The Critical Hour

Will a Failed War Powers Act Actually Lead Us Into War?

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence; and John Lyman, editor-in-chief of International Policy Digest.
Sputnik

The US Senate passed a resolution with a bipartisan vote Thursday limiting US President Donald Trump’s ability to order future strikes against Iran without first seeking Congress' explicit approval. This is being described as a pointed rebuke of the Trump administration’s resistance to involving the legislature in foreign policy decisions. Many believe that the administration's inconsistent messages and irresponsible actions could lead to an all-out war. "Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in voting 55 to 45 for the measure from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), which invokes the War Powers Act to block Trump from engaging in hostilities without consulting Congress except in cases where self-defense is required against a clear, imminent attack," the Washington Post reported Thursday. What does this mean going forward?

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price resigned Wednesday after the state's Democratic presidential caucuses became embroiled in confusion last week. In his resignation letter, he said the following, "The fact is that Democrats deserved better than what happened on caucus night. As chair of this party, I am deeply sorry for what happened and bear the responsibility for any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic Party." Now that we know, based upon the reporting of Max Blumenthal at The Grayzone, about Shadow Inc., ACRONYM and hedge-fund billionaires like Seth Klarman, is Troy Price the scapegoat?

A Thursday New York Times piece states, "In January, Radio Sputnik, a propaganda arm of the Russian government, started broadcasting on three Kansas City-area radio stations during prime drive times … In the United States, talk radio on Sputnik covers the political spectrum from right to left, but the constant backbeat is that America is damaged goods." Oxford University Press' Lexico dictionary defines propaganda as: "information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view."

GUESTS:

Kathy Kelly — Co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

John Lyman - Editor-in-chief of International Policy Digest.  

David Schultz — Professor of political science at Hamline University.  

Dave Lindorff — Investigative reporter and founder of the news collective This Can't Be Happening!

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