Heroes

Thursday, April 26, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

Heroes rose to the occasion in two recent events, a midair explosion on Southwest 1380 and in a mass shooting in a Nashville Waffle House. There was also resolution for a hero that lost his life while saving others in a Brooklyn apartment fire in December last year, but was finally buried with honors in February. 

Here are the videos for the meeting:

• Southwest Pilot Tammie Jo Shults Hailed A Hero After Emergency Landing
• Investigation into why Southwest Airlines plane's engine exploded
• Police Praise 'Hero' Customer for Stopping Waffle House Shooter
• Gunman kills four in Nashville Waffle House
• Families Come To Grips With Fatal Bronx Fire
• Trump's Racist Comment Countered Online by Story of Ghana Soldier

--------------------------------------- Updated 4/26/18 -----------------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Rep. McSally introduces resolution to honor Southwest pilot
• Man Who Tackled Waffle House Gunman Says He's 'Not A Hero'
• Waffle House hero who rushed shooter honored by lawmakers
• Funeral Today For Hero Soldier In Bronx Fire
• How to Survive a Workplace Shooting

Limited Airstrikes

Thursday, April 19, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

Trump's strike on Syria was the big news over the weekend, but the Trump news cycle has already shifted to his personal problems. Nevertheless, there are real issues with the general use of limited airstrikes, about their effectiveness, their legally, and their use as political theater.

Here are the videos for the meeting:

• Why Trump's "limited strike" on Syria probably won't work
• Miller: Syria strike restores 'red line' on chemical weapons
• Inside the AUMF: America's answer to terrorism
• New efforts for congressional review of AUMF
• Trump’s Syria strike distracts media from internal problems
• Trump juggles many issues affecting approval ratings

---------------------------------- Updated 4/19/18 ------------------------------------------


Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Trump Sends a $250 Million Message to Syria
• Nikki Haley responds to Larry Kudlow
• Was the joint missile strike on Syria legal
• China says Syria attacks violated international law
• Russia turns to China with landmark gas pipeline

Embattled Teachers

Thursday, April 12, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

Yet another protest movement has caught the nation's attention, this time, low teachers pay in conservative states. Teachers went on strike in West Virginia, Kentucky and Oklahoma and threaten to spread to other states where teacher are poorly paid.

Better paid teachers in liberal states are also threatened by a Supreme Court case, Janus v. AFSCME, which threatens to weaken teachers unions, by making it unconstitutional for unions to charge fees to nonunion teachers. Hearings for this case has concluded and the ruling is expected this summer.

Federal support for education in general is being cut by the Trump administration. The effort is being led by DOE Secretary Betsey DeVos, who is possibly the most criticized member of Trump's cabinet. In a recent  60 Minutes interviews, DeVos tried to explain her actions, but performed poorly.

Here are the videos for the meeting:

• Teacher Strikes Spread Across the US
• What's next after Janus v. AFSCME
• Betsy DeVos pushes back against criticism over 60 Minutes interview

-------------------------------- Updated 4/12/18 ------------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Teacher: I make more money mowing lawns
• Teacher protests for better pay gains momentum across the country
• Stossel: Supreme Court Ruling May Crush Unions
• Who is behind the court case, Janus vs. AFSCME?
• Madigan on Janus v. AFSCME
• Weekend Update Betsy DeVos
• DeVos' relationship with employees is crumbling
• The MSM'S Attack On Betsy DeVos

More on Police Shootings

Thursday, April 5, 2018, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

After a series of high profile controversial police shootings of black men in 2016, there was over a year of relative quiet. That came to an end in March of 2018 when Stephon Clark was shot in Sacramento. At the same time, it was announced that there would be no charges in 2016 shooting of Anton Sterling. While we were fixated on Trump, all of the high profile police shootings of 2016 were concluded without a conviction.

For the next meeting, we will discuss the current situation in Sacramento and the conclusion of some 2016 shootings. We will also try to gain some insight into why these shooting mistakes keep happening with a talk by Malcolm Gladwell about a 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo.

Here are the videos:

• Widespread protests continue over killing of Stephon Clark
• Alton Sterling shooting Police officer fired over killing
• Hard To Say Philando Castile Got Due Process
• Keith Lamont Scott Trial  Protests Erupt After Officer Not Charged
• Tulsa Officer Acquitted for Death of Terence Crutcher
• Excerpt from The Dark Side of How We Think Without Thinking

------------------------------------ Updated 4/5/18 ----------------------------------

Here are the other videos shown at the meeting:

• Police officer charged after fatally shooting woman in alley
• California considers restricting when police can use deadly force

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