Her Majesty's Consul General
Her Majesty's Consul General, currently with the Consulate General in Los Angeles, her previous postings include Istanbul and Moscow
PROFILE
Barbara Hay
Guest
FROM Barbara Hay
To the Point
A Royal Wedding in an Age of Austerity With two billion people watching around the world, Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today. Among very few surprises were two kisses instead of one a white dress on the bride's sister and the Prime Minister's wife attending without a hat. Some British leftists are refusing to celebrate the marriage of the future King and Queen Consort. There's even a button with the image of a small crown and the slogan, "Stuff the wedding, fight the cuts." What's the attraction of an event with only symbolic importance? With record austerity measures just setting in, was it worth some $80 million? We hear from supporters and skeptics about the British monarchy and the echoes of empire in the modern world.
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To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
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
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.