June 8 – The U.S. and Iran Meet to Jump-Start Negotiations; The “Coronation” of Egypt’s General Sisi; Billionaire Bullion Buying our Politics

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with an analysis of the face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Iran starting on Monday in Geneva, meant to jump-start the broader negotiations on a nuclear deal that appears doubtful will be reached before the July 20 deadline. Nader Hashemi, the Director of the Center For Middle East Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver joins us to discuss the urgency to get a deal done before spoilers on both sides weigh in, which is particularly likely if the talks are extended for another six months.

Part 2

Then we look into the “coronation” of General Sisi in Egypt and the climate of fear amongst both the Muslim Brotherhood and the secular liberal opposition as mass sentencing of political prisoners continue and Egypt’s John Stewart steps down from his satirical political TV show under pressure from the military who have enacted a law that outlaws insulting General Sisi. Dr. Sheila Carapico, a Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Richmond and the Former Chair of the Political Science Department at the American University in Cairo joins us to discuss the diminishing influence of the U.S. over political events in Egypt and the broader Middle East.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with Kenneth Vogel, the Chief Investigative Reporter for Politico who tracks the confluence of money, politics and influence over our governance that is becoming increasingly dominated by billionaires. We will discuss the money from plutocrats pouring into the upcoming mid-term elections and the expected avalanche of billionaire bullion expected to swamp the 2016 presidential elections as well as Ken Vogel’s latest book, just out, “Big Money: 2.5 Billion Dollars, one suspicious Vehicle, and a Pimp – on the Trail of the Ultra-Rich Hijacking American Politics”.