Professor of Political Science, University of Southern California
Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California, where he teaches a course on "Terrorism and Genocide," and author of many books including Islam in Revolution: Fundamentalism in the Arab World
Is It Time to Change Course in Iraq after All? It's been another bloody day in Iraq with at least 24 civilians killed in a suicide bombing in Mosul; 73 Americans have been killed already this month, which is on the way to becoming the worst month for US casualties in more than two years. US commanders said today that violence in Baghdad has increased since 12,000 joint US-Iraqi troops were deployed in August and that Operation Together Forward will have to be revised. Increasing numbers of Republicans say it's time for a change. We get an update from Baghdad on increased violence and US impatience with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and hear from Iraq's Ambassador to the UN about his government's plans to disarm sectarian militias and stop the death squads. Should Syria and Iran be asked to help restore order? Is it time for a phased withdrawal?
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.
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?
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
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.