Log Cabin Republicans
Combat veteran who served in Iraq (2004) and Captain in the US Army Reserves who operates in violation of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans; former Bush-appointed liaison to the United Nations
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Gone, but Inequalities Remain Almost 18 years after President Clinton signed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" into law, the Pentagon today formally repealed the ban on gays and lesbians in uniform. In Vermont, one Navy Lieutenant immediately married his long-time partner. Will they get the same rights as heterosexual married couples? Federal law still says only a man and a woman can be legally married. Clarke Cooper is Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans , a group that filed one of many lawsuits against Don't Ask, Don't Tell. A Captain in the Army Reserves, he served as a diplomat during the most recent Bush Administration.
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' on a Legal Rollercoaster Last month, Federal Judge Virginia Phillips declared that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" deprives gays and lesbians of equal rights under the Constitution, and further deprives the military of highly qualified officers. Ten days ago she ordered the Pentagon to stop enforcing the law, allowing openly gay and lesbian recruits to volunteer. Two days ago an appellate court temporarily suspended her order. Yesterday, the Pentagon said it would clear up the confusion by limiting the power of discharge to the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Will a President who says he opposes the law tell the secretaries what to do? Will the lame-duck session of Congress repeal the law before it gets to the US Supreme Court? We hear what it's like for gays, lesbians and their comrades who are serving now, with all three branches of government trying to decide what to do.
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.
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.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.