University of Virginia
Nicole Hemmer is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and the author of Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics.
PROFILE
Nicole Hemmer
Guest
FROM Nicole Hemmer
To the Point
Steve Bannon may be out, but 'Bannon-ism' lives on After being ousted as presidential adviser , Steve Bannon is back in charge at Breitbart News and in no mood to lay down what he calls his weapons. Bannon's influence on president Trump is up for debate, but not his intention to pursue the goals of economic and social nationalism that helped propel Trump to the White House. With powerful financial backers still ready to support his divisive world-view, what will Bannon - and his team at Breitbart - do next? Is his bond with the president truly broken or has it just taken a different form?
To the Point
The way forward in a post-truth world Fake news isn't new. It's about as old as news itself. What is new is the speed and potency of fake news in the age of social media, and the way in which it figured in this year's election. From stories about Hillary Clinton selling weapons to ISIS to claims by the President-elect that he won the popular vote… sensational and poisonous stories have spread rapid fire on Facebook and Twitter, helped along by ad sales and algorithms that propel fake news to the top of pack, occasionally with violent results. How damaging is fake news to democracy, and what role do mainstream media outlets as well as technology companies play in defusing it?
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To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
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
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.