Military Spending to Exceed One Trillion

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17
PROGRAM #10991 12:00 PM PT

Military Spending to Exceed One Trillion. 

The House of Representatives has approved a multibillion-dollar defense package that increases troop pay and consolidates much of President Trump’s national security agenda. The law seeks to curb the military pullback from Europe and mandates stronger congressional oversight, including the release of unedited videos of attacks on vessels at sea. What does this budget mean for U.S. military strategy? What priorities will shape the allocation of these resources?

Guest: Livier Lazaro, Retired Army Veteran (served in the Iraq War), member of the LULAC veterans committee, San Diego, CA.

Calls to Investigate Possible Extrajudicial Killings. Leading legal experts are urging Congress to create a special committee to investigate military attacks on boats in international waters that have resulted in the killing of dozens of people suspected of drug trafficking. These and other questionable uses of presidential war powers would form part of an “extraordinary public inquiry.” How is the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights investigating these deaths at sea? More news: U.S. troops have seized a Venezuelan oil tanker in what the White House called a “seizure,” and Caracas denounced it as “piracy.” What does international law say?

Guest: Laura Carlsen, Political Analyst, Director of the independent center for international relations MIRA: Feminisms and Democracies, Mexico City, MX.

Prosecutors Target Government Critics. Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered her agents to investigate left-leaning groups and classify “antifa” (anti-fascist) as a “domestic terrorist organization.” Though presented as guidance to combat extremism and political violence, the memo focuses exclusively on progressive groups and civil society organizations critical of the administration, potentially stripping them of nonprofit or philanthropic status. What risks does this directive pose? How does it fit into the newly announced national security strategy? What could it mean for freedom of expression and political dissent?

Guest: Sergio Perez, Executive Director, The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Los Angeles, CA.

Photo: U.S. Department of War

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