Radio Times

This weekend’s suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Douma, a suburbs of Damascus, and Israeli airstrikes on a military base in Homs have ratcheted up the already tense situation in Syria. At his Cabinet Meeting on Monday, President Trump condemned the chemical attack and said he will make a decision regarding U.S. retaliation within the next few days.  Today on Radio Times, we’ll discuss the current escalation of the conflict in Syria, what’s at stake for that country, the  international powers involved, and the way forward for U.S. policy.  We’ll start the hour talking with SAM HELLER of the International Crisis Group who is based in Beirut, Lebanon, and has been following events on the ground, including the aftermath of the chemical attack.  Then, we’re joined by AMBASSADOR JAMES DOBBINS of the Rand Corporation and ILAN GOLDENBERG of the Center for a New American Security.

Guests: Delphine Schrank, Maria Sacchetti

We check in on the caravan of Central American migrants that was journeying through Mexico towards the American border last week. President Trump drew attention to the group, calling them a national security threat and said he would send National Guard troops to secure the U.S./Mexico border.  We’ll talk with Reuters’ chief correspondent for Mexico and Central America, DELPHINE SCHRANK, who spent a week traveling with the caravan, and with MARIA SACCHETTI, immigration reporter for The Washington Post about the about the migrants, U.S./Mexico relations, DACA and recent ICE crackdowns.

Guest: Lisa Friedman

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has come under fire for a number of ethics violations, including his D.C. housing, use of first-class travel, and raises for certain staff members. Pruitt has been a controversial figure since President Trump appointed him to lead the EPA, for his staunch views against climate change and regulations. We’ll talk about Pruitt’s tenure at the EPA, the scandals swirling around him and the calls for his resignation with New York Times climate change reporter, LISA FRIEDMAN.

Guests: John Baer, Dave Davies

The Pennsylvania governor’s race is heating up with the May 15 primary approaching.  Three Republican candidates, Scott Wagner, Paul Mango and Laura Ellsworth, are vying for the party nomination and a chance to face Democratic governor Tom Wolf this fall.  WHYY senior reporter DAVE DAVIES and Daily News columnist JOHN BAER join Marty to talk about race, the candidates and the issues.

Guest: Josh Gerstein

We get an update on Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion. Politico’s JOSH GERSTEIN weighs in on the recent news that the special counsel told Trump’s attorneys that the President is a subject and not a target of the investigation thus far. We’ll also talk about the sentencing of the Dutch lawyer, the money laundering charges against Manafort, and Mueller’s forth-coming report.

Guest: Spencer Soper

President Trump lashed out at Amazon this week through a series of tweets. He criticized Amazon’s business deal with the U.S. Postal Service, saying the online retail giant was taking advantage of the USPS. In this segment, we talk with SPENCER SOPER, a reporter for Bloomberg News, about the Amazon/USPS business relationship and the President’s critique.

Guests: Patrick Murray, John Nichols, Andy Kroll, Aaron Weiss

Recently a video compilation of local news anchors reading the same script decrying biased news highlighted the practices of Sinclair Broadcast Group, who is the largest owner of local television stations in the country. Sinclair has already come under scrutiny when it syndicated opinion segments from former advisers to President Trump. There are also concerns about the company’s attempt to consolidate the news media landscape even further by acquiring Tribune Media, another company that owns many television stations. Today, we’ll talk about the company, how it operates, and the questions this all raises about journalism, objectivity, and the news business. Joining us will be JOHN NICHOLS of The Nation, ANDY KROLL of Mother Jones and we’ll hear from AARON WEISS, who worked at a Sinclair-owned station as news director. But first, we’ll talk about which sources of information Americans trust the most when we talk with PATRICK MURRAY, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Guests: Jason Sokol, Rev. Charles Howard, Karen Asper-Jordan, Kenneth “Freedom Smitty” Salaam

Today, marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1968, the beloved civil rights leader was fatally shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. A wave of riots erupted as an immediate response of his death which swept through many cities. In this hour, JASON SOKOL, associate professor of History at the University of New Hampshire and the author of The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. explains to us the aftermath of King’s death. REV. CHARLES HOWARD, the University Chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about the work his dad did with King and the impact King had on him and his work. Freedom Fighters, KAREN ASPER-JORDAN and KENNETH “FREEDOM SMITTY” SALAAM, discuss working with King as teenagers in Philadelphia.

Guest: Imani Perry

The Star-Spangled Banner became the official national anthem in 1931, but by then, many black Americans were already singing a different anthem that represented their struggle for freedom. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written by two brothers, James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to commemorate what would have been Abraham Lincoln’s 91st birthday. It quickly spread through the South and then nationwide and is today commonly known as the “black national anthem.”  IMANI PERRY, professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, has written a history of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” its social, cultural and spiritual significance.  Perry comes in to talk about her book, May We Forever Stand: The History of the Black National Anthem.

Guest: Leo Shane

There’s been some turmoil at the Department of Veterans Affairs. David Shulkin, VA Secretary and Obama administration holdover, claims he was fired from his post, while the White House maintains that he resigned from the position. At the heart of his disagreement with the current administration is whether the department should be privatized. LEO SHANE, congressional reporter for Military Times joins us to discuss the ouster and whom the Trump administration have planned to replace Shulkin.