Presidential attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani got himself deeper into trouble over the weekend, challenging the narrative of the president's other attorneys on the Stormy Daniels affair, the Mueller investigation, and anything else that happened to pop into his mind. Also, one of the defendants named in the Mueller indictment of Russian entities for alleged interference in the 2016 election surprised the Mueller team by actually appearing in court Friday, announcing that it will plead not guilty, wants many documents from the prosecution in discovery, and asked for a speedy trial. A judge rejected Mueller's pleas for delay. This is a surprising twist in the Russiagate story.
President Trump will announce tomorrow afternoon whether the United States is pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Iran nuclear deal. Most observers believe that he will. But the fallout could be monumental. US allies who do business with Iran would face massive sanctions, as would banks and individual companies. Trump's action could turn the entire economy of Europe on its head. But does he really care? Ann Wright, a retired United States Army colonel and former U.S. State Department official in Afghanistan, who resigned in protest of the invasion of Iraq and became an anti-war activist, and Sputnik news analyst Walter Smolarek join the show.
President Trump today expressed strong support for Gina Haspel, his nominee to head the CIA. Her nomination hearings begin on Wednesday. Haspel faces an uphill climb because of her central role in the CIA's torture program during the George W. Bush Administration. CNN reported over the weekend that Haspel offered to drop out of consideration for the job, but was convinced to stay in. Brian interviews his co-host John Kiriakou, a former member of the CIA who was sent to prison for blowing the whistle on the Bush-era torture program which Haspel was a part of, and has become one of the leading figures in the fight to stop her appointment as CIA Director.
Lebanese voters went to the polls yesterday to choose a new government for the first time since 2009. Although official tallies won't be known until this evening, early results indicate a decline in support for the western-backed Future Movement, led by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, and gains for Hezbollah and its allies. Jana Nakhal, an independent researcher and a member of the central committee of the Lebanese Communist Party, joins the show.
Monday's regular segment "Education for Liberation with Bill Ayers" looks at the state of education across the country. What's happening in our schools, colleges, and universities, and what impact does it have on the world around us? Today focuses on John Brown's birthday and the importance of his anti-slavery work. The hosts speak with Bill Ayers, an activist, educator and the author of the book "Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto."
The most vulnerable Republicans in the House of Representatives are talking less and less about the tax cuts they championed late last year, realizing that Americans don't seem to care about the issue. And this is after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "If we can't sell this to the American people, we ought to go into another line of work." Dr. Wilmer Leon, a political scientist and author and host of a nationally broadcast talk radio show on Sirius/XM channel 126, joins the show.
Banks in Argentina on Friday raised interest rates to a whopping 40 percent, just two days after raising them to 30.25 percent. A week ago they were 27.25 percent. The rises are aimed at supporting the peso, which has lost a quarter of its value over the past year, but could wreak havoc for ordinary people. Brian and John speak with Steve Keen, the author of "Debunking Economics" and the world's first crowdfunded economist at patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen.
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