A weekly take on US politics and policies and how they affect the world.
What role do US tech giants play in powering Israeli war crimes? | The Bottom Line
After Amazon and Google signed a $1.2bn contract to launch Project Nimbus, providing cloud technology to the Israeli government and the military, tech workers started to notice more Israeli use of artificial intelligence against the Palestinian people.Many of those engineers have become activists for “No Tech for Genocide”, including Zelda Montes, who was one of the dozens of Google staff who were recently fired for protesting against their company’s involvement with Israel.Montes and tech entrepreneur Paul Biggar, who founded Tech for Palestine, tell host Steve Clemons why they refuse to build technology used for oppression, surveillance, warfare and apartheid.
4/28/2024 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
US calls for ‘de-escalation’, but tensions rise in the Middle East | The Bottom Line
In this episode, host Steve Clemons speaks with Ussama Makdisi, professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley; and Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.The exchange of direct attacks between Iran and Israel is likely to subside, but the shadow war goes on, which could intensify as long as the war on Gaza continues, argues Vaez.And as long as the wider Palestinian issue remains unresolved, there is little to no hope for long-lasting stability throughout the region, says Makdisi, especially with the US policy of rejecting equal regard for the rights of the Palestinian people.
4/21/2024 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Does Israel twist humanitarian law to justify Gaza carnage? | The Bottom Line
To the United Nations official tasked with reporting on Palestinian human rights, international law is clear: Israel should withdraw from the territories it occupied in 1967.Instead, Israel aims for the “impossibility to continue civil life in Gaza,” as UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese tells host Steve Clemons.Israel doesn’t deny the killings and mass destruction, but instead justifies its behaviour as “compliance with international humanitarian law”, Albanese says.And the failure of governments around the world to force Israel to stop the onslaught only weakens the idea of international law, “because it creates precedents for others to violate it”.
4/11/2024 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
How credible is US rhetoric on ‘policy change’ towards Israel? | The Bottom Line
In this episode, Annelle Sheline tells host Steve Clemons that the contradictions in US policy toward Israel’s war in Gaza made her job as a State Department officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor “so difficult”. Sheline announced her resignation publicly on March 27.And Khaled Elgindy, a political scientist at the Middle East Institute, argues that US President Joe Biden is a big factor in the country’s stagnant policy toward Israel – supporting the war, with some alleviation of the humanitarian crisis. “Most people in the administration have probably moved on in their thinking,” Elgindy says.
4/7/2024 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Biden’s 'double talk' on Gaza: Cynical election politics? | The Bottom Line
The Biden administration has fallen into a predictable pattern on Gaza, according to Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch: Talk about concern for civilian casualties, but undercut any pressure on Israel to stop the war.Roth tells host Steve Clemons that US President Joe Biden is engaging in “cynical” election politics by refusing to enforce the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire, or the World Court ruling ordering Israel to allow more food into Gaza, where starvation and disease are spreading because of Israeli measures.US disregard for international law will have far-reaching consequences, says Roth.
3/31/2024 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Does Israel need to be forced by the US to end the war in Gaza? | The Bottom Line
All of Israel’s modern wars have ended with US intervention, but the current war in Gaza has gone on for half a year because “Biden is a slow learner”, argues University of Pennsylvania political scientist Ian Lustick.Israel needs an outside power to blame when it cannot achieve its aims. “That's because the war aims are fundamentally political, and the military cannot achieve them,” says Lustick.Lustick and Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti talk to host Steve Clemons about the current situation on the ground and the debate within the Democratic Party in the United States.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
3/24/2024 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Professor Jeffrey Sachs: ‘US is complicit in Israeli genocide’ | The Bottom Line
“Does the United States want to be complicit in genocide?” This is the question that US leaders should be asking themselves as Israel’s war on Gaza continues, argues Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs.Sachs tells host Steve Clemons that Israel could not continue “for one day” without US support, and the rhetoric from top Democrats criticising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “meaningless” because no action is taken to stop the war crimes.This has led to US isolation on the world stage, as Israel is allowed to continue “whatever they have in their minds… which will never lead to peace”.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
3/17/2024 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Will Israel be allowed to continue its Gaza starvation strategy? | The Bottom Line
US Senator Chris Van Hollen says it is time for the Biden administration to tell Israel, “If you continue to ignore us, there will be consequences.”Senator Van Hollen, who is one of seven senators (out of 100) to have called for a permanent ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, tells host Steve Clemons that Hamas’s surprise attack last year “does not justify the humanitarian catastrophe that we’re witnessing in Gaza”.The Democratic senator from Maryland said that the United States has to use “all the levers of our power and influence” to allow more aid to get to starving Palestinians.
3/10/2024 • 24 minutes
Will Biden reconsider his unconditional support for Israel? | The Bottom Line
US policy on Israel “looks incoherent because it is incoherent,” argues Matt Duss, former adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, and this is making the United States look “feckless and weak”.Duss tells host Steve Clemons that Israel is violating US law by using US-supplied weapons while preventing humanitarian aid. But President Joe Biden “has simply taken the tools of leverage off the table”.Duss, the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, says there are still no indications that the Abandon Biden movement within the Democratic Party, nor Israel’s war crimes, will lead to a shift in course anytime soon.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
3/3/2024 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
What happens when Gaza’s health system collapses? | The Bottom Line
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was the last big medical facility in the Gaza Strip destroyed by Israel’s war.The World Health Organization says Israel killed 627 doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and other healthcare workers between October and January.With almost no supplies entering Gaza, what is next for the 2.3 million Palestinians forced to live in inhuman conditions?Host Steve Clemons speaks with Dr Thaer Ahmad, an emergency room physician in Chicago who recently returned from volunteering at Nasser Hospital; and with Dr Muaiad Kittaneh, a haematologist/oncologist who co-founded the Palestinian-American Medical Association.
2/25/2024 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Why are Israel and its Western allies targeting UNRWA? | The Bottom Line
About 20 countries have announced suspension of funding to UNRWA, the agency that has been providing services to Palestinian refugees since 1950.The official reason for the suspension was Israel’s accusation that a dozen UNRWA employees in Gaza had participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks.To understand the potential consequences of undermining UNRWA – especially amid a humanitarian catastrophe – host Steve Clemons speaks with Leila Hilal, a former adviser to the UNRWA commissioner-general, and Anne Irfan, lecturer at University College London and author of Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the International Refugee System.
2/18/2024 • 23 minutes, 56 seconds
Why does the US refuse to call for a ceasefire in Gaza? | The Bottom Line
The United States' support for Israel’s war on Gaza makes the country look ineffectual and hypocritical to the rest of the world, according to Harvard University professor Stephen Walt, co-author of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.Walt tells host Steve Clemons that Israel and the US-Israel relationship have changed over the decades, but US President Joe Biden is holding on to a view of Israel formed in the West in the 1970s.By rejecting a ceasefire, the US looks like it "encourages conflict" instead of being a peacemaker, Walt argues, especially since Israel has no political strategy for resolving the Palestinian question.
2/11/2024 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
US presidential candidate Cornel West: 'Biden is a war criminal' | The Bottom Line
American voters feel “impotent and hopeless” as they approach an election where the main choices are a “neo-fascist Pied Piper” (Donald Trump) or “the war criminals of the Democratic Party”, argues independent presidential candidate Cornel West.West, one of the United States’s pre-eminent philosophers and justice activists, tells host Steve Clemons that President Joe Biden is enabling Israeli genocide and that Israel cannot be secure if “precious Jewish security and safety is predicated on the domination of precious Palestinians”.West argues that recent talk of a two-state solution is “subterfuge – a refusal to deal with the 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank”.
2/4/2024 • 32 minutes, 36 seconds
How is the White House spinning the media on Gaza war? | The Bottom Line
Actions speak louder than words, so journalists should conclude that Israel’s war on Gaza is proceeding exactly as the Biden administration likes, argues Jeremy Scahill, one of the co-founders of the independent news website The Intercept.Scahill tells host Steve Clemons that the United States offers political, legal, diplomatic and military support for Israel’s scorched-earth campaign, while some officials have voiced concern for Palestinian lives.Scahill argues that even if Hamas did not exist, Israel would face armed resistance because, over the decades, Palestinians have been sent the message that diplomacy would not work and Israel would not treat them as human beings.
1/25/2024 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Why does the US act as Israel’s lawyer? | The Bottom Line
President Joe Biden’s failure to demonstrate the same regard and sympathy for Palestinian suffering as he has shown Israel has turned the United States into “Israel’s lawyer,” says former US State Department official Aaron David Miller.Miller tells host Steve Clemons that Israel has lost the Western perception of being David in the story of “David v Goliath,” and its image will be further damaged the more its people veer to the right.US officials “don't have any better answers right now than the Israelis do”, Miller says, adding that there will be no “open breach” in relations with the Netanyahu government.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
1/18/2024 • 24 minutes
French historian: Israel destroyed 4,000-year-old culture in Gaza
Israel waged 15 wars against Gaza in the last 75 years, and all failed to resolve the core issues, says former French diplomat Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor of Middle East Studies at Sciences Po.Filiu tells host Steve Clemons that Gaza’s rich history as a trading post connecting Africa and Asia goes back 4,000 years. The way Israel has cut it off from the world “goes against its history and the nature of its people”.He says Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s heritage sites - ancient mosques, churches, museums - means that “the memory of humanity is being erased before our eyes.”
1/11/2024 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Former US general: Israel may win in Gaza, but fail in the region | The Bottom Line
By mimicking United States tactics in World War II in Germany and Japan, Israel has made a grave mistake with its war on Gaza, according to retired US Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.Kimmitt tells host Steve Clemons that Israel’s tactics - firebombing and “starting new” - have made it unwelcome among the peoples of the region.Despite Israel’s assassination of a top Hamas commander in Lebanon and disruption of shipping routes in the Red Sea, the US is less concerned about regional instability than it was in October. The situation “has not hit US red lines,” he says.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
1/6/2024 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
How do Palestinians factor into Israel’s vision for the Middle East? | The Bottom Line
David Frum, staff writer for The Atlantic magazine and a pro-Israel supporter, tells host Steve Clemons that Israel and the United States should “avoid solution-ism” for the Palestinians and focus on day-to-day necessities, like food and water.The way Israel has responded to the Hamas attack of October 7 was “inevitable”, Frum says, adding that “Israel has never been allowed this much scope to act”, by the US, United Kingdom and European Union.Join this wide-ranging conversation on the internal debates within Israeli society, and how Israel envisions the future of the region, including rapprochement with Saudi Arabia.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/30/2023 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Why do evangelical Christians support Israel? | The Bottom Line
In the evangelical Christian worldview, the 1948 creation of Israel was a fulfilment of Biblical prophecy and the Palestinians are either “non-existent” or “the enemies of God, because they are the enemies of the State of Israel”, explains Palestinian human rights defender Jonathan Kuttab.Kuttab tells host Steve Clemons that believers of this interpretation of holy scripture do not care about international law or catastrophic war in the region. “They say, ‘Bring it on. That’s the End Times. That’s the Second Coming. That’s wonderful.’”And if 30 percent of Americans hold these beliefs, what is the impact on US policy on Palestine and Israel?Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/26/2023 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Ex-Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad: ‘PLO should expand to include Hamas’ | The Bottom Line
“No national liberation movement in history is based on what its enemy wants,” says the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad.For the Palestinian Authority to have any legitimacy in the eyes of the Palestinian people, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) would have to expand its membership to include Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Fayyad tells host Steve Clemons.Without achieving a "national consensus", the Palestinian Authority is in no position to rule the Gaza Strip when Israel's war on Gaza ends, Fayyad says. Otherwise, the United States' hopes for a “revitalised” Palestinian leadership are pointless.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/23/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Why the war on Gaza is not making Israel safer | The Bottom Line
Contrary to what Israeli leaders say, the war on Gaza is not making Israel safer, according to political scientist Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, which studies geopolitical risk.Bremmer argues that the human carnage created by Israel in Gaza over the past few weeks is strengthening Hamas and isolating Israel.Meanwhile, United States support for Israel’s actions has made Washington “more isolated … than the Russians were when they invaded Ukraine”.Join host Steve Clemons as he asks Bremmer about the war on Gaza and its global ramifications, including the roles played by Iran, Saudi Arabia and some European countries.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/20/2023 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
John Mearsheimer: Israel is choosing 'apartheid' or 'ethnic cleansing' | The Bottom Line
Israel has gone far beyond “going after Hamas” in the first 10 weeks of its war on Gaza, according to one of the United States' leading political scientists, John Mearsheimer.He tells host Steve Clemons that murdering hundreds of civilians daily and starving the rest is a “punishment campaign” and “should be unacceptable to decent people all over the world”.In this episode, Mearsheimer, who teaches international relations at the University of Chicago, looks into Israel’s long-term strategies and explains why the elites in the US, Europe and the Arab world are not taking concrete steps to stop Israel’s bombing campaign.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/16/2023 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Are Biden’s warnings to Israel sparked by fears of 2024 election? | The Bottom Line
University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami says US President Joe Biden is making his decisions on Palestine and Israel “based on personal beliefs, personal preferences, personal emotions,” and “not necessarily driven by a considered assessment of American interests at stake”.Telhami tells host Steve Clemons that Biden’s “inability to show empathy” for the Palestinians is shocking, and that the president’s recent warnings to Israel were driven in part by his calculations for next year’s election.All the talk about plans for “the day after” the war are distractions from the real-time death and destruction in Gaza, Telhami says.
12/14/2023 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Gaza war unleashes anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim sentiment in the US | The Bottom Line
For expressing their opinions on the Israel-Palestine, many Muslim Americans and Arab Americans have paid a hefty price, including the loss of jobs and suspension from college.Universities across the US are also cracking down on student activism.Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has received double the usual amount of reports of bias and requests for help, according to the executive director, Nihad Awad.Speaking to host Steve Clemons, Awad warns that as the Israeli narrative continues “falling apart”, more attempts to dehumanise the Palestinian people will be seen.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/9/2023 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
Are Israel’s attempts to demoralise the Palestinians backfiring? | The Bottom Line
Some US officials have talked about the need to protect innocent Palestinian lives, but US President Joe Biden has said almost nothing.Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Steven Cook says it was a mistake for Biden to have offered the “bear hug” - full, unconditional support for Israel.Now Biden is stuck in a position of supplying Israel with the means to kill more Palestinians while asking Israel to allow basic food and water into Gaza.Join host Steve Clemons in his wide-ranging conversation with Cook about where the war on Gaza is heading.
12/7/2023 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
On Palestine, the gap between the US right and left is huge | The Bottom Line
For many on the American right, the Palestinians are a proxy for Iran and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel are "criminals".On the left, the Palestinian issue is about a nation striving for freedom.The only thing both sides agree on is that peace and stability are highly unlikely anytime soon.In this episode, host Steve Clemons gets two diametrically opposed takes on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The first is from former US National Security Advisor John Bolton. The second is from the former executive director of Human Rights Watch in the Middle East and North Africa, Sarah Leah Whitson.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/2/2023 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Is Biden's two-state plan for Israel and Palestine a fantasy? | The Bottom Line
After the war on Gaza, US President Joe Biden says he wants to “reinvigorate” the attempts to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel.But the devil is in the details. After the Hamas attack on Israel, and Israel’s scorched-earth war on Gaza, will either side want to talk about peace and stability? Are Israelis willing to make the compromises that Palestinians would find acceptable, and vice versa?Mara Rudman worked as a Middle East envoy in the Clinton and Obama administrations. She tells host Steve Clemons that US national security interests will force Washington to impose a resolution.
11/29/2023 • 24 minutes
US General Petraeus: Israel's war on Gaza to last for ‘months, not weeks’ | The Bottom Line
Israel has not explained what it seeks to accomplish in its war on Gaza beyond the destruction of Hamas, according to US General David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA and former commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.Petraeus tells host Steve Clemons that the US has no choice but to remain a “steadfast ally” of Israel, lest China and other countries point to Washington’s abandonment of its friends.In this wide-ranging conversation, the former CENTCOM commander added that “there are no hands going up in the region” to volunteer to manage Gaza after the war.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
11/22/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Is Biden's stance on Israel out of sync with mainstream America? | The Bottom Line
President Joe Biden's rigid pro-Israel stance would have been considered convention for United States policy 50 years ago."It's not a mainstream position any more," says Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.Alterman tells host Steve Clemons that Hamas's surprise attack on Israel, and Israel's continuing destruction of the Gaza Strip, will force major changes in the political leadership of Palestinians and Israelis.There will be no progress unless Israel makes way for a solution "that gives dignity and some sense of self-determination to the Palestinians," says Alterman.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
11/18/2023 • 24 minutes, 13 seconds
Can the US have an honest debate about Palestine and Israel? | The Bottom Line
When the US Congress voted to censure the only Palestinian-American member of the House, congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, it argued that she was “promoting false narratives” on the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.Journalists Ryan Grim and Katie Halper tell host Steve Clemons that if Congress cannot bear to hear different views on Palestine, it is a worrying sign for American society at large.Many Americans have been fired from their jobs for expressing their opinions, and pro-Palestinian student groups have been banned around the country.But the debate endures as Israel’s war on Gaza rages on.
11/15/2023 • 23 minutes, 49 seconds
Should Israel learn from US mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan? | The Bottom Line
In Afghanistan, United States General Stanley McChrystal referred to “insurgent math” to explain how every civilian killed by US forces led to 10 new insurgents.This is the same problem Israel is creating for itself by killing massive numbers of innocent Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to US Representative Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran who fought in Iraq.“I want Israel and Palestine to have peace,” Moulton tells host Steve Clemons. But for that to happen, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to put forth a political solution and “explain to the Palestinians what their future is”.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
11/11/2023 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Should Palestinians, Israelis live equally in one state? | The Bottom Line
Israeli-American peace activist Miko Peled has been advocating anti-Zionism for decades, arguing that Western governments who back Israel “are supporting the fight against justice, the fight against peace”.As US officials stress the need for a two-state solution, Peled tells host Steve Clemons that a serious peace between Palestinians and Israelis can only be achieved if all of them - followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - live as equals and share the country.The biggest problem facing the Palestinians, according to Peled, is that they are “political orphans” - they have no regional power defending their rights and aspirations.
11/3/2023 • 23 minutes, 59 seconds
Is the US in trouble in the Middle East? | The Bottom Line
While the United States government fully backs Israeli actions in its war on Gaza, other countries have taken a different approach.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Israel’s actions have “gone beyond the scope of self-defence”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed back against the Israeli and US classification of Hamas as a terrorist group, saying, “Hamas is not a terrorist group, it is a group of liberators who protect their land.”Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Charles Kupchan tells host Steve Clemons that the US will have to get used to a world where Washington can’t always call the shots.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
10/28/2023 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
Why does the US not support a ceasefire in Gaza? | The Bottom Line
Israel has killed more than 4,385 Palestinians, destroyed entire neighbourhoods in Gaza, and shut off food, water and electricity to millions of people after a Hamas attack killed more than 1,405 Israelis on October 7.United States President Joe Biden wants to give billions of dollars of additional aid to Israel to pursue its military campaign.The Biden administration is rejecting calls for a ceasefire, but mediating for small amounts of food aid for Gaza.Daniel Levy, a former adviser to the Israeli government, tells host Steve Clemons that US support for Israeli warmongering is “leading to hell”.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
10/21/2023 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
Stephen Walt: US, Israeli strategy on Palestine has failed | The Bottom Line
Decades of misguided strategy have wreaked havoc on the region, even before Hamas’s recent attack on Israel and the Israeli response in Gaza, according to Harvard University Professor Stephen Walt.Global powers have allowed the status quo to fester. Washington still publicly calls for a two-state solution even though developments in the region have rendered this policy obsolete. Meanwhile, Israel believed it could keep a lid on Gaza indefinitely as it pursues its settlement policy in the West Bank.So what can we expect now? Join host Steve Clemons in this wide-ranging discussion with one of the top US political scientists.
10/12/2023 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Is this the end of large-scale support for the war in Ukraine? | The Bottom Line
Was it an historic blunder for Western leaders to keep expanding NATO eastward, even though they knew it would provoke a war with Russia eventually?Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs argues that the United States provoked the tragedy in Ukraine, and that the Biden administration should be working to resolve it, even if that means painful compromises – such as redrawing the map of Ukraine.Sachs tells host Steve Clemons that the war is becoming less and less popular throughout Europe and the US, which means that large-scale funding may soon dry up.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
10/5/2023 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
How worried are Americans about their choices in the 2024 vote? | The Bottom Line
Will the Republican-led impeachment inquiry succeed in painting United States President Joe Biden as “crooked"? Will it backfire and be judged as a colossal waste of time? Can Biden’s attempt to paint the 2024 election as a “fight for democracy” work again? How much will Biden’s age affect his chances of winning? Will the economy play into the hands of Biden or his chief opponent, former President Donald Trump?On this episode, host Steve Clemons asks pollsters Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, and Micah Roberts of Public Opinion Strategies, to weigh in on the main drivers of US public opinion.
9/28/2023 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Andrew Yang: Americans are fed up with both Republicans and Democrats | The Bottom Line
A society overflowing with guns and drugs. Politicians who would rather cater to the extreme fringes of their parties instead of the country as a whole. And dark money flowing in from secretive billionaires with eccentric agendas.This is the United States depicted in the novel The Last Election by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.Yang left the Democratic Party to start his own non-partisan party, called Forward.He tells host Steve Clemons that the US is headed for a bleak future unless new leaders rise who are willing to "solve the problems that are literally driving us crazy".
9/21/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
The Oslo peace accords: Historic achievement or historic tragedy? | The Bottom Line
The peace treaty signed by Palestinian and Israeli leaders on 13 September 1993 was a game-changer.The Oslo Accords, brokered by Norwegian diplomats, were supposed to be a five-year plan. Palestinians achieved some degree of self-rule in disjointed parts of their historic homeland in return for recognising Israel as a legitimate state.Three decades later, the Oslo plan still governs the relationship between the Palestinians and the Israelis – but a lasting peaceful relationship between the two sides is as unattainable as ever.Host Steve Clemons asks Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti and Israeli politician Yossi Beilin about what went wrong.
9/14/2023 • 24 minutes, 13 seconds
Is it time for a ‘reset’ of the US strategy in Africa? | The Bottom Line
The days of Africa's resources being used to benefit Western powers instead of the African people are dwindling, argues the former representative of the African Union to the United States, Arikana Chihombori-Quao.Although a string of recent coups may give the impression that African nations are turning their back on the West, and looking more towards Russia and China, this is an oversimplification, according to the former diplomat.She tells The Bottom Line host Steve Clemons that the US would be wise to decouple its policy from that of France if it wants to regain trust on the continent.
9/7/2023 • 24 minutes
Jaron Lanier: Artificial intelligence is not a threat to humans | The Bottom Line
What if the fears of artificial intelligence are unfounded? Is AI nothing more than a “mashup” of everything available online? And is there zero possibility that machines could one day build other machines, making humans irrelevant?Earlier this month, host Steve Clemons spoke with computer scientist Jaan Tallinn, who argues that AI poses an existential risk to humans.This week, Steve talks with computer scientist Jaron Lanier for a totally different take: Humanity has nothing to fear. Lanier argues that we’ve been conditioned to fear that technology will reach the point of sentient being – fears perpetuated by science fiction.
8/31/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
After the first US Republican debate: Who’s up, who’s down? | The Bottom Line
Eight of the nine Republican candidates vying for their party’s nomination to run for president of the United States next year held their first debate and exposed the divisions inside today’s Republican Party.Most agreed to support former president Donald Trump if he ends up winning the nomination.They all demanded more security at the country’s southern border, and some called for military action inside Mexico to stem the supply of fentanyl amid high US demand.Host Steve Clemons asks Republican former Congressman Rodney Davis and Semafor reporter Shelby Talcott about which candidates have a chance at progressing as Trump holds a commanding lead.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
8/25/2023 • 23 minutes, 58 seconds
Does artificial intelligence pose a risk to humans? | The Bottom Line
Jaan Tallinn is no stranger to disruptive tech: 25 years ago he co-engineered Kazaa, which allowed for the free download of films and music. He also co-engineered Skype, which disrupted traditional voice and video communication.But when he looks at the way Big Tech and governments are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, he worries about our future. Could we be fast approaching the point when machines don’t need human input anymore?Host Steve Clemons asks Tallinn, who founded the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University, about risks and opportunities posed by AI.
8/17/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Is an overheated planet the ‘new normal’? | The Bottom Line
With wildfires and relentless heatwaves, 2023 is on track to become the hottest year on record.But temperatures have been rising for years, and journalist Jeff Goodall has been travelling throughout the US to document the changes that are already happening to life on the planet. He writes about his experiences in his new book, The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.Join host Steve Clemons in this wide-ranging conversation on global warming change with Goodall and climate journalist Steve Mufson.
8/10/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Does Trump face any serious competition in the Republican Party? | The Bottom Line
Whenever former United States President Donald Trump faces new legal trouble, he gets more donations and support from his base.At least a dozen Republican politicians are competing to be the party’s nominee in the 2024 election, but opinion polls show that Republicans prefer Trump by wide margins.Could the first Republican debate in Wisconsin on August 23 bring forth a breakout candidate who charms the public and mounts a serious challenge to Trump?The Bottom Line host Steve Clemons takes a look at the Republican field with political reporters Julia Manchester of The Hill and David Weigel of Semafor.
8/3/2023 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Is it time for the West to double down on the Ukraine war? | The Bottom Line
Russia will be able to “turn the world upside down” if the West slows down its support for Ukraine now, says Chuck Hagel, a former United States secretary of defence.To maintain the Western order, the Biden administration has no choice but to escalate the war, Hagel argues, even though domestic support for the Ukraine war will likely fall during the upcoming United States election season.The Bottom Line host Steve Clemons discusses possible scenarios for the future of the war in Ukraine with Hagel and Ed Luce, the US editor of the Financial Times.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
7/28/2023 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Are Iran and the US on the verge of a new agreement? | The Bottom Line
For Washington, the negotiations with Iran are about making sure Tehran does not create nuclear bombs.For Tehran, the negotiations are about easing the Western sanctions that have been holding back Iran’s economy.And with elections being held in the United States and Iran next year, politicians are eager to reach a deal. So what is preventing an agreement?The Bottom Line host Steve Clemons asks Iran experts Roxane Farmanfarmaian and Eli Lake about the chances of an Iran-US deal, the repercussions of the sidelining of veteran US negotiator Rob Malley, and the continuing protests in Iran.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
7/20/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Why Ukraine won’t be joining NATO anytime soon | The Bottom Line
When great powers feel insecure and vulnerable, they lash out in unpredictable ways. This is what happened after the United States was attacked on 9/11, and it’s happening now as Russia feels besieged and encircled by NATO.According to American political scientist John Mearsheimer, the Ukraine war could have been avoided if the West had abandoned the idea of Ukraine joining NATO from the start.He tells The Bottom Line host Steve Clemons that the West is happy to support a frozen conflict that weakens Russia, but not NATO membership for Ukraine and direct involvement in the war.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
7/13/2023 • 24 minutes
Why are Americans stuck with a choice between two major parties?
Millions of Americans say they are dissatisfied with both of the major parties: Democrat and Republican. And millions never vote. So why can’t any third parties break through and become viable alternatives? And could a big third party reduce the polarisation in American society?Host Steve Clemons talks to political scientist Lee Drutman, author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America, and Holly Page, one of the co-founders of the No Labels organisation, which is trying to field third party candidates in United States elections.
7/6/2023 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
Did COVID change the way we think about relationships and money? | The Bottom Line
The long-term effects of the pandemic are becoming more evident day by day. Globalisation was dying, but the virus accelerated the process. Loneliness has become the “invisible epidemic”. Since instability is the norm, younger investors are not afraid to make wild bets on meme stocks, NFTs or cryptocurrencies.These are just some of the observations that Axios financial journalist Felix Salmon makes in his new book, The Phoenix Economy. He tells host Steve Clemons that some effects of the pandemic are positive, including tech innovations and the rise of wages due to labour shortages in some fields.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
6/29/2023 • 24 minutes
Cornel West is running for president to dismantle the US empire | The Bottom Line
Philosopher and activist Cornel West has a question: Why do so many Americans languish in prison, put up with indecent housing, or cope with decrepit schools and without proper healthcare when they live in the richest empire in the history of the world?The United States presidential candidate is running on a third-party ticket, which historically gives him no chance of winning the White House in 2024.In a wide-ranging interview with The Bottom Line, West tells host Steve Clemons that the country’s political elites are not interested in a robust conversation on wealth and justice, and that he aims to force that conversation onto the national stage.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
6/22/2023 • 23 minutes, 56 seconds
What's the connection between Special Olympics and social change?
From humble beginnings in Chicago more than 50 years ago, the Special Olympics has grown into a major sports event.This year the Games will be held in Berlin from June 17 to 25, with thousands of athletes competing from almost all participating countries.Host Steve Clemons talks with Special Olympics Chairman, Tim Shriver, and Germany's ambassador to the United States, Emily Haber, about the impact that inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities is having on communities worldwide.
6/15/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
The US drug epidemic is killing 300 Americans a day | The Bottom Line
Purdue Pharma introduced the opioid painkiller OxyContin in the 1990s and promoted it aggressively as non-addictive.United States government lawyers argued that the company’s owners, the Sacklers, knew how their medication was being abused widely, but doubled down on production – and profits. Recently a lawsuit was settled for $6bn.Barry Meier, the author of Pain Killer (soon to be a Netflix series), started writing about the opioid epidemic 20 years ago when it was killing about 20,000 people yearly. He tells host Steve Clemons how corporate greed and government dithering have led that number to exceed 100,000 deaths last year alone.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
6/8/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
How corrupt is the United States Supreme Court? | The Bottom Line
Americans’ trust in all levels of their government – including the presidency and Congress, and now the Supreme Court – is falling rapidly.One of the top court’s justices, Clarence Thomas, was found to have been showered in pricey gifts from a billionaire businessman for years. The case has put the court’s ethics under scrutiny.Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tells host Steve Clemons that “dark money” – unlimited amounts of cash from undisclosed sources – has poisoned Americans’ faith in all pillars of US democracy.So what are the consequences? And is there any way to restore faith in public institutions?Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
6/1/2023 • 24 minutes, 1 second
On China and Ukraine, does the G7 have the world’s support? | The Bottom Line
Three months ago, United States President Joe Biden insisted that Ukraine does not need F-16 fighter jets, but last week in Japan, he joined the F-16 coalition.The reason? Political risk analyst Ian Bremmer says the US and its allies are trying to put Ukraine in a stronger position for an eventual negotiated settlement with Russia, even if it means escalating the war over time.In this episode, Steve Clemons asks Bremmer whether the G7 will soon matter less than BRICS, how the US and China will share global power, and why Biden cannot backtrack on many Trump-era trade wars.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
5/25/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
What will the next race to the White House look like?
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump claim they are fighting for the soul of the United States. And, as president, both were equally unpopular by their second year in office, hovering at about 40 percent approval ratings.On The Bottom Line, host Steve Clemons asks Democratic and Republican campaign managers to weigh in on their candidates’ chances in the race for the White House next year.Jason Miller, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, says his candidate’s anti-establishment message connects with millions of Americans - not only Republicans. Faiz Shakir, former campaign manager for Senator Bernie Sanders, says Trump’s candidacy ironically fuels support for the presumptive Democratic candidate, President Biden.
5/18/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Can the media regain people's trust? | The Bottom Line
In their desperate attempt to “go viral”, digital media succeeded in disrupting and modernising traditional media outlets. But what has the price been?Has the quality of information been sacrificed for content that will bring clicks and views? Is the drive for outrageous content that will drive comments and debate (“engagement”) tearing societies apart? In opinion polls, why do most Americans feel that the media do not care about people's best interests?Host Steve Clemons talks with Ben Smith, former editor of Buzzfeed and current editor of Semafor, about his new book Traffic, chronicling the Age of Disinformation.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
5/11/2023 • 24 minutes, 13 seconds
How much influence has France lost in Africa? | The Bottom Line
Despite the declarations by French President Emmanuel Macron that the era of his country’s interference in Africa was “well over”, France - and the West in general - have been losing influence on the continent year after year.Meanwhile, Russia, China, Turkey and other players have been ascendant.Next month France will host the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, which aims to reset relations between the Global North and the Global South. But is it too little, too late?Host Steve Clemons speaks with France’s minister of development, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, about his country's efforts to rethink its relationship with Africa.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
5/4/2023 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
How much debt can the US government handle? | The Bottom Line
Both the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States agree that the government should borrow more money, but they disagree on spending priorities.Is ballooning debt a problem? Is it a necessary evil? Can’t the US just print more money whenever it needs?These are the issues on the table as negotiations start between Congress and the White House on raising the legally mandated limit on government borrowing, known as the debt ceiling. Currently the ceiling is set at $31.4 trillion.On The Bottom Line, host Steve Clemons asks federal budget analysts Bobby Kogan and Gordon Gray about the next steps in the debate over runaway government spending.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
4/27/2023 • 24 minutes, 1 second
What do the leaked Pentagon papers tell us about the Ukraine war?
What does the United States want from the war in Ukraine?Mainly, to put Ukraine in a good position when the time comes to negotiate. But there is “still a lot of fighting left” on both sides, according to Kevin Baron, executive editor at Defense One, a publication covering national security issues.And Americans should consider their spending in Ukraine to be a “grand bargain” as Russia is being severely weakened without the loss of any American lives, according to Matt Dimmick, former director of Russia at the National Security Council.On this episode of The Bottom Line, host Steve Clemons and his panel have a wide-ranging discussion about the future of the Ukraine war.
4/20/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Are fears about a dying dollar exaggerated? | The Bottom Line
Historically, the United States punished nations that tried to trade oil using currencies other than the US dollar. But recently it has not been able to stop countries from branching out and making deals in other currencies.Russia and China are leading the charge, but more countries may be jumping on the bandwagon, including Brazil and Saudi Arabia.So, are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the dollar’s supremacy?Host Steve Clemons puts this question to renowned energy market expert, Daniel Yergin, the vice chairman of S&P Global and author of The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations.
4/13/2023 • 24 minutes
What’s next for Trump and the Republican Party? | The Bottom Line
The district attorney of New York alleged that former United States President Donald Trump falsified his business records to conceal hush money payments to an adult film star, Stormy Daniels, in 2016.At the heart of the lawsuit is whether this amounts to a “conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election”, according to prosecutors. Trump has denied all allegations.Host Steve Clemons asks Yahoo News investigative journalist Michael Isikoff and Republican strategist Michael Ricci about the possible scenarios facing Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and how it affects the political landscape in the US.
4/6/2023 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
What is the US doing about its citizens detained abroad?
Paul Rusesabagina is considered a hero by many for sheltering hundreds of Rwandans during the 1994 genocide. His story inspired the 2004 Hollywood film, Hotel Rwanda.But in Kenya, his membership in an armed group landed him a 25-year sentence on terrorism charges, and he spent more than two years in jail in his homeland.Diplomatic intervention by the United States resulted in a commutation of his sentence this month, and now Rusesabagina - who is a US legal permanent resident - is back with his family in Texas.On The Bottom Line, host Steve Clemons asks Joshua Geltzer, the deputy Homeland Security Advisor, about the Biden administration's efforts to assist dozens of Americans jailed abroad.
3/30/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Does the United States owe Iraq an apology? | The Bottom Line
It was supposed to be quick, and the invading American forces would be “greeted as liberators”, according to the neoconservative architects of the Iraq war in 2003.But, in fact, that war would become a turning point for the United States and the world.Historian Andrew Bacevich and journalist Jonathan Landay tell host Steve Clemons that the war’s consequences continue to unfold today, challenging the credibility of the “rules-based world order”, exposing the limits of what can be achieved through military force, and making people wonder what Washington means when it talks about “democracy promotion”.
3/23/2023 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
What lessons does Florida offer for Republicans and Democrats? | The Bottom Line
In the last election, the Democratic Party in Florida lost hundreds of thousands of voters, while the Republican Party continues to grow.Promising to fight against “woke” politics in the United States, Governor Ron DeSantis has attacked a high school programme teaching African American history and enforced a “Don’t Say Gay” policy in schools, among other initiatives to reinforce his conservative credentials in the expected lead-up to announcing his candidacy for president in 2024.Host Steve Clemons asks Democratic politician Val Demings, a former police chief and congresswoman from Florida, about what her party is learning from what’s happening in her state.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
3/16/2023 • 24 minutes
How has work changed in the post-pandemic world? | The Bottom Line
Economists call it “pandemic epiphanies".During the first year of the COVID-19 lockdowns, people started questioning their life choices. Millions quit their jobs and pivoted to new fields.When the economy started to open up in late 2021, companies in the United States had to pay more than pre-COVID salaries to recruit workers. American workers gained bargaining power in dealing with their companies.But attempts to organise into unions are still met with ferocity by the biggest corporations.Host Steve Clemons discusses the future of work with journalist Liz Hoffman, ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak and Indeed economist Nick Bunker.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
3/9/2023 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
'Dr Doom': World headed for dark times in the next 20 years | The Bottom Line
In a world faced with threats and challenges, many cynical politicians would rather kick the can down the road - and win votes - than make the tough decisions needed now.At the same time, billions of people would happily trade globalisation for their old way of life, with nations embracing a “me first” attitude and eschewing inter-country cooperation and compromise for the collective good – even in dealing with pandemics and natural disasters.Economist Nouriel Roubini, nicknamed "Dr Doom" for predicting the 2008 crash of the United States economy years before it happened, tells host Steve Clemons how a US "debt trap", artificial intelligence and deglobalisation are part of the bleak future that awaits humanity within the next 20 years.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
3/2/2023 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Ukraine war: Is more war the only solution? | The Bottom Line
In this special episode on the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, host Steve Clemons gets two different takes on the conflict: from Moscow and Washington.White House official John Kirby said that the United States wants to put Ukraine in a better position if and when it comes time to negotiate. The Biden administration understands that funding the war is becoming less popular, but believes that Americans are still willing to sacrifice for Ukraine's independence.In Moscow, political scientist Andrey Kortunov argues that the West must learn that it cannot force all countries to play by Western rules.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
2/24/2023 • 24 minutes, 16 seconds
Can racism be rooted out of US law enforcement? | The Bottom Line
The killing of Tyre Nichols by a group of police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, has renewed the debate on reforming the police.Some Americans argue that the institution should not be indicted just because there are a few “bad apples” in a local police force here and there. But others argue that the entire system has racism and inequality baked into it.The question of how to change the culture across thousands of local police forces and communities is a thorny one.Host Steve Clemons asks former Memphis police officer Thaddeus Johnson about the prospects for fixing law enforcement in the United States.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
2/16/2023 • 24 minutes, 1 second
Does the US support France’s idea for ‘strategic autonomy’?
From the outset of the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron warned the West that Russia must not be "humiliated".France was berated by its allies for its relatively low support for the war, as Macron argued that France needed to differentiate itself from the rest of the West in case it was needed as a go-between for the two sides.More recently, Paris stepped up the pace of military support for Ukraine and joined Germany in its “change of course”.Host Steve Clemons asks the French ambassador to the United States, Philippe Etienne, about the latest in Franco-American relations.
2/9/2023 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
Is it too late for the US to contain China? | The Bottom Line
Is it futile to resist China’s superpower status? Is it time for the United States to live with it?Depending on the answer, the world could be heading towards more stability – or chaos.Kishore Mahbubani was a Singaporean diplomat for more than 30 years and served as president of the United Nations Security Council. He tells host Steve Clemons that the US should get accustomed to a multipolar world it can no longer dominate.Mahbubani argues that the "Asian century" has already begun and that Washington should not allow issues such as Taiwan to ruin their relations.
2/2/2023 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
Why is the US worried about Israel’s new government? | The Bottom Line
When the newly formed Israeli government announced that it wanted to change the way courts work in Israel, alarm bells rang in Washington.In places where court decisions may be vetoed by politicians, it is taken as a sign that a country is becoming less democratic, like Hungary.University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole tells host Steve Clemons that although nothing will fundamentally shift in the United States-Israel relationship, Democratic Party leaders would prefer it if Israel had more "shared values" with the US to justify the high levels of Washington's support.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
1/26/2023 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Are the US and Europe uniting or drifting apart?
For the first few months of the war in Ukraine, NATO countries generally pulled together to confront and isolate Russia.But domestic concerns on both sides of the Atlantic threaten that unity.Many European countries hesitate to adopt the same Ukraine policies advocated by Washington. And opinion polls indicate that many Americans would rather focus on inflation instead of funding wars abroad.Host Steve Clemons discusses the future of the transatlantic alliance with former German diplomat, Boris Ruge; editor of The National Interest, Jacob Heilbrunn; and Al Jazeera bureau chief in Washington, DC, Abderrahim Foukara.
1/19/2023 • 24 minutes
What’s the Republican Party agenda in Congress? | The Bottom Line
Republicans vowed to get tough on immigration and government spending as they took the reins of the House of Representatives last week.But much of the Congressional politics of the next two years will be posturing, as any bill passed by the House of Representatives would have to pass in the Senate, which is still narrowly controlled by the Democratic Party.Host Steve Clemons asks Republican strategists Rina Shah and Tim Constantine about what to expect over the next two years on issues ranging from abortion to Ukraine.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
1/12/2023 • 24 minutes, 1 second
Who’s to blame for the 'broken' US immigration system?
President Joe Biden promised a “humane” immigration process on his first day in office, but not much has changed since the anti-immigrant policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump.Millions of people from Latin America make the journey north to cross into the United States every year, and the ones who make it get stuck for years in legal limbo, waiting for a hearing.Steve Clemons speaks with immigration lawyer Allen Orr and reporter Uriel Garcia about how the debate among Americans on whether immigrants are welcome has stymied chances for any new laws to modernise the system.
1/5/2023 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Why there won’t be a ‘Hollywood ending’ to the Ukraine war | The Bottom Line
As the Ukraine war becomes a "hurting stalemate" for both Russia and Ukraine, is the prospect of outright success for either side becoming impossible?Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, argues that Kyiv and Moscow will soon have to make "awkward and painful" compromises if they do not want the conflict to turn into a “forever war".He tells host Steve Clemons that many Americans still believe there can be a decisive “Hollywood ending” to the conflict, but, like we have seen with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this almost never happens in real life.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/29/2022 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
Does Trump have anything to fear from his legal troubles?
According to the congressional committee looking into the riots that took place in the United States on January 6, 2021, former President Donald Trump inspired an insurrection against the country because he could not publicly accept that he had lost the 2020 election.But to his loyal fans, Trump remains a folk hero, and the accusations against him are a witch hunt conducted under the guise of “defending democracy”.So which is it?Steve Clemons hosts a panel of journalists who have been following the legal investigations against Trump in Florida, New York, Georgia and Washington to learn if anything can harm his chances to seek office again.
12/22/2022 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Why is Africa turning away from the United States? | The Bottom Line
Officials in the United States look upon Africans as people “in need of help” or people who “need to be told what to do”, and this is destroying relations between Africa and Washington, according to the former African Union representative to the US, Arikana Chihombori-Quao.“The US needs to call a timeout and treat Africans with respect,” Chihombori told host Steve Clemons, adding that the US-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by the White House this week “will fail unless Americans see Africans as equals".Chihombori-Quao argues that pan-African unity is the only path for the continent to be less dependent on outside powers.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
12/15/2022 • 24 minutes, 20 seconds
Elon Musk and Twitter: How not to lead a business
The richest man alive has bought Twitter and is bending it to his will. But Elon Musk is not the only billionaire who has a huge impact on society - they all do.That’s why people are fascinated by the world’s top business leaders.But is media hype to blame as well? Former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, was also a media darling for years before the collapse of his company.And what traits mark the difference between a successful CEO and a disastrous leader?Host Steve Clemons talks to management gurus Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor of management at Yale University, and Vivek Wadhwa, a technology entrepreneur.
12/8/2022 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Will the new world order be less American? | The Bottom Line
Russia, China and smaller regional powers are increasingly refusing to play by the rules set out by the United States – and the reasons may lie within the US itself.With the potential for radical foreign policy shifts after every election, other countries are not sure which Washington they are dealing with. And Americans are also becoming more inward-looking.The result is a consistent loss of global standing for the US, according to Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.Host Steve Clemons asks Haass if the biggest threat facing the American-led world order is the US.
12/1/2022 • 23 minutes, 45 seconds
Is this the beginning of the end of the 'woke' movement? | The Bottom Line
The “woke” movement in the United States peaked two years ago, after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a white policeman in Minnesota.But after years of confronting social injustice and structural racism, is the movement declining in influence?Political scientist Ruy Teixeira believes so. He argues that the Democratic Party has taken note that Americans are tired of debating race, immigration, gender ideology and school curricula.And after swinging from hard left to hard right, the American pendulum might just be heading back to the “normie” middle.Join host Steve Clemons in this wide-ranging conversation on the future of the progressive movement in the US.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
11/24/2022 • 24 minutes
Can anything be done about the collection of our online data?
In Cambridge Analytica and Facebooks heyday, the digital footprints of people around the world were used against them to impact elections in places including Trinidad, the Philippines, and the United StatesWhile Cambridge Analytica has gone bust, all sorts of other companies are in the same business: collecting and analysing our data - and attempting to modify our behaviour.Host Steve Clemons asks Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser and data rights activist David Carroll if there are any real solutions for privacy in the 21st century.
11/17/2022 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
What lessons will both parties take away from US election?
After years of tumultuous elections and acrimony, are there indications that the political temperature in the United States is calming down?That is what Republican activist Janelle King and Democratic analyst Robin Johnson tell host Steve Clemons after the US midterms on November 8.They pointed to several factors: no talk of widespread election fraud; voters on both sides generally preferred pragmatic candidates to hardliners; independent-minded voters split their ballots between candidates from either party; and people generally did not fall for fear-mongering messages from either party.Join Clemons and his panel for a breakdown of what the elections mean for the future of the US.
11/10/2022 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
US midterm elections: Which way will America go? |The Bottom line
With midterm elections only a few days away, both political parties in the United States are stoking apocalyptic fears in the hopes of rousing Americans to vote for them.If people vote Democrat, according to the Republican argument, the country will crumble under a perfect storm of inflation, crime and immigration. But if people vote Republican, Democrats say the country’s democratic institutions and guardrails will be crushed.Also, if the Republicans take back Congress, does it mark the end for the Biden agenda?Host Steve Clemons gauges the country’s political temperature with Republican activist Grover Norquist and Democratic activist Amy Dacey.
11/3/2022 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
Do relations with Saudi Arabia still serve US interests? | The Bottom Line
A firestorm erupted in Washington after OPEC+ decided to slash global oil supply earlier this month.Officials in the United States blamed Saudi Arabia and said they were reviewing whether the relationship with the kingdom still serves US interests. Saudi officials said their decision was purely economical, as the world faces a global recession.But Democratic Party politicians said the timing was dubious – right before Americans head to the polls in the midterm elections.Host Steve Clemons asks Saudi author Ali Shihabi and US policy expert Danielle Pletka about the next moves between Riyadh and Washington.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
10/20/2022 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Could the Ukraine war go nuclear? | The Bottom Line
After seven months of all-out war in Ukraine, there seems to be no quick end to the conflict.Russia controls about 20 percent of the country, despite recent advances by the Ukrainian military, which is supported by Western intelligence gathering and weapons.The United States is doubling down on the war effort, and so is Russia. Military reservists are being called up for duty, and President Vladimir Putin recently said he was “not bluffing” when he threatened to “make use of all weapon systems available” to defend his country.Host Steve Clemons asks nuclear policy experts Kori Schake and Jon Wolfstahl about nuclear options and deterrence.
9/29/2022 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
Is a Trump endorsement a golden ticket, or kiss of death?
Is Donald Trump’s influence in his party waning?In the Republican primary in Indiana, voters had to choose between two members of the US Congress.The former president threw his weight behind Representative Mary Miller, who convinced voters that she was more pro-Trump than her opponent. She easily defeated Representative Rodney Davis in late June.Congressman Davis tells host Steve Clemons that support for Trump is still strong in the country, and predicts that Republican candidates will wrest control of Congress from the Democratic Party this November.
9/1/2022 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
Is US involvement in the Middle East slowly fading away?
While in Saudi Arabia last month, US President Joe Biden stressed that the United States was "not going anywhere" and wouldn’t "walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran". But did his words reassure anyone?High on his agenda was the prospect of a nuclear deal with Iran. But he expressed zero interest in resurrecting the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Steven Cook tells host Steve Clemons that the US agenda for the Middle East has become severely diminished.
8/25/2022 • 24 minutes
What’s the future of China-US relations? | The Bottom Line
Has something changed in China-United States relations after repeated visits to Taiwan by US politicians in support of the island's self-rule?China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, and has halted bilateral talks with the US on everything from climate change to drug trafficking and military coordination.Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has stalled any action on lifting trade sanctions imposed by his predecessor on Chinese imports.So, do the world’s two biggest powers see themselves as "strategic partners" or "strategic enemies"?China’s ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, tells host Steve Clemons that there is too much at stake to risk a total breakdown in relations.
8/18/2022 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
How Democratic left and right came together to pass climate bill | The Bottom Line
For President Joe Biden, the centrepiece of his agenda - and legacy - is the Inflation Reduction Act, covering climate, healthcare and taxation in the United States.The war within the Democratic Party – which had stalled all previous iterations of the bill – had to be put on hold to get it passed. Progressives were irked that they had to compromise on a tax hike on billionaires.But is this legislation enough to prevent the Republican Party from regaining control of Congress during the midterm elections this November? Congressman Ro Khanna joins The Bottom Line for a wide-reaching conversation with host Steve Clemons.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
8/11/2022 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
Will China and the US avert a showdown over Taiwan?
China announced plans to flex its muscles near Taiwan in response to a visit Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, made to the island.For China, Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be “reunited” with the mainland. For Taiwanese leaders, it is a sovereign nation that wants to maintain its status quo.The US policy is called “strategic ambiguity” – supporting Taiwan’s autonomy for now while being cautious not to anger China.International relations expert Stephen Walt tells Steve Clemons that the interests of Beijing and Washington are too interdependent for either power to risk escalation.
8/4/2022 • 24 minutes, 13 seconds
What’s next for the January 6 investigation - and for Democrats? | The Bottom Line
Whose message is swaying American voters in the lead-up to the midterm elections later this year?Republicans want to focus attention on crime, immigration and inflation. Recent polls indicate that former President Donald Trump would win against President Joe Biden if presidential elections were held today. This is despite the year-long efforts of a Democratic Party-led panel that has been investigating Trump’s involvement in the efforts to reverse his election loss in 2020.Host Steve Clemons asks Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle about the January 6 investigation, and his party’s prospects for holding onto power after November.Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
7/28/2022 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
Where did the US go wrong with COVID-19? | The Bottom Line
In 2020, Dr Deborah Birx was appointed to lead the White House Coronavirus Response team.At the same time, President Donald Trump was spreading misinformation and trying to convince Americans that he had everything "totally under control".Two years later, the United States has more than 1 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.Birx tells host Steve Clemons that she wrote her new book, Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late, because the US government is still not able to communicate effectively with its people when it comes to the coronavirus.
6/23/2022 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
Why is the US not pushing for an end to the Ukraine war?
The United States is principally responsible for creating the crisis in Ukraine, according to University of Chicago political science professor John Mearsheimer, and it has no current interest in reaching a negotiated settlement now.Mearsheimer sees US sanctions against Moscow as an attempt to knock Russia out of the ranks of the great powers.The way he sees it, the US has declared war against Russia, in effect, but the Ukrainian people are doing the fighting.Join host Steve Clemons for this wide-ranging conversation about how both sides consider themselves locked in an existential threat, with no way out.
6/16/2022 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
What are the prospects for Afghan-US relations?
Normal relations between Afghanistan and the United States are not on the horizon after 20 years of war.Host Steve Clemons speaks with Zalmay Khalilzad, who was born in Afghanistan and has worked with several US administrations on Afghan affairs. Khalilzad has been the US representative to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations. Most recently, he was US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation under former President Donald Trump.In this wide-ranging interview, Khalilzad talks about the chances for national reconciliation in Afghanistan, the country’s $7bn reserve fund held by Washington, and US foreign policy.
6/9/2022 • 23 minutes, 57 seconds
Can anything be done about mass shootings in the US?
Mass shootings are a part of life in the United States. Some make national headlines, like the killing of elementary school children in Uvalde, or the targeted killing of Black people in a supermarket in Buffalo.But Americans are not able to reach a grand consensus on what to do about it, and conservatives are steering the conversation away from guns and towards mental healthcare.Host Steve Clemons speaks with Anthony Barksdale, the former acting police commissioner of Baltimore, and researcher Mark Follman, author of Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America.
6/2/2022 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
NATO’s unity in the war in Ukraine: Real or an illusion? | The Bottom Line
Three months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several NATO members say the priority should be an end to hostilities; but where would that leave Ukraine?For the West, what are the objectives of the war? Is the goal to extend the fighting indefinitely to weaken Russia economically and militarily as much as possible?In this episode, host Steve Clemons asks former US national security adviser John Bolton about the strategy of NATO in Ukraine, the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis, and former President Donald Trump’s claims that the war would not have happened if he were president.
5/26/2022 • 24 minutes, 16 seconds
How does Poland view the war in Ukraine? | The Bottom Line
Three months into the fighting in Ukraine, Poland has established itself as the main conduit of weapons and aid from the West to Ukraine. It has also absorbed the highest number of Ukrainian refugees, 3.4 million people. And it is working to end its energy dependency on Russia within months.Russian leaders have warned Poland - which joined NATO in 1999, several years before it joined the European Union - against taking such a strident role against Moscow.Host Steve Clemons asks Poland’s ambassador to the United States, Marek Magierowski, about the opportunities and challenges facing his country and region.
5/19/2022 • 24 minutes
Individuality vs religion: How is abortion dividing the US?
The debate in the United States on a woman’s right to abortion has raged on for decades.For conservatives, it is about religious values and the country's future as a Christian nation. For progressives and many moderates, it is about individual rights.If the US Supreme Court rolls back Roe v Wade in the coming months, it will be a milestone in the Culture Wars.Host Steve Clemons asks journalist Julia Manchester and historians Jonathan Zimmerman and Andrew Hartman whether there is still room for compromise among the two camps on abortion and other values- and lifestyle-based issues like gay marriage, immigration and racism.#TheBottomLine
5/13/2022 • 24 minutes
Can NATO avoid direct confrontation with Russia? | The Bottom Line
NATO, the military alliance of Western countries, does not include Ukraine but is heavily involved in the current conflict as it supports the country in the face of Russia's invasion.In the first half of this episode, host Steve Clemons talks with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană about the alliance’s support for Ukraine.And in the second half of the show, Steve talks with Time magazine correspondent Simon Shuster about the two weeks he spent with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team in their wartime compound in Kyiv. We ask what is going on in the mind of the Ukrainian leader these days?
5/5/2022 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
Has Biden let down climate activists? | The Bottom Line
Climate action was a major pillar of President Joe Biden’s election campaign, and he started his presidency by bringing the United States back into the Paris Agreement and promising to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.But hit with declining popularity, mainly due to inflation, his administration is encouraging more oil and gas drilling with hopes of lowering fuel prices.Host Steve Clemons asks climate activists Jamal Raad and John Paul Mejia whether climate action has taken a back seat to Biden’s bigger concerns.
4/28/2022 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
What is the US Magnitsky Act, and why does Putin hate it? | The Bottom Line
American-born British businessman Bill Browder did not set out to expose Russian money laundering operations and link President Vladimir Putin to those schemes. But after Browder’s Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was arrested and found dead in his jail cell, the gloves were off.Browder lobbied Congress for years until the Magnitsky Act was passed in 2012, allowing the United States to sanction individuals suspected of human rights abuses, including Russian judges, Saudis involved in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Chinese officials linked to the abuse of Uighurs.In this episode, host Steve Clemons speaks to Browder about his latest book, Freezing Order.
4/21/2022 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Are Iran and the US close to a new deal on nukes and sanctions? | The Bottom Line
The Vienna talks aim to bring an end to the US sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear programme.The original agreement between Iran and world powers - the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - was signed in 2015, offering Iran sanctions relief at the time in exchange for Iran reining in its nuclear programme.In 2018, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of it and imposed harsh sanctions on Iran. The Biden administration decided to head back to the negotiating table with Iran in 2021.Host Steve Clemons asks Cambridge University Professor Roxane Farmanfarmaian and Quincy Institute Co-founder Trita Parsi about when, and if, we can expect a renewed JCPOA.
4/7/2022 • 24 minutes, 12 seconds
Does the Ukraine war mark the end of globalisation? | The Bottom Line
A perfect storm of circumstances is helping dismantle the global economic system that the United States built over the past few decades.The list of US-sanctioned countries and individuals gets longer all the time. The coronavirus pandemic and supply chain disruptions triggered Americans to wonder why more essential needs were not produced at home. And Biden’s “Buy American” agenda aims to “reshore” jobs and manufacturing and protect US industries – the opposite of globalisation.Host Steve Clemons asks trade experts Inu Manak and Bruce Stokes if we are witnessing the end of the post-World-War-II financial order.
3/31/2022 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Will Ukraine war spark a decline in support for authoritarianism? | The Bottom Line
When Francis Fukuyama wrote the book The End of History and the Last Man after the Soviet Union was dissolved 30 years ago, he argued that the West’s version of liberal democracy had triumphed over all other ideologies.Since then, an increasing number of countries are becoming more authoritarian or illiberal democracies.Fukuyama tells host Steve Clemons that the Ukraine war is a turning point for Western-style democracy, and institutions such as NATO are getting a boost in popularity. People will eventually turn their backs on authoritarian, populist and nationalist ideologies and leaders, in his estimation, and relearn how to tolerate differences.
3/25/2022 • 24 minutes, 16 seconds
Can the US avoid direct war with Russia? | The Bottom Line
Washington is imposing harsh sanctions on Russia and supplying Ukraine with weapons, real-time intelligence and humanitarian aid. But the United States refuses to enter into a direct military confrontation with Russia, and Moscow has been careful to not expand the war beyond Ukraine.Will these efforts lead to a ceasefire in the near term, or just create a long, drawn-out war that has no end in sight?Host Steve Clemons speaks to former US Department of State official Margaret Peterlin and Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer about the likely scenarios for Ukraine, China’s strategy and the effects of US domestic policies on the war.
3/17/2022 • 23 minutes, 47 seconds
Will Ukraine become Russia’s 'forever war'? | The Bottom Line
Anatol Lieven wrote a book in 1999 warning that, "Any attempt by ... Russia or the West to take Ukraine fully into an alliance with either of them would disastrously split Ukraine."As the war with Ukraine enters its second week, Lieven says that the only solution in sight is for Ukraine to declare itself a neutral country, preventing it from joining any Western-led or Russian-led alliances.Barring a deal of that nature, Russia and Ukraine could find themselves in a long-term quagmire. Join host Steve Clemons for a wide-ranging conversation on the possibilities for war and peace in the region.
3/10/2022 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Can Western sanctions really change Russia’s behaviour? | The Bottom Line
In response to the war in Ukraine, the United States and Europe launched a barrage of sanctions barring Russia from accessing its hundreds of billions of dollars of reserves worldwide.But sanctions have been imposed on other countries for decades - North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, among others - without much change in course for those governments.Host Steve Clemons speaks with Lee Jones, a professor of international relations at the University of London; and David Asher, an adviser to the US government on economic warfare strategies, whose work has ranged from Hezbollah in Lebanon to mobster John Gotti in New York.
3/3/2022 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Are we in the middle of Cold War 2.0? | The Bottom Line
Within years, China will overtake the United States as the world’s number one economy, and China’s influence is spreading worldwide - mostly at the expense of US global leadership.Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tells host Steve Clemons that this is the “decisive decade” in relations between the two powers. Either they find a way to share wealth and power, or they head down a collision course.But with today’s political climates in the West and East – where politicians are rewarded for nationalistic tough-talk and zero compromise – is there hope for better relations between Beijing and Washington?
2/24/2022 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
No end in sight to record inflation in the US | The Bottom Line
Inflation in the United States has hit its highest level since 1982 as prices jumped 7.5 percent between January 2021 and January 2022.While some blame unabashed corporate greed or disrupted supply chains for the extra cost of everything from food to rent, Harvard University economist Jason Furman says the real reason is much simpler: it is you.As long as demand for everything is high, and people are willing to pay steeper prices for the things they want, prices will continue to rise. It is simple supply and demand, argues Furman, who was the top economic adviser to the White House under former President Barack Obama.
2/17/2022 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
Did Trump break the law by not preserving his White House memos? | The Bottom Line
Former US President Donald Trump had a lifelong habit of ripping up papers he was done with and throwing them on the floor, or in the rubbish, or stuffing them in his pockets.By law, US presidents are required to hand over any papers they touched to the National Archives at the end of their service.Trump has come under scrutiny because many of his papers were torn up and pieced together with tape, and archivists are not sure what he left out.Host Steve Clemons speaks with Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey, lawyer Anne Weismann, and government professor David Barker.
2/10/2022 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
Will Ukraine go East or West – or both? | The Bottom Line
Russia has beefed up its military presence all along its border with Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin insists that Kyiv must remain firmly in the Russian sphere of influence.Europe and the United States say there would be huge repercussions for Moscow if it invades Ukraine, and want Kyiv to lean more to the West.For US President Joe Biden, the test is how to project strength after the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan.Host Steve Clemons speaks to former US special representative to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, about possible scenarios for the region and the political calculations of Putin and Biden.
2/4/2022 • 24 minutes, 8 seconds
After year one in office: Can Biden build himself back better? | The Bottom Line
In less than a year, US President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have sunk from a high of 57 percent in January 2021 to a low of 40 percent this January.His attempt to pass the Build Back Better Act, which includes plans for a social and economic overhaul of the US, failed. As did the Democratic push to pass sweeping election reform.Now, Biden must contend with inflation, a coronavirus surge and the geopolitical crisis in Ukraine.Host Steve Clemons asks Democratic strategists Simon Rosenberg and Nomiki Konst what Biden has to do to recharge his party and his own popularity.
1/27/2022 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
20 years later, can the US close Guantanamo? | The Bottom Line
Ever since January 2002, the US prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has become synonymous for many with abuse of prisoners and disregard for the rule of law.Of its 39 remaining prisoners, 18 are cleared for release, but waiting for a country to take them.Is there hope that this jail will be shut down under US President Joe Biden? Host Steve Clemons asks lawyer John Bellinger III, one of the top legal advisers to the White House and State Department during the establishment of “Gitmo” in the Bush administration; and Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security.
1/21/2022 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
Is the ‘Great Resignation’ a real thing? | The Bottom Line
Economists call it "The Great Resignation".It started last April when the number of Americans who quit their jobs broke all records. This is not about a few people resigning here and there. Instead, every month, millions of Americans wake up one day and quit.The seismic shift in the labour market is wreaking havoc everywhere from restaurants to hospitals, with millions of jobs unfilled.What do employers need to know if they want to attract and keep workers? Have employee-labour relations changed forever? Host Steve Clemons speaks with Upwork chief economist Adam Ozimek and University of California law professor Veena Dubal.
1/14/2022 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
January 6: Will every major US election be followed by riots? | The Bottom Line
Even a year later, most Americans cannot agree on what to call the events that took place on January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol.The Democratic Party and most media call it an “insurrection", an attempted coup against a democratically elected government. Most Republicans reject that designation, admitting it was foolhardy, but not worthy of exaggeration.But does the acrimony and mistrust between Americans threaten future elections as well?Host Steve Clemons speaks with Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro, who barricaded himself in his office on that day, and Republican strategist John Feehery about the lasting effects of January 6.
1/6/2022 • 24 minutes, 20 seconds
The mixed legacy of Angela Merkel | The Bottom Line
In 2015, as the United States tightened its immigration policies under President Barak Obama, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Germany to one million refugees.And while former US President Donald Trump told the world that the coronavirus would fade away as the weather warms up, she told the world – as a mother and a scientist – to take it seriously.At the same time, Germany's far right skyrocketed in popularity during her tenure.Host Steve Clemons speaks with Kati Marton, author of The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel, to find out more about what she leaves behind.
12/30/2021 • 24 minutes, 10 seconds
How did the US become a major hub for stolen ancient artefacts? | The Bottom Line
If you are in the market for a coffin from the time of the Pharaohs in Egypt, or gold from the Inca Empire, you have come to the right place.The United States is a major hub for the illicit trade in ancient artefacts. Buyers and sellers can take advantage of lax regulations to make deals on statues from Yemen or clay tablets from Babylonia fairly easily.Shawnee State University Professor Amr al-Azm and Antiquities Coalition founder Deborah Lehr tell host Steve Clemons about their efforts to curtail the artefacts flooding to the West from all corners of the globe.
12/23/2021 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
What will the pandemic look like in 2022? | The Bottom Linet
What started with one case in Wuhan in 2019 has led to five million deaths worldwide, with more than 800,000 in the United States alone.
And with a virus that mutates so quickly, no one knows when the COVID-19 pandemic will become as endemic as the seasonal flu.
In the meantime, "vaccine apartheid" means rich countries have abundant supplies of vaccines while most of the world has none - only prolonging the pandemic for everyone.
Host Steve Clemons talks to Dr Eric Topol, a scientist at Scripps Research, about the future of coexistence with COVID.
12/16/2021 • 24 minutes
Is there a ‘war on books’ and freedom of thought in the US? | The Bottom Line
Every year hundreds of books are removed from school reading lists and public libraries across the United States.
Since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, books dealing with racism are increasingly the target of conservative parents and lobbying groups.
Even more insidious are efforts to ban freedom of thought on issues such as Palestine. Author Golbarg Bashi faced death threats, cancelled speaking engagements, and financial and social pressures after writing a children’s book, P is for Palestine, in 2017.
Join Steve Clemons and his panel for this conversation about the future of intellectual freedoms in the US.
12/9/2021 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
Can the US promote democracy worldwide? | The Bottom Line
The White House is hosting leaders from more than 100 countries in a virtual conference to discuss human dignity, accountability, fair elections and the political leadership of women. But around the world, the governments supported by the United States's national security establishment are some of the worst human rights abusers and kleptocracies. And domestically, US democracy continues to suffer from the outsized influence of money in politics, runaway polarisation among Americans, and even the violent contestation of elections without evidence of fraud. Host Steve Clemons asks Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about the prospects and contradictions in US efforts to fight corruption.
12/2/2021 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Democracy vs hypocrisy: Biden’s ‘Summit for Democracy’ | The Bottom Line
US President Joe Biden had been in office for a few days when he announced that he would hold a virtual “Summit for Democracy” to “push back authoritarianism’s advance” worldwide.
But after the world watched the disregard for rule of law, expansion of executive power and mistrust of elections spread throughout the United States, the question is: What moral authority does Washington have to lecture the rest of the world about democracy?
Host Steve Clemons speaks with former US diplomat Daniel Fried, Foreign Policy magazine columnist Elise Labott, and Progressive International Coordinator David Adler about the prospects for the summit.
11/25/2021 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
Did the United States commit war crimes in Syria? | The Bottom Line
Straddling the Syria-Iraq border, Baghuz was one of the last holdouts of the ISIL (ISIS) group.
Thousands of family members, refugees and prisoners were there when fighting erupted between ISIL fighters and American forces in March 2019; the United States called in an enormous air attack.
Recently, US Central Command acknowledged that 80 people, including civilians, were killed. But all internal procedures to investigate the potential war crime have been quashed, according to a report by The New York Times newspaper.
Host Steve Clemons speaks with the reporters that pieced together the investigation over a span of months, Eric Schmitt and David Philipps.
11/18/2021 • 24 minutes, 22 seconds
Are US Democrats facing a smackdown in next year’s election? | The Bottom Line
When President Joe Biden unseated Donald Trump and received the most votes of any US leader in history, liberals believed America was ready for real change towards more socialism.
But in reality, the Democrats have razor-thin margins in Congress, and the internal tug of war between progressives and conservatives has paralysed the party's agenda.
The schism became apparent as Biden tried to push his plans for US society and the environment through Congress, where they remain stuck.
Host Steve Clemons talks to Washington Post newspaper columnist David Von Drehle and Politico reporter Tara Palmeri about the recent shifts in US politics.
11/11/2021 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
What happened to ‘defund the police’? | The Bottom Line
Americans have been debating the role of the police for decades, but the debate was energised last year during nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
For many in the white majority, the police must be defended at all costs. If there are proven cases of abuse, they can be resolved on a case-by-case basis. For the rest, the police are seen as the main mechanism that enforces the status quo on society, including racial inequality.
Brooklyn College professor Alex Vitale tells host Steve Clemons that Americans should rethink policing, especially when dealing with schools, the homeless, and mental health cases.
11/5/2021 • 23 minutes, 58 seconds
Why is white supremacy growing in the United States? | The Bottom Line
For centuries, there was no significant challenge to the supremacy of white people in the United States.
White nationalists speak of “saving America” - but who are they saving it for? And who are they saving it from?
In the last few years, demographic shifts and changing attitudes have brought a sense of anxiety among whites, who fear they will lose their majority status, become “replaced” by minorities and face all kinds of hostilities.
Host Steve Clemons asks Kathleen Belew, author of A Field Guide to White Supremacy, and Wes Bellamy, author of When White Supremacy Knocks, about the future of race in American society.
10/28/2021 • 24 minutes, 16 seconds
Colin Powell: Wise statesman or pawn? | The Bottom Line
When he retired from the military in the early 1990s, the former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell was one of the most trusted and admired leaders in the country.
But by the time he died on October 18, 2021, the role he played in selling the Iraq War to the American public had severely tarnished his reputation.
Powell’s biographer Karen DeYoung, a top editor at The Washington Post newspaper, tells host Steve Clemons that Powell regretted his role in the war but never admitted that he peddled lies in his infamous speech to the United Nations in February 2003.
10/22/2021 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
Is the world really making progress on climate change? | The Bottom Line
Many world leaders made lofty environment-friendly promises at the United Nations General Assembly last month, and many more promises are expected next month during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
But is the planet getting closer to net-zero emissions? Are governments and huge corporations making the investments and changes needed to slow the trends of global warming, carbon emissions, pollution and extreme weather?
Join host Steve Clemons in a wide-ranging conversation on climate change with the chief sustainability officer at General Electric, Roger Martella; and the energy and environment reporter at The Hill, Rachel Frazin.
10/14/2021 • 24 minutes
The tug of war within the US Democratic Party | The Bottom Line
President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan aims to tax the rich, fight global warming, and make healthcare and education cheaper in the United States.
With such a social agenda, it would be expected for the Republican Party to block the plan, but instead, it faces pressure from within the Democratic establishment. The party’s moderates say the plan goes too far, costs too much, and alienates American voters who are scared of the "S" word (socialism).
Host Steve Clemons speaks with Faiz Shakir, the political adviser of Senator Bernie Sanders, and Jonathan Kott, a former adviser to Senator Joe Manchin.
10/7/2021 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
What’s behind the scandal of World Bank country rankings? | The Bottom Line
Over its short lifespan, the World Bank’s Doing Business annual report was a big hit with investors.
But some governments, eager to attract direct investment and worried about their reputation, pressed the World Bank to boost their scores, according to a recent investigation.
Other countries found themselves dropping in the rankings due to the personal animus of World Bank officials or politics.
Host Steve Clemons asks Judith Kelley, a Duke University professor and author of Scorecard Diplomacy, and Fabrice Houdart, former World Bank senior officer, about the repercussions for the credibility of the World Bank and efforts to fight corruption worldwide.
9/30/2021 • 24 minutes
Are Turkey-US relations getting warmer?
After hitting all-time lows, relations between Turkey and the United States have been on the mend since June, when Turkey offered to take up a security role in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal. Now US diplomats are calling Turkey “an invaluable partner in the region”.
This, after years of mistrust due to the US refusal to sell its air defence system to Turkey which led to the purchase of a similar system from Moscow and Washington’s support for Kurdish fighters in Syria.
Join Steve Clemons as he asks Turkey experts Galip Dalay and Howard Eissenstat about the future of Turkey-US relations.
9/23/2021 • 23 minutes, 57 seconds
Did the pandemic signal the end of the American era? | The Bottom Line
Canadian-American anthropologist Wade Davis holds a mirror up to the United States and sees a society in decline.
Davis argues that the US dominated the world in the post-WWII era because Americans came out of the war with a sense of common purpose. A vibrant, educated middle class dominated.
But now America’s social fabric is damaged, according to Wade. The top 1 percent have greater wealth than the bottom 90 percent and the promise of a decent life for a working family is shattered.
Join host Steve Clemons in a conversation that looks at today's America, inside out.
9/17/2021 • 24 minutes
20 years later: How has 9/11 changed the world? | The Bottom Line
In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, US leaders painted the so-called “global war on terror” as an epic battle between civilisation and barbarism.But instead of spreading democracy worldwide, 20 years later the world is sliding more towards illiberal security states and radicalised populations.For many people, xenophobia and paranoia became justified. For many politicians, fear-mongering was an easy way to win votes. And for the rich and powerful, the trillions spent on national security equals major business opportunities.Host Steve Clemons asks David Rothkopf, former editor of Foreign Policy magazine, about the effects of 9/11 on society and politics, and the US's role in the world.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
9/9/2021 • 24 minutes, 13 seconds
Will the world ever be able to move beyond the coronavirus? | The Bottom Line
While COVID-19 deaths and lockdowns have become less frequent in certain parts of the world, the coronavirus still looms large over humanity.
9/3/2021 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
Should the US have stayed in Afghanistan longer? | The Bottom Line
Every year for 20 years, United States officials justified the war in Afghanistan as worthy and winnable. But after the deadline to withdraw was made, the same officials watched in shock and awe as the Taliban retook their country within days.Former national security adviser John Bolton and other conservative critics of the Joe Biden administration argue that the US should have stayed in Afghanistan indefinitely, and warn against making any deals with the Taliban.Host Steve Clemons asks Bolton what the US could ever hope to achieve with a perpetual presence in Afghanistan.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
8/27/2021 • 24 minutes, 9 seconds
Will cryptocurrencies run traditional banks out of business? | The Bottom Line
Despite scepticism from many people, the appetite for cryptocurrencies has grown to a market valuation of $2 trillion. There is no going back, according to South African internet entrepreneur Vinny Lingham.Lingham tells host Steve Clemons that crypto could “decimate” the traditional banking system if they were on a level playing field.No amount of government crackdown, whether from China or the United States, can stop people from using the internet to innovate and cut out the middlemen, Lingham says. And it is inevitable that cryptocurrencies force banks to rethink their purpose, just as the internet forced newspapers to rethink their business models.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
8/19/2021 • 24 minutes, 4 seconds
The US is leaving Afghanistan, but what is it leaving behind? | The Bottom Line
The United States leaves Afghanistan as the Taliban seem to be retaking control of the entire country, city by city.So what becomes of the government that Washington propped up and the military that it trained?Andrew Bacevich, president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a retired colonel in the US Army, tells host Steve Clemons that Washington was blinded by its imperialistic notions that Afghanistan was in dire need of American intervention. And Afghanistan analyst Hashim Wahdatyar warns that Pakistan’s alliance with the Taliban does not bode well for the future of the region.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
8/12/2021 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Can anything be done to stop our phones from spying on us? | The Bottom Line
Dissidents, politicians, journalists, business leaders - all have been targeted by intelligence agencies using Pegasus, Israeli spyware that can extract all data from phones without the users’ knowledge.A global investigation called the Pegasus Project is shedding light on the scope and tactics of the hacking software.Host Steve Clemons speaks with one of the co-authors of the project, Washington Post journalist Dana Priest, along with one of the main sponsors of the project, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard, and John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with Citizen Lab, which first exposed the work of Pegasus five years ago.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
8/5/2021 • 24 minutes
Is the US leading a new nuclear arms race? | The Bottom Line
One nuclear bomb can wipe out almost half a million people, yet the United States and Russia have thousands of these weapons. And seven other countries have created atomic bombs as well.There is no way to reverse time and get rid of these weapons, and countries will spend billions to maintain and upgrade their arsenals, but to what end?Steve Clemons talks about US nuclear strategy with former Congressman John Tierney, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
7/29/2021 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
Is US politics more toxic today than it was 50 years ago? | The Bottom Line
For more than 20 years, Chris Matthews made a name for himself on the nightly TV show, Hardball on MSNBC, where he became famous for grilling American politicians and breaking down the country’s politics.Less known is that he was a politician himself once, running for Congress in the mid-1970s, and working for former President Jimmy Carter.From his front-row seat to decades of American history, Matthews tells host Steve Clemons about a different time in US politics. But has politicking changed much between the presidency of Richard Nixon and Donald Trump? Decide for yourself after watching this wide-ranging conversation.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
7/22/2021 • 24 minutes, 5 seconds
What’s behind the US trade in exotic animals? | The Bottom Line
"The Conservation Game" dives deep into the trafficking of exotic animals, especially big cats like lions, tigers and leopards, across the United States.For decades, TV personalities have trotted cute “ambassador animals” onto morning and late-night talk shows to talk about conservation and animal protection. But this documentary by Michael Webber shows us what happens afterwards when the animals are sold off at auction or kept in back yard cages on private property.Host Steve Clemons asks about this largely unregulated trade in the US with Webber, Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin, and legal expert Carney Anne Nasser.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
7/15/2021 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Is Wall Street rigged against the small investor? | The Bottom Line
This year “meme stocks”, like GameStop and theatre chain AMC, brought attention to market manipulation tactics and financial instruments such as "short selling" in the stock market.Individual investors banded together online, especially on Reddit, and shot up the share price of several companies for a while.Are we witnessing a new era when huge corporations and funds will have to pay attention to retail investors, known as "the little guy"?Host Steve Clemons talks to wealth manager Lee Munson and Pennsylvania State Secretary of Banking and Securities Richard Vague about the forces at play on Wall Street.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
7/8/2021 • 24 minutes, 11 seconds
Why is Trump back on the campaign trail? | The Bottom Line
Former President Donald Trump launched his “revenge tour” against Republican politicians who have not sufficiently supported him, repeating his claims that he won the 2020 elections, and attacking the media and Democrats.Months after leaving office, Trump is still a commanding presence in the Republican Party. But is it a winning strategy for the GOP to indulge Trump and tie its future to him? But also, is it safe for the Democrats to ignore him?Host Steve Clemons speaks with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake and University of Pennsylvania political science professor Dan Hopkins about how Trump factors into both parties' tactics.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
7/2/2021 • 24 minutes, 1 second
What’s behind the US labour shortage? | The Bottom Line
Businesses in the United States say they are desperately looking for new employees; there are more than nine million available jobs across the country, and the labour crisis is slowing down economic recovery.So, are people reassessing their lives because of the global pandemic, and deciding that low-paying jobs are simply not worth the cost and effort, especially when child care or elder care is involved? Or are they simply content to stay at home and receive an unemployment cheque and other government benefits?Host Steve Clemons talks to employment experts Melissa Swift and Jeremy Robbins about transformations in the post-pandemic workplace.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
6/24/2021 • 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Has Biden’s European tour strengthened US alliances? | The Bottom Line
United States President Joe Biden has spent the week meeting with European leaders, including his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.It can be called his “I’m not Trump” tour, in which many European leaders indicated relief that the “America First” agenda of Biden’s predecessor is over - for now.A looming cloud is the fear that all Biden’s talk about a new era of Transatlantic cooperation and alliance could subside again, if the Republican Party makes a comeback in the coming years.Join host Steve Clemons’ conversation with Russia expert Matthew Rojansky of the Wilson Center and German Marshall Fund pollster Bruce Stokes.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
6/17/2021 • 24 minutes, 14 seconds
Was COVID-19 created in a Wuhan lab? | The Bottom Line
When former US President Donald Trump talked about the possibility that the pandemic was hatched in a lab in Wuhan, it was generally dismissed as a conspiracy theory tinged with racism. Now President Joe Biden is asking his intelligence agencies to look into it seriously.Johns Hopkins University immunologist Gigi Gronvall says the “lab accident” hypothesis is much weaker than the “natural introduction” theory, which holds that the virus jumped from animals to humans.Technology and healthcare futurist Jamie Metzl says China should not be afraid to open up and allow researchers to explore every possible scenario without quashing the debate.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
6/10/2021 • 24 minutes, 1 second
Should ‘Critical Race Theory’ be taught to US students? | The Bottom Line
Reverend William Barber, president of the Repairers of the Breach social justice movement, tells host Steve Clemons that the US needs a “third Reconstruction” to really break free of its racist past.The debate on how to teach US racial history rages in classrooms across the country.Progressives believe Americans should know more about white supremacy and modern-day discrimination against Black and brown Americans in everything from housing to healthcare.Conservatives believe that “critical race theory” pits Americans against each other and challenges the idea that the US is the greatest country in the history of the universe.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
6/3/2021 • 24 minutes, 16 seconds
Is there hope for revived peace talks on Palestine, Israel? | The Bottom Line
Almost 30 years ago, a Norwegian power couple decided to bring together Palestinian and Israeli officials in Oslo with the aim of reaching a peace treaty. This led to a historic deal signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel at the White House in 1993.Host Steve Clemons speaks with Bartlett Sher, the director of Oslo, a new HBO drama telling the story of the secret talks.And former Palestinian negotiations adviser Diana Buttu and former Israeli adviser Daniel Levy explain that as long as the ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands comes at “no cost,” the future for both sides is bleak.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
5/27/2021 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
Are attitudes towards Palestine shifting in the US? | The Bottom Line
While unquestioning support for Israel is still the name of the game in Washington, DC, a growing number of Democrats are demanding political rights for Palestinians.University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole is the founder of Informed Comment, a blog on US foreign policy in the Middle East. He tells host Steve Clemons that people are making the connection between Black Lives Matter and Palestine.And while the “Arab street” has become divided and muted by Arab dictatorships, solidarity with Palestinians has shifted online globally.Watch this wide-ranging conversation on the shifting dynamics of the Palestinian narrative.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
5/20/2021 • 25 minutes, 21 seconds
Vaccine patent debate: Choosing profits over human lives? | The Bottom Line
Fulfilling a campaign promise to “free the vaccine”, US President Joe Biden said he would support lifting patent protection on coronavirus vaccines, to make it easier for vaccines to get to people around the world who need them quickly.But several Western governments and most drug manufacturers opposed his stance, arguing that Big Pharma would have little incentive to produce a vaccine in record time the next time a new global health emergency arises.Host Steve Clemons speaks to Dr Michelle McMurry-Heath, president of the trade group Biotechnology Innovation Organization; and Ed Luce, a US columnist for the Financial Times.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
5/13/2021 • 25 minutes, 2 seconds
What is the ‘Great Game’ between Russia and the United States? | The Bottom Line
Dimitri Simes has been in the thick of United States-Russia relations for the past five decades. Born in Moscow, he arrived in Washington in the 1970s and never left. He has advised US Presidents Richard Nixon and Donald Trump, and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Simes says relations will not “reset” between the two countries unless they compromise on Ukraine, which both consider part of their “backyard”. Until then, they can only talk about cooperating on climate change and nuclear proliferation.Join host Steve Clemons in a wide-ranging interview with Simes, the CEO of the Center for the National Interest in Washington.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
5/6/2021 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
Biden’s first 100 days in office: A reckoning | The Bottom Line
As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden made all sorts of campaign promises in the run-up to the 2020 US election.Some, like the $1.9 trillion stimulus package and the accelerated COVID-19 vaccination programme, have come to pass. Others, like police reform, gun control, and the federal minimum wage, are unchanged. On immigration, the Biden White House has adopted a softer tone, but nothing to remove the complications enforced by Donald Trump.Host Steve Clemons speaks with pundits Liz Mair, a former spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, and Josh Marshall, the founder and editor of Talking Points Memo, to gauge the performance of the new administration.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
4/29/2021 • 25 minutes, 32 seconds
Race and policing in the aftermath of the George Floyd trial | The Bottom Line
As Americans watched the murder trial of Derek Chauvin unfold, after the killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd last year, several new cases of the police killing minorities – one as young as 13 years old – were unfolding.The United States is in the middle of an honest debate about the intersection of racism and policing, but reform for the sake of better race relations and more stable communities is elusive.In this episode, host Steve Clemons speaks with Nana Gyamfi, the president of the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and James Forman, Jr, a professor of law at Yale University, and finds that change is happening - slowly but surely.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
4/22/2021 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
Can Biden change US attitudes towards migrants and immigration? | The Bottom Line
President Joe Biden faces resistance to key immigration policy reform in the United States, not only from “secure border” Republicans but from politicians in his own Democratic Party.Lorella Praeli arrived in the US with her family from Peru as a child and lived as an undocumented immigrant for years. Today, she advocates for immigration as a co-president of Community Change.And Francisco E González, who teaches about the political economies of Latin America at the Johns Hopkins University, argues that there is no indication that the US will ever invest enough money and time in Central America to fix the “root causes” of immigration.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
4/15/2021 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
A European take on US politics | The Bottom Line
Former French Ambassador Gérard Araud sees the United States-China rivalry as the biggest diplomatic challenge ahead, and his advice for US policymakers is: Don’t force countries to pick sides.At the same time, he warns against overestimating China’s power or underestimating US power.Araud warns that Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 was not a fluke, as more people in Western societies consider their political systems “rigged”.In this wide-ranging conversation with host Steve Clemons, Araud openly questions whether the West's “war on terrorism” in the Muslim world can be won by military means.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
4/8/2021 • 24 minutes, 54 seconds
Why can’t the US end the war in Afghanistan? | The Bottom Line
Despite his campaign promises to “bring the vast majority of our troops home from Afghanistan”, US President Joe Biden is finding that ending the 20-year-old Afghan war is easier said than done.At one point before the elections former President Donald Trump was ready to leave without much regard for the consequences, in fulfilment of his campaign promise to end the “forever wars”.Political scientist Stephen Walt tells host Steve Clemons that the biggest fear Biden faces is the possibility that the country could break down even further on his watch once all foreign forces are gone.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
4/1/2021 • 25 minutes
Is 'election integrity' code for voter suppression? | The Bottom Line
Election reform is one of the biggest political battles of the year in the United States after former President Donald Trump and his fans insisted the last election was “stolen".Republican lawmakers in 33 states are proposing restrictions on voter registration and voting.Senate Democrats are pushing the “For the People Act” to greatly increase the number of registered voters and make voting easier.So which way will the United States go? Join host Steve Clemons as he speaks with Sadiqa Reynolds, CEO of the Urban League in Louisville, and John Fund, a columnist for National Review Online.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
3/25/2021 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Will Biden’s anti-China alliance work? | The Bottom Line
Will the United States wind up sharing world domination with China, or will China eventually accept the US as the world’s sole superpower?The Biden administration - just like the Trump administration before it - hopes to contain China’s growth and influence. President Joe Biden is trying to do the job by creating an alliance of four countries, the "Quad": Japan, India, Australia and the US.Join host Steve Clemons and his guests, China experts Deborah Lehr and Randall Schriver, as they discuss the range of issues on the table, including Chinese students in US universities, Huawei, TikTok, Hong Kong, Uighur Muslims, and more.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
3/18/2021 • 25 minutes
What’s keeping the US minimum wage at $7.25 an hour? | The Bottom Line
A Democratic Party-led proposal to raise the minimum wage in the United States would double the income of millions of Americans. But opponents fear that many small business owners would choose to fire some of their employees, outsource labour to other countries, slow down hiring, or decide to shut down if it passes.Supporters say that the current federal minimum wage does not provide a liveable salary to millions of Americans and should be pushed to $15 an hour in phases.Host Steve Clemons is joined by Rachel Greszler, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, and Jacobin magazine editor, David Sirota, also the former speechwriter for Bernie Sanders during his 2020 presidential campaign.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
3/11/2021 • 25 minutes, 7 seconds
How much sway does Trump still have over the Republican party? | The Bottom Line
Donald Trump adviser Jason Miller talks to host Steve Clemons about the former United States president's role in politics and the conservative agenda.Republican leaders are still split on Trump: House Republicans defend his legacy and coordinate closely with him, with their leaders travelling back and forth to see him at his resort in Florida; but Senate Republicans are trying their best to minimise his influence over the party.In his first major speech after leaving office, given at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 28, Trump promised to help his party retake the White House and the Senate.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
3/4/2021 • 25 minutes, 5 seconds
Are Iran, US headed for a new deal? | The Bottom Line
US President Joe Biden says he wants to restart negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, and Iran extended its permission for nuclear watchdogs.This is the most progress the two parties have made since former President Donald Trump tore up the 2015 deal reached after years of negotiations, but there are no guarantees a new deal is imminent.Cambridge University lecturer Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian and Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake lay out the possible scenarios for Iran-US relations over the next few months.- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/