A former C.I.A. officer suspected by investigators of helping China dismantle United States spying operations and identify informants has been arrested. The reported collapse of the US spy network in China is described by the New York Times as one of the American government's worst intelligence failures in recent years.
A newly drafted United States nuclear strategy that has been sent to President Trump for approval will permit an expanded use of nuclear weapons. This document is called the Nuclear Posture Review. The following is a 30-minute except interview on the issue of nuclear weapons. The program was recorded one week ago in the studio of Radio Sputnik. Brian and John speak with Greg Mello, the executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, and Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear.
House Republicans are proposing another stopgap spending measure that would ignore Democratic concerns over DACA, but would fund the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, for the next six years. They look at whether the Democrats will be forced to choose children over immigrants to get a budget deal. Dr. Scott Tyson, the CEO of Pediatrics South and an advocate for the right to healthcare, joins the show.
For 16 years, fighting in Afghanistan between US troops and the Taliban has stopped when winter descends. Under the new rules of engagement for the third US president to administer the Afghanistan war, the US and Afghan forces conducted an average of 15 airstrikes a day this December, compared with an average of 2 last December. Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former US State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq, join Brian and John.
The value of the dollar is down more than 15 percent versus the euro in the past six months, making exports cheaper and imports more expensive. It also could fuel inflation and prolong the stock market rally. But is this a bubble, and are the Trump Administration's policies just kicking the can down the road? Daniel Sankey, a financial policy analyst, and Steve Keen, the author of "Debunking Economics" and the world's first crowdfunded economist, join the show.
Momentum is building for the outdoor Virginia Prison Reform Rally to be held from 2-3 pm Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Bell Tower on Capitol Square in Richmond, Virgnia. Margaret Breslau, Chairperson of the Coalition for Justice, joins Brian and John.
On the same day that he refused to answer questions before the House Intelligence Committee, former White House senior advisor Steve Bannon was subpoenaed to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller's grand jury. He has now reportedly agreed to an interview with Mueller rather than testify. They look at whether Bannon is a witness or a target. Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup," and "America's Undeclared War" joins the show.
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