Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the just-released study by scientists at Stanford, MIT and the Department of Energy published in the journal Science, that finds methane leaks negate the benefits of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles. The lead author of this study Adam Brandt, a Professor the Department of Energy Resources at Stanford University, joins us to discuss the downside of the current binge in the “fracking”, drilling, production and distribution of natural gas which is promoted as a clean energy alternative, but the study finds that the leakage of methane, which is a 30 times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, offsets the benefits of burning natural gas instead of diesel.

Part 2

Then we speak with Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel, a Climate Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists about President Obama’s announcement on Friday in drought-stricken Fresno, California, of a $1 billion “climate resiliency” program to help farmers deal with the effects of global warming. We will discuss the challenge of selling climate science to rural red state America, given the attitude of the Republican Congressman who represents Fresno, whose response to the president’s initiative is that “global warming is nonsense”.

Part 3

Then finally Jeremy Scahill joins us in the studio to discuss his Academy Award-nominated feature documentary “Dirty Wars” and his new media venture First Look Media with Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, and the digital magazine they publish The Intercept where he has an article with Glenn Greenwald, “The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program”. We examine the shadow world of JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command, and the role of U.S. secret warriors who now operate in between 70 and 120 countries at any one time.

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the report just released by Reporters Without Borders ranking the freedom of the press worldwide in 2014. Josh Stearns, the Press Freedom Director at Free Press joins us to discuss his article at the Huffington Post “U.S. Plummets in Global Press Freedom Rankings” and why the U.S. has plunged 13 points on the Reporters Without Borders global press freedom rankings to number 46.

Part 2

Then we look into how the clock is ticking on the Obama Administration’s rule making process where critical regulations on food safety, the environment, worker’s safety and consumer protection have been stalled for months and even years. Ronald White, the Director of Regulatory Policy at the Center for Effective Government joins us to discuss why an array of important rules to be implemented by key government agencies have been stalled, and who benefits from this bottleneck with many of the pending rules having been stalled beyond deadlines set by Congress.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with Kayla Williams who served in the U.S. army for 5 years as an Arab Linguist and wrote about her experience in “Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the US Army”. She joins us to discuss her latest book “Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War” which tells the story of her romance with a fellow soldier in Iraq who was later severely wounded, and their subsequent love and marriage that endured the harrowingly painful challenges of PTSD without sufficient support from the VA and any understanding of the challenges women veterans have.