President Trump caused consternation and anger at the NATO summit this morning when he chastised allies for not spending enough on defense, and he opined that Germany was "a captive of Russia" because of a 2015 pipeline deal between those two countries. This kind of contention has never before been seen at a NATO heads of state meeting.
Beyond Nuclear with Kevin Kamps is Loud & Clear's regular Wednesday segment. The hosts and Kevin look at nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Today they focus on huge Obama-era regulation changes to allow far more radioactive waste in the atmosphere and on two anniversaries on July 16, the first atomic bomb blast in history (the Trinity blast of 1945), which was a test for Nagasaki, and the 1979 Uranium Tailings Spill, which primarily affected indigenous communities and was not cleaned up by industry nor was industry held accountable. Brian and John speak with Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Loud & Clear producer Nicole Roussell.
Chinese government officials have condemned the Trump administration's move to prepare a new round of tariffs targeting $200 billion of goods, and vowed to respond with measures of their own. How far is Trump willing to take the trade war? Brian and John speak with Pete Dolack, an activist and writer with Trade Justice New York Metro who focuses on human rights, social justice, and environmental and trade issues, and Jude Woodward, the author of the book "The US vs China: Asia's new Cold War?"
The Trump Administration is cutting most of the funds previously provided to groups that help people get insurance under Obamacare and will push them to promote plans that lack the law's benefits and protections. Mary Gerisch, an organizer and member chair of the Rights & Democracy health care justice team, joins the show.
Which two companies have more lobbyists than Amazon, Microsoft, and WalMart combined? How about Uber and Lyft. The ride-sharing services have used cold, hard cash and an army of lobbyists to convince 41 state legislatures to pass laws exempting them from regulations that taxi drivers must abide by. Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, joins Brian and John.
Thousands of nurses, teachers, and government staff members went on strike in New Zealand yesterday for the first time in a generation. The action was taken because workers have not received a raise in nine years. Mike Treen, the national director of the Unite Union, joins the show.
Rupert Murdoch, CEO of 21st Century Fox with a net worth of $15.9 billion, has upped his bid to buy Sky News. Comcast is also competing to buy Sky. Either way, we'll see further media consolidation in an industry already owned by billionaires. Who and how many control the media that we consume? Brian and John speak with Tim Karr, the senior director of strategy and communications at Free Press.
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