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January 15 - U.S./ Iran Tension and an Israeli "False Flag" Operation; "Pity The Billionaire" - How The Right Continues To Profit From The Crash
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We begin with increasing concern at the White House and among the Joint Chiefs that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran in spite of U.S. objections. We look into Israeli covert activity that harms U.S. interests with an historian specializing in intelligence, Mark Perry. He has an article at Foreign Policy “False Flag” that reveals how Mossad agents posed as CIA officers to recruit terrorists who killed Iranian soldiers and civilians. |
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Then finally we arejoined by Thomas Frank, the author of a new book “Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right” which examines how the worst economy since the 1930’s that crashed under George W. Bush, brought about a revival of conservatism. |
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January 12 - Sabotaging The Diplomatic Track With Iran; A Setback for Bigotry; One of the West Memphis Three Tells His Inspiring Story
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We begin with an analysis of whether there will be a war with Iran or whether diplomacy will be revived to avert one. Gary Sick, who served on the National Security Council under President’s Ford, Carter and Reagan and was the principal White House aide for Iran during the Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis, joins us. We discuss Hillary Clinton’s condemnation and emphatic denial of U.S. involvement in the assassination of an Iranian scientist that appears to be an effort to derail talks underway in Turkey between U.S. and Iranian diplomats. |
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Then we look into the setback in Oklahoma for proponents of a ban of Sharia law in the United States even though there is a total lack of evidence that anyone is planning or proposing to impose Sharia law on anyone. Faiz Shakir, a Vice President at the Center For American Progress joins us to discuss the casual anti-Muslim bigotry in this country that Fox News inflames and the Republican Party seems to tolerate if not endorse. |
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Then finally we are joined in the studio by the award-winning film maker Joe Berlinger whose latest documentary feature “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” premieres tonight, Thursday on HBO. We talk about the appalling miscarriage of justice the film documents and the bitter-sweet happy ending with the filmmaker and with one of the so-called West Memphis Three, Jason Baldwin, who also joins us to tell his inspiring personal story of enduring eighteen years of imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. |
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January 11 - The Obama Romney Has Invented; Romney's 2012 Campaign Theme; The Chavez/Ahmadinejad Sideshow
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We begin with Dan Kennedy a professor of journalism at Northeastern University who we spoke with some months ago when he wrote an article warning progressives to be careful what they wish for in wanting one of the less electable republicans to get the nomination instead of the more competent Romney. Now that Romney seems likely to be the nominee, we examine the candidate and how he might handle the challenges ahead. |
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Then we look further at the Republican front-runner with Glen Johnson, who is the Politics Editor at the Boston Globe’s online component Boston.com and the lead blogger for the site’s blog “Political Intelligence. He covered Romney’s 2008 campaign and is covering the current one and we discuss the candidate and his likely campaign themes that were outlined in his victory speech in New Hampshire. |
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Then finally we go to Caracas, Venezuela and speak with Virginia Lopez who covers Latin America and Venezuela for the UK’s Guardian newspaper. We get an update on the health of Hugo Chavez and a local perspective on the visit by Iranian President Ahmadinejad who also joined Hugo Chavez for the presidential inauguration of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. |
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| MUSIC: Kurt Vile - Puppet to the Man; Fionn Regan - Campaign Button; Janelle Monae - Cold War; Los Amigos Invisibles - Diablo |
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January 10 - A White House Shuffle as Romney Rises; "The GOP's Race to the Dark Ages"; Potential Conflict Hot Spots in the Geo-Energy Age.
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We begin with an analysis of what is going on in the White House with the exit of the Chief of Staff as they gear up for a tough re-election campaign. And as results from the New Hampshire primary vote come in, we speak with Mike Lux, the founder and CEO of Progressive Strategies, and discuss what seems to be shaping us as an Obama/Romney race this year. |
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Then we are joined by Sarah Posner, the Senior Editor of Religion Dispatches and author of God’s Profits: Faith, Fraud, and the Republican Crusade for Values”. She has an article about Rick Santorum at Religion Dispatches, “The GOP’s Race to the Dark Ages” and we discuss the desperate scramble on the part of religious right powerbrokers to find a suitable anti-Romney candidate. |
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Then finally we speak with the director of the Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies, Michael Klare. As the possibility of a new war breaking out in the Gulf escalates, we discuss his latest article “Danger Waters: The Three Top Hot Spots of Potential Conflict in the Geo-Energy Age”. |
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| MUSIC: M. Ward - Big Boat; The Shins - Fighting in a Sack; Wilco - Side with the Seeds; Modest Mouse - Tiny Cities Made of Ashes |
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January 9 - "Race, Liberty and Ron Paul"; Nigerians Strike Over Gas Prices; "The Devil and Rick Santorum: Dilemmas of a Holy Owned Subsidiary"
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We begin with an assessment of whether Mitt Romney will be slowed or sullied in New Hampshire as Ron Paul makes gains on Romney’s substantial lead. Michael Lind, who has an article at Salon.com “Race, Liberty and Ron Paul”, joins us. |
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Then we look into strikes in oil-rich Nigeria over the removal of gas subsidies that have more than doubled the price of gasoline. Aniedi Okure, the Executive Director of Africa Faith and Justice Network, a community of advocates for responsible U.S. relations with Africe, joins us to discuss the government's rampant corruption and President Goodluck Jonathan's state of emergency with the Islamist militia Boko Harum. |
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Then finally Tom Ferguson joins us. He has an article at Alternet “The Devil and Rick Santorum: Dilemmas of a ‘Holy’ Owned Subsidiary” that makes the case that while Republican policies are stunningly oriented towards making the richest Americans richer, they have spent decades cultivating ordinary voters to focus on social wedge issues rather economic policies and are thus missing an opportunity in 2012 since the Democrats are vulnerable on the economy. |
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| MUSIC: Dead Prez - Police State; Tinariwen - Tenere Taqqim Tossam (Four Tet remix); Nina Simone - Funkier Than a Mosquittos Tweeter; Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon - Plastic Jesus |
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