March 29 - Congress Enables Surveillance Marketing; Brexit Begins: Divorce Now Settle Later; Is Trump's Air Campaign Causing Civilians Causalities in Iraq and Syria?

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the latest move by the Congress to enact unpopular giveaways to powerful corporations under the cover of the daily chaos created by the circus that Donald Trump’s presidency has become in which the ringleader distracts the press and the public as Congress enacts regressive changes that will damage the country and hurt Americans, in particular those who voted for Trump. We will look into Congress’s repeal of Internet privacy protection, and speak with Jonathan Taplin, the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Innovation Lab at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and the author of a new book, just out, “Move Fast and Break Things: How Google, Facebook and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy”. He joins us to discuss yesterday’s repeal allowing Verizon, AT&T and Comcast to make money by selling private personal information about you in the $80 billion surveillance marketing business already dominated by Google, Facebook and Amazon.   

Part 2

Then we speak with Charles Grant, a co-founder and Director of the Center for European Reform in London who previously covered the E.U. for The Economist. He joins us to discuss today’s triggering of Article 50 that will begin the 2-year “Brexit” process which the U.K’s PM Theresa May said was “an historic moment from which there can be no turning back”. We assess tensions around Angela Merkel’s demand for a divorce first then a settlement later, and the probability that “Brexit” will trigger a referendum on Scottish independence.

Part 3

Then finally, as the siege tightens on the ISIS strongholds of Mosul and Raqqa, we look into the increase in civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria which have prompted the Pope to demand urgent action to protect civilians and has Amnesty International concerned that the sharp increase in casualties is tied to a loosening of the rules of combat by the U.S.-led coalition. Raed Jarrar, the Government Relations Manager at the American Friends Service Committee’s Office of Public Policy an Advocacy joins us to discuss whether President Trump is fulfilling his campaign pledge to target ISIS more aggressively because Obama was too “gentle” with his air campaign.