Blaming The Victims Of The California Fires
The three wildfires raging in California have killed at least 31 people, with more than 200 others still missing. One might think that concern for the victims would be top of mind at this time. But President Trump has instead tweeted out victim-blaming statements, including bogus claims that the state itself is to blame for the destruction, due to what he has called poor forest management. That message from the White House understandably brought about a public outcry, including a statement from California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice, calling it “ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering, as well as the men and women on the front lines.”
Jim Braude was joined by Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator under former President Barack Obama, who is a Boston native and now the director of the Center of Health and the Global Environment at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health. McCarthy is also an advisor at Pegasus Capital Advisors.
Insulting Veterans & Allies
Donald Trump is getting a lot of criticism for scrapping a planned visit to Arlington National Cemetery in honor of Veteran’s Day. It's the second time in three days that he has canceled plans to honor U.S. soldiers, after he skipped another scheduled stop at an American war memorial less than an hour outside of Paris while he was visiting the country Saturday — apparently due to rain. Also during that trip, French President Emmanuel Macron decided to give a little lesson on the true meaning of patriotism — with a pointed message. In front of a large crowd, with Donald Trump front and center, Macron denounced nationalism as a betrayal of patriotism, and that when a leader declares a single country's interests as trumping others, it erases the moral values that make that nation great. The philosophy of nationalism, of course, laid the ground for the outbreak of World War I, and is often used today among white supremacist fringe groups as a code word for their beliefs — and yet, it is also one Trump has embraced in recent months.
Jim Braude was joined by Carol Saivetz and Jim Walsh, senior advisor and senior research associate, respectively, at MIT's Security Studies program.
Remembering The Lessons Of World War II
While Macron took advantage of Trump’s visit to Europe to warn the international community to remember the lessons of World War I, some fear the lessons of World War II are being forgotten as well. As Adam Reilly reports, one local museum is looking to keep those memories alive.
IMHO: Trump's Attacks On Black Female Journalists
Jim Braude on Trump’s targeting of not just journalists, but especially journalists who are black women.
