At least 50 people were killed and 200 injured in the nation's worst mass shooting Sunday night in Las Vegas. On Monday's Smart Talk, we'll get an on-the-ground report from LasVegas journalist Dana Gentry.

The Senate's third attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, failed last week before the vote made it to the floor. It was the third attempt since the inauguration of Donald Trump, who campaigned with the promise to overturn the ACA, saying on many occasions the plan " . . . is unaffordable and it's a disaster."

Earlier in September, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders proposed a "Medicare-for-all" bill that, according to Sanders' own website, would " . . . create a federally administered single-payer health care program." The plan would cover all aspects of healthcare; preventative and emergency care, primary, specialized, vision, dental, mental - everything for everyone. People could choose any doctor and prescriptions would be covered.

Supporters of universal single-payer healthcare are thrilled that the bill brings the topic to the national narrative, though it has little chance of passing the Republican-controlled congress. Critics contend that further government involvement in the healthcare process would only take choices away from consumers and cost would skyrocket.

On the Monday edition of Smart Talk, we will spend the hour discussing the merits and drawbacks of a single-payer healthcare system. Pennsylvania State Representative Pamela DeLissio (D - 194th) will discuss her proposal - the Pennsylvania Health Care Plan - a single payer plan administered by the state.

We'll also speak with Dr. William Davidson, a cardiologist who has served Central Pennsylvania for 30 years and is a member of Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization of doctors advocating for a universal single-payer system.

We'll also speak with critics of the single-payer concept; Vince Phillips is a retired lobbyist who advocated for the Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters and Eric Beittel, a financial planner and the former President of the Board of the Central Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters. We'll also hear from Elizabeth Stelle, the Director of Policy Analysis for the Commonwealth Foundation.

Author Salman Rushdie captures the chasm of culture between Eastern and Western societies intertwined with a touch of mysticism and historical fiction. His 1981 novel Midnight's Children earned him a Booker Award; in 1983 he was inducted to the Royal Society of Literature. 1988's Satanic Verses earned him an order of execution from Iran's Ayatollah Khomeni for percieved blasphamy against the Q'uran. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2007.

Smart Talk talks with Rushdie about his latest novel, The Golden House, which illustrates the lives of an eccentric family against the backdrop of political turmoil eerily similar to very real events in Washington. Rushide will be signing copies at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg Friday evening at 8:15.

Also, while most high schoolers are content to work at a mall or in fast food, Bob Buhrig took a job his senior year that had him driving hearses and comforting grieving families at Myers Funeral Home in Mechanicsburg. Bob found something he was passionate about, describing his mission "to provide thoughtful service and compassionate care." Buhrig bought the business from the Myers in 2011 and has served as the owner/operator and funeral director at the Myers-Buhrig Funeral Home since.

Buhrig, along with George Foley, a funeral service consultant with Matthews International, also speaks candidly to groups about death and making arrangements for our passing. They often take a jocular approach in an effort to get people to open up about their fears, concerns and questions about happens after.

Bob Buhrig and George Foley will join Smart Talk to discuss life after life and answer your questions about death and dying and salve your curiosity about the funeral industry.

Later, Dauphin County saw 85 opioid-related deaths in 2016, county commissioners are responding by filing a suit against the manufacturers and marketers of the addictive prescription pharmaceuticals. The county claims the companies understated the addictive nature of these drugs while overplaying their benefits.

Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste will join Smart Talk to discuss the impact these prescription opioids have had in the communities in and around Harrisburg and what role the commissioners feel the pharmaceutical companies played in exacerbating the crisis.

Senate Republicans are scrapping a vote on the proposed Graham-Cassidy bill. This was the third attempt to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

The bill's authors - Senators Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy, (R-La.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), and Ron Johnson, (R-Wis.) - explained the failure as resulting in "circumstances under our control and not under our control, the process and timing of this vote did not line up this time" and assured their constituents, "we will push on."

Republicans criticized Obamacare from its inception saying Americans shouldn't be required to have or purchase health insurance, that it cost too much, did little to control healthcare costs while premiums increased and choices of insurance were limited.

At the same time, millions of uninsured Americans -- many with pre-existing conditions -- now have health insurance and billions of dollars from the federal government have helped states expand Medicaid for those who couldn't afford insurance.

On Thursday's Smart Talk, we discuss the future of health insurance with Pennsylvania's Acting Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller. Secretary Miller testifed this week against the Graham-Cassidy bill.

Also, Bill James is considered the godfather of baseball sabermetrics - a method of using empirical data to gauge a baseball player's productivity.

James used those analytic skills in a different arena when he investigated the crimes of a hundred-year-old serial killer, who terrorized small towns throughout the country. The investigation uncovered dozens of murders that were thought to be unconnected and sometimes led to the conviction, execution and even lynching of innocent people falsely accused.

With his daughter, Rachel McCarthy James, Bill James compiled his findings and even name the man they think committed the murders in The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery. Smart Talk speaks with the father/daughter team about the book Thursday.

There are three major credit reporting companies in the U.S. The three companies possess an enormous amount of personal information about you. Make a major purchase, like a house, and your credit report will be consulted.

So when the data of one of those three -- Equifax -- was breached earlier this month, it had potential to be disastrous for millions of people. In fact, personal information such as social security numbers and birthdates of up to 143 million people was exposed.

The attackers could use that information in many ways that could ruin your credit and finances for years to come.

So how does one protect themselves from hackers?

On Wednesday's Smart Talk, we joined by Andrew Hacker (yes, that's his name) who is the Cyber Security Expert in Residence at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to answer that question.

Also, in 1927, the Germans set to sea the Cap Arcona, a luxury liner to rival the Titanic. Once Hitler came to power, the ship was actually used as a stand-in for the Titanic in a feature film full of Nazi propaganda.

During World War II, the Cap Arcona served as a transport, a troop barracks and a floating concentration camp for Jews imprisoned by the Nazis. The demise of the ship is even more tragic and little known.

Author and historian Robert P. Watson tells the tale of the doomed Cap Arcona in his new book, The Nazi Titanic. Watson joins us on Smart Talk to tell the story of the doomed cruise ship.

Robert P. Watson is the featured speaker at Chizuk Emuna Congregation in Harrisburg October 8th at 4 p.m

Often under-reported, 30-50% of child sexual abuse incidents are perpetrated by other youths. These offenders are usually the victims of abuse themselves. Institutions are grappling with how to predict, prevent and prosecute such cases. Reporting procedures can be murky in some jurisdictions and some schools and youth organizations are unsure of their own liability in these matters.

Samaritan Safe Church bills itself as ". . . a sanctuary, where one finds protection, support, guidance . . . " that operates to "establish a national network of leaders and organizations working to end child sexual abuse." Samaritan Safe Church recently partnered with Center for Children's Justice and the law firm of Gibbel Kraybill and Hess to develop a program addressing child sex abuse and human sex trafficking. The collaborative will also address the issue of child-on-child sexual abuse.

On October 5th, the collaborative will sponsor an event addressing child-on-child abuse. Attendees will learn how to spot the signs of abuse, identify risks within institutions such as schools, churches and teams and how to navigate the law as it relates to child sexual abuse.

On Tuesday's Smart Talk, we will speak with Linda Crockett, Director of Safe Church/ Safe Places at Samaritan Counseling Center about children and teens with sexual behavior issues and the resources to assist caregivers to identify risky behavior.

We'll also be joined by Cathy Palm, Director of the Center for Children's Justice who will parse out the legal complexities associated with reporting sexual abuse and Ann Martin, an attorney with Gibbel, Kraybill and Hess who specializes in Title IX issues as they relate to sexual abuse in school settings.

Americans are divided on how to deal with gun violence. Some blame the firearm industry and lax gun laws for flooding the market with high-powered, high-capacity weapons. Others contend people are the problem and that guns are tools of preservation protected by the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and that it is alternately the fault of popular culture or personal responsibility that creates violent criminals.

The issue becomes further clouded when guns illegally change hands and end up in possession of people who are not allowed by law to have firearms or they drop off the radar and go into circulation as unregistered guns.

Ed Mahon is an investigative reporter with the York Daily Record. This week the YDR is publishing a three-part series on the impact illegal guns are having in York County. Mahon appears on Monday's Smart Talk to describe his findings and the YDR's analysis of illegal guns in the county.

Also, the people of Puerto Rico are still reeling after Hurricane Maria knocked out all of the power on the island last week. Maria came on the heels of Hurricane Irma. Some Puerto Ricans living on the mainland of the U.S. still haven't heard from family members.

On Monday's program, we'll hear from Hector Valdez, a producer at Spanish-language radio station WLCH in Lancaster about his family in Puerto Rico and efforts being made to get aid to those impacted by the storm.

There are about 55,000 jobs available in Central Pennsylvania and only around 30,000 people looking for work in the region. That's according to data collected by South Central Pennsylvania (SCPa) Works this summer. According to Doran Condon, a program officer with SCPa, these numbers reflect many seasonal positions but also indicate many currently employed Pennsylvanians are unhappy with their work.

What does this mean for the region's economy and wages for its workers? Are we cultivating the right kind of jobs for the workforce we have? Are we adequately traing a workforce for a 21st century economy? And how does this square with the national narrative that America is hemorrhaging jobs?

Friday's Smart Talk addresses these questions with Jesse McCree, CEO of SCPa Works and we'll go over the employment numbers with Eileen Cipriani, deputy secretary for workforce development with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Jeff Newman, Central PA Labor Market Analyst, PA Department of Labor Industry's Center for Workforce Information Analysis.

Also, Bones: Brothers, Horses, Cartels and the Borderland Dream tells a true story of two brothers born in the Mexican bordertown of Nuevo Laredo. One immigrates to the United States to pursue the American dream; the other consumed by a life of violence within a notorious drug cartel. Their lives converge later when they both become embroiled in a money-laundering scheme involving the horse racing industry.

Joe Tone, author of Bones: Brothers, Horses, Cartels and the Borderland Dream, joins us on Smart Talk to discuss his book and how this tale tells a broader story of life on the border.

Tone will talk about his book and sign copies at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in downtown Harrisburg on Saturday, September 16th from 4pm to 6pm. Smart Talk host Scott LaMar will lead the conversation.

It has been 42 years since the last Americans were evacuated from the U.S. embassy in Saigon, marking the end of America's 20-year involvement in the Vietnam War. In the years since, Americans have tried to understand the motivations that brought the U.S. to war and the impact it had on soldiers and civilians alike.

Ken Burns is an award-winning documentarian whose work includes The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994) and The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009.) His newest work, The Vietnam War, chronicles the war through the perspective of nearly 80 participants from every aspect of the war's history; soldiers and civilians, supporters and protestors, American, North and South Vietnamese.

Thursday's Smart Talk discusses The Vietnam War with the film's co-director, Lynn Novick and producer Sarah Botstein. The 18-hour documentary premieres on WITF-TV and PBS Sunday September 17th at 8 p.m.

Also, the Harrisburg/Hershey Film Festival will showcase 75 films over four days, promoting "local, national and international independent cinema in Central Pennsylvania." The festival will feature shorts, feature length and documentary films by and for Central Pennsylvanians. We'll discuss the festival with founder Hamza Ahmed and festival program director Hal Cramer.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has ordered a review of Obama-era policies protecting victims of sexual assault on college campuses. Title IX is an addition to the Education Amendments of 1972; it states "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." On college campuses, it addressed sexual harrassment and assaults.

DeVos contends the policies may not do enough to offer due process for the alleged perpertrators - in this case, male students. The Secretary argues "The truth is that the system established by the prior administration has failed too many students. Survivors, victims of a lack of due process and campus administrators have all told me that the current approach does a disservice to everyone involved."

Advocates for victims of sexual assault and women's rights disagreed with DeVos's proposal. The organization End Rape on Campus released a statement from its director stating "This announcement simultaneously demonstrates a gross negligence for the students Secretary DeVos has been asked to serve, and a failure to understand the grounds on which their protections stand." Former vice-president Joe Biden said "any change that weakens Title IX protections will be devastating."

Wednesday's Smart Talk studies the policies of Title IX as they currently stand and how changes may impact students in Pennsylvania with Dr. Armenta Hinton of the Office of Equity and Title IX at Elizabethtown College and Donna Greco, Policy Director with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.

Many musicians dream of making a living out of their music, recording with a big-name record label and scoring a hit song that makes the charts. Cumberland County's Ben Gallaher has done all those things except get the big hit, but that may only because he just signed with Sony Music Nashville and release his first EP. Aspiring country music star Ben Gallaher opens for Lynryd Skynrd at the York Fair Thursday night.

Ken Burns' epic documentary The Vietnam War premieres this Sunday on WITF-TV and PBS. Over the next few days, Smart Talk will look at several aspects of the Vietnam era.

Politically and socially, the United States is a much different place than it was in 1970. Then, the nation was divided on many issues, but most notably the war in Vietnam.

Protests and demonstrations against the war were an everyday occurrence in all corners of the country. The war's opponents not only saw it as unneeded, unjust and maybe illegal, but they also strongly opposed the military draft of young men over the age of 18.

Many anti-war activities in the early '70s weren't peaceful. When some activists saw that protests or other acts of civil disobedience weren't having an impact, they turned to other measures -- sometimes illegal or violent ones.

In 1972, a group known as the Harrisburg Seven went on trial for allegedly plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger, the man they saw as the architect of the war in the Nixon Administration. The group, led by Catholic Priest Father Phillip Berrigan was also charged with conspiring to blow up underground tunnels in Washington D.C. to disrupt government operations.

On Tuesday's Smart Talk, William O'Rourke, the author of the book, The Harrisburg Seven and the New Catholic Left joins us to discuss the case.

We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War is a book that examines the part that music played for those who fought in Vietnam. It may not be what you think. Over the years, music that accompanied any conversation about Vietnam or film and video focused on the anger, chaos, and protest to the war - not what the fighting men and women listened to or what impact that music had on them.

Doug Bradley, one of the co-authors of We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War appears on Tuesday's Smart Talk.