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2013 Program Archive
February 25 - Will the Republicans Take Note of Berlusconi's Success With Anti-Austerity?; Cutting Defense to Make the U.S. Stronger; Cuba's Next in Line in 2018
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We begin with the countdown to the sequester that is four days away, and with little hope of a break in the impasse, 85 billion dollars will be automatically cut from a faltering economy, thus reversing economic recovery. James Henry, an economist, lawyer and investigative journalist joins us to discuss what last minute deals could be struck and whether the Republicans will take note of the surprise resurrection of Silvio Berlusconi who ran in the Italian elections as an anti-austerity candidate. |
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Then we look into the extraordinary rise of defense spending during the last decade, increases not seen since the Korean War, and whether this can be slowed or reversed. A former defense and intelligence insider Melvin Goodman, the author of a new book, “National Insecurity: the Cost of American Militarism”, joins us. We discuss whether the Republicans have changed their minds on defense cuts and if cuts could be targeted against useless weapons systems like the most expensive defense contract in history, the F-35 aircraft that is now grounded. |
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Then finally we assess the possibility of new leadership in Cuba with a former analyst with the Cuban government Arturo Lopez Levy. We discuss Sunday’s announcement by Raul Castro that he will step down as Cuba’s President in 2018 after completing a new five year term, and learn about the likely successor, the 52 year old Miguel Diaz-Canel, an electrical engineer. One of eight vice-presidents, he was promoted on Sunday to be the first vice-president. |
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February 24 - Let's Copy the Academy Award Voting System for all Elections; Did a Secret Papal Dossier Led to the Popes Resignation?; Italy's Election Could Lead to Stalemate and a Worsening of the Eurocrisis
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We begin with the Academy Awards ranked choice method of voting as an example of a model for American democracy, in as much as Academy members are able to express their true preferences voting with their hearts and heads. Rob Richie, the executive director of FairVote joins us to discuss how ranked choice or instant runoff voting is being implemented across the country and is being considered for statewide elections. |
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Then we look into the latest scandal in the Vatican that the Italian newspaper La Repubblica claims was the cause of the Pope’s resignation. Francis Kissling, the former president of Catholics for Choice joins us to discuss the alleged secret papal dossier about a network of gay church officials inside the Vatican who were being blackmailed by a male prostitution ring. Francis has an article at The Nation “A New Pope – African, Latin American, Woman, Nice Guy – Will Change Nothing”. |
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Then finally we get an update on today’s elections in Italy where the current Prime Minister is polling in fifth place behind the comedian Beppe Grillo who drew a crowd of half a million in Rome denouncing crooked politicians and bankers. Domenico Lombardi an expert on the ongoing European crisis that could be impacted by a stalemate in Italy with a center-left coalition barely holding on while Berlusconi’s Freedom People party is showing strength as the scandal-plagued ex Prime Minister offered a $5.3 billion gift of his own money to Italian voters while running an anti-austerity campaign against the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. |
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February 21 - The Disappeared in Mexico's Drug War; Hagel's Revenge?; The Consequences of the Sequester
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We begin and go to Mexico City for a reaction to the report by Human Rights Watch that over 20,000 Mexicans have disappeared, many at the hands of the military, during the last six years, in addition to the 70,000 who have died in the drug wars. Joining us to discuss the grim legacy of President Calderon is Ioan Grillo, who covers the drug war in Mexico for Time, CNN and the PBS NewsHour, and is author of “El Narco: Inside Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency”. |
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Then, with 15 Republican senators writing to the President today asking him to withdraw the Hagel nomination, we speak with former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb about his article at Foreign Policy “Hagel’s Revenge: How Obama’s new Pentagon chief can get back at his Republican Enemies”. We discuss the all-but-certain confirmation of the new Secretary of Defense and how, if he chose to, Secretary Hagel could move bases and defense contracts from South Carolina and Texas to punish Senators Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz for their unwarranted and disgraceful attacks on his integrity and character. |
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Then finally, we examine why the global markets went down today, falling after some members of the Fed expressed concerns in just-released minutes of the board’s January meeting, about continuing to buy 85 billion dollars worth of bonds every month. Dean Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research joins us to discuss the consequences of the impending sequester cuts, on top of money already taken out of a weak economy by the fiscal cliff deal, that are certain to slow growth and economic recovery. |
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February 20 - The Israeli Government's Report on the "Suicide" of Prisoner X; How Rogue is the Chinese Military? Will Hagel Face a Filibuster?
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We begin and go to Israel to speak with Gideon Levy who is a journalist and member of the editorial board of Ha’aretz and a former spokesperson for Shimon Peres. We discuss the release today of a report by the Israeli government on the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide of a former spy for Israel’s Mossad, an Australian/Israeli known as Prisoner X, who was imprisoned in secret under a false identity and died under mysterious circumstances two years ago. |
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Then we examine the relations between the military and civilian leadership in China following revelations that a special unit of the People’s Liberation Army has been actively involved in hacking U.S. government and U.S. Corporate computers. Steve Clemons, the editor-at-large for The Atlantic joins us to discuss how rogue the Chinese military is and whether exposing the activities of the PLA in cyber-espionage will dampen the on-going effort of China to steal America’s military and commercial secrets. |
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Then finally, we look into the fate of Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense and whether when the Senate returns in a week there will be a filibuster or a vote on his nomination. Jacob Heilbrun, a Senior Editor at the National Interest and the author of “They Knew They Were Right: the Rise of the Neocons” joins us to discuss the role of the Neocons in derailing Hagel’s nomination and whether his ability to oversee the Pentagon has already been damaged. |
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February 19 - The People's Liberation Army of Hackers; How Autonomous is China's Military?; A Critique of the LAPD From a Veteran Reporter
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We begin with the report from the American computer security company Mandiant detailed in The New York Times that accuses China’s People’s Liberation Army of being actively involved in hacking into U.S. government and corporate data banks, targeting critical infrastructure. Alan Paller, the Director of Research at the SANS Institute, who has testified several times before House and Senate committees, joins us to discuss what the administration is doing in both waging cyber-warfare and protecting America’s vital and vulnerable networks. |
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Then, with the Chinese government denying any involvement in hacking, we assess the extent to which China’s military is autonomous from oversight by the politburo. Scott Savitt, who is a visiting scholar in Chinese Media Studies at Duke University and a former Beijing-based foreign correspondent for The Los Angeles Times and United Press International, joins us. We discuss the new Cold War in cyberspace and how China’s assertive and apparently independent military shapes foreign policy and regional relations. |
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Then finally we speak with David Cay Johnston, the president of Investigative Reporters and Editors whose latest book is “The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use ‘Plain English’ to Rob You Blind”. We look into why a number of struggling state governments are losing billions in revenues to corporate tax havens and also discuss the recent manhunt and shootout with a rogue ex-LAPD policeman and David’s article at Salon.com “LAPD’s Indefensible Dorner Pursuit”. |
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