In his latest book, "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner," legendary Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg reveals shocking details of the US nuclear weapons program of the 1950s and 1960s, including how responsibility for launching nuclear war was delegated to theater commanders during the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations. No other high-level insider has ever written so candidly about nuclear policy--and that policy hasn't changed in more than a half century.
Brian and John talk about the grave dangers posed by America's aging nuclear power plants in a 30-minute excerpt from an interview with nuclear experts. Greg Mello, the executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, and Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, join the show.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, under fire from members of his own party for giving in to pressure from Republicans on the government shutdown, said yesterday that any discussion of a border wall is off the table. Others say Schumer had no deal with House Republicans to discuss DACA. Brian and John speak with Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist.
Google for the first time has spent more money than any other company lobbying Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. The tech giant spent $18 million to influence policymakers on such issues as immigration, tax reform, and anti-trust law. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show.
Puerto Rico's governor announced on Monday that he is moving to privatize the island's troubled public power company after its slow and difficult recovery from Hurricane Maria exposed mismanagement and corruption. Ruth Beltran, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Tampa, and Richard Lopez, an activist with the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, join Brian and John.
The Turkish offensive in northern Syria continues to press forward against the Kurdish YPG's positions. Meanwhile Turkey's foreign minister has claimed that the United States is in favor of a 30-kilometer security buffer along the Syrian-Turkish border. Rick Sterling, an investigative journalist and member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, joins the show.
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court struck down that state's congressional district boundaries, calling them "unconstitutional" and saying that they must be redrawn before the May primaries. While Democrats and Republicans consistently split the vote about 50/50, Republicans control 13 of the state's 18 House seats. Brian and John speak with Drew Penrose, Legal and Policy Director at the election reform advocacy organization FairVote.
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