Chair of the Political Science Department, University of Notre Dame
Professor and Chair of Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame; author of Civilian Control of the Military: The Changing Security Environment
PROFILE
Michael Desch
Guest
FROM Michael Desch
To the Point
General McChrystal Is Relieved of Command General McChrystal is out as commander in Afghanistan , replaced by General David Petraeus, one of America's best-known military leaders. By trashing the President , McChrystal and his team spotlighted ongoing dispute over the War in Afghanistan. In the White House, in Congress and on the battlefield, one side supports a troop surge followed by economic development and government reform. Can Petraeus implement the President's strategy? What about those, including Vice President Biden, who warn against bogging down in an unwinnable war?
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To the Point
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.
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
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
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.