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June 24 - Is Judical Activism on a Roll?; The Liar-in-Chief; Allowing the Winner to Win in Egypt
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We begin with an analysis of what might come down from the Supreme Court next week as we await their ruling on the Affordable Care Act. The Chief Council of the Constitutional Accountability Center Elizabth Wydra joins us to discuss whether the radical anti-union ruling that came down last week could be a harbinger of the court’s intention to kill Obama’s signature healthcare reform act. |
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Then we examine how Mitt Romney lies with remarkable alacrity and frequency, and how he gets away with it. Michael Cohen, a columnist for Foreign Policy and the author of “Live From the Campaign Trail: The Greatest Presidential Speeches of the 20th Century and How They Shaped Modern America” joins us. We discuss his article in the UK Guardian “Mendacious Mitt: Romney’s Bid to Become Liar-in-Chief”. |
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Then finally Juan Cole joins us. He is a professor of Modern Middle Eastern and South Asian History at the University of Michigan and the author of “Engaging the Muslim World”. We discuss the results of the Egyptian presidential election where it appears the ruling military council decided to allow the winner to win rather than face a violent backlash from the Muslim Brotherhood. |
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| MUSIC: MGMT - We Don't Care; The Eagles - Lyin' Eyes; Born Ruffians - Retard Canard |
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June 21 - Angela Merkel Is Not The Miracle Worker; The Tailhook Whistleblower Speaks Out; The Film Makers of "The Invisible War"
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Following the just-concluded G-20 summit where world leaders ganged up on Angela Merkel to solve the Eurocrisis, we begin with a German perspective on how much the German Chancellor can do to save the Euro, save the British and American economic recoveries, and save President Obama from an election defeat. Thomas Kleine Brockhoff, a senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund joins us to defend Germany against constant attacks that they are part of the problem, not the solution. |
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Then we look into one of the most under-reported stories in the media with Paula Couglin, a former anti-submarine helicopter pilot who was the whistleblower who originally spoke out and uncovered the Tailhook scandal back in the early 1990’s. She was punished by the Navy for complaining she was raped by drunken sailors and was forced to resign. She appears in the new film, “The Invisible War”. |
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Then finally, the film makers of “The Invisible War” Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering joins us to discuss their groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape in the U.S. Armed Forces that has claimed up to half a million victims. We discuss the institutions that perpetuate and cover up this on-going scandal and the profound personal and social consequences of the military’s failure to address this problem. |
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| MUSIC: The Flaming Lips - Waiting For A Superman; Fiona Apple - Sullen Girl; Aus Rotten - Second Rape; James Blake - What I Know Now |
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June 20 - "Nuns On The Bus"; Mitt and Karl's Fabulous Weekend; The Trillion Dollar Failure
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We begin with an appeal for social justice from the “nuns on the bus” who are touring the richest country on earth that is casting aside more and more of its citizens. Sister Simone Campbell, the Director of Network joins us to discuss her visit to the district offices of Congressman Paul Ryan whose budget gives more tax cuts to the wealthy and more money for defense while dramatically cutting Social Security, health and education funding and aid to the hungry and poor.
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Then as Mitt Romney prepares for a weekend retreat of campaign strategy and money-raising sessions in Deer Valley Utah, where he will be hosting his top billionaire donors, Karl Rove, the Vice Presidential hopefuls and a pantheon of Republican heavy-hitters and conservative commentators, we hear from Craig Holman who is the Government Affairs Legislative Representative for Public Citizen. We discuss the fiction that superPACs such as Karl Rove’s do not coordinate with the Romney campaign. |
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The finally we speak with award-winning documentary film maker Eugene Jarecki about his latest film, “The House I live In”. This powerful and personal film tells the complete and untold story of the failed war on drugs and its costs to American society, from the perspectives of the victims as well as prosecutors, narcotics detectives, Federal Judges, and prison officials trapped this trillion dollar failure that has jailed 45 million Americans. |
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| MUSIC: The Caravans - If I Had A Hammer; Peggy Lee - Ain't We Got Fun; Nas (Ft. Lauryn Hill) - If I Ruled The World; Immortal Technique - Peruvian Cocaine |
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June 19 - Billionaire SuperPAC Donors in Violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Iran Talks Drag On But Better Than War; Political Soap Opera in Pakistan
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We begin with Paul Blumenthal, a reporter for the Huffington Post who covers money in politics and examine investigations now underway into some of the biggest billionaire superPAC donors in this election cycle who have allegedly violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. |
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Then we look into why the latest round of talks in Moscow between to G5+1 and Iran appear to have stalled. Investigative journalist Robert Dreyfuss, the author of “Devil’s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam” joins us to discuss the deep well of bitterness between the U.S. and Iran which may explain why the Iranian delegation used up much of the negotiation laying out a long list of grievances with the West. |
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Then finally we get an analysis of why Pakistan’s Supreme Court dismissed Prime Minister Gilani from office, throwing an already unpopular government further into crisis. Junaid Ahmad, a Professor of Law at Lahore University in Pakistan joins us to discuss this latest episode of a political soap opera that is distracting Pakistanis from serious and growing domestic and foreign policy concerns. |
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| MUSIC: Eartha Kitt - Just An Old Fashioned Girl; The Beatles Hello Goodbye; Brenda Lee - I'm Sorry; Shorty Long - Here Comes the Judge |
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June 18 - Cold in Cabo With Putin and Obama; The Saudi Royal Shuffle;The New Radical Left in Europe
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As President Obama and Russian president Putin meet in Mexico and call for an immediate cessation of violence in Syria, we go to Moscow for an update on press reports that Russia is sending naval reinforcements to Syria, possibly to evacuate its citizens. Dr Pavel Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based independent defense analyst who writes for the only non-government-controlled newspaper Novaya Gazeta, joins us to talk about what the two increasingly estranged leaders might be able to agree on. |
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Then we look into the leadership shuffle in Saudi Arabia following the death of the crown prince and the ascension of the Defense Minister Prince Salman as the heir apparent. Toby Jones, the author of “Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia” joins us to discuss the inner-workings of the feudal Al Saud royal family who are pursuing an aggressive foreign policy against Syria and Iran while stifling democratic stirrings of the “Arab Spring” at home. |
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Then finally we examine the surprise showing of Syriza in the Greek elections with Richard Wolffe who is professor emeritus of economics at the University of Amherst, Massachusetts and author of “Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism”. With over half of young Greeks and Spaniards unemployed, we discuss the emergence of a new radical left in Europe rebelling against the ruinous economic policies of a succession of conservative and socialist governments. |
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| Music: The Beatles "Back in the USSR," The Clash "Rock the Casbah," Omar Offendum (feat. The Narcicyst, Freeway, Ayah, Amir Sulaiman) "Egypt Protest Rap", The Rolling Stones "Street Fighting Man" |
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