KPFK - BradCast w/ Brad Friedman

Guest: Lisa Graves, former Dep. Ass't. U.S. Attorney General

Former top U.S. Justice Dept. official Lisa Graves joins us to discuss the shocking and disturbing events at DOJ, after Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr intervened in the sentencing of convicted Trump crony Roger Stone and former NSA Michael Flynn, and new revelations of blatant attempts to undermine the rule of law, the independence of the DOJ and the federal judiciary. Also today: results and takeaways from the NH Democratic Primary.

Guest: Dr. Bill Busa, NC political consultant

Nevada Dems opt for hand-marked paper ballots after Iowa Caucus fiasco. Trump and Republicans attempt to sow discord and division among progressives by alleging the DNC is "rigging" the primaries, and claiming progressive candidates are easy to beat. Are they correct? Political data analyst Dr. Bill Busa offers insights into GOP monkey-wrenching in the 2020 election. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

2020 Democratic candidates' supporters battle in increasingly rancorous debate in NH and Iowa, despite calls for unity. We examine the evidence on whether the Iowa caucuses were "rigged" - Brad disagrees with the charge and explains why. Veterans group demands Trump apologize for downplaying growing number of traumatic brain injuries among U.S. troops. New Trump budget slashes social safety net budget, education, etc.

Guest: Allen Raymond, author, former GOP operative

Trump "trolls" jammed up the Iowa Democratic Party's phone lines to block reporting in the Iowa caucus. Former GOP operative Allen Raymond, convicted of a similar scheme in NH in 2002, explains "phone jamming" and other 'dirty tricks' in elections, and offers insights into what has become of the GOP. Also: Record high temperatures in Antarctica. Trump retaliates against those who testified against him in his Senate impeachment trial.

Trump attacks Pelosi, Romney, Democrats in dark, ugly post-impeachment speech. New revelations show Trump supporters jammed phone lines to block reporting of Iowa Caucus tallies. IA caucus is actually a victory of public oversight of verifiable election results. CBS-2 covers major security concerns with L.A. County's costly new unverifiable computerized voting system. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

Guest: Heather 'Digby' Parton, Salon; Tom Sullivan, Political strategist

It's special coverage of three different historic events -- all at once, somehow -- with award-winning opinion journalist HEATHER 'DIGBY' PARTON of Salon and Digby's Hullabaloo, and TOM SULLIVAN, North Carolina writer and grassroots organizer and author of the indispensable "For the Win" training guide for county-level Get Out the Vote operations. In a lively show, we cover Trump's ugly, bitter State of the Union address, the shameful acquittal vote by Senate Republicans on Trump's impeachment, and the ongoing fallout from the tech failure at the Iowa caucuses.

Guest: John Nichols, The Nation

What the hell happened in the meltdown at the Democratic Iowa Caucuses on Monday night? The caucuses worked, but the state party's ill-advised decision to use a smartphone app to transmit results (which cybersecurity experts warned them against) failed miserably. We explain what happened and why, and why it's always a terrible idea to use unnecessary computer tech for mission-critical elections. John Nichols of The Nation joins us for analysis. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report'.

After Friday's shameful vote in the U.S. Senate, with only two Republican Senators courageous enough call for new witnesses and documents in the Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump, we now have just one firewall left against the slide into full authoritarianism: your vote . We explain the complicated procedures in California that are (sadly) necessary to vote in party primaries, and explain steps all voters can take to ensure they vote on a hand-marked paper ballot to maximize the odds of their vote actually being counted as cast. Callers weigh in on all of the above.

Guest: David Faris, Political scientist, Roosevelt Univ.

Our special coverage of the final day of the Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump continues with an historic vote by Republicans to block impeachment witnesses and documents, withheld by the Trump White House, for the first time in US history. New bombshell revelations from Trump's former NSA John Bolton and Giuliani associate Lev Parnas. Political scientist David Faris of Roosevelt Univ. joins us to analyze the days' events, House Democrats' strategy, and what price (if any) the GOP might pay among voters in the 2020 election.

Guest: Ann Ravel, former Chair, Federal Elections Commission

Our special coverage of the Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump continues, with Day 2 of Questions from senators. Ann Ravel, former Chair of the Federal Elections Commission, explains why the chilling and "insane" arguments advanced by Trump's legal team undermine U.S. campaign finance laws, with long-reaching, dangerous consequences. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'