January 30 – What did Israel Strike in Syria?; A Teachable Moment for Deficit Hawks; The 42nd Gun Death This Month in Chicago

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Part 1	We begin and go to Beirut for the latest on a suspected Israeli attack on Syria which the Assad regime claims struck a scientific research facility but other reports suggest it was a convoy carrying SA -17 missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thanassis Cambanis, the author of “A Privilege to Die: Inside Hezbollah’s Legions and Their Endless War against Israel” joins us to discuss a possible regional escalation of Syria’s civil war.
Part 2	Then we examine the unexpected contraction in the Gross Domestic Product in the last quarter of 2012 and what this means in terms of a slowing recovery that could be stalled even more if budget cuts from the sequestration go into effect. Dimitri Papadimitriou, the President of the Levy Economics Institute and Professor of Economics at Bard College joins us to discuss this unwelcome news that might give House Republican deficit hawks pause as they insist on more budget cuts.
Part 3	Then finally, with the shooting death of a high school honors student and a majorette who performed at President Obama’s recent inauguration, we speak with award-winning author Alex Kotlowitz whose PBS FRONTLINE documentary “The Interrupters” profiled efforts to stop gun violence in Chicago’s inner city. We discuss 15 year old Hadiya Pendleton’s death, which was brought up today in a U.S. Senate hearing on gun control, the 42^nd shooting this month in the gang-infested south side of Chicago.