A divided US House of Representatives approved a resolution Thursday formally authorizing and articulating guidelines for the next phase of its impeachment inquiry. Are charges of impeachment against US President Donald Trump in the offing? The final tally was 232-196 in favor of a formal impeachment inquiry. The vote went as expected, with nearly all Democrats in favor of the resolution, and no Republicans supporting it. Interestingly, Republicans spent weeks asking for such a vote, and they got it. Is this a matter of 'be careful what you wish for'?
"Iraqi President Barham Saleh vowed Thursday to hold early parliamentary elections once a new law is passed and said the country's embattled premier would resign if an alternative was found," AFP reported. What are we to make of these latest developments? Iraqi demonstrators have continued protesting, and some attempted to storm a bridge into Baghdad's Green Zone, a walled section of the city where various central governmental organs and foreign embassies are located. Security forces have responded with tear gas, and an Iranian-backed militia used live ammunition in an attempt to quell the protests last week, Reuters reported. Ali Bayati of the Iraqi Human Rights Commission told AFP that the death toll has risen to nearly 240. The protests have spread to the city of Karbala. What’s going on in Iraq?
There was a piece published Wednesday in MintPress entitled, “At This Year’s J Street Conference, 'Progressive' Pols Bow to Israel While Preaching Peace - Progressive politicians like Bernie Sanders should be credited for finally offering solutions to decades-old Israeli Human rights violations, but those solutions are often little more than talking points designed to placate their base and appease Israel.” Miko Peled explains that "the Bernie Sanders and J Street liberals decided to make a 'bold' statement out of an old, outdated idea. But there is nothing bold about their support for Israel. There is nothing progressive about waiting five decades to support an idea that has no chance of becoming reality."
"In a ruling that could have major implications for next year's congressional elections, a North Carolina court late Monday struck down the state GOP's 2020 legislative district map on the grounds that it was unlawfully gerrymandered to favor the Republican Party," Common Dreams reported Tuesday. How big of an issue is this? The ruling follows a June decision by the US Supreme Court saying that partisan gerrymandering by state legislatures is beyond the reach of federal courts. Voting rights advocates decried that ruling as an abdication of responsibility by the Supreme Court and said it could give states the green light for more extreme gerrymandering in the future.
GUESTS:
David Schultz — Professor of political science at Hamline University.
John Kiriakou — Co-host of Loud and Clear on Sputnik News Radio.
Miko Peled — Israeli-American activist and author of "The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine."
Avis Jones DeWever — Founder of the Exceptional Leadership Institute for Women.
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