March 16 - Will Republican Senators Lock Their Doors and Hide Under Their Desks From Judge Merrick Garland?; Is a Moral Case Against Trump Likely to Influence His Supporters?; Israel's Concerns Over Russia's Exit From Syria

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the nomination of Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Scalia. Dahlia Lithwick, a senior editor and legal correspondent for Slate where she writes the column “Supreme Court Dispatches” and hosts the Amicus podcast, joins us. We discuss whether when Judge Merrick Garland does the rounds on Capitol Hill tomorrow, Republican Senators who previously praised Merrick, will lock their doors and hide under their desks, refusing to even shake hands with him let alone give him a hearing then allow a vote on his nomination.

Part 2

Then we speak with Tiziana Dearing, a professor of social work at Boston College and the former head of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Boston. An anti-poverty activist and advocate for social justice, we discuss her article at CNN “The Confusion That is Driving Support for Donald Trump” and determine whether a moral case against a racist, misogynist, bigot espousing hatred and division will have any traction amongst Trump’s followers in this highly polarized and overheated election season.

Part 3

Then finally we look into concerns expressed by Israel’s president in a meeting in Moscow with President Putin, that Russia’s sudden exit from Syria will create a dangerous void in the war-torn country. Dr. Guy Ziv, a professor at American University’s School of International Service and the director of the Israel National Security Project joins us to discuss Prime Minister Netanyahu’s upcoming trip to Moscow to meet with Putin and how Israeli’s view the possibility of a Trump presidency, given that Trump has cancelled a presidential candidate’s debate on Fox News to instead speak before the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.