- Social:
Rutgers University
Professor of Middle East History at Rutgers University, Fellow in the Oil Energy and Middle East Program at Princeton University and author of Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia
PROFILE
Toby Jones
Guest
FROM Toby Jones
To the Point
The Return of the Jihadi and Rethinking Our Failed War on Terror “The US has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria.” That’s according to today’s New York Times, which reports that the intended target is the ultra-extremist Islamic State, which now holds much of Iraq and an entire province in Syria. The US is planning airstrikes in Syria—not targeting the Assad regime, but the Islamic State, considered a terrorist threat to American interests.
To the Point
Is the Syrian Crisis about More than Chemical Weapons? In Sweden today, President Obama shifted responsibility for punishing Syria -- "I didn't set a 'red line,' the world set a red line" – and said the credibility of Congress is on the line. As the debate continues in Washington, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has delayed debate on a bipartisan resolution to authorize force against Syria. On the House side , Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, General Martin Dempsey testified alongside Secretary of State John Kerry . One major player on Capitol Hill is AIPAC , the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. What's Israel itself doing behind the scenes? We hear how countries, including Saudi Arabia, are using the Syrian crisis to advance their own agendas as the Middle East gets more complicated than ever.
Which Way, L.A.?
Politics, Oil Production and the Price of Gasoline In North Africa and the Middle East, recent disruptions are all about politics and liberation from despotic regimes. For the energy industry and for speculators it's the price of oil by the barrel. The concern of most Americans is the price of gasoline by the gallon, and it's rising fast.
To the Point
Politics, Oil Production and the Price of Gasoline Moammar Gadhafi may or may not be driven from power. In the meantime, unrest and international sanctions have cut Libya's oil production by half. On Friday, unhappy Saudi Arabians plan a "Day of Rage," threatening instability for the biggest oil supplier of all. Fear of further disruption and rank speculation on oil are driving the price of gasoline higher. The concern of most Americans is the price of gasoline by the gallon, and it's rising fast -- even though the United States has plenty on hand at the moment. Should we increase domestic oil production? Tap into strategic reserves? Or jack up the Green Economy faster, whatever the cost?
To the Point
The Price of Gasoline: Good News and Bad Since the high of $147 a barrel in July, the price of oil has dropped like a stone, to about $45 a barrel. The Automobile Association of America says gasoline prices have dropped in the US for the eighty-second day in a row, to an average of $1.70 a gallon. Worldwide, the price of oil is dropping so fast that dollar-a-gallon gasoline is possible sometime next year. That sounds like good news, but it's the product of a global recession, which the World Bank is now calling the worst since the Great Depression. Would Americans jump back into gas-guzzling SUV's? What about energy independence and alternative fuels? Should gasoline taxes be increased to combat global warming and promote international stability?
Recommended
To the Point
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.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
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
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?