Radio America Online News Bureau

Sanctions Crippling Kim, Is Trump Abandoning Hong Kong? PolitiFact’s Pants on Fire

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Listen to “Sanctions Crippling Kim, Is Trump Abandoning Hong Kong? Politifact’s Pants on Fire” on Spreaker.

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome the news that U.S. sanctions are inflicting a devastating economic toll and putting a lot of political pressure on North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-Un.  They also cringe at reports that President Trump promised China two months ago that he would not condemn a Chinese crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong.  And they hammer PolitiFact for refusing to criticize Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris over their characterization of Michael Brown’s death as murder.  PolitiFact says, “Legally, it wasn’t. How much should this word choice matter?”

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Hong Kong Protests: ‘This Is Their Last Stand for Autonomy’

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Listen to “Hong Kong Protests: ‘This Is Their Last Stand for Autonomy'” on Spreaker.

Tensions in Hong Kong remain very high as huge numbers of residents there continue pro-democracy protests aimed at keeping the communist Chinese regime at arm’s length and forces loyal to the Chinese government take stronger action to put down the protests.

A leading expert on China policy says the showdown is critically important and that President Trump must do much more to support those demanding their freedom.

The demonstrations began in June in fierce opposition to a proposed law in the Hong Kong legislature that would make extradition to mainland China much easier.  With more than a million people in the streets, officials shelved the legislation.  But protesters want it permanently withdrawn and more power in determining their government among other demands.

“People in Hong Kong, and not just the pro-democracy kids on the streets but also a very large segment of the Hong Kong population, just believe this is their last stand for autonomy,” said Gordon Chang, a China expert and author of “The Coming Collapse of China.”

Peaceful protests have turned more confrontational lately, both in the streets and this week at an airport sit-in.  Chang admits some of the demonstrators have gotten more rowdy but he sees something out of place with the Hong Kong police as well.

“I don’t think they’re answering to the Hong Kong commissioner of police.  I think that essentially we’re seeing Beijing dictate what’s going on,” said Chang.

Chang says YouTube videos show supposed Hong Kong police officers unable to speak the native Cantonese language or present their police identification.  Another shows an officer oddly addressing fellow officers as “comrades” and another showing an officer alternately speaking Cantonese and Mandarin, which is highly unusual he says.

And as China appears to be taking a hard line on the protesters, President Trump appears to be going very soft on China, at least for now.

“The Hong Kong thing is a very tough situation, very tough. We’ll what see what happens. But I’m sure it’ll work out. I hope it works out for everybody, including China, by the way,” said Trump on Tuesday.

“He’s also said things like, ‘This is a matter between Hong Kong and China.’ That is uninspiring and completely inadequate,” said Chang.

Listen to the full podcast to hear Chang discuss how China is likely to act as the protests continue, why he believes this crisis matters a lot to the United States, and what the proper U.S. position should be right now.

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Backing Away from Blago, Trump Tepid on Hong Kong, The Stacey Abrams Charade

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David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome reports that members of the Illinois congressional delegation have at temporarily convinced President Trump not to commute the prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. They’re also frustrated that President Trump is not speaking out more forcefully in favor of the pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong, and is instead just saying he hopes it works out well for everyone. And they roll their eyes once again as Stacey Abrams – who lost the 2018 Georgia governor’s race fair and square – is now accusing the Republicans of planning to intimidate voters of color in 2020 and also making herself available to be the vice presidential nominee for the Democrats next year.

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Tracking Your Tax Dollars

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Over the first ten months of Fiscal Year 2019, the United States is running it’s largest deficit in history. Fiscal restraint was laughed out of Washington by both parties a long time ago, but what exactly is happening with your tax dollars?

OpentheBooks.com recently studied where nearly $170 billion from the Small Business Administration went over a five-year span.

In this podcast, OpentheBooks CEO Adam Andrzejewski details the questionable recipients of much of this money and how little of it went to mom and pop business owners struggling to survive.  But he also discusses one way in which the federal government is starting to crack down on spending.

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Hong Kong Protests, Cuomo & Fredo, A Tribe Called Crazy

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Listen to “Hong Kong Protests, Cuomo & Fredo, A Tribe Called Crazy” on Spreaker.

Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss the growing discord in Hong Kong, as demonstrators demand their freedom but also fear Chinese intervention. They also discuss  CNN host Chris Cuomo’s rant at a heckler for calling him “Fredo.” And Alexandra unloads on Harvard Prof. Laurence Tribe for alleging that white supremacy and the pro-life movement are intertwined.

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Epstein Explanations, Tarring Trump Voters, Biden’s Wokeness

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Listen to “Epstein Explanations, Tarring Trump Voters, Biden’s Wokeness” on Spreaker.

Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America kick off the week with three crazy martinis. They begin with the death of Jeffrey Epstein, the protocols that officials admit weren’t followed, and the blizzard of conspiracy theories that immediately erupted. They also roll their eyes as media and political figures on the left declare that voting for President Trump makes those voters racists by association. And Alexandra gets a kick out of Joe Biden stating there are “at least three” genders while pointing out Biden can never win the “Woke Olympics” and shouldn’t be trying to.

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Red Flag Laws: Reasonable Safeguards or Infringing Rights?

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Listen to “Mitch to Move on Guns, Hickenlooper Heading for Senate Race? Another Biden Bungle” on Spreaker.

Former Chief Asst. U.S. Attorney Andrew C. McCarthy says second amendment defenders ought to get behind so-called red flag laws so long as the legislation is written responsibly.

Red flag laws would allow a court to assess whether a person is a threat to themselves or others, remove the guns if the person is deemed a threat, and then re-evaluate their case at various intervals.

Supporters say red flag laws are the best way to preserve second amendment rights while taking steps to prevent mass shootings or other violence.

Detractors see the idea as a a slippery slope that would allow Americans to be harassed by such laws due to their political beliefs or simply because someone doesn’t like them. They also fear due process would be comprised for those accused.

Listen to the full podcast as McCarthy responds to those objections and much more.  He describes the kind of laws he would like to see, why he thinks it would clearly be constitutional, and what kind of poison pills conservatives would need to avoid in getting the legislation over the finish line.

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Mitch to Move on Guns, Hickenlooper Heading for Senate Race? Another Biden Bungle

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Listen to “Mitch to Move on Guns, Hickenlooper Heading for Senate Race? Another Biden Bungle” on Spreaker.

Daniel Foster of National Review Online and Greg Corombos of Radio America are still searching for those elusive good martinis.  Today, they wonder why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is suddenly insisting the Senate “can’t fail to pass” gun-related legislation in an effort to stop mass shootings.  They also see the news former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper may soon jump from the presidential race to his state’s 2020 U.S. Senate race as bad for both campaigns.  And they take a deeper look at the latest Joe Biden stumble on the campaign trail and what it tells us about his bid for the White House.

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Gun Owners Explain Opposition to Gun Control Agenda

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In wake of three horrific mass shootings, demands for gun control legislation are intensifying. Supporters of the movement insist universal background checks, assault weapons ban, red flag laws, and other measures will reduce the odds for more atrocities like we witnessed over the weekend in El Paso and Dayton.

But while you might not know it from watching and reading mainstream media sources, there is another side of this debate.  Second amendment groups like Gun Owners of America are pushing back vigorously across the board, starting with the push for the Senate to take up the House bill on universal background checks.

Gun Owners of America Legislative Counsel Mike Hammond says the House bill infringes far more on personal liberties than its supporters would have Americans believe.

“The legislation which the House passed is completely screwy.  It’s a trap which could basically enmesh any gun owner,” said Hammond.

He says the most innocuous activity could make you a hardened criminal under the House bill.

“If you show your gun to your neighbor in your dining room and then go into the next room to go to the bathroom, you’re a felon.  If you sell your gun to your kid for one dollar, you’re a felon.  If you take someone shooting and the person doesn’t have a hunting license, you’re a felon.

“The bill has a whole lot of deliberate provisions in it to make if very, very difficult to own a firearm in America,” said Hammond.

President Trump has not indicated support for that particular bill but he has said in recent days that he is open to expanded background checks.  Hammond says it’s hard to read Trump’s commitment to the second amendment moment to moment, but hopes the president will not go down that road.

“Depending on who’s in the room, he’s either pro or anti-second amendment.  I hope that he holds firm because if he basically kisses off the second amendment community, I think he’s going to be a one-term president,” said Hammond.

Listen to the full podcast to learn what Hammond think about requiring a background check for every firearm purchase or proposed red flag laws which would allow guns to be removed from Americans reported as a danger to themselves or others.  And we ask whether the Senate is likely to take up any of these issues.

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