Geophysicist, Icelandic Meteorological Office
Geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office
PROFILE
Einar Kjartansson
Guest
FROM Einar Kjartansson
Which Way, L.A.?
Are We Prepared for Volcanic Disruption? Air travel in Europe is almost back to normal, although shifting winds have sent plumes of volcanic ash over Scotland and Scandinavia, forcing some airports to close again. Even as Iceland's volcano calms down, damages from this week's eruption continue to mount and so do complaints about the way it's been handled. We hear about volcanoes -- past, present and future -- and learn how to prepare for volcanic disruptions.
To the Point
Are We Prepared for Volcanic Disruption? Airports in Europe are back in business, although shifting winds have sent plumes of volcanic ash over Scotland and Scandinavia, forcing some airports to close again. Even as Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano calms down, the total damages from this week's eruption continue to mount, as do complaints about the way it's been handled. The airline industry says regulators failed to coordinate and over-reacted. Others suggest that scientists who monitor volcanoes should have predicted the eruption and its likely impact on air travel. Why did they rely on computer models rather than real planes to test the ash cloud? How much do they really know? What about the 57 active volcanoes here in the US and hundreds of others worldwide? Is civilization prepared to deal with a global calamity?
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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
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?
Left, Right & Center
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
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.