Donald Trump gave a rambling, far-right rant full of anti-immigrant racism, militarist bluster, and vowing to protect gun rights. Trump vowed to "strengthen up" background checks for gun purchases. The four discuss his remarks in depth.
The United States government announced that it is formally established the embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, a day Israel that uses as a day of independence, but a date that Palestine labels as the "Nakba," or catastrophe. Meanwhile, a Palestinian was beaten by multiple Israeli soldiers and later died in custody. And the broadening corruption scandal involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worsened this week. Max Blumenthal, a bestselling author whose latest book is "The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza," senior editor of Alternet's Grayzone Project, and co-host of the podcast "Moderate Rebels," joins the show.
Donald Trump said yesterday that he was considering removing ICE and Border Patrol agents from California, a move he claimed would turn the state into "a crime nest like you've never seen." This came a day ahead of his virulently anti-immigrant speech at CPAC, where he compared immigrants to deceitful "snakes." Brian and John speak with Juan José Gutiérrez, the executive director of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition, and Sundrop Carter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition.
The day after special counsel Robert Mueller filed a new 32-count indictment against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, Gates has entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiracy and making a false statement. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup," and "America's Undeclared War," joins the show.
Trump today announced at CPAC that his administration will adopt "largest-ever set of new sanctions" against North Korea, even further than sanctions have already gone. Professor Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network, joins Brian and John.
All public schools are shut down in West Virginia as thousands of teachers go out on strike and rally alongside their supporters in the community. Meanwhile, every one of Seattle's 400 school bus drivers went on strike on February 1 to protest low wages, poor healthcare, and bad working conditions. The strike in Seattle ended with the union winning major concessions on healthcare and retirement benefits. Frank Ariet, a community organizer, and Lee Hessler, an activist, and journalist who has been documenting the Seattle bus drivers strike, join the show.
Another Friday, another week of the worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his blog Left I on the News, which you can find at lefti.blogspot.com.
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