Yale's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
Asha Rangappa is a senior lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. She is a former special agent in the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI.
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Asha Rangappa
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FROM Asha Rangappa
To the Point
Trump’s war on the FBI Donald Trump claims rogue FBI agents are part of a Deep State he accuses of “spying” on his presidential campaign. A former agent tells Warren the “the FBI doesn’t spy… it catches spies.” Shades of Watergate? Richard Nixon’s former White House lawyer, John Dean, says, “no way.”
Left, Right & Center
Taxes, Obamacare and sexual harassment in Congress Should sexually harassing politicians step down?
To the Point
Paul Manafort's in the hot seat. Who's next? It's reported that, while he was chair of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Paul Manafort offered to brief a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. That's just the latest revelation about evidence being collected by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as he probes Russia's effort to influence last year's election. Recent reports by CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post suggest that Mueller's investigation has reached a "critical stage." Were the President's own associates involved? If so, did he know it? When he fired James Comey as head of the FBI, did he commit obstruction of justice? Trump has called the investigation a "witch hunt." We look at the "knowns" and the "un-knowns."
Recommended
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
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.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?