Twenty presidential candidates are set to debate in the second round of Democratic debates. They'll take place in Detroit Tuesday and Wednesday night. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren will take center stage the first night. They'll be joined by South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. The other candidates are Montana Governor Steve Bullock, Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, former Maryland Congressman John Delaney and self-help author Marianne Williamson. What will be the biggest issues, and will the water crisis in Flint Michigan be a top talker?
A lawyer for Russian national Maria Butina is accusing federal prosecutors of withholding exculpatory information about her that the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company provided to the FBI. Robert Driscoll, Butina's lawyer, sent a letter last Thursday to Justice Department officials requesting an investigation into possible misconduct by prosecutors and the FBI in handling information from Patrick Byrne, the CEO of online retailer Overstock.com. How important is this?
Asked to comment on the US offer to form an anti-Iran maritime coalition, the German Foreign Ministry told Sputnik Tuesday that Berlin is not seriously considering the US proposal. “The US recently presented its concept of a naval observation mission in the Persian Gulf to a number of its allies, including Germany, and asked them to participate. The government took note of the proposal, but made no promises. Foreign Minister [Heiko] Maas has repeatedly stressed that, in our opinion, priority must be given to reducing tensions, and to diplomatic efforts. We are in close consultation with France and the UK. Participation in the US strategy of ‘maximum pressure’ is ruled out for us,” the ministry said in a statement. What does this mean for US efforts to isolate Iran going forward?
A Monday article in Politico titled, "DCCC in 'complete chaos' as uproar over diversity intensifies," states, "Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) was set to make an unplanned trip to Washington from her district Monday amid an outcry from top black and Latino lawmakers over a lack of diversity in the campaign arm's senior management ranks. POLITICO reported last week that black and Hispanic lawmakers are furious with Bustos’ stewardship of the campaign arm. They say the upper echelon of the DCCC is bereft of diversity, and it is not doing enough to reach Latino voters and hire consultants of color. In addition, several of Bustos’ senior aides have left in the first six months of her tenure, including her chief of staff — a black woman — and her director of mail and polling director, both women." How can Democrats deal with a diverse electorate when they are fighting diversity in their own leadership?
"Northern Ireland’s largest nationalist party on Tuesday called on the Irish government to prepare for the unification of the British region with EU-member Ireland, saying 'bullish' UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit posed a threat," Reuters reports. "[Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald's] comments come days after Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the question of the unification of Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland would inevitably arise if Britain leaves the European Union without a divorce deal on Oct. 31."
GUESTS:
Bob Schlehuber — Producer for By Any Means Necessary and Sputnik news analyst.
Joia Jefferson Nuri — Communications specialist for In The Public Eye Communications.
Attorney Mark Shmueli — Manages a solo practice dedicated exclusively to immigration law. Shmueli represents asylum seekers before the Asylum Office and Executive Office for Immigration Review, and handles employment-based non-immigrant and immigrant visa petitions. He has authored articles on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and the Violence Against Women Act for the Maryland Bar Journal and is a frequent lecturer at national and local conferences on immigration law.
Mark Sleboda — International affairs and security analyst.
Daniel Lazare — Journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War."
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