Professor of Government and International Affairs, University of South Florida
Professor and Chair of the Department of Government and International Affairs at the University of South Florida; author of The Making of Iran's Islamic Revolution: From Monarchy to Islamic Republic
Iranian President Ahmadinejad Begins Second Term Mahmoud Ahmadinejad starts his second four-year term as President of Iran. In today's inaugural address, Ahmadinejad called for "a national will" and "national resolve." He told his audience, "We need to join forces." As if to dramatize the moment, major reformers, including a faction of parliament, boycotted the ceremony. Outside on the streets of Tehran, opposition protesters were vastly outnumbered by riot police.
Iran's Supreme Leader Just Says 'No' The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a huge crowd that President Ahmadinejad was re-elected by a landslide. He denied that last Fridays voting was rigged. He told protesters to stay off the streets and warned that future violence would be blamed on their leaders. The opposition has scheduled a rally tomorrow. Will they back down? Will there be violent repression? Whats the impact on Middle East neighbors? And whats the status of President Obamas hope for engagement with the Islamic Republic? We look at these and other issues today.
Fifth Day of Election Protests in Iran Iran's government has expanded restrictions on foreign reporters and accused the US of interfering in its domestic affairs. But the word is out that protesters against presidential election results defied the government for another day. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been directly challenged by opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi , who has told supporters to continue demonstrations despite orders to pursue his demands through the electoral system. We hear about the ongoing protests in Iran and response from the US.
Taking It to the Streets: Election Rallies in Iran For the past three weeks Iranians have been out on the streets in the tens of thousands, with a fervor many say hasn't been seen since the toppling of the Shah thirty years ago. Tomorrow, voters in Iran head to the polls in what has become an almost free-for-all presidential election between incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformist candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi . Text messages, Facebook and television debates are all part of the fray. What are the issues driving voters? What role will women play in the vote's outcome? Will this new spirit of debate and openness continue? Would a new president take a different tack in dealing with the West?
Taking It to the Streets: Election Rallies in Iran For the past three weeks Iranians have been out on the streets in the tens of thousands, with a fervor many say hasn't been seen since the toppling of the Shah thirty years ago. Tomorrow, voters in Iran head to the polls in what has become an almost free-for-all presidential election between incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformist candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi . Text messages, Facebook and television debates are all part of the fray. What are the issues driving voters? What role will women play in the vote's outcome? Will this new spirit of debate and openness continue? Would a new president take a different tack in dealing with the West?
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.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
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.
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.