The March in March

Thursday, March 29, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

 For the next meeting we will cover the March for Our Lives rally for gun control led by the Parkland MSD students. Here are the videos:

• The Latest Movement Led By Young People
• Highlights and dramatic moments from March for Our Lives
• She Was Shot in Parkland
• Thousands of young Americans sign up to vote during March for Our Lives
• March for Our Lives organizers send message to Congress
• Most Americans Want More Gun Control

-------------------------------- Updated 3/29/18 -----------------------------------

Here is the other video shown at the meeting:

• US gunmaker Remington files for bankruptcy

Russia Rising

Thursday, March 22, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
Meeting cancelled due to inclement weather.

The completely expected election of Putin was an anticlimax of a week of rising tensions with Russia due to the attempted assassination of a former Russian agent in the UK. Somewhat surprising, Trump not only condemned Russia for this action, but also added sanctions for election interference and cyber-hacking our electric grid and other infrastructure.

Here are the videos for the next meeting:

• Vladimir Putin maintains grip on power in Russia
• US, UK, French, German leaders blame Russia in spy poisoning
• Treasury Department Sanctions Russian Cyber Actors For Election Interference
• ‘We Have So Much More To Lose’ Than Russia
• Russian Bots and Trolls

North Korea Again

Thursday, March 15, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

North Korea is again in the news with Trump agreeing to talk to Kim. Trump has been criticized for accepting without conditions but his defenders say that nothing else has worked. So Kim gets a big boost in prestige but what then? Is it possible that Kim really wants to deescalate nuclear tensions to improve his economy. Or is he just stalling to improve his missile guidance system.

Here are the videos for the next meeting:

• Fareed: Trump summit a victory for North Korea
• Winter Olympics and the Korea Crisis: Last chance for peace?
• Kim Jong Un meets with South Korean officials

----------------------------------------- Updated 3/15/18 -------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• China and Russia strike joint position on North Korea
• World awaits response from North Korea on summit with US
• A look at the career of Rex Tillerson
• After ‘Rexit’ What's next for US diplomacy under Pompeo
• How North Korea’s Mountains Preserve the Kim Dynasty
• Untold Stories About North Korean Popstars

World Dominance

Thursday, March 8, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

The sole superpower status of the United States is being challenged by the second largest economy, China, and by the second strongest military power, Russia. In China, Xi is about to remove term limits so he can pursue unhindered his goal of making China the dominant superpower. In Russia, Putin announced new nuclear weapons that would overpower the US arsenal. While in the USA, Trump is starting a trade war with its allies as if encouraging China and Russia to take over world leadership.

Here are the videos for next week:

• Fareed: Is anyone paying attention to China?
• Putin unveils new nuclear weapons
• Trump Doesn't Think Twice About His Looming Trade War

---------------------------- Updated 3/8/18 -------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Xi Jinping's ideology now written into China's constitution
• Ex-Australia PM Rudd Isn't Surprised Xi Abolished Term Limits
• China to pass law allowing president for life