President Trump said after nearly five hours of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the two are on their way to "establishing new US-DPRK relations." A document the two leaders signed said that Kim "reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to denuclearization" while Trump offered North Korean security guarantees and the promise of economic relief. Although true denuclearization could take years, or even decades, both leaders said the new relationship got off to a good start.
While the military and foreign policy establishment in the United States is demanding that North Korea immediately denuclearize, the United States is in the midst of a $1 trillion upgrade of its nuclear weapons arsenal, and there appears to be little progress being made towards a nuclear-free world. These weapons of mass destruction have become normalized in the minds of so many, but what would it really look like if a nuclear exchange were to actually happen? Steven Starr, a professor who teaches about the environmental, health, and social effects of nuclear weapons at the University of Missouri, a senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility, and whose work is at www.nuclearfamine.org, joins the show.
In a brutal confirmation of the Trump Administration's hard line on refugees, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered immigration judges to stop granting asylum to people who are victims of gang violence or domestic abuse. Sessions is trying to use his office to sharply change US immigration law. Brian and John speak with Danielle Norwood, a reproductive rights activist and a therapist specializing in treating adult and adolescent survivors of trauma.
Spain yesterday offered to take in a humanitarian ship stranded in international waters with 629 refugees aboard, including hundreds of children and 7 pregnant women, as the new Italian government and Malta refused to let it dock. Spain's new socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he will allow the ship to dock in Valencia. The refugees today boarded another ship and are now on their way to Spain. Dick Nichols, the correspondent for Spain and Catalonia for Green Left Weekly, joins the show.
The Red Cross and UN have pulled out of the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah. How bad is the situation in Yemen going to get? Independent political analyst Marwa Osman joins Brian and John.
In Loud & Clear's weekly Wednesday series False Profits-A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey, the hosts join Daniel is assessing the viability of social security and unpack the unemployment rate. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show.
Maine has instituted ranked choice voting, or instant runoff voting, which some argue is fairer than most voting systems used here in the US. The first statewide vote with ranked choice is taking place today. How does it work and is it fairer? Brian and John speak with Drew Spencer Penrose, legal and policy director at the election reform advocacy organization FairVote.
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