columnist for the New York Daily News
Columnist at the New York Daily News and author of many books including Considering Genius: Writings on Jazz
PROFILE
Stanley Crouch
Guest
FROM Stanley Crouch
To the Point
Barak Obama: Race and Inexperience With just two years in the Senate, Barak Obama is a political star who wants to be America's first black president . He counters the charge of inexperience by saying voters want "a new kind of politics." But his Washington record looks in some ways like business as usual, and African-American opinion leaders say he lacks the cultural history that makes him truly "black" in their eyes. The Illinois Democrat also has been criticized for being too cautious about the war in Iraq. Yesterday, he said he'll introduce legislation for a "phased redeployment" of American troops. It's still not clear whether he'll back Edward Kennedy's bill to cut off funding to increase troops. Can Obama turn sudden celebrity into a credible run against political pros like Clinton and Edwards ? Will his appeal to white voters turn off the black constituency that's crucial to Democrats?
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To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
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.