March 13 - Trump Doubles Down on "Disruptors"; Examining Authoritarian Personalities in Politics; What is Happening on the Ground in Syria as Peace Talks Begin

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the clashes inside and outside the University of Illinois-Chicago pavilion on March 11 between supporters and opponents of Donald Trump that will either boost Trump’s appeal or be a turning point in the frontrunner’s gathering momentum towards the Republican presidential nomination. Steve Chapman, a columnist and editorial writer for the Chicago Tribune, whose twice-a-week column on national and international affairs appears in 50 newspapers across the country, joins us to discuss his latest article at The Chicago Tribune “Donald Trump’s dangerous antics prove he’s no leader” and how Donald Trump is doubling down on his attacks on what he calls “disrupters” which he blames on “our Communist friend” Bernie Sanders whose rallies Trump is now threatening to disrupt.

Part 2

Then we look into authoritarian personalities in politics as they relate to the rise of Donald Trump and speak with Jonathan Weiler, the author of “Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics.” The Director of Global Studies at the University of North Carolina, he joins us to discuss the extent to which next Tuesday’s vote will be a referendum on whether America will turn to the dark side of politics or the better angels of our nature will emerge in this polarized and overheated election year.

Part 3

Then finally we get an assessment of how the peace talks on Syria are being implemented on the ground as the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front seizes bases and U.S.-supplied weapons from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, including U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles. Rafif Jouejati, the founder and Director of the FREE-Syria Foundation and the English language spokeswoman for the opposition’s Local Coordination Committees in Syria joins us to discuss charges by the U.S. and France that the Syrian government is trying to disrupt a new round of peace talks.