Background Briefing: September 14, 2023

 

The False Equivalence of Hunter Biden on Trial While His Father is Running Against the Head of the Trump Crime Family

We begin with the indictment today of Hunter Biden for allegedly making false statements on an ATF form and illegally possessing a handgun with the three counts heading for a possible criminal trial for Biden’s son in 2024 in the midst of his father’s campaign for reelection. Joining us is David Shapiro, a Distinguished Lecturer and Coordinator of the Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics program at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice at The City University of New York. He worked as an FBI special agent and is the co-author of How They Got Away With It: White Collar Criminals and the Financial Meltdown.

 

The Grey Area Between What is Illegal and What is Corrupt

Then we look into the grey area between what is illegal and what is corrupt and speak with Sarah Chayes, who has served as special assistant on corruption to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as having advised commanders of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. She has been a reporter for National Public Radio from Paris, covering Europe and the Balkans and is the author of The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban and Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security. Her latest book is On Corruption in America: And What Is at Stake and we discuss her article at The Atlantic, “Not Illegal, but Clearly Wrong.”

 

The Looming Strike by the UAW Against the Big Three Automakers

Then finally we assess the looming strike by the UAW against the Big Three automakers as the deadline tonight of 11.59 PM EST fast approaches. Joining us is Sylvia Allegretto, a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. She has co-authored several editions of The State of Working America, and her research interests include long-term unemployment, family budgets, teacher pay, public employee compensation, low-wage labor markets, inequality, and minimum wages.