June 4 - Rick Perry Enters the Presidential Race Again; An Update From Venezuela; Burundi on the Brink

Full Program

Part 1

We be begin with the entry of former Texas Governor Rick Perry into the crowded Republican presidential race. He managed to crash and burn in the 2012 campaign when he famously could not remember which government programs he wanted to cut. National radio commentator, writer and public speaker Jim Hightower, who was twice elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner and is the author of “Thieves in High Places: They’ve Stolen Our Country and It’s Time to Take it Back”, joins us to discuss whether there will be another “oops” moment for Rick Perry this next time around.

Part 2

Then we go to Caracas, Venezuela and speak with Antonio Gonzales, the President of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and host of “Strategy Session” on KPFK in Los Angeles. He joins us for an update on the economic conditions in the oil-rich country where the local currency, the bolivar just one month ago was worth 279 bolivars to the dollar, but today is 408 bolivars to the dollar. We discuss the upcoming elections and whether life in a country where gasoline in free, along with healthcare and education, is as bad as most American news coverage would suggest.

Part 3

Then finally we examine the volatile situation in Burundi where there has been unrest, violence and a coup attempt since the president decided to ignore the constitution and extend his tenure for a third term. Elizabeth McClintock, who was recently part of a 6-month conflict resolution training program for the Burundian National Commission on Demobilization and Reintegration, joins us to discuss protests that are largely driven by political outrage and are not a revival of ethnic tensions.