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September 23 - "Cranks and Crazies Have Taken Over the Republican Party"; With the MEK Now Off the Terror List Will Congress Fund Them to Attack Iran?; "Bibi's Chutzpah: the Prime Minister Crosses a Red Line".
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We begin with remarks by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer that “the biggest threat to the world’s biggest economy are the cranks and crazies that have taken over the Republican Party”. A long-time Republican Congressional Staffer who was a senior analyst on the House and Senate Budget Committees, Mike Lofgren, joins us to discuss the possibility of the lunatics taking over the asylum. He is the author of the new book “The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless and the Middle Class Got Shafted”. |
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Then we discuss the decision by Hillary Clinton to remove the Iranian dissident group the Mujahedin-e-Khalq or MEK from the State Department’s list of designated terrorist organizations. An expert on the MEK who went to Camp Ashraf in Iraq to study the former terrorist group, Jeremiah Goulka joins us to explore the lobbying campaign that employed prominent journalists and politicians on both sides as well as national security luminaries to de-list the MEK, a move that is likely to open the door for congressional funding to carry out attacks inside Iran. |
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Then finally we speak with Michael Desch, a fellow at the Institute For Advanced Study at Notre Dame University who has an article at Foreign Affairs, “Bibi’s Chutzpah: The Prime Minister Crosses a Red Line”. We discuss the article and the extent to which Israel’s Prime Minister has already inserted himself in American domestic politics, as he tries to drag the U.S. into another unnecessary war. |
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| MUSIC: The Beatles - Fool on the Hill; Gnarls Barkley - Crazy; Elvis Costello - Liscense To Kill; Edwin Star - War |
September 20 - America's Dynasties of Wealth; Romney and the Rich as Victims; A One-state Solution for Israel and Palestine?
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We begin with the antidote to the just-published celebration of the wealthiest Americans, the Forbes 400 list, and speak with Shannon Moriarty, the Communications Director of United For a Fair Economy. They just published the “Born on Third Base” report which demonstrates how many of the billionaires that a lot of average Americans aspire to join, inherited their wealth |
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Then, following Mitt Romney’s categorization of 47% of Americans as victims, we explore the psychology of reverse victimization where many rich conservatives see themselves as victims of higher taxes that support freeloaders and a liberal mainstream media that does not appreciate their value. Robert Samuels, the president of the University Council joins us. He has an article at the Huffington Post, “Romney’s Victim Identification: What Really Drives Right-Wing Politics”. |
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Then finally we discuss the so-called one state solution between Israel and Palestine with two authors who areb speaking at a forum “What Happens After Zionism?” Marcy Newman the author of “The Politics of Teaching Palestine to Americans” joins us along with Antony Loewenstein, the author of a new anthology “After Zionism: One State For Israel and Palestine”. We discuss their ideas for a new way forward in the stalled so-called peace process. |
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| MUSIC: Peggy Lee - Aint We Got Fun; The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon; Monsters of Folk - Goodway; John Lennon - Give Peace a Chance |
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September 19 - Brinksmanship Between The World's Second and Third Biggest Economies; What's the Matter With Arizona?; "The End of Men: And the Rise of Women"
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We begin with the possibility of a military confrontation between China and Japan over a dispute involving small uninhabited islands. Scott Savitt, a former Beijing-based foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and United Press International joins to discuss the economic fallout already experienced due to growing tensions between two countries with the world’s second and third largest economies. |
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Then we assess the likely repercussions from a federal judge’s decision to allow the enforcement of the “show me your papers” provision in Arizona’s controversial immigration law that the Supreme Court recently upheld. Jeff Biggers, the award-winning author of the new book “State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown over the American Dream” joins us to discuss the impact that Arizona’s hot-button immigration law might have on the November election. |
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Then finally Hanna Rosin joins us. She is a senior editor at The Atlantic and the founder of DoubleX, Slate’s women’s section and the author of a new book “The End of Men: And the Rise of Women”. We discuss the twilight of the patriarchy as a result of the revolution that feminists have been waiting for, which Hanna Rosin argues, is happening now, before our very eyes. |
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| MUSIC: Bonobo - Kiara; Willie Nelson - Across the Borderline; Jose Gonzalez - Send Someone Away; Jim O'Rourke - Prelude to 110 or 220/ Women of the World |
September 18 - Romney Accuses 47% of Americans of Not Paying Taxes But Won't Release His; Is Romney Channeling Ayn Rand Too?; "Who Stole the American Dream"
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We begin with the release of comments made at a fundraiser that expose Mitt Romney’s real attitudes towards voters. Tax expert, economist and investigative journalist James Henry joins us to discuss Romney’s contention that 47% of Americans don’t pay income taxes and won’t take personal responsibility and care for their lives. James Henry was the lead researcher on the Tax Justice Network’s recent report “The Price of Offshore Revisited” which reveals how the likes of Mitt Romney hide their money abroad to avoid paying taxes. |
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Then following Romney’s disdainful remarks that reveal contempt for almost half of America’s citizens, we look into the extent to which Mitt appears to be outdoing his running mate Paul Ryan in channeling Ayn Rand. Gary Weiss, an award-winning investigative reporter for BusinessWeek and author of “Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle For America’s Soul” joins us to discuss the beleaguered "makers" who have risen above the worthless masses of "takers"- those who lack the initiative to better themselves and prefer to mooch off the successful of the world upon whose shoulders rests the burden of enterprise that subsidizes these ungrateful dependents. |
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Then finally Pulitzer prize-winning author Hedrick Smith joins us to discuss his latest book “Who Stole the American Dream”. We examine the shift in the last few decades in which a greater and greater percentage of the nation’s wealth has been concentrated in the hand of fewer and fewer of the ultra-wealthy, while the American dream has become more difficult for the middle class and impossible for working Americans to attain. |
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September 17 - Do More Jihadis Make Intervention in Syria More Likely?; The First Anniversary of Zuccotti Park; A Friend and Colleague Remembers Slain SEAL Glen Doherty
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We begin with an analysis of whether the current unrest in the Middle East makes it more or less likely the U.S. will intervene in the worsening crisis in Syria. Brian Katulis, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress who specializes in national security policy in the Middle East, joins us to discuss whether the rapidly-growing jihadi presence in the Syrian opposition will further destabilize the region. |
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Then we go to Zuccotti Park on the first anniversary of the formation of the Occupy Wall Street movement and speak with Arun Gupta who gives us an update on today’s activities and looks back over the year to assess the movement’s impact on American politics and the political discourse that is now framed by the 99% versus the 1% reality of income inequality and unfair tax policies. |
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Then finally we speak with a close friend and colleague of Glen Doherty, the former SEAL who died protecting the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from jihadis who attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11. Mikey Weinstein the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, joins us to discuss Glen Doherty’s other battle against religious fanatics, his fight to stop a fundamentalist Christian coup within the U.S. Armed Forces. |
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| MUSIC: Built to Spill - Things Fall Apart; The Night Watchmen - The Road I Must Travel; My Morning Jacket - Gideon |
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