Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin's lame duck legislature have forced bills into law that will strip the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of much of their power. New laws also would throw poor people off of Medicaid and shorten voting and voter registration times. And two days ago that same legislature approved 82 of Governor Scott Walker's political appointees with no debate.
Thursday's weekly series "Criminal Injustice" is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show.
The chief financial officer of Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications equipment and consumer tech giant, was arrested in Canada at US request yesterday. The Trump Administration wants her to be extradited to face trial on charges of violating sanctions on Iran. But Huawei's business in Iran is perfectly legal under international law and under the terms of the JCPOA, which the US unilaterally withdrew from. Brian and John speak with Dr. Jack Rasmus, a professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California and author of "Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression," whose work is at www.jackrasmus.com.
The funeral of former President George H. W. Bush was held yesterday in Washington and his body was returned to Texas, where he will be interred today. Every day this week the hosts are talking about the Bush legacy, focusing today on Bush's response to the AIDS crisis. Mark Harrington, an HIV/AIDS researcher, activist, and the cofounder and policy director of the Treatment Action Group, joins the show.
Veterans for Peace is Thursday's regular segment about the contemporary issues of war and peace that affect veterans, their families, and the country as a whole. Gerry Condon, a Vietnam-era veteran and war resister who serves as the national president of Veterans for Peace, and Michael McPhearson, a Gulf War veteran and the executive director of Veterans for Peace, join the show.
Global carbon emissions rose by 2.7 percent this year, following a 1.6 percent increase last year. Scientists blame strong economies in India and China and say that those countries are burning more coal and the middle classes there are buying more and more cars, but per-capita carbon emissions remain highest by far in Europe and the United States. They also say that we have passed a point of no return on carbon emissions and climate change. Scott Edwards, co-director of the Food & Water Justice project at Food & Water Watch, joins the show.
Two independent academics at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies will soon release a report in which they conclude that North Korea is expanding two missile bases that could be used to house long-range ballistic missiles. South Korean military officials said they are monitoring the situation in cooperation with the United States. There have been no formal announcements by any party. Brian and John speak with Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute and a member of the Korean Peace Network.
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