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January 31- Does Hagel's Lackluster Testimony Invite a Filibuster?; How Successful Republican Gerrymandering Will Backfire; China Hacks The New York Times
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We begin and get an assessment of how President Obama’s nominee to head up the Department of Defense equipped himself under a barrage of hostile questions from his former Republican senate colleagues. Winslow Wheeler, who worked on national security issues for over 30 years for members on the U.S. Senate, joins us to discuss today’s lackluster performance by Chuck Hagel and whether that will embolden Republicans to filibuster his nomination. |
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Then we look into whether the recent attempt by Republicans to change the Electoral College so that the losing candidate could win the presidency has fizzled or has been put on hold. Jeremiah Goulka, a former Republican who has an article at Truthout.org “Shot by Their Own Men: How the Virginia Senate Inadvertently Predicts Republican Decline” joins us to discuss how successful gerrymandering by Republicans could backfire as right-wing incumbents in safe seats, are forced to run against even more extreme right-wing candidates, eventually turning off moderate and conservative voters. |
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Then finally we examine cyber attacks aimed at the New York Times that have been blamed on Chinese hackers in apparent retaliation for negative stories the Times had run about the fabulous wealth accrued by the families of China’s leaders. Gordon Chang, the author of “The Coming Collapse of China” joins us to discuss who is behind these cyber attacks and the apparent insecurity China’s Communist leaders have about their capitalist riches. |
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January 30 - What did Israel Strike in Syria?; A Teachable Moment for Deficit Hawks; The 42nd Gun Death This Month in Chicago
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We begin and go to Beirut for the latest on a suspected Israeli attack on Syria which the Assad regime claims struck a scientific research facility but other reports suggest it was a convoy carrying SA -17 missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thanassis Cambanis, the author of “A Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah’s Legions and Their Endless War against Israel” joins us to discuss a possible regional escalation of Syria’s civil war. |
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Then we examine the unexpected contraction in the Gross Domestic Product in the last quarter of 2012 and what this means in terms of a slowing recovery that could be stalled even more if budget cuts from the sequestration go into effect. Dimitri Papadimitriou, the President of the Levy Economics Institute and Professor of Economics at Bard College joins us to discuss this unwelcome news that might give House Republican deficit hawks pause as they insist on more budget cuts. |
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Then finally, with the shooting death of a high school honors student and a majorette who performed at President Obama’s recent inauguration, we speak with award-winning author Alex Kotlowitz whose PBS FRONTLINE documentary “The Interrupters” profiled efforts to stop gun violence in Chicago’s inner city. We discuss 15 year old Hadiya Pendleton’s death, which was brought up today in a U.S. Senate hearing on gun control, the 42nd shooting this month in the gang-infested south side of Chicago. |
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January 29 - The President's Pitch for Immigration Reform; Arizona's Ground Truth on Immigration Reform; The Makers of "The Square" a New Film on the On-going Egyptian Revolution
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We begin and go to Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, Nevada where the president spoke today on immigration reform. Angela Maria Kelly the Vice President for Immigration Policy and Advocacy at the Center for American Progress joins us to outline what the President Obama proposed today and assess the chances of it being implemented by Congress where House Republicans are bitterly divided on the issue. |
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Then we look into the so-called “gang of eight” senators who offered their immigration reform proposal yesterday. Since two of the four Republican senators are from Arizona, we look into both the president’s and the senator’s proposals from the perspective of the reality on the ground in Arizona where immigration is a deeply contentious issue. Jeff Biggers, the author of “State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown over the American Dream” joins us. |
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Then finally we are joined in the studio by the film makers of “The Square” a new feature documentary on the on-going Egyptian revolution that just won the Audience Award at Sundance. The director of “The Square” Jehane Noujaim, who also directed the award-winning film “The Control Room”, and the Producer of “The Square” Karim Amer, will discuss their heroic efforts to bring the inside story of this revolution, that is at the heart of the “Arab Spring”, to the screen. |
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January 28 - Who Put the Fix in to Save Wall Street From Prosecution?; No End in Sight in Syria; Republicans Plan to Rig the Vote in Swing States
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We begin and get an update from William K. Black who just returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos. Since he was the chief prosecutor who jailed hundreds of bankers responsible for the Savings and Loan disaster of the 1980’s, we also discuss the fallout from a recent FRONTLINE documentary examining why no Wall Street bankers have gone to jail for creating the great recession that has impoverished millions of Americans. And we'll look into the appointment of the new head at the Securities Exchange Commission. |
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Then, as Israel deploys its Iron Dome anti-missile system on the Syrian border, we examine Iran’s determination to prop up the Assad dictatorship and the role of their proxy Hizbollah inside Syria. Aram Nerguizian, an expert on Syria at the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins us to explain the strategic landscape in this increasingly complex proxy war that is destroying Syria, turning its citizens into refugees, and has no end in sight. |
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Then finally we examine a Republican scheme to rig the Electoral College so that the loser can win the next presidency. Robert Richie, the co-founder and Executive Director of FairVote joins us to discuss the recent failed Republican effort in Virginia to rig the vote in their favor and plans to enact so-called electoral college “reform” in the other key swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio. |
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January 27- Republican Judicial Activists Block Obama's Way Around Republican Roadblocks; What Happened to Filibuster Reform?; Drones as Imperialism Lite
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We begin with the decision by the DC Court of Appeals that broke with 150 years of precedent striking down President Obama’s use of recess appointments. Aziz Huq, professor of Law at the University of Chicago joins us to discuss this radical decision in the context of the growing rightward tilt of our judiciary from successful efforts by Republicans to filibuster Democratic nominees to the federal bench. On top of using legislative trickery to hobble federal agencies Republicans don’t like, this latest display of conservative judicial activism now prevents a Democratic president from getting around these Republican roadblocks. |
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Then we look into filibuster reform that appears to have fizzled in the Senate where a watered down version has been agreed to. We assess what kind of reform can be expected and what more could have been achieved, with a veteran of the Senate Ira Shapiro who was Counsel to the Majority Leader of the Senate. We discuss the enormous backlog of bills and appointments created by the unprecedented use of the filibuster by Republicans and how much these reforms will unblock the Senate. |
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Then finally we examine the U.S.’s increased reliance of drones and recent efforts by the UN to launch an enquiry into the proliferation of drones, now used by 51 countries, and the lack of a legal framework of international law to deal with this new weapon. Richard Rubenstein, the University Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs at George Mason University joins us. He is the author of “Reasons To Kill: Why Americans Choose War”. |
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