Background Briefing: February 2, 2020

 

Trump Will Double Down With Revenge and Retribution

We begin with an analysis of the busy few days ahead with today’s Super Bowl on Fox starring Donald Trump and Sean Hannity, then Monday’s Iowa caucuses followed by Tuesday’s State of the Union with Wednesday’s acquittal of Donald Trump by the senate, crowning the victor like a Roman Emperor as Donald Trump, who thanks to a craven senate and a captured judiciary, is now free to rule unimpeded as he does a victory lap while preparing to criminalize his political opposition. Joining us to discuss this pivotal moment in American history when right or wrong no longer matters but it’s now only win or lose and the Republicans are the winners and the Democrats the losers, is John Stoehr, a contributing writer at The Washington Monthly and the editor and publisher of The Editorial Board where he has an article “Donald Trump Will Have His Revenge: When He Does, Be Ready”.  We assess how the 40% who support Trump and are immune to facts and evidence see the 60% as their enemy, egged on by their leader who from day one has weaponized hate and division as his main political tools and is about to double-down with revenge and retribution. Needless to say, the question arises, why are the 60% of Americans dominated by the 40%, and when will they mobilize in sufficient numbers to take back their country given the electoral obstacles ahead with Russia determined to rig the November election in Trump’s favor as a divided Democratic Party searches for a candidate to beat him.

 

An Update From a Local Reporter in Iowa

Then we  go to Iowa for an update as Senators Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar campaign furiously to make up for lost time having been locked in the senate for the impeachment deliberations that resume on Monday. We speak with Robert Leonard, News Director for KNIA KRLS Knoxville and Pella where he has covered the last several Iowa caucuses. An anthropologist, he is the author of Yellow CabDeep Midwest: Midwestern Explorations and Riding the Caucus Rollercoaster and he joins us to discuss his article at The New York Times “I’m a Reporter in Iowa. Here’s What My State is Looking For”.

 

Venezuela Has Metastasized From a Political Struggle Into a Criminal Reality

Then finally we examine the tragedy of Venezuela where a political struggle has now metastasized into a criminal reality with Russia, Iran and Turkey propping up a narco-kleptocracy while exploiting the country’s riches. Christopher Sabatini, Senior Fellow for Latin America at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, London and the founder and executive director of Global Americans and the editor of its news and opinion website LatinAmericaGoesGlobal.org joins us. We discuss his articles at The Miami Herald “Latin America’s Risk of an Iranian Proxy Attack” and at The Washington Post, “Why is the U.S. joining Venezuela and Nicaragua in discrediting a system to protect human rights?”