Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump
President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
FROM THIS EPISODE
A news site specializing in leaked intelligence information published a bombshell yesterday, and within an hour it was announced that the leaker was arrested. The bombshell: evidence that Russia did try to influence last year’s election. The arrest: evidence that the Trump Administration is cracking down.
Guests:
John Schindler, New York Observer (@20committee)
President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Even Council supporters agree it spends too much time attacking Israel’s occupation of the West Bank—while ignoring violent repression by countries like Venezuela. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself-- and a US resignation could make things worse. But tough talk is a hallmark of Ambassador Haley, who’s shown signs of independence from Secretary of State Tillerson and the Trump White House.
Guests:
Somini Sengupta, New York Times (@SominiSengupta)
Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director of Pen America (@suzannenossel)
Brett Schaefer, Heritage Foundation (@Heritage)
Colum Lynch, Foreign Policy Magazine (@columlynch)
US Senator Al Franken dishes about confirmation hearings, Ted Cruz and telling jokes again…
Guests:
Al Franken, Senator, Comedian (@alfranken)
Al Franken, Giant of the Senate
Al Franken
More From To the Point
The Jewish State of Israel: Democracy or Apartheid? Israel’s recent “national unity” law calls the country “unique” to the Jewish people. But 21 percent of Israelis are Arabs. Do Jewish values conflict with pluralistic democracy? Jews in both countries are sharply divided over a question that goes to the founding of the “Jewish State.”
Is ‘socialism’ dividing the Democrats From Bernie Sanders to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,“socialism” is having a hot summer. Is it the future of the Democratic Party or an easy Republican target? Prominent liberals and conservatives describe the history--and possible future--of a term loaded with many meanings in America’s political history.
Cartoons, Comic Strips and Opinions Rob Rogers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is the latest editorial cartoonist to lose his job. Fired for harsh portrayals of President Trump. We’ll talk with him and look at another kind of cartooning: comic strips. Even when the kids don’t realize it, they’re political, too. They’re a highly sophisticated artform and a barometer of social change.
Cyberwar: Can the US Defend Against “The Perfect Weapon?” By hacking centrifuges, the US may have slowed Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. But a good offense is not the best defense. Threats to US elections, the power grid and even medical records are real and present. But they’re not getting the attention they deserve. That’s according to the New York Times’ David Sanger, in his book The Perfect Weapon.
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