Wall Street Journal
Senior Middle East Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and author of Waiting for an Ordinary Day: The Unraveling of Life in Iraq.
PROFILE
Farnaz Fassihi
Guest
FROM Farnaz Fassihi
To the Point
Iran Sets Bail for Two American Hikers Two American hikers have been held in Iran since 2009, accused of espionage and illegally crossing Iran's border. Now, just before he's expected to be in New York for the UN General Assembly, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the hikers will be released in two days. The Iranian President predicted the release this morning on NBC News' Today show. Speaking through a translator, he said many Iranians are now in American jails, where they aren't treated as well as the Americans were in Iran's prisons. Farnaz Fassihi, senior Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal , speaks to us from Beirut, Lebanon. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy
To the Point
The Events in Tehran Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran on Monday in a revival of the unrest following the allegedly rigged election in 2009. They were met with brutal repression, and two people were killed—with more protests planned for one of their funerals today. It’s very difficult to get first hand accounts of events in Tehran.
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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
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
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
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.