author and former editor
Author of A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation; former editor for the New Yorker and Random House Publishing Group
PROFILE
Daniel Menaker
Guest
FROM Daniel Menaker
To the Point
Race and the Justice System: Can We Talk? President Obama wants white Americans to understand why blacks are so angry over George Zimmerman's acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Polls show 51% of whites approve the verdict while almost 90% of blacks disapprove — so on Friday, the President got personal about stereotyping and fear. Can whites really "feel the pain?" Are we talking honestly about race for the first time in years, or is the so-called "national conversation" all too familiar? Does it create false expectations of healing, when it's really a debate that opens old wounds?
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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
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
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?