The US-China trade war escalated sharply Monday as Beijing said it would raise tariffs on $60 billion in American goods, defying warnings from US President Donald Trump and sparking a global market sell-off. China's ministry of finance said it was increasing levies on goods ranging from liquefied natural gas to frozen spinach and toothpaste, in "response to US unilateralism and trade protectionism" — its characterization of the Trump administration's move last Friday to increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports to 25%. What does this mean going forward in this international game of chicken, since neither side seems to be blinking? (Are there tariffs on chicken?)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo crashed a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels Monday to push for a united transatlantic front against Tehran and its nuclear program. But he failed to bend attitudes among leaders who fear the United States and Iran are inching toward war. The meeting comes amid increased tensions between the US and Iran, and as European leaders look to preserve the Iran nuclear deal. After the Brussels talks, Pompeo will continue to Sochi, Russia, Tuesday. There he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as planned. Why is the US continuing to swat at this hornets' nest?
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has formally requested the support of US military forces in the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis, a letter published by his representative Carlos Vecchio said today. What's happening on the ground right now? How is this being interpreted and received?
GUESTS:
Ivan Eland — Senior fellow at the Independent Institute and director of the Independent Institute's Center on Peace & Liberty.
Linwood Tauheed — Associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Jefferson Morley — Journalist and editor who has worked in Washington journalism for over 30 years, 15 of which were spent as an editor and reporter at The Washington Post. The author of "The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton" and "Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA," Morley has written about intelligence, the military and politics for Salon, The Atlantic and The Intercept, among others.
Dr. Marvin Weinbaum — Scholar-in-residence and director of the Middle East Institute's Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies.
Teri Mattson — Campaign To End US And Canadian Sanctions Against Venezuela.
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