China, the US and the Fate of Blind Dissident Chen Guangcheng
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The blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has been offered a fellowship at New York University. Will he be able to come? Will his family be safe at home? How are the Chinese government and the Obama Administration managing an historically awkward moment? Also, disappointing jobs numbers, and the Kentucky Derby and shadows over the Sport of Kings.
Banner image: In this handout photo provided by the US Embassy press office, Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng (R) looks on as US Ambassador to China Gary Locke (L) talks on the phone May 2, 2012 in Beijing, China. Photo by US Embassy Beijing Press via Getty Images
Making News
Disappointing Jobs Numbers ()
The Labor Department reports a net gain of 115,000 jobs in April, another month with less growth than economists predicted. Mitt Romney seized the moment, calling the report "disappointing, and "way off from what should happen in a normal recovery." Sudeep Reddy is economics reporter for the Wall Street Journal and blogger for Real Time Economics.
Guests:
- Sudeep Reddy: Wall Street Journal, @Reddy
Main Topic
A Blind Man, International Diplomacy and China's Political Struggles ()
As we begin this program, there are more questions than answers about the blind Chinese dissident who escaped house arrest in Shandong Province and was smuggled into the US Embassy in Beijing. Chen Guangcheng says he's grateful to the US, but that China reneged on agreements that led him to leave the embassy after six days. Is he being treated well at a Chinese hospital? Will he, his wife, two children and relatives back home be subject to retaliation? Will Chen be allowed to come to the US, where he has reportedly been offered a fellowship? As she wrapped up two days of high-level trade and security talks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was cautiously optimistic. But likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney called reports of the embassy's mishandling of the case, a "day of shame" for the Obama Administration. We hear from a reporter who's talked to Chen and get the latest on the Obama Administration's handling of the affair.
Guests:
- Keith Richburg: Washington Post, @keithrichburg
- Adam Minter: Bloomberg World View, @AdamMinter
- Jeffrey Wasserstrom: University of California Irvine, @jwassers
- Nicholas Burns: Harvard Kennedy School of Government, @BelferCenter
- Suisheng 'Sam' Zhao: University of Denver
Links:
- China Media Project
- China Digital Times
- Richburg on the US pushing China to allow Chen to study abroad
- Minter on official Chinese reports about Chen
- Wasserstrom's 'China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know'
- Burns' call for Obama Administration to stand up to China to defend Chen's human rights
Reporter's Notebook
The Kentucky Derby, the Most Exciting Two Minute in Sports ()
The doping of race horses is likely as old as the sport itself. But the recent increase of big money appears to have led to new abuses, most conspicuously at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Thirty horses died there last year — a 100% increase over the previous year. The New York Times has linked those casualties to what it calls "technologically advanced gambling options" at the track's new casino. So what about the Kentucky Derby, which runs tomorrow in Bluegrass country? Paul Moran writes about horseracing for ESPN.com.
Guests:
- Paul Moran: ESPN
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