Monday, October 08, 2018

The Debate - Trump Humiliating Saudi Arabia


US President Donald Trump has once again humiliated Saudi Arabia by saying that the country’s king “might not be there for two weeks” without Washington’s support. Speaking at a campaign rally in Mississippi, Trump said he loves King Salman but the US is protecting the king therefore he has to pay for the military backing. What does Trump’s comment reveal about Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and independence? What does it say about the two countries’ relationship which, under Trump, has become void of any veneer of the polite diplomatic language? Let’s now cross over to Washington and talk to Press TV’s Colin Campbell about the issue. Colin; in May, Trump humiliated the Saudi Crown Prince at the Oval Office by boasting arms sales to the Kingdom and on Tuesday night he was at it again by addressing the King himself. What else can you tell us about Trump’s comment and reactions to it?

Turkey Says Critical Saudi Journalist Was Killed in Saudi Consulate


Turkish authorities have suggested that a missing Saudi journalist was murdered by a special hit squad inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. The prominent commentator was last seen entering the diplomatic mission.

A Republican Since 1979 Is Now Leaving The Party | Morning Joe | MSNBC


Tom Nichols of the U.S. Naval War College writes in a new Atlantic piece he is leaving the Republican Party and becoming an Independent after the Kavanaugh confirmation crisis. Nichols joins Morning Joe to discuss.

Reports: Sources Say Saudi Journalist Killed in Turkey


Unnamed Turkish officials speaking to The Washington Post and Reuters said that prominent Saudi journalist-turned-critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul this week.

The officials have so far provided no evidence or detail on how they arrived at this conclusion. CNN has not been able to independently confirm these reports and has not been able to get a comment from the Saudi government on the reports.

An unnamed consulate official dismissed the reports in an interview with Saudi Arabian state news agency SPA.

"The official strongly denounced these baseless allegations and expressed his doubt that they came from Turkish officials that are informed of the investigation or are authorized to comment on the issue," SPA reported.


Fareed: Supreme Court Tumbles into Dysfunction


CNN's Fareed Zakaria says that the US Supreme Court was one of the last bastions in Washington that towered above the political fray, but following the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle, it is now part of the dysfunction that has overwhelmed almost the entire American system.

Sunday, October 07, 2018

Saudi Arabia Reportedly Killed Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We Can't Rest Until We Know The Truth


Turkish officials say Saudi journalist and Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Global Opinions writer Jason Rezaian says if true, this is a heinous crime by the Saudi government.


Read Khashoggi's columns: HERE »

Is Khashoggi the Latest Victim of Saudi Crackdown? l Inside Story


Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul five days ago and reportedly never walked out. Turkish authorities say they believe he was killed inside the building and that it was pre-meditated. Saudi Arabia denies it.

Is the journalist the latest victim of his government's ongoing crackdown on dissent?

Host - Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Mehmet Celik - Political Editor with the Daily Sabah Newspaper: Adam Coogle - The Middle East Researcher with Human Rights Watch; Mahjoob Zweiri. The director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University


Madeleine Albright: Trump Almost a Gift to Putin


Former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell talk to CNN's Fareed Zakaria about how President Donald Trump has altered America's role in the world.

The Real Jesus Christ | Biblical Documentary | Timeline


After the death of Jesus, his followers split into two factions. They held radically different views about their leader – his identity, his message and his vision of the future. One of those factions flourished under the guiding genius of St Paul – and eventually wrote its version of the story in the Gospels of the New Testament. The other faction withered and died away, leaving behind no written records. But what if the losers in this power struggle had written their version of the story? The Real Jesus Christ reconstructs that lost biography of Jesus: an alternative version of his life as it would have been told by those who lost the battle for the succession, but who knew him better than anyone else – his closest followers and his family.

John Kerry: Supreme Court Fight Will Cost the Country


Former Secretary of State John Kerry tells CNN's Michael Smerconish the Brett Kavanaugh fight will cost the Senate and country. Kerry also responds to Mike Pompeo's charge that he shouldn't have spoken to Iran.

'We Will Pay Nothing for Our Security': Saudi Arabia Disregards Trump's Warnings


The crown prince of Saudi Arabia says his country doesn't owe the US a cent in unpaid weapons bills. His remark was a response to Donald Trump, who issued a warning to the Gulf kingdom.

Saturday, October 06, 2018

Why Lisa Murkowski Opposes Brett Kavanaugh | The Last Word | MSNBC


Lawrence looks at the markedly different standards Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins had for how they weighed their decisions on Brett Kavanaugh and why they ultimately decided the way they did. Maya Wiley, Jill Wine-Banks, and Lisa Graves discuss.

Jeffrey Toobin: Roe v. Wade Will Be Overturned


CNN's chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin gives his take on what effect Brett Kavanaugh will have on the Supreme Court now that he's secured enough votes for confirmation.

Friday, October 05, 2018

Thanks To Trump, The World Hates America Again


Donald Trump loves to tell us that the US is once again “respected” around the globe, but that’s a claim that is easily rebutted with the available facts. According to the latest round of polling, a huge majority of citizens from all over the world say that they have no confidence in the United States anymore, and Trump is the primary reason. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Is SC Nominee Brett Kavanaugh So Damaged He Can't Be A Fair Jurist? | Morning Joe | MSNBC


Hours ahead of a crucial vote on his confirmation, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a new WSJ opinion piece that he might have been 'too emotional' in his congressional testimony last week. The panel discusses.

Eve Ensler to White Women Supporting Kavanaugh: Stand with Survivors & Fight This Nomination


Opposition to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is growing across the country as the Senate prepares to vote on his nomination, just one day after senators were given their first chance to see the FBI’s new investigation into Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s claims that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her when she was a teenager. More than 300 protesters were arrested Thursday during a massive sit-in on Capitol Hill against Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by multiple women. The Senate is planning to hold a key procedural vote on his confirmation Friday morning. A final vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation is expected on Saturday. The decision rests on four senators who have not yet announced how they will vote: Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as well as Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia. We speak with Eve Ensler, award-winning playwright and author of The Vagina Monologues. She is also the founder of V-Day, a movement to end violence against women and girls. She recently published “A Letter to White Women Who Support Brett Kavanaugh” in Time Magazine. She says to sexual assault survivors watching the Kavanaugh nomination unfold, “Your pain matters. Your experience matters. The trauma that you have faced matters. And there are many of us, many of us supporting you, loving you, holding you as you try to heal from this experience.”

Saudi Writer Jamal Khashoggi 'Disappears after Consulate Visit' | Al Jazeera English


Friends and colleagues of prominent Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi fear he's been taken while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Khashoggi, who has been living in self-exile in the US, entered the consulate's premises at around 1pm (10:00 GMT) then disappeared, according to the Arab21 news website.

According to two Turkish officials, the journalist remains inside the consulate, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Al Jazeera's Nastasya Tay has more.


#democracynow : Top US News & World Headlines — October 5, 2018


Thursday, October 04, 2018

Trump Faces Probe Into Tax Fraud After NYT Exposes How He Helped Parents Scam Millions From Government


The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has opened an investigation into President Trump for fraud and tax evasion following a major exposé by the New York Times revealing that Trump inherited nearly half a billion dollars of his family’s wealth through tax dodges and outright fraud. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has also called for a city probe, and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has urged the IRS to investigate the president. The Times’ 13,000-word investigative report found the late Fred and Mary Trump transferred more than $1 billion in wealth to their children, paying less than 5 percent of the $550 million in taxes they should have paid under inheritance tax rates. Donald Trump also helped his parents undervalue real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on IRS tax returns in order to reduce taxes. We speak with David Barstow, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the lead author on the new investigation, “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father.” Barstow shares a byline with Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.

NYT Exposé: “Self-Made Billionaire” Donald Trump Built Empire on Father’s Money, Tax Dodging & Fraud


President Donald Trump built his personal brand and presidential candidacy on the claim that he was a self-made billionaire whose only head start was a “small loan of a million dollars” from his father. But a New York Times exposé has revealed that Trump inherited much of his family’s wealth through tax dodging and outright fraud, receiving at least $413 million in inflation-adjusted dollars from his father’s real estate empire. We speak with David Barstow, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for the New York Times and the lead author on the new investigation, “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father.” Barstow shares a byline with Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.

#democracynow : Top US News & World Headlines — October 4, 2018


Kavanaugh's College Roommate: He Was Lying


James Roche, the college roommate of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, speaks to CNN's Anderson Cooper about his experience with Kavanaugh at Yale.

Wednesday, October 03, 2018

Mental Health Experts Demand Psychological Assessment of Kavanaugh for Drinking, Instability


Donald Trump openly mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at a rally Tuesday, casting doubt on her claims that Brett Kavanaugh had tried to rape her in high school just days after calling her a very credible witness. As the FBI continues its investigation into Dr. Blasey Ford’s claims, a group of mental health experts are calling for Kavanaugh to undergo a full psychological and substance abuse assessment before the Senate votes on his confirmation. We speak with Dr. Bandy Lee of the Yale School of Medicine, the lead author of a letter titled “Mental Health Experts Urge Examination Based on Warning Signs in Kavanaugh Testimony.” The letter reads, “Judge Kavanaugh exhibited behavior that, if engaged in during his possible tenure as a Supreme Court Justice, would yield a dangerous combination of instability and power.”

Trump Officials Headline Neocon Iran Regime-Change Summit: Inside UANI


John Bolton and Mike Pompeo headlined the annual United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) summit, where speakers celebrated the strangling of the Iranian economy under U.S. sanctions and cheered on regime change. We report from inside

#democracynow : Top US News & World Headlines — October 3, 2018


‘Outright Fraud’ : Bombshell NYT Investigation Obliterates Trump’s Self-Made Myth | Deadline | MSNBC


NYT’s David Barstow, Daily Beast’s Sam Stein, former DOJ spokesman Matt Miller, NBC’s Heidi Przybyla, WaPo’s Ashley Parker and Jennifer Rubin on the in-depth investigation detailing the alleged Trump family tax schemes

Bombshell: Trump Being Investigated for Tax Evasion and Fraud


Sunday, September 30, 2018

Kellyanne Conway: I'm a Victim of Sexual Assault


Counselor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway, tells CNN's Jake Tapper that she is a victim of sexual assault while discussing the testimonies of Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Maajid's Impassioned Swipe At Boris Johnson: The Balloon Buffoon


"Disgusting" Tucker Carlson Says Rape Victims Are “Part Of The Problem”


In an attempt to prove that he is just as heartless and disgusting as everyone else on the network, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said this week that rape victims who “wait too long” to report their assault are part of the problem. Perhaps Tucker needs to go back and watch all of the negative coverage his network has given to the women who do step forward and then maybe he’ll understand why it is so difficult for women to speak out. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Friday, September 28, 2018

Right-Wing Eastern European States Honor Nazi-Collaborating Fascists as 'Heroes'


Far-right governments in Eastern Europe are rehabilitating past Nazi collaborators as national heroes, rewriting the history of the Holocaust to turn the Soviet Union into the villain. Historian Dovid Katz explains how the fascist-apologist "double genocide" myth is spreading.


Switzerland: Cradle of Populism? – BBC Newsnight


Switzerland. Neutral, wealthy, and peaceful, the home of direct democracy. But is it also the birthplace of populism? When back in March, Steve Bannon embarked on his tour to unite Europe’s populist parties, he gave his first public address in Zurich. Switzerland is where the anti-globalist fightback began, he told his audience, when its people said no to joining the European Community in a referendum in 1992. Now it may retreat further still, as the Swiss prepare to scrap international treaties in favour of national laws. In the week Donald Trump laid out his stall at the UN General Assembly, Gabriel Gatehouse has the story of populism vs globalism, an epic battle for our age.

Hearing Exposes Brett Kavanaugh Temperament Problem, Credibility Issues | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC


Rachel Maddow reviews themes and highlights from the sprawling, exhausting Senate Judiciary hearing on allegations by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford of sexual assault by Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

The Progress of Brexit


It's been a little over two years since Brits narrowly voted to leave the European Union. The Agenda welcomes Ashley Prime, the U.K's former deputy consul-general, to discuss where things are now.

Trump's 'Dissociation from Reality' at UN


President Trump had the opportunity to address the UN General Assembly opening for the second time, which he used to brag and lie, says Phyllis Bennis, of the Institute for Policy Studies

World Moving to De-dollarize?


Anya Parampil brings us the latest comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump at the 73rd United Nation General Assembly, where he was laughed at by world leaders for claiming to be the most accomplished U.S. President in history. Former U.K. member of parliament George Galloway and Euro Pacific Capital CEO Peter Schiff join Anya to discuss Trump’s further isolation on the international stage.

John Bolton Makes It Clear That War With Iran Is Around The Corner


Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton delivered a speech this week that left little doubt about the administration’s plans to invade Iran. During his speech, Bolton said that the US is watching the country and that we are prepared to “act” if necessary. He didn’t lay out exactly what the country was doing that was worthy of starting another US war, but that hasn’t stopped Bolton in the past. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Michael Avenatti Responds to Trump: He's a Habitual Liar


Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing Julie Swetnick, a woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of inappropriate, sexually aggressive behavior in high school, responds to President Donald Trump calling him a "con man." Kavanaugh has denied Swetnick's allegations.

Former WTO Chief Pascal Lamy on Brexit and the Rise of Populism in Europe


Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Macron vs Trump at the UN General Assembly


While both leaders have professed friendship and support for each other in public, they stood at opposite ends of the spectrum on many issues they addressed at the UN on Tuesday.

Kate Bolduan: The World Laughed at Trump ... Literally


CNN's Kate Bolduan discusses world leaders laughing at President Trump during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

Don Lemon: Reality Smacked Trump in the Face


CNN's Don Lemon responds to President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

‘Uneasy, Lonely, Awkward’: Australian Reporter Says Trump Has No Capacity to Lead World | July 9, 2017


In a scathing review of Donald Trump’s performance at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann says the US president managed to ‘isolate his nation, confuse and alienate his allies and to diminish America’. Speaking on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Insiders program, Uhlmann does not hold back his criticism of Trump, stating ‘we’ve also learned he has no desire and no capacity to lead the world’. He goes on to say Trump has diminished America and the world would miss it when it was gone