May 15 - The Short List to Replace Comey; Is Trump the Manchurian Candidate or Just a Reckless and Dangerous Incompetent?; The Making of China's New World Order

Full Program

Part 1

We  begin with the short list of candidates to replace James Comey as head of the FBI and speak with Harry Litman, a former United States Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General about his article at the Los Angeles Times “Don’t worry, the FBI won’t give up the Russia investigation” and whether Trump will be able to appoint a partisan lackey to shut down the Russia Investigation. With Senator Graham suggesting Trump’s choice of a politician would be unwise, we look into the possibility that Senator Cornyn and Congressman Mike Rogers might not be chosen, given the narrow margin that Trump has in the senate to get his nominee approved. But the problem is that Trump is surrounded by inexperienced sycophants who are incapable of giving seasoned and sober advice to this erratic and adolescent president, so Trump will likely not choose someone with credibility meaning that if he were to be proven innocent, a not-guilty verdict would not be believed.

Part 2

Then we examine the mind-boggling revelation from the Washington Post that Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador that was provided by a U.S. partner in an intelligence-sharing arrangement that is considered the most highly classified sensitive information that the U.S. does not even share with close allies. A former CIA veteran Robert Baer, a best-selling author who is now the national security analyst on CNN, joins us to discuss the possibility that Trump is either a reckless and dangerous incompetent, or the Manchurian Candidate.

Part 3

Then finally we look into the “Belt and Road” forum that has just concluded in Beijing and assess the extent to which China is eclipsing the U.S. as a global leader following the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the TPP and its reversals on climate change and clean energy. The editor of the Asan Forum, Gilbert Rozman, a Professor of Sociology at Princeton University specializing in societies in China, Japan, Korea and Russia, joins us to discuss the makings of China’s new world order.