here & Now's Eric Westervelt he was retaliated against after speaking up about alleged fraud and waste within the agency. And Port Aransas, Texas, is kicking off its annual three-day SandFest. Organizers call it the largest native-sand sculpture competition in the country. But the festival almost didn't happen this year after the small beach town was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. You can read and hear more at hereandnow.org, follow us on Twitter and join the conversation on Facebook and Tumblr.