Professor of Petroleum Engineering, University of Houston
Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Houston and Managing Director of his own energy consulting firm; Editor-in-Chief of Energy Tribune magazinePROFILE
Michael Economides
Guest
FROM Michael Economides
To the Point
Tumult in Pakistan and the World Economy With thousands of troops on the streets of Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf stopped a protest rally today before it ever began. Benazir Bhutto was kept at home, but she may be playing a double game by leaving open the prospect of negotiations. From Texas, where President Bush is spending the weekend, the National Security Council called on President Musharraf to allow the opposition leader freedom of movement and to release jailed members of the political opposition. There's been no mention of any reduction in financial aid to Pakistan, even though it's contingent on promoting "the transition to democratic rule." Meantime, Wachovia is the latest bank hit by fallout from the sub-prime mortgage crisis. With that news, the Dow dropped 100 points as the stock markets opened today. Meantime, the dollar is falling and oil prices are rising. Is a nuclear power spinning out of control? What are the possible consequences for the global economy, including the price of oil? What about America's financial position, already battered by the falling dollar?
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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.
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
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.