The British government has charged two Russian nationals, whom it describes as military intelligence assassins, with attempted murder in the poisoning last spring of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Both survived. Scotland Yard investigators claim to have found traces of Novichok, a weapons-grade nerve agent, in a perfume bottle that the two allegedly used on the victims. Both Russians are believed to be in Moscow.
Thursday's weekly segment, Beyond Nuclear, looks at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
The intelligence services of the Five Eyes nations-the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand-are quietly warning technology firms that they want access to all encrypted emails, text messages, and voice communications, and they are threatening to compel the companies to give it to them if they don't do so voluntarily. Meanwhile, big tech CEOs are testifying to Congress. Brian and John speak with web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa.
Legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward has a new book coming out. "Fear: Trump in the White House" will be released on Tuesday. But leaked passages are already making the news. They portray the White House as a veritable killing field of political careers and a president who is unhinged, unpredictable, and obsessed with the Mueller investigation. That rings true, but Woodward has a history of embellishing and, in some cases, making things up. Joe Lauria, the editor-in-chief of Consortium News, founded by the late Robert Parry, and the author of the book "How I Lost, By Hillary Clinton," joins the show.
Amazon yesterday hit a market valuation of $1 trillion-only the second company in the world to reach that number besides Apple. Founder Jeff Bezos is the world's wealthiest man at $165 billion. All the while, many of his employees work for minimum wage and qualify for food stamps. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression," whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com, joins Brian and John.
Capitol Hill is buzzing with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Republicans laud Kavanaugh's supposed mainstream Republican views, while Democrats complain that the nomination would tilt the court farther to the right, especially on social issues. But what neither side is talking about is Kavanaugh's well-documented opposition to net neutrality. Tim Karr, the senior director of strategy and communications at Free Press, joins the show.
Democratic insurgent Ayanna Pressley, a Boston City Council member, defeated 10-term incumbent Mike Capuano yesterday in a hotly contested Democratic primary. The upset is another indication that the Democratic Party rank-and-file are angry, motivated, and getting out the vote. Brian and John speak with Anoa Changa, the director of political advocacy and a managing editor of Progressive Army, and host of the show The Way With Anoa.
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