President Trump yesterday promised a "forceful response" to the alleged chemical attack in Syria, adding that the United States has an array of military options available to it. The President also said he would skip this week's Latin American summit so that he could focus on Syria. Meanwhile, Russia called for a United Nations investigation of the chemical attack and warned the US that a military response against Syria would be met with "severe repercussions," while members of Congress began beating the drums for military intervention in Syria.
Tuesday's weekly series continues, looking at the top economic issues of the day, focusing on Trump's criticism of Amazon. A new report is out confirming that raising the minimum wage raises workers' paychecks and doesn't result in fewer people working. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show.
FBI agents yesterday raided the offices of President Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, apparently seeking any and all documents related to the payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, a former pornographic film star who allegedly had a relationship with the President. Brian and John speak with Coleen Rowley, a former FBI special agent who in 2002 was named Time Magazine person of the year along with two other whistleblowers.
Yesterday was Black Monday for Russian oligarchs subject to the Trump Administration's latest sanctions, with those on the sanctions list losing $16 billion in just one day. Russian stocks tumbled on both the Moscow and Hong Kong exchanges, and the ruble fell to its lowest level against the dollar in two years. Dimitri Babich, a journalist and commentator with Sputnik International, joins the show.
The Puerto Rico Department of Education announced yesterday that it would close 283 school all over the island in response to a drastic drop in enrollment following the devastation last year of Hurricane Maria. The move would save Puerto Rico $303 million, but the island is $120 billion in debt. Camilo Punsoda, spokesperson for Juventud Trabajadora, the youth wing of the Working People's Party of Puerto Rico, joins Brian and John.
One of the top leaders of Colombia's former rebel group, the FARC, was arrested today on drug charges at the request of the United States. Jesus Santrich, a peace negotiator, is charged in a federal court in New York with drug trafficking. But the arrest may deal a death blow to the Colombian peace process. James Jordan, a member of the Alliance for Global Justice who is currently on tour with the leader of Colombia's largest farmworkers' union, joins the show.
A federal court ruled last week that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Civil Rights Act by delaying investigations into environmental discrimination complaints for years, and in some cases for decades, including complaints in Flint, Michigan. How can a state agency get away with extended racism for so long? Brian and John speak with Karen Monahan, a Senior Organizer with the Beyond Coal campaign for the Sierra Club in Minnesota who has provided racial equity and diversity training for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and served as the co-Chair of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter's Diversity Council.
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