The second tranche of Democratic presidential candidates will debate tonight in Detroit. Last night’s debate saw Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren take command of a variety of issues, but second-tier candidates other than Marianne Williamson had difficulty breaking out of the pack. Tonight’s debate will feature Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and will cover some of the same issues as last night’s debate, including health care and infrastructure.
Do you remember Maria Butina, the Russian graduate student who was convicted of failing to fill out a form identifying her as an agent or lobbyist for the Russian government? She’s still in prison for that process of crime. And now her attorney is revealing that Butina’s former romantic partner was actually an FBI informant who targeted her for information. He reported to the FBI that Butina was not a spy. She really was just a graduate student. But the FBI and the US Attorney kept that exculpatory information from the defense. And that’s illegal. Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers, joins the show.
A combination of political, environmental and infrastructure issues this year has pushed many farmers to the brink. The US-China trade war, extreme heat and now for farmers in Nebraska and Wyoming the collapse of a huge irrigation canal has created a crisis that threatens to force many into bankruptcy. Brian and John speak with Dr. Upmanu Lall, Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University and Director of the Columbia Water Center.
The nomination of John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence is bringing to the fore inconsistencies in his resume. Ratcliffe claims to have been a renowned fighter against terrorism as US attorney. But the case he alludes to is the infamous Holy Land Foundation Five case, which many observers believe to be a profound injustice. Miko Peled, the author of "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five,” joins the show.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off of its east coast, according to the South Korean military. The missiles appear to be different from those fired last week. At that time, the North Korean media said that the launch was a warning over planned US-South Korean military exercises that simulate a war with the North. Author and professor Tim Beal, whose most recent book is “Crisis in Korea,” 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. Today the panel concentrates on last night’s Democratic presidential primary debate. 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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