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May 6 - France Rejects Austerity; A CIA Interrogator on the Guantanamo Trials; Reversing Wealth Inequality
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We begin with the French Presidential elections and speak with Philippe Marliere, an expert on the French Socialist Party, whose candidate Francois Hollande appears to have won the election and has vowed to change the direction of France away from the austerity policies that have crippled Europe. |
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Then we speak with a former CIA officer who broke with the Agency over torture and has written a book about his experience of using enhanced interrogation against alleged Al Qaeda terrorists, “The Interrogator: An Education”. Glenn Carle joins us to discuss the 9/11 terrorism trial at Guantanamo just underway where defense attorneys say they are not allowed to discuss torture with their clients. |
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Then finally we speak about the growing inequality in America that Mitt Romney’s biggest donor and former partner at Bain Capital says is a sign that our economy is working and that a little more inequality would be good for the 99%. Chuck Collins, the Co-founder with Bill Gates Sr. of Wealth for the Common Good joins us. He has a new book “99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What we can do About It”. |
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| MUSIC: Quasi - Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler; Cinematic Orchestra - Ode To The Big Sea; Doom - Gazillion Ear; Primus - American Life |
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May 3 - A Chinese Dissident's Plea To Secretary Clinton; What Obama Did Not Say About Afghanistan; Jackson Browne On His Music And Activism
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We begin and speak with a prominent Chinese dissident who is urging Secretary Clinton to visit Chen Guangcheng in Beijing to ensure his safety. Bei Ling, an exiled Chinese poet and essayist and the founder of the Independent Chinese PEN Center joins us along with Scott Savitt a former Beijing-based foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and United Press International.
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Then we get an analysis of President Obama’s exit strategy from Afghanistan and the extent to which it does not conform with the reality on the ground. Christine Fair, a former UN Political Officer who served in Afghanistan joins us to discuss what was not said about relations with Pakistan and what will happen to the massive amounts of military material when the U.S. starts its exit in 2014. |
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Then finally we speak with singer/songwriterJackson Browne about his music and politics and how he navigates between the worlds of entertainment and activism. Jackson Browne, along with a roster of great musicians, will be appearing at the KPFK Hero Awards and Tribute To Gil Scott Heron at Club Nokia this coming Sunday May 6th, tickets for which are available at KPFK.org. |
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| MUSIC: Girls Next Door - Slow Boat to China; Fionn Regan - Shadow of an Empire; Jackson Browne - Rock Me On The Water/ For America |
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May 2 - Terrorism Alarmists Keep Al Qaeda Alive; A Pakistani Lawyer Who Defends Victims of Drone Strikes; A Pacifist Held Hostage by Jihadis
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We begin with the president’s address from the US military complex at Bagram in Afghanistan where he outlined the exit strategy for 2014 and touched on the history of America’s longest war on the first anniversary of the killing of Al Qaeda’s leader. Political Scientist John Mueller, the author of “Terror, Security, and Money: Balancing the Risks, Benefits and Costs of Homeland Security, joins us. He has an article at The National Interest “Why Al Qaeda May Never Die”. |
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Then we speak with a Pakistani lawyer Shahzad Akbar who is the co-founder of the Foundation for Fundamental Rights, an organization representing victims of drone strikes in Pakistani courts. We discuss the recent “clarification” of drone policy by the White House and what is happening on the ground in Pakistan in terms of victims of collateral damage from drone strikes who are suing the U.S. and Pakistan governments. |
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Then finally we hear from a Canadian peace activist who was captured in Iraq by a Jihadist group calling themselves the Swords of the Righteous. Held in brutal captivity for 118 days, his American companion murdered, and all the while hiding that he is gay, he was eventually freed by a joint SAS and U.S. Special Forces team. James Loney, the author of “Captivity: 118 Days in Iraq and the Struggle for a World Without War” joins us to discuss how a pacifist dealt with murderous extremists and being rescued by soldiers who risked their lives to save his. |
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| MUSIC: Daft Punk - Robot Rock; Major Lazor (Ft. Amber Coffman) - Get Free; Bob Dylan - I Shall Be Released |
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May 1st - On May Day the State of Working America; May Day Demonstrations in Chicago; May Day Demonstrations in New York and Los Angeles
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We begin on this May Day and get an analysis of the state of working America from Lawrence Mischel, who is the president of the Economic Policy Institute and the principal author of a research volume published every two years that is widely considered as the authoritative text on the American workforce, “The State of Working America”. |
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Then we speak with labor historian Leon Fink who edits the journal ”Labor: Studies in Working Class History of the Americas”. We discuss the history of the American labor movement and how it compares to other industrial democracies in terms of political influence and economic clout, as well as get an update on May Day demonstrations held today in Chicago. |
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Then finally we hear about the May Day demonstrations in New York from Arun Gupta who covers the Occupy Wall Street movement for Salon. We discuss the occupation of Union Square and other demonstrations and, on a day meant to celebrated solidarity with working people around the world, we look into growing factionalism in the occupy movement and concerns of co-option. And for an update on May Day demonstrations in Los Angeles, Julie Levine joins us. An activist and a leader in the Topanga Peace Alliance, she is currently a field instructor at the USC School of Social Work. |
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| MUSIC: Billy Bragg - There is Power in a Union; Pete Seeger - Union Maid; Primus - Those Damn Blue Collar Tweakers; Bob Dylan - Workingman's Blues |
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April 30 - The White House Clarifies Its Drone Policy; Gangster Politics in Ukraine; Is the CISPA Bill Worse Than SOPA?
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We begin with the White House’s counter-terrorism advisor's briefing today where the Administration’s position on the use of drones was “clarified”. A specialist in the law of war, Kenneth Anderson, joins us. He is a professor of law at American University and has studied the ethical and legal issues involved in drone and robotic warfare. |
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Then we examine the deteriorating political situation in Ukraine where the government is facing mounting pressure from European leaders who are expressing concern over the mistreatment of the jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. A former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer joins us. We discuss the mafia-like business oligarchs running Ukraine and the country's growing isolation. |
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Then finally we speak with Sascha Meinrath, the Director of the New American Foundation’s Open Technology Institute about the CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Prevention Act the House just passed. We discuss what is in this bill that the president has threatened to veto and what advocates for internet freedom and civil liberties find alarming about it. |
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| MUSIC: Kraftwerk - The Robots; Gogol Bordello - Not A Crime; Britney Spears - Criminal; Instra:mental - Watching You |
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