Kings College London
Thomas Rid is Professor of Security Studies at Kings College London. His latest book is Rise of the Machines: A Cybernetic History.
PROFILE
Thomas Rid
Guest
FROM Thomas Rid
To the Point
Trump and the complexities of the cyber era US intelligence chiefs told a Senate committee today Russia was more aggressive than ever in hacking to influence last year's US election. Donald Trump's denial of that claim has created a crisis of credibility, and agency leaders said today they want to be as public as possible. But Senators agreed that too much openness would threaten the lives of agents and waste the billions invested in worldwide cyber-spying. Is Trump onto something American spies don't know, or is he concerned that reports of Russian influence will de-legitimize his election?
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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
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
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.