The Critical Hour

Trump's Third National Security Adviser Bites the Dust: Bolton Is Out, What's Next?

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Daniel Lazare, journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War."
Sputnik

National Security Adviser John Bolton is out. US President Donald Trump announced the ouster in a tweet, noting that he "disagreed strongly" with many of Bolton's suggestions, "as did others" in the administration. One key area of contention involved the role of the US military in Afghanistan's future. Trump vowed to name a new national security adviser next week, and he also thanked Bolton for his service. The hawkish Bolton was Trump's third national security adviser.   

The British Parliament is voting down Prime Minister Boris Johnson's demand for a snap election. Johnson wanted a new election after Parliament voted last week to force him to ask the European Union for a Brexit extension if a deal couldn't be reached for the UK to leave the bloc before the October 31 deadline. Johnson had pledged Britain would leave the EU at that time with or without a deal. If no deal is reached by then, it will be the third time the UK has asked for an extension.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promising voters he intends to annex all settlements in the occupied West Bank if he is reelected. The premier said that he is working with President Trump to apply Israeli sovereignty to all Jewish settlements, and that Trump plans to release his Middle East peace plan immediately after the September 17 election in Israel. A Palestinian negotiator said the announcement adds fuel to the fire of the conflict between the two sides.   

There's a new report that the CIA extracted a top spy from Moscow in 2017 due to concerns that the operative could be exposed. The security concerns were reportedly motivated by the Trump administration's handling of classified material. Around the same time the news report was released, Trump tweeted that CNN is "bad for the USA."  He did not cite the report about the spy in Russia but said CNN "spews bad information & Fake News all over the globe." What does all of this really mean?

The majority of new US hires of prime working age (25 to 54) are people of color, a historical first for the country, the Washington Post reported Monday, citing data that the Labor Department began collecting in the 1970s. Minority hires surpassed white hires last year. The report also stated, "Women are predominantly driving this trend, which is so powerful that even many women who weren’t thinking about working — because they were in school, caring for kids or at home for other reasons — are being lured into employment, according to The Post’s analysis." With a looming recession, will this group be able to hold onto gains?  

GUESTS:

Daniel Lazare — Journalist and author of three books: "The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup" and "America's Undeclared War."

Miko Peled — Israeli-American activist and author of "The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine."   

Ray McGovern — Former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Peace.   

Dr. Jack Rasmus — Professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression."  

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