Vice President Mike Pence's speech to the Israeli Knesset yesterday was met with both standing ovations and physical scuffles, as Arab members were evicted for protesting the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the New York Times Sunday Magazine has an article that strongly suggests that then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat to be assassinated in 2004.
Did you know that Donald Trump's father started off building affordable housing? That Donald Trump may be descended from a serial killer? Did you know that Trump is the first president to have children by three different women? Or that his children have never been permitted to have pets? Ruth Ann Monti, the author of a terrifically entertaining new book called "Donald Trump in 100 Facts," joins the show.
The Attorney General has announced that the Department of Justice will be opening an investigation into the deletion of text messages that are suspected to demonstrate a political bias of two former members of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's "Russiagate" team. Brian and John speak with Dan Kovalik, a human rights and labor lawyer, and Walter Smolarek, Sputnik news analyst.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing the wrath of his own party following the government shutdown. Progressive Democrats are upset that Schumer won almost nothing tangible in exchange for providing the votes to pass a continuing resolution, largely seen as a victory for President Trump. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter and columnist for CounterPunch, joins the show.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said yesterday that Turkey's offensive against Syria is disrupting efforts to finish off ISIS. French President Macron, meanwhile, criticized Turkey's human rights record in Syria. Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins Brian and John.
As NAFTA renegotiations enter a decisive stage, the Trump administration announced harsh new tariffs of as high as 50 percent on solar panels and washing machines, angering China and South Korea, where they are manufactured. Observers say these are only the first of Donald Trump's "America First" tariffs. Baldemar Velasquez, the President of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, and Pete Dolack, an activist and writer with Trade Justice New York Metro, join the show.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is a giant in Brazilian politics. But the former president is at a crossroads. He could finish this year in prison serving a nine-and-a-half year sentence for corruption, or finish this year once again as President of Brazil. Brian and John speak with Valeska Teixeira Martins, President Lula's personal attorney.
Today, Brian, John, and financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey begin a new weekly segment that takes a look at the economic direction of the country.
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