Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called today for all participants in the Yemen war to begin a ceasefire within 30 days. The two said that within 30 days they wanted all parties to engage in peace talks that would be led by UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. No venue for talks has yet been announced.
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.
President Trump and his advisors are pushing ahead with his theory that he can revoke birthright citizenship by signing an executive order. Most Republican leaders and Constitutional scholars have condemned the president's position on the basis that it violates the 14th Amendment, but the issue will likely have to be settled in the courts. Brian and John speak with David Gespass, the former President of the National Lawyers Guild.
An Israeli airstrike killed three young Palestinian boys on Sunday evening near the fence that separates Israel from Gaza. Israeli authorities say that one of their aircraft rocketed the boys, two aged 13 and one 14, while they were planting explosives. Palestinian authorities, however, said that was nonsense. Dan Cohen, a journalist and a documentary filmmaker with extensive experience in the Middle East, joins the show.
The New Zealand government said today that a landmark 11-country trade deal that would slash tariffs and increase trade will come into effect at the end of December after being ratified by New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Singapore. The Trump Administration withdrew from the Pacific Rim Trade Pact early last year to, in President Trump's words, prioritize protecting American jobs. Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California, author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression," and at www.jackrasmus.com, joins Brian and John.
Chabahar is an Iranian port on the Indian Ocean, Iran's only direct access to open ocean. The port was built and developed by Indian companies working with the government of India to expand that country's ability to trade with the rest of the world, but especially with Afghanistan. The idea was a good one for virtually all the economies of the area. But now US sanctions on Iran threaten the port's viability. Vijay Prashad, the director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and chief editor of LeftWord Books, joins the show.
The Cook Political Report, arguably the most highly-respected political analysis outlet in the country, reported today that Democrats may be on the brink of a major sweep of governors' mansions in every Great Lakes state with an election this year. Democratic gains would have lasting importance because of the upcoming 2020 census and the resultant mandate to draw new congressional district borders. Brian and John speak with Julie Hurwitz, a Detroit civil rights attorney and partner at the law firm Goodman, Hurwitz and James.
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