July 30 – The Historical Role of White House Chiefs of Staff; A Critic of Former Homeland Security Head John Kelly; Venezuelan Democracy at the Crossroads

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the latest shakeup in the White House with the Chief of Staff Reince Priebus unceremoniously fired to be replaced by General John Kelly the head of Homeland Security. Chris Whipple, a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and author of “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff define every presidency”, joins us to discuss the challenges facing the four-star Marine General in trying to restore regular order to a White House without a chain of command with competing power centers and various aides enjoying walk-in privileges into the Oval Office. We look into whether a mercurial President who enjoys humiliating subordinates and is incapable of taking responsibility for anything, particularly if things go wrong, can be weaned away from his power-hungry delusions that he and his family are America’s rulers and learn to govern.

Part 2

Then we look at the new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly who might be part of a wider power shuffle in which the embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions is moved to Homeland Security so that Trump can put someone in at DOJ who will fire the special counsel to end the Russia probe. Michael Cohen, a former State Department Chief Speechwriter for the U.S. Representative to the United Nations who is a columnist for the Boston Globe where he wrote an article back in April “Homeland Security’s John Kelly is Unhinged”, joins us to discuss Trump’s new Chief of Staff and whether he can reign in his boss who more and more observers are suggesting is unhinged.

Part 3

Then finally we go to Caracas, Venezuela to speak with veteran Latin America journalist with the BBC and The Guardian, Phil Gunson, now the Andes Project Senior Analyst with the International Crisis Group. He joins us to discuss today’s vote that the opposition are boycotting for a Constituent Assembly that will end democratic representation in Venezuela leading to the possible arrest of elected legislators and the installation of a Cuba-style government led by President Maduro who is supported by less than 20% of his countrymen.