Links to today’s show transcripts:
Will Trump Seek Talks with North Korea or Counter Missile Test with More U.S. Military Aggression?
Tension is rising again on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental missile on Tuesday that experts said is capable of reaching Alaska. In response, the U.S. and South Korea carried out a joint ballistic missile drill in the Sea of Japan. Earlier this year, the United States carried out massive military exercises in the Korean Peninsula and deployed an anti-missile system known as THAAD to South Korea, despite protests by South Koreans.
44 States Say No to Trump: Resistance Grows as Trump’s Election Commission Seeks Private Voter Data
Several civil rights groups and lawmakers have come out against a federal “election integrity” commission established by Donald Trump that wants states to hand over detailed personal information about U.S. voters. The request was made by Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state and vice chair of Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. At least 44 states to date have said they will not comply with Kobach’s request. Guests are Ari Berman, whose recent piece for The New York Times Magazine is “The Man Behind Trump’s Voter-Fraud Obsession,” and Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The organization filed a complaint Monday against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Ari Berman: Kris Kobach Is Helping Trump Lay Groundwork for Nationwide Voter Suppression Effort
To date, 44 states have said they will not hand over detailed personal information about U.S. voters to Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. We look at the man behind the request for the data: Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state and vice chair of Trump’s “election integrity” commission. Kobach has pushed for the strictest voter identification laws in the country and advocated for a “proof-of-citizenship” requirement that civil rights advocates say is aimed at suppressing voter turnout.
Rami Khouri: In Rift with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE Want to Hold Back Waves of Change
Foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are meeting today amid a diplomatic standoff with the Gulf nation of Qatar. The Saudi-led coalition has issued 13 demands on Qatar, including the closing of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Other demands on Qatar include ending its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and closing a Turkish military base in the country. The diplomatic standoff began soon after President Trump met Saudi King Salman in Riyadh.
