Leid Stories

No question, things have changed, and are changing, dramatically in the Age of Trump, and the changes are all-encompassing—from the very definition of democracy and national identity to a recalibration where and how America interacts with the world.

Approaching the end of the second quarter of his brand-new administration, it is fair to say that President Trump is proceeding with his plan to substantially, if not totally, change the existing social, political and economic order. But it’s already taken a toll, his impetuous, not-well-thought actions and policies creating havoc and anxiety for Americans and unnecessary rifts within the world community of nations, even with allies.

Against the backdrop of the most recent crisis the nation is dealing with—the White House-caused political upheaval in Washington—Leid Stories listeners discuss Trump’s role in “making America great again” with his different approaches to governing. 

Yet another week that the propaganda machine was in overdrive, trying to steal your mind. Yet another week that you gave it no victory.

Share your thoughts—and defensive tactics—with likeminded Leid Stories listeners on “Free Your Mind Friday,” the best peer-to-peer education system that focuses on what matters to you. Call 888-874-4888.

Former FBI Director James Comey appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee today in a two-part marathon session—one public, the other behind closed doors—to answer an array of questions. Publicly, Comey will testify about his challenges working with an out-of-control president who very often skirted standing policies yet expected him, out of “loyalty” to turn a blind eye to his actions. Privately, Comey will discuss the details of investigations he initiated into Trump’s ties to Russia, whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to assure Trump’s victory, and whether associates and representatives of Trump are continuing to benefit from under-the-radar ties to Russia.

Whatever the outcome of Comey’s testimony today, some politicians have already drawn their own conclusions. They say Trump should be impeached. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) announced yesterday that he’s begun drawing articles of impeachment against the president, with fellow Democrat Brad Sherman joining him.

Meanwhile, it’s Comey’s turn at bat, and he says he’s batting for himself, his reputation and his career. Will he hit a home run, or will he strike out?

To blunt vigorous student and community protest against Hillary Clinton at Medgar Evers College’s 45th commencement ceremony tomorrow, Myrlie Evers-Wiliams, widow of the assassinated civil-rights leader after whom the college is named, will introduce her “dear friend,” who is to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate

Former FBI director James Comey, fired May 9 by President Donald Trump, appears before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee tomorrow, a day after the president announced Comey’s replacement. Comey will command rapt attention as he testifies, but will he be asked the right questions?

Former FBI director James Comey on Thursday makes his third appearance before a congressional committee looking into how he did his job.

In March, Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers told the House Intelligence Committee they were investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia to rig the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor. In May, just prior to being fired by Trump, Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the Trump-Russia probe was continuing, though it had not yet yielded concrete evidence, and he defended his handling of the Hillary Clinton email debacle. On Thursday, Comey again appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee to be grilled about matters related to his firing by Trump, and whether he did indeed find evidence of a Trump-Russia campaign collaboration but chose to cover it up.

For many reasons, a lot is resting on Comey’s testimony on Thursday. Leid Stories listeners discuss what those reasons might be. 

Start a brand-new conversation of your own or add your two cents to someone else’s. It’s up to you. Either way, it’s all about what you think, and that’s what “Free Your Mind Friday” is all about.

Call 888-874-4888 and think out loud!

 

They’re at full tilt at the moment, each competing for the who’s-been-more-wronged prize.

Donald Trump says his campaign vow to “drain the swamp” of Washington bureaucrats, insiders and hack politicians who’ve been running a parallel government working against the interests of the people has made him a target of that system. Hillary Clinton says she was robbed of the nation’s top job. Trump’s win is not legitimate because Russia interfered in the election to help him win, she says (A federal probe is ongoing.)

Four months into Trump’s tenure, at least one thing is clear: Neither he nor Clinton, who hasn’t let up on her campaign, is a gift to America. They’re creatures of the swamp and the sinkhole.

Historian and prolific author Gerald Horne, Ph.D., looks at a few contemporary issues and events through the lens of history.

Horne, the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston, has written more than 30 books and 100 scholarly papers on globalstruggles against imperialism, colonialism, fascism and racism. His most recent books include Paul Robeson: The Artist As Revolutionary (2016); Confronting Black Jacobins: The U.S., the Haitian Revolution, and the Origins of the Dominican Republic (2015); Race to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba During Slavery and Jim Crow (2014); and The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America. NYU Press (2014).

Yesterday on Leid Stories financial research expert and former banker Charles Ortel said that leading indicators show a major downturn in the U.S. economy has already begun and will, under prevailing conditions, likely develop into a full-scale crash. He warned listeners to change their money-management and spending habits now.

The program generated far more calls than could be answered in our allotted time, so Mr. Ortel graciously agreed to return today.

We’ve been so distracted by the high-wire acts in the bizarre circus of American politics the past few years, we pay little or no attention to the huge elephant in the ring. A massive economic crash is coming, and in many ways it’s already here.

Financial research expert and former banker Charles Ortel, who proved that several major U.S. corporations were overvaluing their Wall Street-traded stocks around the time of the 2008-2009 crash, says there’s little doubt a serious economic downturn is close. The financial investigator’s research into the Clinton Foundation, reported in detail on Leid Stories, has unearthed fraud so massive, he calls it “the largest unprosecuted charity fraud in U.S. history.”

Ortel discusses what people can do to brace themselves for what’s coming.