Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the call by the Kremlin to respect the will of the people in a secessionist referendum in Eastern Ukraine that Russian President Putin claimed to oppose. Matthew Rojansky, the director of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center joins us to discuss how much Putin is in control of events in Ukraine or is winging it, and the extent to which the U.S. is continually playing catch-up with a regime in Russia that is a unique geopolitical hybrid of organized crime and national security; the Mafia and nuclear weapons.  

Part 2

Then we examine the latest leaks about what the Federal Communications Commission might be proposing in terms of the future of net neutrality ahead of Thursday’s vote on allowing public comment on new rules by the FCC.Sarah Morris, senior policy counsel for the Open Technology Institute at the New America Foundation joins us to discuss the new rules circulated today that will open up FCC plans for the future of the Internet to public comment, and the extent to which the FCC chairman, who has already received a blizzard of outrage over plans to allow “fast lanes” for content companies willing to spend payola to have internet service providers fast-track their content, will bend to the public’s will over the lobbying power of the cable and telecom oligopolies.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with Brant Olson, the campaign director at Forecast the Facts, a grassroots community organization which, along with other public interest groups, is joining in demonstrations today at Google’s annual shareholders meeting. We discuss concerns that the company that avows the motto “don’t be evil” is not providing transparency about its lobbying efforts and its membership of the Chamber of Commerce and ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council that is actively engaged in trying to kill solar power which Google is underwriting. 

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the Kabuki theatre following the rejection of Vladimir Putin’s call to postpone a referendum by the pro-Russian secessionists Putin claims not to control that his GRU and Spetnaz have organized. Kevin Platt, a Professor of Slavic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “History in a Grotesque Key: Russian Literature and the Idea of Revolution” joins us to discuss how Putin is playing the role of both the arsonist and the fire brigade while delaying sanctions and continuing to destabilize Ukraine.

Part 2

Then we  speak with Mike Lofgren, a 28 year veteran House and Senate Senior Staffer who is the author of “The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless and the Middle Class Got Shafted” and an important essay at Bill Moyers.com “Anatomy of the Deep State”. He joins us to discuss a whole new level of election year theatre of the absurd with Thursday’s resolution to establish a House Select Committee to investigate Benghazi for the fifth time and Wednesday’s partisan vote by House Republicans to hold an IRS official in contempt for exercising her rights under the Fifth Amendment.

Part 3

Then finally we look into a revival of polio, a crippling disease that was all but eradicated due to a vaccine, but is now an epidemic the World Health Organization is declaring an international public health emergency. Seth Mnookin, the Associate director of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing and author of “The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy” joins us to discuss how a bogus, discredited theory that vaccinating children causes autism has contributed to the revival of polio, measles and whooping cough and that the actress Jenny McCarthy and Oprah Winfrey, not to mention Pacifica Radio, should be held accountable for spreading irresponsible conspiracy theories.