It was the debut speech heard around the world – Donald Trump at the United Nations, putting American First and other nations on notice. Over the course of 41 minutes, the president criticized the Iran nuclear deal, promised to “totally destroy” North Korea if its leader Kim Jong-Un – otherwise known as “Rocketman” – continues his path and vowed to crush the “loser terrorists” in the Middle East. Sweden’s foreign minister was no fan of the speech calling it “bombastic” and “nationalist.” However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the address as bold and courageous. So, who was right? Nicholas Burns, former Ambassador to NATO, Undersecretary of State and current professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government joined Jim Braude to break the tie.
It’s one of the most fraught questions in America today: whether local police forces should embrace the use of military equipment and tactics, or whether police militarization has a destructive effect on relationships with the community they protect and serve. The issue rose to prominence in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, during the unrest that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. Recently, the controversial police response to protests in St. Louis showed the debate isn’t anywhere close to resolution.
It worked before and now, minimum wage activists are hoping it will work again. In 2014, Massachusetts lawmakers approved a measure to gradually raise the minimum wage. But they did it under pressure. If the lawmakers didn’t act, there was a ballot question ready to go, which would have let the people decide. In the end, the minimum wage went from 8 to 11 dollars in the state. But then, the fight for 15 swept the country with protesters in dozens of cities, including here in Boston, calling for a $15 minimum wage. And once again, with a ballot question on the horizon for 2018, state lawmakers are taking a closer look. Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and Michel Kanter, co-owner of Cambridge Naturals, weigh in on the debate over the minimum wage with Jim.
Jim asks why it’s okay to pay other people to do the things you most hate doing.
