Last night saw the final Democratic debate before the February 3 Iowa caucuses, and pundits agree - it was incredibly boring. There were no knockout blows, but there was an exchange set up by the moderators between Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Joe Biden went generally unscathed, and pundits said businessman Tom Steyer, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg delivered solid performances.
In a televised cabinet meeting today, Iranian President Rouhani said that European troops “could be in danger” after the UK, Germany, and France activated a clause in the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, that would reimpose sanctions on the country. Meanwhile, Iraqi political forces have called for a massive march to demand that US troops leave the country. Medea Benjamin, a well-known peace activist and the cofounder of the peace group Code Pink, joins the show.
President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He today signed a phase one trade deal aimed at deescalating two years of trade tensions that have rocked global commerce. The deal includes a Chinese commitment to purchase $200 billion worth of US goods and services over two years, but it also preserves the majority of US tariffs on $360 billion of Chinese goods. It also more strongly protects US intellectual property. Brian and John speak with Steve Keen, the author of “Debunking Economics” and the world’s first crowdfunded economist, whose work is at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this morning named seven impeachment managers who will serve as de facto prosecutors in President Trump’s upcoming Senate trial. Reps. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler, the chairmen of the Intelligence and Judiciary committees respectively, will lead the effort and will be joined by Zoe Lofgren of CA, Hakeem Jeffries of NY, Val Demings of FL, Jason Crow of CO, and Sylvia Garcia of TX. Meanwhile, newly released documents show that an associate of Presidential attorney Rudy Giuliani was conducting hostile surveillance against the former US Ambassador to Ukraine. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books--“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War,” joins the show.
Australia is experiencing wildfires the likes of which have never before been recorded. As many as 500 million animals already have perished, and scientists say the fires are so bad that entire species may be wiped out. Authorities blame climate change for the driest and hottest seasons ever recorded, and they tell us that such epic fire seasons may become regular events in countries around the world. Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the Guardian, and the author of many books, including “Disaster Capitalism,” joins Brian and John.
Wednesday’s weekly series, In the News, is where the hosts look at the most important ongoing developments of the week and put them into perspective. Sputnik news analysts Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek join the show.
Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about 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.
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