January 27 - The Bundy Boys Arrest and the Killing of the Militia's Spokesperson ; What is Donald Trump's Strategy in Boycotting Thursday's Debate; Gas Company Sued for Negligence Over The Massive Methane Leak

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the shootout in Oregon between Oregon State Troopers and the rag-tag militia who call themselves Citizens for Constitutional Freedom that resulted in the death of the group’s spokesperson Robert “LaVoy” Finicum and the arrest of the Bundy boys who have led the month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon. Mark Potok, the director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project and the editor of SPLC’s Hatewatch blog, joins us to discuss the collective delusion that this armed militia operated on that the U.S. government was oppressing them and to quote the militia’s deceased spokesperson who left behind 11 foster children, “there are things more important than your life and freedom is one of them”.

Part 2

Then we try to figure out Donald Trump’s strategy in boycotting the final Republican presidential debate on Fox News before Monday’s Iowa Caucus based on Trump’s hurt feelings over a Fox News memo joking about Trump and Putin and the presence of Megan Kelly as a moderator for Thursday night’s debate. Dr. Kerwin Swint, a Professor of Politics at Kennesaw State University who specializes in campaigns, elections and mass media and is the author of “Dark Genius: The Influential Career of Legendary Political Operative and Fox News Founder Roger Ailes”, joins us to discuss the depressing irony that Fox News, the “Pravda” of the Republican Party, is now standing up for journalistic standards.

Part 3

Then finally, with yesterday’s announcement by the South Coast Air Quality Management District that it is suing The Southern California Gas Company for negligence over the massive methane leak at Porter Ranch demanding they permanently shut down the well that has been spewing out gas since October 23^rd forcing thousands of residents from their homes, we are joined by Rob Jackson. He is a Professor and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and at the Precourt Institute and heads up the Jackson Lab at Stanford University. We will discuss what went wrong with the well and why the leaking gas cannot be flared or captured.