Background Briefing: April 1, 2019
House to Subpoena Barr to Hand Over Full Mueller Report We begin with the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler saying today that he is proceeding to authorize a subpoena for the full unredacted Mueller Report as well as the special counsel’s...
Background Briefing: March 31, 2019
The Brexit Paralysis Moves from Fiasco to Fury We begin with the Brexit paralysis moving from fiasco to fury and anger in the streets with two weeks remaining in the extended deadline from March 29 to April 12 and no apparent solution to avoid crashing out of...
Background Briefing: March 28, 2019
Is America's Justice System Incapable of Challenging Real Power? We begin with questions arising out of the paucity of Attorney General Barr’s summary of the Mueller report and the special counsel’s apparent punting on whether Trump obstructed justice when he...
Background Briefing: March 27, 2019
How Regulatory Capture Allowed Boeing to Build an Unsafe Airliner We begin with today’s hearings before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation and Space on the failure of oversight which allowed Boeing to certify the new 737 Max 8 which is clearly not a...
Background Briefing: March 26, 2019
The Republican Right and the Russiagate-Skeptic Left Embrace Barr's Spin We begin with the victory laps by both the Republican right and the Russiagate-skeptic left celebrating what is widely reported as an exoneration of President Trump by the Mueller report...
Background Briefing: March 25, 2019
Barr Contains the Potential Damage of the Mueller Report We begin with what looks like a successful effort by the Attorney General William Barr to contain the potential damage of the Mueller report by writing his own summary which frames the results to the...
Background Briefing: March 24, 2019
Examining Both the Legal and Political Landscape Ahead Now That the Mueller Report Has Been Delivered We begin today with Ian calling in by phone from the East Coast following Friday’s delivery of the Mueller report to the Attorney General who along with the...
Background Briefing: March 21, 2019
Assessing the Many Legal Cases Against Trump We begin with an assessment of the mounting legal cases against the president and his family and close associates as the Congress begins a series of investigations and the Mueller inquiry nears its climax while other...
Background Briefing: March 20, 2019
New Zealand's Response to Erdogan's Demagoguery We begin and go to New Zealand to speak with William Harris, a Professor of Politics at the University of Otago where he teaches the politics and history of the Levant states whose latest book is “Quicksilver War:...
Background Briefing: March 19, 2019
What the Search Warrants in the Cohen Raid Reveal We begin with the release today of the search warrants for the FBI raids on Michael Cohen’s home, office and hotel room which, although heavily redacted, make it clear that Robert Mueller had his eye on Cohen...