In the first half, Professor of Russian Studies and History Emeritus at NYU, Stephen F. Cohen, reacted to Vladimir Putin's decision to get involved in the Syrian conflict and commence air strikes against ISIS forces. Cohen summarized Putin's position as arguing that the rise of ISIS was borne out of the power vacuum created by the overthrow of leadership in Iraq and Libya by the United States. In turn, this led to destabilization not only the Middle East, specifically the Syrian civil war, but also now in Europe via the refugee crisis. As such, Cohen said, Putin wishes to protect Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in order to thwart the spread of ISIS because the extremist militant group will eventually send their fighters into Russia and create havoc there as well. Therefore, he surmised that the Russian intervention in the Syrian war amounts to an offer of a coalition with the United States against ISIS.
Cohen opined that forming this alliance "seems like the right thing to do," but there are many factors working against it. He noted that the vilification of Putin by America makes forming an alliance with Russia particularly problematic for President Obama. Additionally, he explained that there are similar factors in Russia working against Putin forming any sort of partnership with the United States. According to Cohen, the third obstacle is the instability in the Ukraine, which could result in the United States and Russia being thrust into opposing sides, especially if forces there cause the conflict to escalate for fear of being abandoned by America in favor of this coalition. As of now, the American response to Putin's offer of cooperation has been tepid and indecisive, despite pressure from European leaders who are in favor of it. Therefore, Cohen called on Obama to make a resolute decision about America's role in the conflict before it becomes relegated to simply being a bystander.
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In the latter half of the program, researcher and activist Dane Wigington discussed disturbing changes in the environment that he believes are brought about by geoengineering, which uses weather modification techniques, such as chemtrails and HAARP. "It's truly beyond belief that things could be this visible in the skies above our head and people are still in denial," he said about the general lack of acknowledgement that environmental modification is not only possible but also actually happening. In order to raise awareness about geoengineering, Wigington's organization has purchased billboard advertisements in states such as Nevada, New Mexico, and Georgia. The goal of this effort, he said, is to inspire people to investigate the issue rather than immediately dismiss it "until the last possible hour."
In detailing the case that geoengineering is taking place, Wigington cited government documents concerning weather modification, scientific studies showing unnatural amounts of various elements in different parts of the environment, and climate changes which appear to contradict traditional weather models. While he conceded that geoengineering should not solely be blamed for changes in the environment, Wigington stressed that it is doubly dangerous because it is being virtually ignored by both the media and environmental groups while having an effect on "all of the web of life." Wigington suggested that the only way for this nefarious practice to stop would be "from the inside out," where the everyday people who are unwittingly responsible for implementing geoengineering systems are made aware of what they are really doing and feel compelled to put a stop to it.
News segment guests: Ryan Mauro, Scott Stevens, Chase Kloetzke