Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted Thursday on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He has previously called the cases against him a politically motivated "witch hunt" by the media and the left, and he has denied doing anything wrong. Netanyahu is currently serving as a caretaker prime minister, as neither he nor his main rival Benny Gantz has been able to form a majority government in the wake of Israel's September elections, the second round of ballots cast this year. There now remain 21 days in which any Knesset member could assemble a coalition and become prime minister, but if no one does, the country will return again to the polls.
The Democratic presidential candidates are weighing in on the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump. At Wednesday night's debate in Atlanta, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said the president must be held accountable for wrongdoing, and that no one is above the law. Former Vice President Joe Biden added, however, that Democratic supporters should not chant "lock him up" during rallies, and argued that it's time to start bringing the American people together. The debate also covered economic policy. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren defended her call for a 2% wealth tax, saying the US government is working very well for millionaires and billionaires but not for average Americans. However, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said a wealth tax is not the answer, arguing that the tax system must be reformed to become more equitable. Warren said she is "tired of freeloading billionaires."
A former official with the National Security Council says she was surprised and concerned when she found out that US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was overseeing Ukraine policy. Testifying in a House of Representatives impeachment hearing on Thursday, Fiona Hill said there had been "no directive" about Sondland and added, "We hadn't been told this." She noted that Sondland told her that Trump had put him in charge of Ukraine. Hill said Sondland was involved in a "domestic political errand." Sondland testified Wednesday that he and other administration officials pressured the Ukrainian government to publicly launch an investigation of the Bidens, and that he acted at the direction of the president, whose wishes were communicated through his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Hill also expressed concerns about Giuliani's unofficial diplomatic efforts in Ukraine.
GUESTS:
Robert Fantina — Pro-Palestine activist, peace and human rights leader, journalist and author of "Essays on Palestine."
Catherine Shakdam — Political commentator and analyst focusing on the Middle East, and the author of "A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud."
Eugene Craig III — Republican strategist, former vice-chair of the Maryland Republican Party and grassroots activist.
Lee Stranahan — Co-host of Fault Lines on Sputnik News Radio.
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