"Wake" with Luke Vargas

The days of $100 a barrel oil are over. Since 2015, prices have hovered near $50 as oil producers keep pumping, often in a desperate bid to support government revenues. The new price landscape spells ruin for some, but opportunity for others.

How is cheap oil affecting life in America? What does it mean for the future? For the fight against climate change?

Helping us to consider those questions are:

• Thina Saltvedt, chief analyst for Macro Oil at Nordea Markets.

• Morgan Downey, author of "Oil 101," and CEO of Money.Net.

• Robert McNally, author of "Crude Volatility" and president of the Rapidan Group.

If you enjoy the show, follow us on Twitter @WakeOnAir. Want to leave us feedback? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Recorded May 4, 2017.

Hosted by Luke Vargas.

Distributed by Talk Media News.

As we speak, more than 150,000 troops are positioned in nearly 80 countries. Hundreds of U.S. bases serve as deterrents against adversaries, others as an assurance to allies, and still more as stops along a global military supply chain.

What are the intended and unintended consequences of these deployments? What exactly are we trying to accomplish?

Helping us to consider that question are:

• Michael McNerney, the Associate Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the Rand Corporation.

• David Vine, author of the 2015 book, "Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World."

If you enjoy the show, follow us on Twitter @WakeOnAir. Want to leave us feedback? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Recorded April 28, 2017.

Hosted by Luke Vargas.

Distributed by Talk Media News.

For decades, the U.S. led a fierce campaign against the cultivation, distribution and sale of illegal drugs. In some states, and a select few countries, attitudes and policies have begun to change. But under a new U.S. administration, the war on drugs could be poised for a comeback. How will policies across the hemisphere impact the Trump Administration's crackdown on drugs?

Helping us to consider that question are:

• Kasia Malinowska, Director of the Global Drug Policy Program at Open Society Foundations.

• John Walsh, Senior Associate for Drug Policy at the Washington Office on Latin America.

If you enjoy the show, follow us on Twitter @WakeOnAir. Want to leave us feedback? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Recorded April 20, 2017.

Hosted by Luke Vargas.

Distributed by Talk Media News.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Trump earlier this month, US strikes in Syria overshadowed their encounter. But there's far too much at stake for US-China relations to stay quiet for long, from the possibility of a trade war, to the simmering question of North Korea, controversy in the South China Sea and competing global visions.

Helping us break it all down are:

• Elizabeth Wishnick, Professor of Political Science at Montclair State University and a Senior Research Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia.

• Ann Lee, author of the book, "What the U.S. Can Learn from China" and an adjunct professor at New York University.

If you enjoy the show, follow us on Twitter @WakeOnAir. Want to leave us feedback? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Recorded April 13, 2017.

Hosted by Luke Vargas.

Distributed by Talk Media News.